---
title: "How Colleges Recalculate Applicants' GPAs | Elite Prep"
description: "With the seemingly infinite ways high schools calculate GPAs, many colleges recalculate the GPA in the application review process to provide a standardized…"
url: "https://eliteprep.com/blog/how-colleges-recalculate-applicants-gpas-for-college-admissions/"
image: "https://media.eliteprep.com/iStock-936987292-webp-card.jpg"
language: "en"
datePublished: "2024-10-02T15:30:50.000Z"
source: "eliteprep build"
---

[Students](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/students/) [College Admissions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-admissions/) [College Application](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-application/)

# How Colleges Recalculate Applicants’ GPAs for College Admissions

October 2, 2024 3 min read

[Explore Elite College Consulting](https://eliteprep.com/consulting/)

![A person holding a document marked with a graduation cap icon while using a calculator beside stacks of coins](https://eliteprep.com/media/iStock-936987292-webp-w800.webp)

There are [over 23,500 high schools](https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=84) in the United States, each with its own grading system. While most high schools issue letter grades, some schools use a grading scale based on a point system (for example, out of 100 points). Many schools calculate a **weighted grade point average** (GPA), while just as many schools don’t. Some schools **weight all honors and AP classes**, while other schools weight **only AP classes**.

In addition, many students take courses at multiple schools and colleges during high school, adding another layer of information about coursework and grades that students submit when they apply for college.

With the seemingly infinite ways high schools calculate GPAs, **many colleges recalculate the GPA in the application review process** to provide a standardized way to compare the academic achievement of students from different high schools. In other words, the GPA reported on your high school transcript is not necessarily what colleges use when reviewing your application.

The [University of California](https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/applying-as-a-freshman/filling-out-the-application.html) and the [California State University](https://www.calstate.edu/apply/freshman/getting_into_the_csu/Pages/admission-requirements.aspx) require applicants to self-report their grades and courses in the online application. In the application review process, these large public universities recalculate applicants’ GPAs by giving one honors point per semester to grades received in honors and AP courses and one honors point to grades received in college courses (for example, A=5 points and B=4 points).

Most colleges using the Common App require applicants to submit their academic transcripts from all schools they attended. Several Common App colleges also require applicants to complete the [Courses and Grades section](https://appsupport.commonapp.org/applicantsupport/s/article/Do-all-members-of-The-Common-Application-use-Courses-Grades-in-their-admissions-process) of the application or a separate [Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR/SSAR)](https://srar.selfreportedtranscript.com/Login.aspx) shortly after submitting the college application. Colleges input the courses and grades into a system to recalculate applicants’ GPAs–oftentimes giving additional weight to honors, AP, and college courses–before application files are delivered to admission officers for review.

In addition, you can **explore your intellectual interests** and **boost your GPA for college applications** by taking [honors and AP classes at Elite Open School](https://eliteprep.com/programs/#for-credit-courses), a WASC-accredited private school [offering UC-approved courses](https://hs-articulation.ucop.edu/agcourselist/institution/4959).

*Elite Prep offers a wide range of [UC-approved for credit honors and AP courses](https://eliteprep.com/programs/#for-credit-courses) through Elite Open School.*

*Contact [your local Elite Prep office](https://eliteprep.com/locations/) to speak with one of our counselors to explore which course will best fit your needs!*

- [Amherst College](https://www.amherst.edu/)
- Ave Maria University
- Baker College
- California College of ASU
- [Carnegie Mellon University](https://www.cmu.edu/)
- [College of Saint Mary](https://www.csm.edu/)
- Edinburgh Napier University
- Gardner-Webb University
- Goshen College
- Hampton University
- [Jack Kent Cooke Foundation](https://www.jkcf.org/)
- Life University
- Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)
- [Loyola Marymount University](https://www.lmu.edu/)
- Manor College
- McDaniel College
- McKendree University
- Methodist University
- Milligan University
- Montreat College
- [Morehouse College](https://morehouse.edu/)
- Newberry College
- North American University
- Notre Dame of Maryland University
- Oklahoma Baptist University
- [Oregon Tech](https://www.oit.edu/)
- [Pitzer College](https://www.pitzer.edu/)
- Prescott College
- [Purdue University](https://www.purdue.edu/)
- Regis College
- Saint Vincent College
- Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
- [St. John's College (MD)](https://www.sjc.edu/annapolis)
- [St. John's College (NM)](https://www.sjc.edu/santa-fe)
- [Stanford University](https://www.stanford.edu/)
- Taejae University
- Tecnológico de Monterrey
- Temple University, Japan Campus
- The American University of Rome
- [The University of Arizona](https://www.arizona.edu/)
- University of Alaska Fairbanks
- [University of Charleston](https://www.ucwv.edu/)
- University of Dundee
- University of Glasgow
- University of Limerick
- University of Michigan - Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute
- [University of Minnesota Twin Cities](https://twin-cities.umn.edu/)
- [University of Missouri-Kansas City](https://www.umkc.edu/)
- University of Mount Saint Vincent
- [University of New Mexico](https://www.unm.edu/)
- [University of Oregon](https://www.uoregon.edu/)
- University of Roehampton, London
- [University of Southern California](https://www.usc.edu/)
- University of the West of England, Bristol
- [University of Washington Seattle](https://www.washington.edu/)
- [University of Washington Bothell](https://www.uwb.edu/)
- [University of Washington Tacoma](https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/)
- [University of Wisconsin-Madison](https://www.wisc.edu/)
- University of Wisconsin-Stout
- University of Worcester (UK)
- Western Oregon University
- [Whittier College](https://www.whittier.edu/)
- [Willamette University](https://willamette.edu/)
- Xavier University of Louisiana
- [Baylor University](https://admissions.web.baylor.edu/admission/incoming-freshman/application-process/self-reported-academic-record)
- [Clemson University](https://www.clemson.edu/admissions/applying-to-clemson/srar.html)
- [Duquesne University](https://www.duq.edu/admission-and-aid/how-to-apply/undergraduate/index.php)
- [Florida A & M University](https://admissions.famu.edu/faqs/index.php)
- [Florida Atlantic University](https://www.fau.edu/admissions/freshman/how-to-apply/self-reported-student-academic-record/)
- [Florida Polytechnic University](https://floridapoly.edu/admissions-and-aid/first-time-students/undergraduate.php)
- [Florida State University](https://admissions.fsu.edu/first-year/SSAR/)
- [Kean University](https://www.kean.edu/offices/admissions-0/freshman-application-instructions)
- [Louisiana State University](https://www.lsu.edu/admissions/apply/self-reported-academic-record.php)
- [Montclair State University](https://www.montclair.edu/admissions/)
- [New College of Florida](https://www.ncf.edu/admissions/first-year-students/)
- [New York University (NYU)](https://www.nyu.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/application-status.html)
- Pennsylvania State University
- [Rutgers University, Camden](https://admissions.rutgers.edu/apply/first-year-applicants#tab=panel-3)
- [Rutgers University, Newark](https://admissions.rutgers.edu/apply/first-year-applicants#tab=panel-3)
- [Rutgers University, New Brunswick](https://admissions.rutgers.edu/apply/first-year-applicants#tab=panel-3)
- Texas A&M University
- [United States Air Force Academy](https://www.academyadmissions.com/apply/)
- [University at Buffalo, State University of New York](https://admissions.buffalo.edu/apply/howtoapply.php)
- [University of Connecticut](https://admissions.uconn.edu/apply/first-year/instructions/#srar-faqs)
- [University of Delaware](https://www.udel.edu/apply/undergraduate-admissions/requirements/self-reported-academic-record/)
- [University of Florida](https://admissions.ufl.edu/apply/freshman/ssar)
- [University of Massachusetts Amherst](https://www.umass.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/apply/first-year-students)
- [University of Minnesota Twin Cities](https://admissions.tc.umn.edu/frequently-asked-questions-about-completing-self-reported-academic-record)
- [University of North Florida](https://www.unf.edu/admissions/ssar.html)
- [University of Oregon](https://admissions.uoregon.edu/self-reported-academic-record)
- [University of Pittsburgh](https://admissions.pitt.edu/srar/)
- [University of Rhode Island](https://web.uri.edu/admission/)
- [University of South Florida](https://www.usf.edu/admissions/freshmen/admission-information/ssar.aspx)
- [University of Tampa](https://www.ut.edu/admissions/freshmen-admissions)
- [University of Tennessee, Knoxville](https://admissions.utk.edu/srar/)
- [University of Texas at Arlington](https://www.uta.edu/admissions/apply)
- [University of Texas at San Antonio](https://future.utsa.edu/freshman/srar/)
- [University of West Florida](https://uwf.edu/admissions/undergraduate/apply/application-resources/completing-your-application/ssar/)
- [Virginia Tech](https://www.vt.edu/admissions/undergraduate/apply/self-reported-academic-record.html)

## **Contact Elite Prep to discuss how we can help you succeed on the road to college!**

## Free Tools for This Topic

- [College list builder](https://eliteprep.com/college-list-builder/)
- [Early decision vs. early action](https://eliteprep.com/early-decision-vs-early-action/)
- [College roadmap by grade](https://eliteprep.com/college-roadmap/)

## More on This Topic

[All posts in Students](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/students/)

![A smiling young woman in a blazer shakes hands with someone across a table by a sunny window](https://media.eliteprep.com/iStock-college_interview-webp-w400.webp)

[Students](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/students/)

### [College Interviews for High School Students: A Comprehensive Guide](https://eliteprep.com/blog/college-interviews-for-high-school-students-a-comprehensive-guide/)

College interviews play a crucial role in the admissions process for high school students aspiring to attend prestigious educational institutions.

November 22, 2024

![Gothic brick college buildings and evergreens behind a green lawn with geese at sunset](https://media.eliteprep.com/iStock-1414256132%2B%281%29-webp-w400.webp)

[Students](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/students/)

### [College Admission Notifications for the Class of 2025 are Coming – What to do after Decisions Come Out](https://eliteprep.com/blog/college-admission-notifications-for-the-class-of-2025-are-coming/)

While some colleges and universities have already started to release admission decisions for this year's high school seniors…

March 5, 2025

![A small wooden figure wearing a graduation cap stands beside stacked books, colored pencils, and a globe.](https://media.eliteprep.com/iStock-admissions-factors-webp-w400.webp)

[Students](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/students/)

### [16 Factors in College Admission Decisions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/16-factors-influencing-college-admission-decisions/)

The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) survey, conducted in fall 2023, examines 16 factors influencing college admission decisions…

November 8, 2024

![Two students reviewing papers and a tablet together in front of a whiteboard covered in diagrams](https://media.eliteprep.com/iStock-engineering5-webp-w400.webp)

[Students](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/students/)

### [Applying to Impacted Majors in College Applications: Strategies for Success](https://eliteprep.com/blog/navigating-impacted-majors-in-college-strategies-for-success/)

Engineering, computer science, nursing and business are impacted majors at many colleges. Learn what that means and how to apply to them successfully.

October 8, 2024

## Ready to Study This with an Instructor?

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[Explore Elite College Consulting](https://eliteprep.com/consulting/) [Browse programs](https://eliteprep.com/programs/)