UC GPA Calculator
The University of California (UC) system focuses solely on the “A-G” courses you completed during your sophomore and junior years, which also includes coursework taken during the summers after 9th through 11th grade. Pluses and minuses in your grades are disregarded; UC treats all A grades equally, whether it’s an A+, A, or A-.
- Honors – High School Honors
- AP- Advanced Placement
- IB – International Baccalaureate
- CL – College Level Courses
LOTE: Languages Other Than English
VPA: Visual and Performing Arts
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a UC GPA Calculator?
A UC GPA Calculator is an online tool designed to help high school students applying to the University of California system determine their weighted GPA as per UC’s specific calculation method. It considers the difficulty of courses taken, including honors, AP, IB, and transferable college courses.
How is the UC GPA different from a regular GPA?
The UC GPA differs from a regular GPA as it assigns extra points for honors, AP, IB, and transferable college courses. An A grade in these advanced courses receives 5 points, a B receives 4 points, and a C receives 3 points.
Which courses are considered for the UC GPA?
The UC GPA considers only the “A-G” courses, including English, Mathematics, Laboratory Science, Language Other Than English (LOTE), History/Social Science, and Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) completed in the 10th and 11th grades.
Do UCs include grades from 9th and 12th grade in the GPA calculation?
No, the UCs only consider grades from 10th and 11th grades for the GPA calculation. Grades from 9th and 12th grades are not included.
How are plus (+) and minus (-) grades treated in the UC GPA calculation?
UCs ignore the plus (+) and minus (-) grades. All A grades are treated the same, regardless of being an A+, A, or A-.
Are UC-approved honors and AP courses given the same extra points?
Yes, UC-approved honors and AP courses are given the same extra points in the GPA calculation. For both types of courses, an A grade receives 5 points, a B grade receives 4 points, and a C grade receives 3 points. These additional points are added to the standard grade points (A=4, B=3, C=2) to calculate the weighted GPA, which takes into account the difficulty of the coursework.
Are all UC campuses using the same GPA calculation method?
Yes, all UC campuses follow the same weighted GPA calculation method for admission purposes.
Can I use my unweighted GPA instead of the UC GPA on my application?
No, UCs require the submission of the weighted UC GPA as it provides a more accurate representation of your academic performance.
Can I calculate my UC GPA with grades from the first semester of 12th grade?
No, the UC GPA calculation only considers grades from the 10th and 11th grades; grades from the first semester of 12th grade are not included.
Is the UC GPA the only factor considered for admission to UC campuses?
No, while the UC GPA is a crucial component, UCs follow a holistic admissions process, considering other factors such as extracurricular activities, personal statements etc.
What is Capped mean?
Capped means that a maximum of 8 semesters — no more than 4 from the 10th grade — of honors and AP/IB courses can be used to add additional points to your GPA.
Why would anyone choose to take more than 8 honors courses if only 8 can help their GPA?
UCs also take into account the rigor of your course load. If you’re able to take more high-level courses and maintain good grades in all of them, it will reflect positively during the admissions process. Demonstrating your ability to handle challenging coursework can be advantageous and enhance your chances of admission to the University of California campuses.
If you're a California resident, how can you find out which of your classes count as A-G courses?
If you’re a California resident, you can find the list of A-G courses specific to your high school by referring to your school’s A-G course list. Please have a look at UCs A-G requirements.
What should you do if you're not a California resident and want to determine if your courses count as A-G courses?
If you’re not a California resident, you can consult the A-G course list site, which contains a database of UC-certified course lists in California schools. Additionally, you can refer to the 15 college-preparatory course categories that provide guidance on the types of courses that have been UC-approved. UC will apply honors weight to AP or IB courses and transferable college courses but not to school-designated honors courses. This weight is given to letter grades of A, B, or C.
What does the UC system consider as an honors course for California residents?
For California residents, the UC system considers the following as honors courses:
- AP (Advanced Placement) courses
- IB (International Baccalaureate) HL/SL (Higher Level/Standard Level) courses
- UC-transferable college courses
- UC-certified honors courses
What types of courses are considered honors courses for out-of-state students?
For out-of-state students, the UC system considers the following as honors courses:
- AP (Advanced Placement) courses
- IB (International Baccalaureate) courses
- UC-transferable college courses
How does the University of California handle GPA calculation for international students?
UC converts international grades to a 9-point scale. Then, similar to the calculation process for other applicants, UC calculates the capped weighted GPA for international students.
How does UC calculate the capped weighted GPA for international students after the grade conversion?
Once the international grades are converted to the 9-point scale, UC follows the same procedure as it does for other applicants. It adds extra points for honors, AP, IB, and UC-approved honors-level courses, caps the honors points at 8 semesters, and calculates the capped weighted GPA based on the weighted points earned in all completed “A-G” courses.
Note: UC’s admissions policies might change over time, so always check the latest information on the UC admissions website.
Hi,
Thank you for creating this tool. Very useful. We appreciate very much. One quick question. For entering #of A grades, B grades etc, do you enter the # of grades per semester. Let us say in 10th you have taken 7 A-G courses, and 6 A-G courses in 11th so will thr seletion in the tool based on a total of 26 or 13. If it is 13, how should we enter the grade for a course where the student got B in first semester and A in the next in 10th grade as example. Thank you in advance for clarifying.
Thank you so much!