GPA Rounding

<p>When the common application asks for the students GPA, what level of detail would be OK to round to? 3.7677 or 3.77 or 3.8?</p>

<p>I would go with 3.77. It just seems like 3.8 is pushing it. Are there any admissions people out there who would give their opinions? I’d like to know as well.</p>

<p>Rounding up is a big no-no. If you print two digits, it is 3.76.</p>

<p>I would say to put whatever shows up on the transcript. If you aren’t sure, ask. If your transcript comes with a 3.767, put that. DS’s GPA is 3.799, I would LOVE to round that to a 3.8…</p>

<p>So you don’t even round off but you must round down? I thought it was round off to two decimal places if over 3.5 or one decimal place if under 3.5. Doesn’t seem right to round a 3.71999 to a 3.71 and not a 3.72.</p>

<p>Do you think people look at a 3.71 any differently than a 3.72?</p>

<p>What SteveMA says. But if you can only put two digits after the decimal point, I’d go with the standard rounding rules that we all learned in junior high!</p>

<p>Why would you round down? Is that a new rule? I think 2 decimal points is fair.</p>

<p>That’s ridiculous to say that rounding up is a no-no. Of course 3.71999 is a 3.72. And anything beyond two decimal points is just too much.</p>

<p>I’d put whatever is on the transcript or
round (up or down) to two decimal points but
it might be unseemly to round up to a major threshold.</p>

<p>For example, while rounding convention would allow 3.996 to be rounded to 4.0, 4.0 has a special meaning that shouldn’t be messed with.</p>

<p>Put it exactly as it shows on your transcript, if it is present on your transcript.</p>

<p>Hah…I have no idea what the hundredth is and you all are saying your schools have GPAs to the .xxx ??? Dumb me thought it went 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4 and so on.
I really can’t imagine that any admissions person even at the most select of schools is going to worry about GPA to the point whatever whatever whatever.</p>

<p>Check to see if your high school has rounding rules. My institution does – rounding up is forbidden, even in the case of 3.499999.</p>

<p>As a college professor who works with our admissions department, I can tell you that gpa rounding is not allowed. Rounding up your gpa = lying in the application materials.</p>

<p>How much does self reported GPA matter when the school still sends the transcript? I mean, as long as you’re not saying you have a 3.8 when you know it’s a 3.4. I can’t imagine a college will scream foul as long as it’s reasonably accurate based on the information you have. I haven’t seen my son’s transcript. If I were to calculate GPA myself, I’m sure I might be off a bit not knowing how his school officially does it.</p>

<p>^^Exactly. There are so many schools doing it so many different ways. There are so many colleges some who include this and some who include that and some who include 3 years and some who include 2. It’s ridiculous to think that putting down a GPA on the Common App is meaningful. Heck for my kids their true GPA which will actually show up on their transcript isn’t even calculated until spring of senior year. My kids can only go onto the web and try to figure it out. I’m sure not going to get heartburn about .x or .xx or .xxx on the Common App and I sure as heck wouldn’t want my kids to get all wound up…there’s enough to get wound up about.</p>

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<p>Not according to numerous college career centers. (Or at least a few that I have looked at.)</p>

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<p>If some perceive it that way, rounding ain’t worth the risk IMO, because you never know who will be reading the paperwork.</p>

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<p>How do you report a GPA with 2 A grades and 1 B grade without some rounding?</p>

<p>I don’t think cutting off an irrational number after a few digits is the same thing as rounding.</p>

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<p>If the institution reporting the gpa reports to the thousandths, then you would report it as 3.666. It the institution reports only to the hundredths, then you’d report it as 3.66.</p>

<p>The bottom line, is that the student must report the gpa exactly as it appears on the transcript.</p>