<p>How does Stanford calculate its applicants' GPAs? Are "+"s and "-"s included? Does it take into account that there are vastly different ranges of difficulty from school to school?</p>
<p>It all depends on how “your” high school calculates your GPA…some very competitive academic high schools calculate a A- or A+ as simply A or 4.0…whereas, in some other high schools A+ would be worth more than 4.0 and A- would be less than 4.0…</p>
<p>…you can see how your school does it by looking at your overall GPA on your transcript…</p>
<p>…and in terms of “vastly different ranges of difficulty from school to school” as you say…that is correct…they do exist…and that is why EACH high school counselor will have to send a school report describing its grading practices along with the transcript…</p>
<p>…so, no worries…no one will be able to “pull” one over the admissions eyes…</p>