Hello everyone,
I was doing some research on the UC application process and noticed that someone mentioned the UC capped GPA is used to determine UC eligibility only, and that for application evaluation, the UC campuses look at the weighted and unweighted GPA. Is that true? Does UCI use the UC capped GPA or the fully weighted GPA when reviewing applications?
Also, I am planning to take some classes at my local community college. I noticed that taking more college classes would lower my UC capped GPA, but raise my fully weighted GPA. Should I prioritize on getting a high capped GPA or a high fully weighted GPA?
The UC capped GPA is generally what all the UCs use for showing statistics on their admissions stats. It is also used for determining eligibility.
As far as admissions goes, chances are they will look at all 3 - UC unweighted GPA, UC weighted capped, and UC weighted uncapped. I know that UCLA and UCB will, not quite sure about the rest, but the info is available to them.
As far as the phenomenon where a UC capped weighted GPA can go down when taking incrementally more classes, I wouldn’t worry about that much. Students can game the system by manipulating the capped weighted GPA simply by taking 4 honors classes and taking easy regular classes. Admissions can see right through that. So if CC classes are helpful and interesting to you, by all means take it, don’t worry about the GPA effect.
The UC’s look at all the UC GPA’s: Unweighted, Capped Weighted and Fully Weighted. Yes, the Capped Weighted is used to determine UC eligibility but it also happens to be the GPA quoted on the UC Website for their Freshman profiles and also the GPA tracked for UC Freshman admit rates on the UC Infocenter. All are important.
Taking more weighted CC courses will increase your HS course rigor which is very important in the UC application review along with your fully weighted UC GPA but taking more classes in general can impact the capped weighted.
Also remember any CC classes that are UC transferable could also impact your college GPA when applying to Graduate or Professional schools so be careful and select courses that you know you can get an A grade.
I would prioritize taking courses that interest you.
This quote from the Harvard admission website says it best:”Most of all, we look for students who make the most of their opportunities and the resources available to them”.
I am planning to take the following courses this summer:
- Intro to College (1 unit)
- Intro to Game Programming (3 units)
- Intro to Information Literacy (1 unit)
I am planning to major in Computer Science. Would these courses look too easy to college application readers? I feel like I would learn a lot from these courses, plus they are all UC transferable, and I would receive a grade bump towards my weighted GPA, but in your opinion, is it worth lowering my UC GPA to take these courses?
First of all, the “lowering UC capped GPA” phenomenon only goes into effect if you’re a 4.00 GPA unweighted student, or darn close. The drop is minimal, about .01 for every regular class that you take. Otherwise, taking more classes, assuming you get As, can only help from a GPA standpoint, as well as adding knowledge and rigor. Secondly, a one-unit class does not affect your GPA as much as a 3 or 4 unit class, so keep that in mind (the Rogerhub calculator does not take this into account nor does it take - and + into account).
So UCs calculate college and high school GPA differently? My high school adds my college classes onto my HS transcript, will that make a difference? On admission applications, will my HS GPA appear separately from my college GPA or will it be combined?
Taking college courses while in high school that are a-g UC courses will be calculated into UC GPA. You will also be asked to send a College transcript even if the courses are listed on your HS transcript but ask your HS counselor since some HS’s handle dual enrollment classes differently. The college courses/grades will be on your permanent college transcript so if you plan to apply to Graduate or Professional schools in the future, they will also require a transcript from the college.
Are all college UC transferable classes considered as UC A-G?
When calculating my UC GPA for college courses, is it like calculating it as if it’s an AP class or do I have to factor in the different units?
A CC class that is UC transferable is counted the same as an AP class where you get 1 extra point for each semester.
You can look up UC transferable college courses at either assist.org for the CC or at https://hs-articulation.ucop.edu/agcourselist