Hi, I got a D in my AP Psychology class in the first semester, Can I still go to uc berkeley?

Roger: No, you’re banned from UC Berkeley for eternity. Either retake the course, or take your filthy D and get lost! (Maybe UC Merced will love you?)

I just wanted to say that I loved your response to "two choices" down there. Classic.

Hey Roger!

I wasn't aware that there was a capped GPA. I have a 4.3 uncapped and a 4.21 capped UC GPA. Will UC's still take into consideration my uncapped GPA? Or do they only take into consideration the capped GPA?

Roger: Check out my response to Jamie below.

Hey Roger, I'm a senior year this year.My uc gpa 4.23 and weighted & uncapped gpa 4.32 ,act score 31.Are these score good enough for uc berkeley, ucla and ucsd ?

Roger: Have you tried the UC Freshmen Admissions Calculator?

Im a freshman this year and ive always wondered does you elementary middle and high school classes cout toward you gpa or just your high school. But what do collages look for in the gpa?

Does a one unit science lab UC transferable class count as AP credit when you did the Astronomy class as well

Hey, Roger. In your experience, have the UCs taken uncapped weighted GPA into account? The weighted and capped GPA seems illogical for admissions purposes, as it would seem to punish students for taking more difficult classes; for example, I have a 3.94 capped GPA but a 4.2 uncapped GPA. Which one is used by the UCs? Thanks.

Roger: I think admissions will look at your whole transcript, not just your GPA. Calculating GPA is useful for directly comparing one candidate to another. But you won’t ever be punished for taking too many honors courses.

Is uc admission freshman profile gpa weighted gpa or weighted & capped gpa?

Roger: All of the freshman profiles I’ve seen use the uncapped GPA.

Hey Roger
This is just my own opinion, but I believe that a low gpa in the bay area isn't as bad as a low gpa in other parts of the country. This is because the classes in the bay area are generally harder. Would a 3.7 GPA and a 1500 SAT be better or a 4.0 GPA and a 1100 SAT?

Roger: Schools in high-income areas are also generally rated higher on metrics like the California API score. I can’t say which one of those combinations is better, but I think that GPA’s don’t mean very much without the context provided by the full transcript. The UC’s also have reports about every California high school that contain GPA distributions and descriptions of the courses offered. If you think that your school was more difficult than average, then it should be apparent from standardized scoring (API scores) and the distribution of GPA’s.

Hello,

I am in my sophomore year of high school, freshman year, I took 6 classes, three being honors and got all A's. This year, I took seven classes, 4 being honors and have all A's except AP physics in which it is a B. Second semester has not started yet, do you think if I get a high A second semester in physics, i can keep my gpa? Also, do colleges care more about weighted or unweighted gpa's?

Roger: College admissions will look at your whole transcript, not just your GPA. Ideally, you should have both a rigorous courseload and excellent grades. If you can’t do both, then compromising a little on the grades would probably be better than taking only easy classes. On the other hand, it doesn’t help to take on a heavier courseload than you can handle. It sounds like your grades are great so far. If you get a B in Physics, you won’t be able to maintain your 4.00 unweighted GPA. But you can always compensate with the SAT II Subject Test in Physics or taking AP Physics 2 (I assume you’re taking AP Physics 1 currently?)

Hi,
I am an out of state applicant. My school does not calculate GPA out of 4 or 5 like other schools, rather we do it out of 100. My sophomore year I had a 95 first semester and 96 second semester, but my grades dropped and I only had a 94 first semester junior year.

Maybe it was the introduction of all the IB classes (I'm a full IB diploma candidate), or maybe it was because I was struggling with mental issues, I don't really know.

At my school, my GPA and rank are solely dependent on junior year. I have decent EC's, lots of volunteer hours, and I haven't taken the SAT yet (but my practices are normally around 1450-1500). I'm really worried that this first semester junior year grade drop is going to really hurt my chances at getting into UCLA as a biochemistry major.
What do you think? Thanks.
Zara :)

Roger: Do you have a transcript with letter grades on it? It sounds like a 94 and a 96 should be essentially the same on a 100 point scale. Check out this table about the 4.0 GPA scale and see if that helps.

I don't understand how this calculator works. Some UC sites say that their top quartile GPA for admits over a 4.2 something, but that seems almost impossible with the cap. My weighted GPA is 4.54, but only 4.19 with the cap. It seems like the only way to approach a 4.3 with this calculator would be to not take many courses?

Roger: That website is probably talking about the weighted uncapped GPA. In general, I’d assume that any website that doesn’t explicitly mention the GPA honors course cap is probably talking about the uncapped GPA.

Hi PLEASE ANSWER I NEED HELP. I am inputting my grades for my UC application and for 10th-grade science I have Chemistry. The only problem is that my first semester was regular chemistry and my second semester turned into honors, how should I put my grades???

Roger: Make sure that your honors chemistry course counts as a UC honors course (check at hs-articulation.ucop.edu/agcourselist). Not all “honors” courses count for honors points when calculating the UC GPA. If it really is an honors course, then you should count 1 semester’s worth of honors points.

I've weighted GPA of 4.12 ans my sat score is shitty of 1030/1600. i actively participate in extra curricular activities and play sport as well. do you think i have fair chances of hearing back from uci?

Roger: Have you tried the UC Freshmen Admissions Calculator?

My highschool has classes that are everyday (they typically are every other day).In these classes we get a one credit per semester which you would normally get from a full year of an every other day course. Does this mean that I should count my A from one semester of the everyday class as 2 As? Also if this was an honors class does that mean I should give myself two honor points? Thanks!

Roger: I’ve never heard of anything like that. I suppose each of your classes should count as 1 semester (both the every day courses and the every other day courses). You should count 1 honor point per semester of a every day course or per year of a every other day course.

hey there roger,
should i take debate and orchestra all 4 year w/o caring about gpa, but still doing good in all classes
OR
should i take just orchestra all for years but letting go of debate :(

ps. both are 4.0
IM IN A SUPER COMPETITIVE SCHOOL

Roger: Take both, then become the world’s greatest defense attorney/classical musician. Only accept clients that can tune 440 Hz by ear, and when you go to court, deliver all your cross examinations in the form of a musical (your defendant can play the accompaniment).

Because I had a tough year 10th grade, my grades were not great, though I bounced back in 11th grade, it's looking like my UC gpa is 2.95. I know the minimum is 3.0 for UCs but is it completely unheard of that they accept a gpa lower than 3.0. I am a CA resident and my 12th grade first semester grades are looking good too....? I have a lot of extracurricular activities, ACT composite of 26, and new SAT score 1150
What do you think? Or are applications just tossed in trash if you do not meet the 3.0 minimum?

Roger: In the past, some candidates have been accepted without meeting the minimum 3.0 GPA requirement. This was especially true with newer schools like UC Merced. I don’t know if this is still the case, but don’t give up yet!

My school has both semester grades and yearlong grades. How would my UC GPA be calculated in this case?

Roger: Just count each year grade as 2 semesters grades. A semester is also equivalent to 1.5 trimesters or 2 quarters.

I'm applying to a couple UCs. I am an out-of-state student. The transcript my school sends out to colleges doesn't contain semester grades, just term-end grades (all classes have a year long). How will the UCs calculate my GPA? How would I calculate my UC GPA with only year-end grades on my transcript?

Roger: In that case, your UC weighted and capped GPA will be limited to 4 year-long grades. Otherwise, everything else is the same. I’ve added an option to the calculator for your case. You can now select “years” where the calculator asks for how your school assigns grades. Hope this helps!

I took Orchestra night course, along with Concert Band in Sophomore year. My Capped GPA gets lower when including the Orchestra night course (4.17 w/Orchestra vs. 4.19 w/out). It seems unfair that my GPA gets lower by taking more a-g courses. Can I report the Orchestra class as non a-g course?

Roger: You don’t get to choose how your grades are reported. That’s decided between your school and the UC’s. In general, it’s true that once you’ve reached the 8 honors course cap, your GPA goes down when you include more and more courses even if you get A grades. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing to take more courses. The 8 honors course cap is simply there to prevent people from stuffing their transcripts with honors points and ending up with an absurdly high GPA. UC admissions will evaluate your entire transcript, not just your GPA. You should focus on improving your transcript (both your grades and your courseload), not your GPA.

Is it true that UCs will want to see current (12th grade) grades if I get waitlisted?

Also what are chances at UCB with a 4.1 uncapped and capped GPA and 2060 SAT?

I checked data from my high school last year. No one with under a 4.3 got into UCLA or UCB so does that mean im boned?

Roger: I don’t think waitlisted students are required to submit a mid-year report, but every new student is asked to submit their final transcript at the end of the school year whether they’re waitlisted or not. Also, if you get a D or an F grade in your senior year, they ask you to tell them as soon as you know. Have you tried the UC Freshmen Admissions Calculator?

Does taking more honors courses than reflected in your weighted and capped GPA benefit you a lot? Also thank you for making this site! It's really cool.

Roger: Sure it does. You’ll include your entire transcript on your application, not just your GPA.

Is there a minimum required A-G that has to be taken before summer of Sophomore year thru summer after Junior year? I know what is the total required for A-G before graduating high school but was wondering if they have a minimum that has to be taken between the UC GPA calculation period.

It seems with the AP's being capped, it's better to minimize the total number of A-G classes and take 4 AP classes. The rest during this period should be other AP's not in the A-G requirements (like AP Music Theory)?

Roger what are your thoughts to maximize the UC calculated GPA?

Roger: Yes there are minimums. You’re right that you could maximize your UC capped and weighted GPA by taking fewer courses. But there’s no point in doing so, because the GPA is only used for statistical purposes. The UC’s supposedly evaluate admissions holistically, and taking only the minimum number of courses is a terrible idea.

Im junior and if i get a 3.2 one semester but my main gpa is 3.5 will it drop it alot?

Roger: It depends on how many more semesters you’re counting in your GPA (and whether you took the same number of course units each semester). For example, if this is your 5th semester, then your overall GPA will drop to a 3.44.

Hi, I am a senior and have a 4.02 weighted gpa (10 and 11 grade) for UC. I have taken an ap calc class(senior) in which I have a C right now. Will the C affect my chance in getting to a UC?

Roger: I think in some cases, your counselor will submit a mid-year report to colleges that you applied to, but the UC’s don’t require you to submit those. If you receive a D or F grade in your senior year, then the UC’s will require you to tell them as soon as you know. You’ll also be asked to submit a final transcript at the end of the school year. I don’t think you need to worry about getting a C in AP Calc if it’s your only bad grade and it doesn’t get any worse than a C.

I am taking 6 science courses that qualify for "d" between Sophomore & Junior years. It says the requirement is 3 classes. Two of the classes are AP and 4 are regular. How do I determine which classes the UC's will use to determine my GPA?

Roger: All of your grades are included in your GPA. If you took more than 3 courses in Category D, then that’s great! They’ll all be counted.

Do you start from Freshmen year grades or sophmore year grades, like 9 thru 12 or is it 10 thru 12 for UCS

Roger: Only count courses taken after the 9th grade.

Hello,

As of the school year of 2016-2017, I am currently a sophomore. If I take concurrent enrollment(college class at a local college) classes during the summer of 2017, do I count it in my 10th and 11th grade GPA? And do I count it as a weighted class?

Thanks

Roger: Yes, you should count your college course in your GPA, and yes it should be counted as a honors course.

Hi Roger,
If I got a D in my AP Chem class, but my UC GPA is 4.14, do you still think I can get accepted into a UC with that grade in my transcript if I am applying for a major in Biology?
Thank you!

Roger: There’s more to your application than just your GPA. Do you feel like you had a bad semester? Or do you think you’re just not good at Chemistry? Either way, the AP Chemistry exam at the end of the year will give you a second chance to redeem any grade you might receive right now. Good luck!

I already checked your UC Calculator, but I wanted to hear your personal opinion. With a 4.00 UC GPA, and a SAT Score of 1380 our of 1600, would you say I have a good chance, a great change, a poor chance, or an average chance for UCI? Thank you so much

Roger: My head is filled with computer programs. I haven’t discussed or read anything about college admissions for at least a year now. If you want my opinion... well, I don’t know how the new SAT is scored, I think your GPA looks good, and I think that if you have a bunch of hard classes on your transcript and a couple of extracurriculars, you’ll get in just fine. Good luck!

If I failed a class in freshman year, but I retook it over the summer before 10th grade, do I count the summer school makeup grade? Also, when you fail a class, do you put that grade, or the grade you made up over the summer?

Roger: If you get a failing grade and retake the course, then your makeup grade replaces your failing grade. You should count the makeup grade when calculating your GPA.

I took one ESL(English Second Language) class for 2 times. At the first time I got F grade and other year, I applied for Pass/No Pass and I got Pass grade. Is this class affect my GPA or not?

Roger: I don’t think pass/fail grades are counted in the UC GPA. It may be the case that your F grade will still be used when calculating GPA, even if you retook the course.

Do honors and AP level courses count as the same extra honors point to the gpa? Is there a difference when determining that extra point for honors and AP level course?
ex. Honors US History and AP US History

Roger: For the purpose of calculating the weighted GPA, it doesn’t matter whether it’s honors or AP.

On the UC Freshman Profile is it UC capped GPA?

http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/campuses/files/freshman-profiles/freshman_profile_irvine.pdf

Roger: I think those refer to the uncapped weighted GPA.

I am a junior at a high school in California, and last year I struggled with one of my honors classes and ended up with a 3.6 weighted and 3.1 unweighted GPA for that year alone. Are my chances of getting into a higher level college ruined or is there a GPA I should target for this year that would help bring my GPA up? I don't have much extra curriculars this year, so I know I will be relying on my grades.

Roger: Well, the GPA requirement for in-state applicants to UC schools is only a 3.0, so you’re well above the minimum. (That minimum refers to the weighted GPA, by the way.) If you’re currently a junior in high school, then you have a whole year to demonstrate an improvement in your transcript. Good luck!

I am an out of state student just starting my junior year. My UC calculated GPA is a 3.34 and I know that UC's require a 3.4 for out of state students. I have one more year to improve, but, if my UC a-g is still a 3.34 and my overall is a 3.5 (unweighted and I have 3 APs and 1 honors), do I even stand a chance for any of the UC's?

Roger: I believe the “3.4” minimum for out-of-state applicants refers to the weighted GPA, not the weighted and capped GPA. Does that help at all?

Hello,

We have recently migrated from India and my son has studied till 10th in India. He has got 3.8 GPA Weighted in Junior year in both semesters and 3 in AP bio. His SAT scores are 1010 as of now and working towards to improve it. My question how to calculate his 9th and 10th std India GPA ? Also what should be approximate score of SAT / ACT and when can he submit (last) for admissions ? Would his calculation be different or considered as an International Student ?
Please help. Thank you

Roger: I’m not familiar with grading systems in India. But UC admissions will have a specialist who is familiar with international transcripts, and it’ll be up to that individual to interpret your son’s transcript. I don’t think calculating his GPA will be useful, since international transcripts are handled on a case by case basis. If you want to learn more about the typical SAT/ACT scores of other admits, you can search online for “(name of school) freshman profile”. For example, here’s the one for UC Berkeley. The standards for international admits are supposedly higher than for California students, because the UC schools are partially funded by the state. Good luck!

I took a community college class that is CSU transferable will the UCs count that for GPA purposes?

Roger: I added some more details about community college courses to the rules section. You should count all of your college courses when calculating your GPA (except like P.E. classes). In order for the course to also count for an honor point, it’ll need to be UC transferrable. You can look up transfer eligibility here.

What is the difference between "weighted" and "weighted and capped"?

Roger: Usually, the weighted GPA calculation includes 1 extra point for each UC approved honors course. The weighted and capped GPA is calculated the same way, except that only up to 8 semesters worth of honors points can be counted. Of those 8 semesters, a maximum of 4 can be from your sophomore year.

Hello, If I have a 62% in my class. My test is worth 16% if I got an A what would my grade be?

Roger: Well, the exact answer depends on value of an A grade. Also, I’ll assume that your test is the last thing to be included in your overall grade. If your A were a 95%, then your overall grade would rise to a 67.3%. If your A were a 100%, then your overall grade would rise to a 68.1%. If your test isn’t the last thing to be included in your grade, then the aforementioned numbers will underestimate your actual overall grade.

What would a 65% and a 68% average out to?

Roger: 66.5%

I am currently in high school, I have taken a total of 4 college classes. I have gotten all A's except for one. I have received 1 C... Has my gpa dropped a great amount?

Roger: Three A grades and one C grade would give you a 3.50 GPA. If your GPA were higher than a 3.50, then your GPA would decrease. If your GPA were lower than a 3.50, then your GPA would increase.

Hello Roger,
If I took a course at a community college and got an A, do I count that as two As or one in the UC GPA calculation?

Thank you!

Roger: You should count 1 grade per semester. If your community college used a quarter system, then each quarter grade would count as “half” of a semester grade. For example, if you got A grades for 3 quarters of community college, then you would add 1.5 to your total number of A’s. A trimester grade would count as two-thirds of a semester (0.667).

My 3.08 GPA for sophomore year was unweighted it was what I got after I put it through the the uc calculator so do I have a chance to fix it in my junior year?

Roger: Sure. If you improve your grades during your junior year, you’ll be able to raise your GPA. Keep in mind that the UC system calculates GPA based on courses taken after the 9th grade. So, if you manage to get all A grades in your junior year, you may be able to raise your unweighted GPA to around a 3.5.

Hi Robert,
With a 4.00 UC GPA in your opinion do you think I have a high chance of getting in? I already used the freshmans admission calculator but I want to hear your personal opinion. Let's say all my ecs and everything are all set. With this gpa and an sat score of a 1350-1400/1600, how high of a chance do I have? Thank you

Roger: (Copied from my response to another comment below.) Just based on your GPA and SAT score, I don’t think anybody could predict which UC schools you’d be admitted to. Your courseload, class rank, and high school provide extra context to your GPA, which is very important for admissions. If you’re an in-state student, UC admissions will have data specifically about your high school’s demographics, grade distribution, course offerings, and standardized test performance. If you want to get an answer just based on your GPA and SAT score, one way you can compare yourself to other admits is to search for “(name of school) freshman profile”. For example, here’s the one for UC Berkeley. Good luck!

Based on the rules, would I be penalized for taking more classes? My school schedules 6 classes per semester, so I would have 24 semester classes for 10th and 11th grades. If I had all A's, my max weighted GPA would be 4.33. If I took 2 summer classes at UC-transferable courses at a community college and also had A's, my max weighted GPA now would be lower at 4.31.

I target UC Berkeley, and freshman average weighted GPA is 4.41. It's possible only if I take only 5 classes per semester (19-20 classes total). It doesn't make sense, or I miss something? Can you please help to explain. Thank you.

Roger: This calculator is for the weighted and capped GPA, which only includes up to 8 honors course points. The “4.41” is an uncapped weighted GPA, which can include any number of honors course points. You’re right that, if you’ve already reached the maximum 8 honors courses, then taking additional courses can only decrease your weighted and capped GPA (even if you get A grades!). However, you should know that the weighted and capped GPA is only calculated for statistical purposes. UC admissions will examine your transcript holistically, and you wouldn’t be penalized for taking additional courses. Hope this makes sense!

Hello Roger,

I have quite the dilemma. My UC GPA is 3.73 which isn't too high, however my ACT score is a 35 so I was wondering what UC's would be matches and reaches since the UC Admissions calculator doesn't give me a proper answer since my GPA is low and my ACT is high. Thank you!

Roger: Just based on your GPA and ACT score, I don’t think anybody could predict which UC schools you’d be admitted to. Your courseload, class rank, and high school provide extra context to your GPA, which is very important for admissions. If you’re an in-state student, UC admissions will have data specifically about your high school’s demographics, grade distribution, course offerings, and standardized test performance. If you want to get an answer just based on your GPA and ACT score, one way you can compare yourself to other admits is to search for “(name of school) freshman profile”. For example, here’s the one for UC Berkeley. Good luck!

I took 2 ap's my junior year, and im taking 5 my senior year. My school gives AP classes an extra 8 points, and that weighted grade is what is reported on my transcript. In my application, should i report the grades on my transcript, or should i unweight them and submit those scores? if i AM supposed to report the weighted grades, what should i do about the grades i have that are over 100?

Roger: You should report your grades exactly as they appear on your transcript. If you have grades that are above 100%, then I guess those just count as A grades.

If i have a 3.9286 after junior year and took 2 concurrent classes this summer with a 4.0 what do I need to graduate with a 3.97 or above.

Roger: It depends on how many total classes you’ve taken so far. Did you mean that you got a 4.0 in each of your 2 summer classes? Based on your 3.9286 GPA, I’ll assume that you’ve taken 28 semesters of class. I’ll also assume that you receive 2 grades per summer class, so you’ll get a total of 4 semester grades for your 2 classes. In that case, you’ll need to average a 4.26 in your 4 summer class grades, which isn’t possible (unless we’re talking about a weighted GPA?). If you got a 4.0 for all of your summer class grades, your GPA will rise to a 3.9375.

I'm a bit confused on how this all works. I'm OOS, so my AP's and DE's would count as UC-Approved Honors. Our school does quarterly terms (2 terms=1 semester). I took 4 AP classes my Jr year, non sophomore year. So I'd put 4 on the bottom box. How would I input my grades? Am I only using grades from those 4 AP classes? Would I use my terms final grades?

Also during the application process would I report my Honors Classes as NH and my AP/DE classes as HL? Thanks

Roger: If you received 4 grades per year, you’ll need to somehow average them so that you’re left with just 2 grades per course per year. You should include all of your grades, including those for non-honors courses. Are your “DE classes” just classes that you took at a community college? If they’re transferrable college courses, they should count as honors courses.