Are the UC/CSU GPA the same? I know that both follow the same A-G requirement system. What does it mean for it to be capped? Is the one calculated on the CSU application capped? The UC application does not show a calculated GPA total when you fill it out but the CSU does.
UC’s consider Unweighted UC GPA, Capped Weighted UC GPA and Fully weighted UC GPA.
UW uC GPA= No extra Honors points. Maximum is 4.0
Capped weighted UC GPA = 8 semesters of Honors points for qualified courses. Maximum is 4.4
Capped weighted UC GPA= CSU capped weighted GPA (if not CC/DE classes are taken) and only GPA considered by the Cal states.
Fully weighted UC GPA= unlimited Honors points for qualified courses. Maximum is 5.0.
Only CSU that does not calculate their GPA based on the 10-11th a-g courses is Cal Poly SLO, which uses 9-11th grades for the a-g courses and still has the 8 semester Honors point cap on qualified courses taken 10-11th grades.
Correct that the UC application does not show the UC GPA because they consider all 3.
For the UC’s and CSU’s, it is important to input the correct grades and courses on the applications.
The RogerHub UC GPA calculator can be used for both the UC and CSU GPA calculation.
https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
Also this link will list your HS courses (if a California HS student) that qualify for the extra Honors points in the calculation.
Got it! Thank you so much for the explanation!
I will add the exception is CP SLO which uses 9-11. CP SLO also uses middle school courses (accelerated foreign language and math) during their review process. I also believe a slight variation for college classes—CSU: a semester grade in a college course is counted twice. I believe the UCs do not count the grade twice in the calculation.
Hello Gumbymom,
I have a follow up question on this. My D has taken 15 full year (2 semesters each) a-g courses in 10th and 11th grade. The 15 full year courses include 5 full year courses that she went beyond the required to complete (honors music, honors engineering etc.) at her school. She got “A” in all of them and hence has a 4.0 unweighted GPA. When i calculate using all these a-g courses, the capped weighted UC GPA comes to 4.26 and the fully weighted GPA comes to 4.67. If she hadn’t done the 5 additional courses, her capped weighted UC GPA would have been 4.4 and her fully weighted GPA will be 5.0. It looks like doing more is hurting her UC calculated GPAs. Do you know if the UCs limit the number of a-g courses in their GPA calculation to account for this?
Hello @Gumbymom , have a follow up question on this. My D has taken 15 full year (2 semesters each) a-g courses in 10th and 11th grade. The 15 full year courses include 5 full year courses that she went beyond the required to complete (honors music, honors engineering etc.) at her school. She got “A” in all of them and hence has a 4.0 unweighted GPA. When i calculate using all these a-g courses, the capped weighted UC GPA comes to 4.26 and the fully weighted GPA comes to 4.67. If she hadn’t done the 5 additional courses, her capped weighted UC GPA would have been 4.4 and her fully weighted GPA will be 5.0. It looks like doing more is hurting her UC calculated GPAs. Do you know if the UCs limit the number of a-g courses in their GPA calculation to account for this?
reposting with adding “@Gumbymom” tag (sorry for the duplication)
The more a-g courses taken above the 15 required courses, the more diluted the UC/CSU Capped weighted GPA will become however, the UC’s and CSU’s do consider rigor and the # of a-g courses taken above the minimum in their application review. They also look at all three UC GPA’s: unweighted, capped weighted and fully weighted so she will not be penalized for taking more courses while the CSU’s only consider the Capped weighted GPA.
Look at #2 UC Criteria on the link regarding a-g courses: How applications are reviewed | UC Admissions
Edited: Also note that the CSU’s will have a higher consideration of applicants that exceed the 15 a-g course minimum as part of their supplemental factors.
Thanks for the quick and detailed response. Good to know that going beyond the regular set of required a-g courses is considered.
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