Importance of gpa

Student Lounge International Students
1

So I’ve heard that gpa is not important or not even looked at AT ALL in UK admissions. But I have a few questions.

  1. How can they possibly NOT LOOK at gpa if you are required to list all your school subjects and scores on the ucas education section? Won’t that be looked at?
  1. If looked at, how important? For example, there is a student who attends an extremely competitive school. He's very smart, but has lots of Cs although like 10 5s on the AP. Would those Cs affect his chances alot?

Thank you.

2

Hi Flo- my daughter and I have been researching uk schools for over a year. GPA requirements do matter, but the bar is much lower for a UK school- typically 3.2-3.3, which is consider low in the US for a selective school. The explanation I have heard is that UK schools realize high schools are variable in the US, so an A in an AP class at one school may not be equivalent to an A at a harder HS. Also, grades can even vary within the same HS depending upon teachers. So UK schools are more interested in AP scores, since they are uniform across all high schools. I have been told by a UK rep that AP tests most resemble English A levels, where a 5 AP score is roughly equivalent to an A level, a 4 to a B level, and so one.

3

I am surprised a 5 would equal an A level as on some AP tests a student can earn a 65% correct on the multiple choice, and if they nail the essay, still end up with a 5.

4

@KaffeineKitty

Thanks for the info
I get the GPA cutline, but I was wondering if I had to mention all my high school grades in the UCAS education section. Some people just say that you could leave it empty and just mention your AP scores. And if I HAVE TO mention them, will they not like it if I have lots of Cs but still like 10 5s on the AP? Or will they disregard the Cs?

5

I’m not sure- but it’s good question- please post if you find out.

There is an organization called “across the pond”- I have not used them, but I talked to a mom who highly recommended them- maybe start there?

6

Hi lost account- you a right in that it is not a directly correlation- just the closest thing the UK can relate to - so I was making more a general comparison and not a factual statement- sorry for the confusion.
But I have spoken to a number of reps from UK unis, and they all where clear that they weight AP scores higher than GPA and even ACT/SAT scores- especially if the AP is in an area/subject you plan on studying in college.

7

Thanks. Gotcha
@KaffeineKitty

So you dont know if posting all your subject grades are necessary? Have you tried?

8

@FLtoPton, UK unis don’t know anything about your school or the grading scale, etc., which is why they put the weight on test scores. And, fyi, your GC will be attaching your transcript anyway. In the UK standardized test scores trump classroom scores (the exception is StAs, which is heavily Americanized & does pay attention to GPA). If you have the scores / good PS / good rec, the Cs won’t be a problem. More importantly, with a handful of exceptions (eg, Oxbridge, LSE, Imperial), if you have the scores and are a full-pay international the doors will swing open.

@lostaccount, the fact that you can get low % on part of the exam and still get a top mark on the AP is supremely irrelevant to the standard of the test, and fyi, in the UK an 80% = top mark on A levels.

9

@collegemom3717

Thanks for the helpful response!!
Can you elaborate what StAs are? And about how many APs do you need?

10

StAs = St Andrews, a Scottish university which particularly likes American students.

11

In the UK you must apply to a specific course (effectively a major) at a specific university . Go to the website for the university you are interested in, choose your course and click on a link for international students. On this Web page it will likely tell you which APs you need. If it does not, email and ask. In general you will need APs in similar subjects to those required for A-level students (details of which will be given on the university website) and unrelated subjects will not be considered. For example, if you are applying to study English, APs in Math and Sciences won’t help you.

12

They don’t look at GPA. British students aren’t evaluated on it, although preliminary decisions are made on teachers’ predictions of A-levels. US schools adjust GPA based on difficulty of classes and school. British universities are not used to doing that, and there is no way they could know about all the high schools and so on in the US. St. Andrews may tell US students they use it to make them happy, but I doubt they consider it much.

Your friend with 10 5s on AP exams and several Cs at a tough school should be able to get into somewhere really good in the UK, and should probably apply to Oxford or Cambridge.