What does that mean
Do you know or can guess which GPA matters the most for admissions? For example in case of large discrepancy, if unweighted is under 25th percentile but fully weighted is close to 75th percentile, which one would be considered more important?
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All UC’s consider the 3 calculated UC GPA’s: Unweighted, Capped weighted and Fully weighted. No GPA is more important than the other except for the Capped weighted which is used to determine UC eligibility. HS course rigor is Very Important but this is also evaluated within the context of the applicants HS. Since UCB specifically lists their admitted GPA range as Unweighted and Fully weighted, I would say they are equally important.
UCB’s admit data using a 3 year trend specifically uses Fully weighted UC GPA as shown below:
2022 data
| GPA | L&S | CoE | CoC | CNR | CED |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.800-4.000 | 5.5% | 2.2% | 4.1% | 10.3% | 7.0% |
| 4.001-4.199 | 8.9% | 3.7% | 7.1% | 19.9% | 11.2% |
| 4.200-4.399 | 18.5% | 8.1% | 15.8% | 33.5% | 23.7% |
| 4.400-4.599 | 28.6% | 14.1% | 28.7% | 46.8% | 30.6% |
| 4.600-4.799 | 33.3% | 18.9% | 37.2% | 46.1% | 36.5% |
| 4.800-5.000 | 32.5% | 18.7% | 34.4% | 42.6% | 41.0% |
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I have read speculation that UCB and UCLA lean more on the weighted uncapped GPA than other UCs. I have read this more than once, but possibly just on these boards over the years.
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Thank you! Do dual enrollment courses count as rigorous or less rigorous as AP courses for example? My daughter has taken 8 AP courses (in addition to H and also NH courses) in 3 years since she’s an early grad, but a lot of dual enrollment courses. Compared to her classmates she definitely does not have the most rigorous high school load and not as many AP’s as others since she opted to do some equivalents at community college in order to meet prerequisites faster for some classes she wanted to take there. But in addition to her high school classes she has always taken DE courses in addition to her high school load. So how would the rigor be determined? It would appear less rigorous if compared to her classmates high school courses only but if you add the DE courses and count them similar to AP’s its much more rigorous. She has mostly A’s but also some B’s mixed in and that’s why her UW is on the low side but fully weighted looks a lot better.
DE and AP courses are considered on the same level and given the same Honors points in the UC GPA calculation if taken the summer prior to 10th through the summer prior to 12th. The DE courses however need to be UC transferable to be considered in the GPA calculation and for HS course rigor.
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I feel like UCLA is much more fully weighted GPA oriented than any other school looking at who’s gotten in from our high school in the past. It’s pretty much only the kids who have 4.7+ that get in. Berkeley seems to be much more holistic in their admissions.
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She only has one that was not transferrable and she took that in middle school so we didn’t add it to the application.
All UC’s will use the 13 areas of application review criteria but how they weight each area varies from campus to campus.
Here is UCB’s criteria for Freshman selection posted on their website:
Since Berkeley is a competitive campus, satisfying the minimum requirements is often not enough to be competitive for selection. In addition to the basic admission requirements, the campus selects its freshman class through an assessment that includes a holistic review of your academic performance as measured primarily by:
- Your weighted and unweighted UC grade point average (calculated using 10th and 11th grade UC-approved courses only)
- Your planned 12th grade courses
- Your pattern of grades over time
- The number of college preparatory, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), honors and transferable college courses you have completed
- Your level of achievement in those courses relative to other UC applicants at your school
- Your scores on AP or IB exams and SAT subject exams
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I think I am most concerned about this statement: Your level of achievement in those courses relative to other UC applicants at your school. She’s definitely weaker grade (we have a lot of 4.0 UW kids) and AP course load wise but almost nobody else is taking DE courses and if they do it’s just a few total while she’s taking a few every semester. But only time will tell I guess.
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In the past, UCLA and Berkeley were the only two that referenced uncapped UC GPA on their websites. Several years ago (pre-pandemic), UCSD mentioned it during an in-person admission info session I attended
Personally, I think the comparison of capped to uncapped was a way to measure rigor. UCSD has always included the number of A-G and number of honors/AP in their graphics profiling first year students. I think the combo of all of that information is what provides insight into whether or not a student will be academically prepared (in the school’s eyes).
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Definitely not only 4.7 fully weighted kids get in. Speaking from the experience of my son and his classmates. They are still evaluating the context of your school (pretty much impossible to have a 4.7 at their school).
This is accurate for UCB as a whole but some of the schools and majors may have a more specific process. This is from the COE prospective freshman FAQ where they specifically say they evaluate using the uncapped weighted GPA.
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S22 had a UW GPA very near (just above) the 25th percentile but a fully weighted uncapped GPA just above the 75th percentile. He got in at many of the UCs including UCB. In his case, he had two B+ grades, one each in AP Psych and AP Euro, with everything else A or better including in Calculus AB, BC, AP CompSci, and AP Physics. I bet COE did not care a whole lot about his Bs in the two humanities courses. So, if your daughter had straight As in just the right courses for the selected major, and if she has a very good uncapped GPA, she will have nothing to worry about at least when it comes to the GPA factor.
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I thought i read that summer courses prior to 10th- 11th are counted but not 9th grade courses.
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Sorry typo. Courses taken the Summer after 9th to summer prior to 12th are used for the UC calculation.
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@Gumbymom can you please explain more about the Summer Bridge Program at Berkeley? I received an early notification acceptance and can see the option to sign up for that in my portal.
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Anyone^
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I have no personal experience with the program but The summer bridge program is a 6 week academic program that acts as a transition into the rigors of UC Berkeley. It gives you a head start on taking courses for credit towards your major and acclimates you to residential life. The original program targeted First generation, low income and Dream Act students. I do not know if these student groups are still targeted by the program since nothing is specifically stated on the website.
Bridge strives for a rigorous, comprehensive approach, working to ensure that students complete the program with the skills, the confidence, and the connections necessary to thrive at Cal.
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