Understanding GPA Grading Systems for Graduate School Admissions

[Lewis]

My university has a rediculous GPA scheme. Anything >80 is a 4.0. I've been looking on the net for other GPA schemes, but come up with different things.

So, my question is how does the GPA grading work in U.S schools? Or are they different between schools? How about in other Canadian university?

I need to know for graduate school, and I just converted my GPA to one scheme that resulted in a VERY low GPA. So I need to get this straightened out before it's too late.

 

[mattmns]

In most places in the US, universities, and high schools, gpa goes as follows (on a 4 point scale):

90-100% = A = 4.0
80-90% = B = 3.0
70-80% = C = 2.0
60-70% = D = 1.0
0-60% = F = 0.0

You then take the average and that is your gpa. For example, if you took 5 classes (each weighted the same), and you got 2 A's 1 B, 1 C and 1 D. Then your gpa for that semester would be (4 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1)/ 5 = 2.8

There are also high schools that have Honors classes, or AP classes, in which you get an additional 0.2 added to your semester gpa for each AP/Honors class you take. And there are some schools/universities that have Minuses and Plusses. So an A+ would have a number slightly higher than 4.0, and an A- would have a number slightly less than 4.0

 

[jtbell]

My university has a rediculous GPA scheme. Anything >80 is a 4.0.

Statements like that are meaningless without some idea of the actual distribution of percent grades in relation to student performance. I can make the percent average on one of my exams come out to anything I want, by a suitable choice of problems/questions.

 

[Lewis]

Statements like that are meaningless without some idea of the actual distribution of percent grades in relation to student performance. I can make the percent average on one of my exams come out to anything I want, by a suitable choice of problems/questions.

You are quite correct. However, I don't think my university will send that information along with my transcript when I apply to a graduate school. Therefore, if my goal is to be accepted anywhere other than my current institution, it matters how my percent grades are in relation to the performance of my competing applicants, don't you agree?

My reason for stating what you quoted was to point out the false confidence it gives students. For example, I read that entry requirements for a certain school are a GPA of 3.5 and I unknowingly assume that I've met that requirement, unless I know that the way the GPA's are calculated is different.

Oh, and thanks mattmns. Does anyone know how it works with some of the Canadian universities?

 

[jtbell]

The colleges and universities in the US that I've had experience with (not a large sample, admittedly) all report only the letter grade for each course (on a A-F scale, often with + and -), and the numeric GPA on a 4-point scale. The percent grade in individual courses is strictly between professors and students.

Many high schools do report numeric grades on a 0-100 scale for individual courses, in addition to the letter grades. But graduate schools don't look at high school grades, as far as I know.

 

[scorpa]

Totally depends on the curve. For us they take the average grade assign that a B- which is a 2.7 and letter grades are calculated based on where you are on the curve.