Hello, my school does a percentage based grade rather than a 4.0 one. However, my school states that any percentage of 92% or above (an ‘A’ at my school) translates to a 4.0 and is printed on the transcript. In addition, I have seen the way to translate from percent to GPA is by diving the percent by 20 and subtract 1.Would colleges see this as 4.0 or something else? Thanks
It is usually like that. But you have to calculate the GPA class by class from the percentage/letter grade instead of converting from the average percentage grade. Also, it depends on the school whether consider subgrades (e.g. A-=3.7). What is the letter grade for 90, for instance, at your school?
That’s what’s weird. On one document, they state that anything between 92% and 100% is a 4.0, but in another document they say that, for example, a 100% is a 4.5 and “any student w/o any AP or honors classes cannot get over a 4.0”. But simultaneously not say that this is a weighted GPA scale. A 90% according to both documents is a 3.72
@billcsho what is usually like that
So would it be a 4.0?
A 90 would be an A
These colleges that receive tens of thousands of applications per year are, for the most part, going to look at the GPA as it appears on your transcript. So, if a 90 gets figured in as a 3.72 for your transcript, that’s what the college will consider. For colleges, like, UC’s, that ask you to calculate your GPA according to their specifications, they will give you very specific instructions on how to convert.
OK thank you
Note that the conversion table on the transcript may also be per subject/class basis. You may not be able to convert the overall percentage GPA to 4.0 scale directly as the slope is very different. A “B” grade would have 75% value of an “A” grade in a 4.0 scale while it could be 90% in the percentile scale. A “C” grade has only half the value of an “A” in 4.0 scale but it can be 70% or more in percentage scale. In summary, you have to go subject by subject. UMich receives 50,000+ application each year and they do recalculate the GPA of each applicant.
Do you guys if Harvard, Princeton, or Stanford have this specific way to calculate GPA or do they just use your school’s way?
Also my school, it reports both a percentage and the 4.0 gpa on the transcript. Which one do I write down on the common app and which one do colleges care more about?
Colleges ask these questions on the evaluation for the guidance counselor as high school grading systems can vary. Rather than have a set comparison scale for all applicants, they tend to look at applicants within the context of his/her high school and what classes are offered. For instance, a student who attends a high school that offers 5 AP classes and has taken 4/5 has taken a “most rigorous path offered” where a student who take 4 AP classes in a high school that offers 17 AP’s and an IB diploma probably has not. They don’t compare a 3.9/out of a possible 4.0 to a 3.9 at a school that has a possible GPA/6.0 scale.
As to what to put down on the Common App, IMHO, what the college would care about is honesty and accuracy. If you report a 4.0 and your transcript GPA is calculated at a 3.7, then this would not be accurate. The colleges look at official reports to verify everything on the CA. I would ask your GC what the GPA on your reported transcript is and put that down. How your particular high school calculates GPA will likely be explained by the report the GC sends. Also, colleges tend to have regional reps. If your school has many applicants to a particular college, then that rep is often familiar with the grading system.
@Pennylane2011 the thing is that I have a 4.0 according to my transcript but also on my transcript is my percentage GPA ( which we use for grading classes) but the percentage GPA is much lower than what you would think it to be since I have a 4.0. So I don’t know what to do
Talk to your HS GC about how to interpret your transcript. They can help you in deciding what to use.