4.0, 3/200, weighted and unweighted, decile and quartile. School records sometimes read like a numbers game meant, somehow, to quantify your performance. You need to understand how these measures are determined, what they mean, and how they impact college admissions.
American high schools have many ways of computing grade point average (GPA). Most common is the 4.0 scale in which an A is worth 4 points, a B =3, a C rates 2 points, and a D only 1. (No points are awarded for an F.) Other schools use numerical grades and provide letter grade equivalents. Generally, your unweighted GPA is the average of your high school grades converted to a 4.0 scale. Many high schools award additional points for honors and/or Advanced Placement courses, resulting in student GPAs in excess of 4.0. Your school’s policy about weighting will appear in the student handbook or school profile.
Since high school policies about GPA calculation vary from school to school, colleges often recalculate a GPA for their applicants. Often, colleges include only core courses (math, science, English, social studies, foreign language) in their recalculated GPA. Colleges also standardize the way in which weighted grades are assigned. This recalculation helps to level the playing field and permits the admissions officers to evaluate all students on the same basis. While colleges consider other factors in addition to GPA when making admissions decisions, it’s important to remember that some schools have a minimum GPA required for admission.
Rank in class is generally first computed at the end of junior year, and may be based on either weighted or unweighted GPA. Rank may be described as a position compared to all members of the class (as 3/200), or by group (such as top 10% or 2nd quartile). Most smaller high schools do not provide class rank since these numbers can be misleading. When rank is provided, college admission officers use the information in making admissions decisions. Some states have mandated automatic admission to the state university system for students who rank in the top 4%, 10%, or 20% of their high school class. Students who do not meet this requirement may be admitted through consideration of other factors.
By understanding your GPA and rank in class, and through an appreciation of the way these numbers are used in the admissions process, you can more effectively gauge your chances of admission to a particular college, and make better choices about the colleges that are appropriate for you.
