Weighted vs unweighted GPA: what colleges look at

The definitions

Unweighted GPA treats every class the same: an A is an A. Weighted GPA adds points for courses a school considers more demanding, such as honors, AP, IB or dual enrollment. Both are legitimate; they answer different questions.

Colleges may recalculate

College Board notes that colleges may recalculate your GPA using their own criteria. Some remove noncore courses, some focus on core subjects such as math, science, English, social studies and world languages, and some adjust or remove the weighting assigned to AP or honors courses. Some apply their own weighting.

One published example

The University of Michigan states that it converts first-year applicants' grades to an unweighted 4.0 scale using all classes in grades 9 through 11, treating A+, A and A- alike as 4.0. It evaluates the rigor of the curriculum separately. Other colleges use other methods, so one example should not be read as a general rule.

What this means for your choices

Because weighting rules vary, there is no single number you can aim for. Read each college's own admissions pages, and ask the office if the page does not say.

• Report the GPA your school calculates, with its scale.
• Let your transcript show course difficulty; do not try to guess a college's formula.
• Use the weighted calculator here to see both numbers for your own planning only.

Try both numbers

Entering the same classes both ways shows how much of your weighted GPA comes from bonuses. A large gap simply means many of your classes carry extra weight at your school.