Hey Roger,

I currently have a 4.25 capped GPA and a 1410 on the new SAT. Is that good enough for an out-of-state student trying to attend UCLA?

Thanks!

Roger: Sounds pretty good to me. I don’t really know anything about UCLA though.

You said not to count the summer course as 1 term - do I count it as 2 terms? I took a summer class at DVC and got an A. Do I count it as 1 term and hence 1 A , which is 5 points or as 2 terms- 10 points
Thanks

Roger: I think the rule of thumb is 1 grade = 1 term. If you received two separate grades for the course, then it should count as 2 terms.

Is the CSU and UC Gpa determination the same thing?

I'm trying to be a Nurse Major at SDSU

Roger: I’m not too familiar with the CSU’s, but yes, I think so.

Took Calc 1 and 2 at community college during 9th grade. Currently in 10th grade taking 4 semesters of honors at high school and continuing math at community college for add’l 2 semesters of honors during 10th. Staright A’s. From a GPA perspective, how many honors courses can I count?

Roger: I’d assume that you can count community college classes as honors courses, even if they were taken in the 9th grade (as long as they’re UC transferrable credits). But I don’t have any actual documentation that says so. My guess would be 8?

Hi Roger!

I took SAT three times. Before I didn’t realize that UCs require SAT essay.... I have my highest SAT with 730 EWR and 800 Math without essay. I took one in December with essay. So is that possible that UC take my essay score from December and use that 1530 SAT score as my final SAT score?

Roger: Last time I checked, the UC’s said they only look at your highest scores from a single sitting. Look up “superscoring” for more information.

Hi Roger,
I heard people telling me to apply to UCs you need above a 3.0 unweighted gpa, I am a California resident. Right now I have a 2.8 uw but 3.4 weighted, will i be able to apply to the UCs?

Roger: I’ve also heard that 3.0 is the minimum GPA for California residents (and 3.4 for non-residents). But I vaguely remember that according to UC Statfinder, some students were accepted by UC Merced and a few other UC schools with a GPA lower than 3.0. Maybe it’s worth a shot?

Hi roger,

so do you calculate it as each semester grade: for example if you got a B first semester and then an A second semester would that be 1 A and 1B?

Roger: Yep, that sounds right to me.

My foreign transcripts were not included on my academic records until my Junior year. Therefore, my first two years of High School indicate that I was in 9th grade in year 1 and year 2.

Does UC look at strict grade level or does it consider the 2nd grade as "10th" grade regardless of what a school's computer system reports as a grade level?

Roger: I honestly have no idea. The published rules for calculating the UC GPA don’t accommodate many special cases that commonly affect out-of-state students. But I think it’s important to keep in mind that the UC’s supposedly use a holistic admissions process that considers your entire academic history, and so your GPA should have no direct effect on admissions.

I have a 4.13 UC GPA. Which UC campuses is this good for?

Hi Roger,
I was thinking of doing some courses at my local community college to raise my UC gpa up. Will any class I take in over summer be counted or does it have to be related to one of the specific subjects: math, science, history, writing.

Roger: If you live in California, try to pick from the list of approved UC transferrable courses at your local community college.

Hi Roger,
In 10th grade I took APCS and got a C both semesters. But, because it is an elective, can I choose not to show it, while applying to UCs, as it isn't necessarily a A-G requirement? If that's possible how would I "hide" that grade?

Roger: I’m fairly certain that AP Computer Science counts as a category “g” course, and so you won’t be allowed to selectively omit it from your transcript.

Hi Roger,

I am a Canadian student, and my school has 9 courses each year. Do I need to count all eighteen courses (from gr 10 to gr 11) in my GPA? And will admissions not look at gr 9 grades?

Also, my high school does not have AP classes, so I took the tests after self study. Does the exam count for a weighted GPA, or is it only the courses that count?

Thanks so much :)))

Roger: I’m not sure how the rules change for Canadian students, but I’d guess that your only your grade 10 and grade 11 courses will count toward your UC capped/weighted GPA and that your self-study AP exams won’t count for honors points (which usually isn’t a problem, because the UC GPA is capped at 8 honors points and you’ll have the opportunity to report your self-study AP exam scores anyway).

do we have to include our pe grades as well? or it doesnt count for ucs

Roger: Use the A-G Course List website to determine which courses count as A-G. I don’t think P.E. counts, but a health class might.

how do i calculate my gpa when in 10 th grade my school had semester system and in 11 th grade the school changed to a quarter system.

Roger: I’d estimate by counting each semester as 2 quarters.

If you took a course over summer at a community college over summer between 10th and 11th grade, but you already had 4 semesters worth of honors courses in 10th grade could u count the community college class a semester with honors when calculating the uc gpa

Roger: I’m fairly certain that courses taken after the 10th grade (including summer courses) are counted as 11th grade courses, so the 4 semester cap on honors courses shouldn’t apply to your summer courses.

Does UC's look at senior year marks or are they admitting students based on sophomore and junior year marks?

Roger: You have the option of submitting a mid-year report to the UC’s, which would contain your senior year grades for the first half of your senior year. But as far as I know, the report is optional and most students don’t submit it. The UC’s also require you to notify them if you get a “C” grade or lower, in which case they have the option of rescinding your admissions offer. Some time in July (immediately before your UC enrollment begins), the UC’s will require you to send them your final transcript, which should contain all of your high school grades. Does this answer your question?

My school only reports year end grades on the transcript. How would that work in calculating my gpa?

Roger: I think you should count each of your year end grades as two semesters.

I have taken SAT 3 times

first time : M (730) R&W(650) Essay 19
second time : M (710) R&W(680) Essay 17
third time : M (710) R&W(700) Essay 17

Will UCs take the best individual scores ( 730+ 700 & essay 19) of the three or the last one i took ?

Roger: You’re thinking of a practice known as “super scoring”. The UC’s claim they only look at the highest score from a single sitting. See this FAQ for more details.

I'm unclear about entering SAT scores on your UC Admissions calculator. Your form asks for three numbers (math, reading, writing) in the 200-800 range, but College Board only reports two (math and combined reading and writing). The essays are scored 1-8. So if I got
710 Math
760 Reading/writing
7,7,7 Essay
what would I put in your calculator? (used 710, 760, 760 just to get it to work)

Roger: That calculator was designed for the old 2400 point SAT scoring system. There isn’t any new data available to update the calculator, as far as I know.

Hey roger, for the weighted gpa with honors courses would we include honors courses from 9-12 grade in our calculation or only 10-11? Confused by the part about 8 semesters.

Roger: This calculator is roughly based off of the instructions in this FAQ about the UC GPA, which only includes courses taken after the 9th grade. In other contexts, it’s also valid to include courses taken in the 9th grade. Did you have a more specific question?

My school does not do semesters, but rather they take the final grade for transcripts and GPA. Do I calculate two quarters and midterm/final for a semester, or just the whole year course? In our school each quarter is worth 20% of final grade and each midterm/final 10%

Roger: I don’t quite understand what you’re saying. Do you have letter grades on your official transcript? If not, what’s on your transcript?

If I'm calculating GPA based on a semester system, would a summer class be considered 2 As or just one since it isn't two semesters long like my other high school classes?

Roger: I think it depends on the class. If you received 2 separate grades on your transcript for your summer class, then it counts as 2 semesters. If you only received a single grade, then it counts as one.

Hey Roger,
I was wondering if I had a chance at any UC schools. My gpa weighted is a 3.83 and unweighted is a 3.59. I am currently a junior in high school. My 10-11 (as of right now) UC gpa is a 3.94. I also do ec’s such as clubs and sports (varsity since freshman year). I have taken some AP and honors courses. Can you tell me if I have a shot on any UC schools? Currently first semester of Junior year.

Roger: I’m probably the wrong person to ask. I don’t actually know anything about any of the UC schools, other than UC Berkeley. I’m not a college counselor, just a computer programmer (and former student). But I think you have a great shot at plenty of UC’s. Good luck!

How much of extra curricular activities is important for UC admissions as I do not have much other than ~150 hours of various community services.

My UC capped weighted GPA is 3.9 and uncapped weighted GPA is 4.2 and SAT is 1380.

Roger: That sounds fine. I didn’t do diddly squat.

My GPA is

Weighted GPA (10 -11) 4.20
Unweighted GPA (10 - 11) 3.63
Weighted and capped (10-11) 3.9

My SAT is 1380/1600

I am interested in applying to BSCS to all UCs

I have been told that if I apply as "undeclared" my chances are high and then i can always transfer, i am scared to go as "undeclared" and get stuck in something other than CS, I would rather go declared and take my chances.

Any suggestions ?

Roger: I don’t know about the other UC’s, but at UC Berkeley, there’s a minimum GPA you need to get in the lower division courses before you’re allowed to declare a computer science major. Some students don’t meet the requirement and are forced into other majors instead. The requirement changes from time to time, but it’s higher than the target average GPA for each of those courses (typically a 2.9), so that means that the average student would not be accepted. Also, I don’t believe Berkeley lets you declare CS during admissions (but you can declare EECS). Evaluate your confidence in competing with other undeclared CS majors, and make your decision based on that.

If I took a course at my local community college the summer after 11th grade, do I count that as well?

Roger: Yep. Any course you took after 9th grade counts.

When i look at the average gpa to get into a UC in google, is that gpa the uc gpa, or the unweighted?

Roger: It depends on which website you looked at. I’ve seen all three (unweighted, weighted, and weighted+capped) used to describe freshmen admit distributions.

I hear UCLA, UCB, and UCSD are super hard to get into and I'm not sure if the percentages I see are true. Weighted and capped 4.0; Weighted 4.13; ACT 35

Hi,
I took 3rd year language class the summer before 11th grade in community college. This course was not high school requirement, but UC recommended. Do I include this in calculating UC GPA. Thanks

Roger: Probably, yes. You should include any community college courses in an a-g subject area that you took after 9th grade.

Hi I got a c in AP English 11 both semesters. does it count as a b since its an AP class?

Roger: For this calculator, you should count that as a C grade. The AP class’s honors point will be factored in automatically from the last input field that asks you for the number of honors courses you’ve taken so far.

Hey R, I got a 3.32 for my unweighted and a 3.56 for my weighted, which UC would accept me?

My son has UC GPA weighted 3.9 and ACT score of 35. Which UC does he have a best chance to get into?

Hey Roger,
How would the UC's incorporate classes taken under a quarter system into the UC gpa. For example, I go to a high school that uses the semester system, but I took approved community college classes in the summer that use the quarter system. Are quarters weighted differently from semesters. Thanks!

Roger: No, I think each quarter of a community college class should count as a single semester in your UC GPA.

I have A's in all of my classes except one B in Math Analysis for my 10th and 11th grade school year. My US History was AP and English has been Honors/IB. The classes I am register for this year as a senior are English 4 H, AP Science, Spanish Lit AP, and Calc AP. I would like to drop Cal my senior year and take Math Studies IB. Will that hurt my chances in applying to UCLA where I really want to go or should I stay in Calc ? My weighted GPA 4.12 and unweighted 3.96.

Roger: I’m not sure what impact it’ll have on your admissions, but I encourage you to continue with AP Calculus. Since it’s your senior year, your second semester grades don’t matter anyway.

How do we calculate independent study PE toward accumulate UC GPA? It only has pass or fail grade with 10 credits. Thanks!

Roger: I think you’re supposed to ignore courses not taken for a letter grade.

I I I I I I I I
v v v v v v v v

The "AP" classes are actually IB classes.... if that makes a difference

Hey Roger,

I was wondering if currently I have a 4.0 weighted high school GPA, and I'm taking 4 AP classes and 2 CP classes in total, if my weighted GPA can go up to a 4.3 or higher by the end of this year assuming I get all A's in every single course because as of right now, I have no chance of getting into a UC, but I really want to.

Thank You

Roger: If you get all A’s in your 4 AP and 2 CP classes, I think that’s impressive enough to merit consideration.

Hey so for the # grades i received in honors/weighted classes. I took 4 ap and 1 honors in a semester - scheduled school. Should I then put I had 10 grades then?

Roger: Sounds right to me.

Do art courses count on UC gpa's? This would really help especially since I take a lot of art.

Roger: They usually do. If you want to be extra sure and you attend a California high school, just check the list.

Is it really required to take 3 years of foreign language cause i am a sophmore and i haven't tooken any language.

Roger: I always thought the requirement was 2 years, but most people aimed for 4.

Does a community college class count as 1 semester or 2 semesters?

Roger: Depends what class it is. First, check that your course is a UC-transferrable community college course. If you received one grade for the course (which is typical), then it counts as a single semester (as an honors course).

I will be a senior at high school this Fall, i just finished a java course at deanza college over the summer. Will this be considered as a 1 semester or 2 semester for a high schooler. I have been told that it will be considered as two semesters when i transfer that to my high school transcript ? is that true ?

Roger: Did you receive only one grade for the entire course? If so, I feel like that only counts as a single semester in your GPA (on the bright side, it’s counted as an honors course).

I see GPA range as 3.95 - 4.25 on the UC Davis page for 2017 freshman profile

http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/campuses/davis/freshman-profile/index.html

Is this Capped Weighted GPA ( capped to 8 semesters) or is it Uncapped Weighted GPA ?

Roger: I believe that’s the capped and weighted GPA.

Hey I was just wondering for a college like UCB, is it better to take Calc BC or Calc AB and another AP class? Do they care about the quality or quantity more (since it seems like quantity counts for a higher GPA). Thanks!

Roger: I wouldn’t recommend taking Calc BC without first taking Calc AB (unless you already know the material?). I think you should pick a courseload that you think you can handle and focus on courses that interest you. That being said, why not take all 3?

Hi. This is so tricky. Here's the situation I have an A average in qualifying middle, freshman and sophomore math classes that fit the a-g requirements. But I took calculus in JR year and got a D. Soo am I ineligible for Cal State and UC schools because of the D in an extra a-g class? Thanks. Your site is wonderful.

Roger: I haven’t heard of any kind of automatic rejection based on a single failing grade (although if you get a failing grade in your senior year, you’re usually required to report it promptly). If you retake the course and pass, you’ll be able to replace your failing grade in your GPA calculation. Have you considered that?

Hi! I just wanted to clarify something about the honor points. So if I took 6 honors courses and passed all of them, would that be 12 grades for honors courses? Thank you very much!

Roger: Assuming that you received 2 grades per course, yes.

Hi! I need help with imputing my courses in the section for "grades for honor courses". My high school uses semesters to assign grades. I gotten an A for both semesters of AP World, A for both semester for AP US History, an A for the first semester of AP Physics but a B for the second semester, and a C for the first semester of Calculus but a D for the second semester. What would I put in that section? The number "7" because I failed one semester? Or do I put "5" because they are the semesters that I gotten an A in?

Thank you so much for your help!

Roger: Great question. You should count 7 honors points, since honors points aren’t awarded for D and F grades. I updated the calculator to clarify this.

Hi, I'm going into junior year, and freshman year I did really badly. I got 6 A's, 3 B's, 5 C's, 1 D, and an F in Algebra 1. Sophomore year I got 9 B's and 4 A's, two of those B's from retaking Math 1. Over the summer I took health and history (got a D in it freshman year), and was wondering what my chances are at any colleges in California (not only UC's)? My overall GPA is around 3.0 and I was wondering how much the D and F from freshman year will affect me, as well as the chance of getting in undecided or with a major in history or design?

Roger: I couldn’t really say. I’m not familiar with any college other than UC Berkeley. But good luck!

Hey Roj, both my language credits are from freshman year (9th grade, obviously). Does this null and void my UC applications, as the courses aren't included in the u/w GPA? Also, I applied to UC Merced, UCSB, and UCLA earlier this year, and didn't get into any of them (which was surprising to me, mostly because I expected to get into Merced). Following this, I heard that they automatically reject applicants with D's on their transcript (of which I have one, in a half credit of chemistry, which I retook, and got straight A's in [for a full credit]). Is this rumor true?

Roger: Your freshmen year courses count toward meeting your requirements, but aren’t included in your UC GPA. I haven’t heard of any rumor about rejecting applicants that received a D grade. If you retook your course and earned an A, then it should have replaced your failing grade in your transcript.

Do UCs look at the weighted GPA or the weighted and capped?

Roger: Probably both, along with the rest of your transcript.