Upper School
Calculating GPA
A Grade Point Average (GPA) is based on the number of grade points earned divided by the number of grades. Each grade earned is worth a certain number of points on a 0.0 to a 4.0 scale.
You may be asked to calculate a grade point average for a scholarship application.
AN IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT GPA CALCULATION: (The following information is for most private colleges and universities and does not pertain to the UCs or CSUs. Information on the UC/CSU gpa calculation is available on their websites.) Your St. Margaret's transcript shows a weighted grade point average for classes taken at St. Margaret's, which means that extra points are added for honors and AP classes. Most college guidebooks will provide the unweighted grade point average for the colleges.
You should be aware that most colleges and universities will recalculate your grade point to an unweighted average.
Here are the guidelines that most colleges will follow in calculating your grade point average:
- Include only what they consider to be academic courses. (They will not use grades from arts, physical education, or religion courses.)
- They will use a straight 4.0 scale, without considering plus or minus grades.
- There will be no additional weight given for honors or AP courses.
It would be to your advantage to calculate your unweighted grade point average.
Here are two ways to calculate your unweighted grade point average. One uses +/- grades. The other does not.
Using +/- grades:
| A | = | 4.0 |
| A- | = | 3.7 |
| B+ | = | 3.3 |
| B | = | 3.0 |
| B- | = | 2.7 |
| C+ | = | 2.3 |
| C | = | 2.0 |
| C- | = | 1.7 |
| D+ | = | 1.3 |
| D | = | 1.0 |
| D- | = | .7 |
| F | = | 0 |
Most colleges will calculate your GPA without using +/-. In other words, A-/A or A+ each equal 4.0; similarly, B-/B or B+ each equal 3.0:
| Column A | Column B | |
|---|---|---|
| (number of) A grades X 4 = (Example: 6 "A's"" X 4 = 24) |
||
| (number of) B grades X 3 = |
||
| (number of) C grades X 2 = |
||
| (number of) D grades X 1 = |
||
| (number of) F grades X 0 = |
||
| Total Column A | Total Column B |
Total of Column B divided by Total of Column A = Unweighted GPA
If you've retaken a class, replace the original grade with the new grade. (The old grade does not factor into your gpa.)