Do Colleges look at weighted GPAs?

Enrolling in a university or a college includes various factors. One of the most crucial factors is your GPA. GPA is the average grade of all the courses you choose. Though traditionally there was only one way of calculating GPA, with time, GPA has been further divided as weighted GPA. When you are applying for higher studies, you might get confused about if your weighted GPA is considered at your college or not. Here is a proper guide on it. The students who have chosen the tougher subject will get a higher weighted GPA. The weighted average is a way of giving rewards to the students for their extra efforts and dedication. So let us know do colleges really look at weighted GPAs!

Quick Takeaways

• Your GPA is one of the most crucial figures to which you need to pay attention while you are in your college.
• Colleges will look at both your weight as well as unweighted GPA. 
• It is because these two figures will represent the individual and class academic performance.

Further, we have discussed if the college to which you are applying will check your weighted GPA.

Do Colleges look at weighted GPAs?

Colleges frequently will consider both your weighted as well as unweighted GPA.  It is because these two figures demonstrate your individual and class academic performance. It also aids in knowing if you have a demanding course load or not. Many institutions recalculate the GPAs of each applicant so that they all start on the same level. Thus you must consider applying as soon as possible so that you have a good chance of applying to the college.

GPA of just main courses is taken as unweighted which include science, math, English, etc. This involves leaving out extracurricular subjects like physical education from their academic assessment. This will make it simpler for admissions committees to compare applicants’ GPAs before looking at how many difficult courses the applicant took. However, they will also look at your other capabilities and thus you must try to work during college time.

What is a GPA?

Your GPA is one of the most crucial figures to which you need to pay attention while you are in your college. Your academic performance is summarized by your grade point average (GPA). GPA is computed on a scale of 0 to 4. 4 is the highest grade and 0 is the lowest on it. It represents your ‘s average achievement in your studies during a certain period, like one semester or even the entire year. You can also estimate the GPA per course. Also, your exams affect your final GDP.

What is an Unweighted GPA?

This is the traditional method of calculating GPA. In this method, the difficulty level of the course is not calculated. The GPA is just calculated based on the marks you have obtained. The average range of Unweighted GPA is calculated in the range of 0-4. So if you have taken a complex subject, there will be no weightage in choosing it. 

What is the difference between Weighted and Unweighted GPA?

Let us see how both the GPAs work, and try to understand the main difference. As you know unweighted GPA is calculated based on the difficulty level of the course. This means the higher the difficulty level of the course, the higher will be the GPA. Here is a small comparison that will show how both measures work. Suppose you have taken a complex subject like AP, then if your marks are calculated based on the traditional method, your A grade in the subject will give you a 4.0 GPA. Whereas, if your GPA is calculated as a weighted GPA, then your grade in AP, will give you a GPA of 4.5. 

Does a weighted GPA matter more?

Colleges do not want those students who just want admission for the degree and not for true education. They seek out students who are enthusiastic about learning. Therefore, institutions favor applicants who are prepared to challenge themselves and enroll in challenging courses. Also, some students may have the same GPA as yours when they are applying to a different college or the university. In such situations, a weighted GPA plays an important role when choosing candidates. This is because every university and college will want the best student in their university. 

How can you calculate your weighted GPA?

Dividing your unweighted GPA by the total classes you’ve taken, helps you to estimate your weighted GPA. Once done add 0.5 and 0.1 for each mid-level and high-level class respectively. Now the last step to getting the required GPA is to divide them by the number of sessions you have taken. However, it is important to note that there may be cameras in the classroom that will help you to check if you are studying well or not.

Conclusion

Traditional there was only one way of calculating GPA and that is the unweighted GPA. In this type of GPA, only your marks were considered and not which type of subject you have taken. But with the change in pattern and the new weight GPA, your extra efforts are also considered. When you calculate the weighted GPA, then it will include both your marks and the difficulty level of the subject. It becomes crucial while applying to colleges as they look at both your weighted and unweighted GPA.