I see CSU freshmen admissions now considers 10, 11 and 12th grades instead of only 10th and 11th grades as in the past. Does this mean they look at 12th, 1st semester grades only since 2nd semester grades are not available when they make admissions decisions? I assume they require submission of transcript with 12th, 1st semester grades when it becomes available, correct?
CSU’s have always considered 12th grade courses for their application review but for the CSU GPA calculation, it is still 10-11th grades for the a-g courses if you are applying during your Senior year. Grades from 12th grade would only be considered if you take a Gap year and apply after you graduate.
Some CSU’s will ask for 1st semester grades once you are admitted and plan to enroll but will not routinely ask for 12th grades for admission decision purposes. There are exceptions and It will vary by campus so it is always best to check the student portal to see what is on the “to do list”.
If they do include 12th grade grades, then it would only affect frosh applicants applying after graduating high school but not attending college (i.e. where the student may have gone from high school graduation to a job or military service for some number of years).
Thank you so much, Gumbymom and ucbalumnus, for clarification! So, it sounds like both UC and CSU have same system for GPA calculation. This info helps a lot for my son who will be applying after next year.
The only difference in the CSU and UC GPA calculations involves college courses. The CSU’s count a college semester class grade twice with a 2 Honors point bump if it is CSU transferable. Also the CSU’s cap the weighting for Approved Honors/AP/IB/DE/CC courses at 8 semesters.
For the UC GPA calculation, a college semester class grade is counted only once with a 1 point honors point bump but the UC’s look at 3 UC GPA’s: Unweighted, Capped weighted (8 semesters of Honors points) and Fully weighted (Unlimited Honors points).
Wow, this is another bonanza info that I did not know or could not find anywhere. Thanks again, Gumbymom!! If you do not mind, let me ask one more question: Of the 3 UC GPA’s UC’s consider, is CWGPA most important and then UWGPA, then FWGPA? How does it go? Thanks again for your help.
Capped Weighted is mainly used to determine eligibility since there is a minimum to apply to the UC’s. It also happens to be the most quoted GPA in terms of Freshman profiles.
For the CSU’s, the Capped weighted is the only GPA considered in their admission decisions although since the CSU’s have been test blind (maybe become permanent), Math GPA is also used by some campuses in evaluating potential Engineering Freshman (ie. SJSU).
Regarding the UC GPA importance, all 3 UC GPA’s are important and the student will be evaluated based on their HS course rigor and grades within the context of what their HS has to offer. Having access to little or no AP/Honors/IB classes will not be a disadvantage for these students, while having many AP/IB/Honors classes at a HS and not taking advantage, can hurt a student.
Thank a lot, Gumbymom, for the insight on GPA. This helps a lot!
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Hi, Gumbymom! Since you are so knowledgeable in pretty much everything related to college, can I ask you one more thing although difference subject?
One of my kids is in 10th grade, first semester in HS and he is going through tough time mentally since late summer and it has big effect on his grades. So I am considering to drop him out of HS for a year before his grades are recorded on his transcript in which case it will look like he skipped a whole year between 9th and 10th. Now I am wondering if this would affect negatively on his admissions to college. What do you think based on your extensive experience? I would very much appreciate your comment. Thanks in advance for your help!
Will he be homeschooled instead or are just focusing on getting healthy during this time? Have you discussed options with the HS counselor?
Education gaps can be explained by the HS counselor and in the additional comments section when applying for college. Priority should be his health.
I do not view this as skipping 10th grade, but a gap year for a specific reason. He will still be required to complete HS and meet the requirements to graduate so it will just take a longer time to achieve it.
I agree - the focus should be on his health. You can navigate the rest later.
We actually had to move my younger son to a charter for part of Sr year due to persistent migraines. The break worked and he has largely eliminated the migraines - and actually just graduated from Ft Lewis, an CO public college. Our HS counselor heIped ID the classes he still needed to get into a CSU. He held himself accountable for the on-line work.
One thing we learned, OOS publics (I connected with UNR, Boise State, CO State and Ft Lewis to confirm he’d meet their admit requirements. They are much more flexible on their required classes than Cal States and UCs. Do your own research but they were all really responsive and supportive for us. Contact any place he’s applied and ask their guidance before making changes so you know which doors you are closing before its too late.
I have a close friend whose daughter used the same charter to graduate HS in 3 years and is now a sophomore at U of Arkansas - so, you don’t need to do the traditional 4 year cycle to complete the HS requirements.
If you are in CA, there local charter school that can help you navigate this difficult time.
If you think he can handle a traditional college experience but might be a little short on the A-G list, look at WUE schools - a group of Western publics that offer discounts for CA residents.
Here’s a link.
https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/wue-savings-finder/
If that’s not for him, your local CC is always a viable option to continue education in a more supportive environment.
Good luck
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