GPA vs. CGPA for US Grad Schools.

Graduate School
1

<p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p>I'm a Canadian, and when applying to masters programs in Canada, the most important factor tends to be your GPA, which usually refers to the last 10 credits of your program, or your last two years; CGPA refers to your cumulative average (the total GPA of all courses taken during your degree.) So in Canada, while your CGPA is definitely considered by admissions committees, your GPA (last two years) is what really counts (they look for progressive improvement, especially in senior courses.) </p>

<p>My question is whether the US system works the same way, and whether US students, when referring to "GPA" are actually referring to the CGPA (total average) or only the average of the last 2 years (or other?) When a US student has a 3.6 GPA, is that for all courses taken throughout their degree, or only for a limited number of credits?</p>

<p>I would appreciate an explanation, which will help me understand the "GPA" cutoffs for US schools better.</p>

2

<p>GPA here refers to your CGPA. Grad schools will put more weight, however, on the latter years based on your transcript.</p>

3

<p>As an American, I have never heard of GPA referring to just the last two years. We tend to use GPA (all years) and your major GPA (the GPA of all the classes required for your major - like all your science classes if you were a chem major. This seems closest to your version of GPA as it can carry weight if your overall GPA is ok, but your major GPA is a 4.0)</p>

4

<p>I am Canadian as well but have studied at both Canadian and US institutions. In general, I think US graduate and professional schools publish the CGPA in their official data. But it’s not always the case. Some graduate schools do state they count the last 2 years or upper division GPAs. I believe the University of California schools do this.</p>