Are there highly ranked universities that don’t count 9th grade?
Princeton and the UCs.
The UCs and CSUs do not. Princeton at one time did not (not sure any longer). Even for those the GPA will count in your class ranking if that’s the way your HS handles it.
Emory, at least as of 2 years ago.
UC’s do not include 9th grades in their GPA calculation but you are still required to pass all a-g course requirements with a C or higher and you report those grades on your application. 9th grades still count.
Does anybody have a reliable source for this? I’ve seen it mentioned on CC occasionally, but there’s no indication on the university’s website that they do not consider 9th grade, and though I do alumni interviews I’ve not encountered any official statement about the issue. On the hand, I’ve never asked anybody who would be in a position to know…