Hello! I’m a sophomore in highschool. I have a decent GPA (a 3.95 out of 4) but I haven’t yet taken the SAT or ACT. My parents are not going to be paying for any of my college, so I want to be a very wanted student to possibly get more waivers and scholarships. I took the PSAT and did somewhat decent surprisingly (I don’t have my exact score on me, but I was in the 90th percentile). I’m started to really stress about these tests next year, but which is more important to colleges? Test scores or GPA? Again, I’m going to have a ton of debt, so I want to be a very impressive candidate. Thank you!
Both are very important, but I’m pretty sure GPA/grades are usually the number one factor. However, it likely varies by school.
It varies by school. At some they are equal, at others one is more important than the other. Then there are many other factors; EC’s, essays, letters of rec etc.
Usually GPA. But both are important, of course.
Usually GPA is more important than test scores because they reflect your academic abilities over the span of a couple of years while test scores reflect on a span of a couple of hours.
I agree with the general consensus that GPA is more important but would add that at the more selective colleges it’s neither. It’s actually the transcript, which includes GPA, of course, but also shows course selection and rigor.
Yes, @sherpa is correct that rather than “GPA” in a vacuum, we should be saying “transcript.”
@sherpa has it, exactly, in terms of admissions.
Some automatic state scholarships have a table: this test score requires that GPA to get x amount of dollars. If a school has a table like that, there is a specific tradeoff where a high GPA makes up for a lower test score or vice versa.
Even if your parents aren’t willing to provide you any money, you should talk to them about filing financial aid forms. You don’t want to miss any need-based aid you qualify for.
You can also use their financial info to try net price calculators at different schools to help you figure out where your lower cost options will be BEFORE you apply, rather than in spring when it’s too late to change your college list.
Finally, huge loans are not an option without a consigner with good credit. The only loan that you can get on your own is the federal direct student loan, which is $5500 for freshmen.
GPA is important to a certain point, but personally I feel that test scores are more important at the most selective colleges because people applying already have basically ideal transcripts (something like 3.9 UW / 4.6 W with 5-6 APs seems pretty common). 1600 scorers and NMF are more rare than people with 4.0 UW GPA, so in that sense I feel like having really high standardized test scores helps to separate you from the pack. Of course a sub 3.0 GPA also hurts you more than a mediocre SAT, so I would say GPA is more important at the low end and standardized tests are more important at the high end of schools.
It depends on the college. Some schools are even test optional. Keep in mind that your GPA is viewed in conjunction with your course rigor.
And I would start to look at colleges that give out large scholarships and try to avoid debilitating debt.
Also keep in mind wGPA is more important than uwGPA
GPA + Test Score = Very Important!!! Maximizing this equation leads to more opportunities and options when it comes time to apply. Also agree that WGPA and UWGPA both very important. Add in EC’s to round it all out.
WGPA is NOT necessarily more important than UW. Since the weights vary so much across HSs they can’t be compared, except within the HS itself. @sherpa is right that it’s GPA + course rigor.
Also a number of colleges will recalculate GPA according to their own parameters which vary from school to school (ex. academic subjects only, not weighted).
Keep the grades up. Consider the following for how high you need to aim for test scores, so that you can go to college with little or no debt.
http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com
http://competitivefulltuition.yolasite.com
http://nmfscholarships.yolasite.com
It doesn’t matter if weights vary among HS’s…wGPA separates the kids within the school. A great deal of kids have 4.0 uGPA which then separates by course vigor to wGPA. A 4.7w on a scale of 5.0 is much better than 4.3 like a 5.4 is to a 5.2 on a 6.0 scale. Different weights but still a way to separate.
@moscott , it is commonly accepted that UW GPA is the more important grade, for reasons stated by @happy1 and @“Erin’s Dad” . The college will then look at course rigor and may or may not recalculate. When looking at a college’s average GPA of incoming freshman, the grades they use are UW.
@kaitlyn go to a college’s website and in the general search type “Common Data Set”. This will have the break down of how they weight each aspect of admissions, and what is reviewed for merit aid. Good Luck
For scholarships GPA & test scores are both going to matter. Some scholarships are based on sports, social contributions, ethnicity, group membership, geography etc. You can take the strategy of going for a large scholarships (more difficult) or several small ones. Your parents income will affect the amount of financial aid your receive whether or not they choose to contribute. You should run the NPC at some of the colleges you are thinking about to see your actual cost after financial aid is considered.
In the near term I would study for the PSAT that you will take next fall (you can use PSAT or SAT books) and try to get in the NMF range for your state. NMF can mean full tuition or near full-ride scholarships (including room and board) at many colleges. Most students do not prepare for it so you have a good shot if you are already in the 90th percentile.
As an undergrad you will be limited to the federal maximum (which is quite low) for loans you can obtain under your own name. Any other loans will require a co-signer. Most students can manage living expenses with a part time school year job and summer employment, plus loans.
I think both and ranking as well. There are so many factors that effect GPA, some kids have no idea about GPA gaming while others or their parents are well versed in it. In our district some students start taking pre-AP classes and SAT prep courses from middle school, there is no way you can have higher GPA or PSAT/SAT then them, no matter how good you are.