My weighted GPA on a 4.0 scale is 3.55. How do I convert this to an unweighted GPA.
This is the only GPA that’s shown on my transcript. If college applications only ask for an unweighted GPA, does the weighted GPA on my transcript matter at all?
Ask your GC
In most instances, no, because their is not a universal metric on how to weight. So colleges will either weight using it’s own parameters or will use UW.
You don’t.
You recalculate an unweighted GPA by averaging the value of the grades in your record. A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0 without +/- is the simplest form, but you can also calculate versions with +/- being +/- 0.3 or 0.33.
For college purposes, GPAs are often (re)calculated only with academic courses (e.g. English, math, history, social studies, science, foreign language, art, music), excluding some things (e.g. physical education, health, auto shop).
You typically also weight the courses by the number of units/credits. Full year courses are usually 1.0, half year are 0.5, and lab courses depend on how often they meet. Our lab science course have lab two days a week so they are weighted 1.4 for a full year lab science course.
Fractional courses are similar. Rather than a semester of gym, my D has it 2 days a week for half the year and 3 days for the other half. So her grades are weighted 0.4 for the first half and 0.6 for the second.
Our school has various arts, gymnastics, specialized bands, individual musicianship, etc. that meet a subset of the week. They are weighted by 0.2 for each day they meet.
You don’t convert it. Report the GPA on the transcript. Many high schools do not weight GPAs.
When your transcript is sent to a college it comes with a school profile that, among other things, describes your HS grading system, levels of courses offered at the HS etc. so your transcript will be read in the proper context.
My high school does weight GPAs.
If a college application asks for your unweighted GPA, am I just supposed to put what it says on my transcript, since you said report what’s on your transcript?
Unless your HS can tell you what the UW GPA is, then yes.
So yes, I would put the GPA that is on my transcript?
If you want to know your unweighted GPA in order to make a realistic college application list, you should be able to recalculate it yourself.
Put the GPA that is on your transcript. Let the college recalculate if they want that info.
If their admisson requirements says something like “3.0 unweighted GPA,” and I put the GPA that is shown on my transcript, I won’t jeopardize anything, right?
The college may recalculate unweighted GPA from your record.
If you do not know what your unweighted GPA is, you should recalculate it yourself, so that you can make a realistic college application list. If you apply to colleges based on your 3.55 but your unweighted GPA is really 2.55 (for example), then you may not have good results.