I was wondering is U of A’s Honors program values GPA or SAT and ACT scores more?
According to their website, the average profile looks like the following:
3.86 unweighted high school GPA
1349 SAT score (math and critical reading), 30 ACT score
9-12 Honors/AP/IB classes taken in high school
Based on the above, they value both. But if your GPA is off a bit, and you have higher test scores, that will be viewed as or more favorable than a high GPA and lower test scores. High test scores in general give you a chance to be reviewed more holistically. Other factors, more holistic, play a part as well–leadership, contribution to community, family (through a job, etc), school service. There is a shift happening in higher education–admissions officers are growing weary of people taking more and more AP tests, rather than spending more significant time doing something that actually makes a difference to one’s community, school, or home.