Unweighted or Weighted GPA: Which Matters More?

Hey everyone, a little confused here: do colleges look more at an unweighted GPA or a weighted one? Seems like some students have crazy weighted GPAs because of AP classes but does that really make a difference? Any advice would be appreciated!

I'm glad you've reached out to ask this question as it's a pretty common one amongst students! In general, both the weighted and unweighted GPAs play their own roles in college admissions. It can depend on the school's policy, but usually, both GPAs are useful to admissions officers and aid in evaluating the academic performance and course rigor of a prospective student.

The unweighted GPA shows an admissions officer your average performance across all your classes without consideration of the level or difficulty of those classes. Essentially, it offers a standard baseline for comparing the academic achievement of students, irrespective of their course selections.

On the other hand, the weighted GPA, which takes into account the difficulty of a student's course load (honors, APs, etc.), can demonstrate to an admissions officer your capability to succeed in challenging courses. As such, a high weighted GPA can indeed be a positive aspect of a student's profile as it suggests that the student not only takes advanced courses but performs well in them.

That said, it's important for students not to misconstrue higher weighted GPAs as an automatic ticket to admission. Different high schools use different scales and this can inflate or deflate a student’s GPA. Colleges often recalculate GPAs for this reason and may also employ the Academic Index I mentioned earlier.

Just to be on the safe side, always strive to do your best in each class you take and challenge yourself with rigorous courses when you can handle them. Remember, admission officers regard a strong unweighted GPA and the willingness to challenge oneself with a rigorous course-load as signals of a potentially successful college student. Good luck!