Is CalPoly GPA for admission truly capped?

[ucscuuw]

SLO uses 9-11 A-G with an 8 point honors cap? I am not sure I understand this strategy for an institution that gets a ton of applicants and is highly selective. Theoretically, this has the effect of categorizing applicants into a smaller GPA range and makes for a difficult comparison. Also, with no SAT and no Essays its not like there are other quantitative or qualitative factors that can be used. Anyone know how SLO REALLY reviews applicants?

[eyemgh]

The best we know, yes. The last the algorithm was public facing was 2013. Things have changed since then, the SAT for example. I believe that weighting is a UC/CSU construct and not that of CP. The full MCA explanation, again, the best we know, is linked below.

Understanding the MCA plus Calculator

Cal Poly, the best we know, uses an algorithm called Multiple Criteria for Admissions (MCA) to do admissions. I say “the best we know” because the last Cal Poly published anything on the MCA was 2013 and that link has been removed. They will not acknowledge it if asked. That said, in the years I’ve been tracking it, the results seem to hold. I believe it is still being used. I dug into this several years ago because posters were claiming that CP passed over highly qualified applicants. I had anecdotal information to refute that (my high stats son got in and averages, particularly for the CENG are too high to not have high stats students. That led to the discovery of the MCA, and algorithm that is far more than just GPA and test scores. It turns out that there’s another reason that high stats students got rejected. Some were leaving off appropriate middle school grades, resulting in a lower MCA than they thought. THINGS HAVE CHANGED SINCE I ORIGINALLY POSTED THIS. ED no longer exist…

[Gumbymom]

This is what is posted on the SLO website: https://www.calpoly.edu/admissions/first-year-student/selection-criteria

With CSU’s going test blind, only a few CSU’s are very transparent in how they review Freshman applicants. SJSU has an impaction index calculation (replaces Eligibility index)with defined thresholds for each major. CSULB has their own academic index in lieu of the Eligibility index but does not publish thresholds.

Also local service area applicants get priority and again unless it is spelled out by the CSU’s, many CSU’s do not say how they give that priority.

As stated by @eyemgh the MCA information is from 2013 with no updates but it is still referred to in the Other Variables section of the linked information.

[ucscuuw]

Thank you. That is a very helpful post. Unfortunately, with no SAT its pretty hard to guess what MCA looks today. Looking at the SLO site, it looks like they are using some form of a math-specific GPA but don’t expand on the details.

[eyemgh]

@ucscuuw

Looking at the SLO site, it looks like they are using some form of a math-specific GPA but don’t expand on the details.

Not sure what you mean by this. They’ve always, best we know, given rigor points for higher maths up to calculus. My assumption is that the MCA is the same, recalibrated to minus the 1650 or so points tests count for.

[ucscuuw]

Yep, that’s what I meant. We know they use it but no real way to gauge its magnitude of impact on the overall score (or) how its changed in the post-SAT era.

[eyemgh]

Minus test scores, I don’t think there’s any reason to assume it has changed at all since 2013. Why would we? Students who report back seem to fall in line with what would be expected based on the 2013 formula.

[ucscuuw]

One other thing. In that MCA post, it was mentioned that the GPA is capped at 4.2. But SLO published a middle 50% COE range of 4.12.-4.27. This implies either that the cap doesn’t exist anymore or the cap is higher in recent times. How do you interpret?

[eyemgh]

GPAs can be above 4.20. The third year dilutes the weight of the 8 AP/IB semesters making 4.32 ish about the highest a student could report. They’d almost certainly be from school where they took some course every semester that didn’t count towards the a-g tally, a Catholic school for example. Students report whatever GPA they calculate, so they have those numbers, and they confirm them. Whether the MCA treats everyone who has a GPA of 4.20 and above the same still is anyone’s guess.