Public and private schools determine their grading scale, and so will you. Whether advanced courses receive extra weight, and whether they report a weighted or unweighted GPA on the transcript, these are all decisions you’ll make as you assemble your teen’s transcript and set up your “policy” for your school. There is no national standard. There is no universal formula. GPA policies vary widely from one school to the next.
The Perfect GPA Scale
There is no universal formula. GPA policies vary widely from one school to the next. That’s why one student with straight As may graduate with a 4.0, another with a 4.67, and another with a 100-point GPA. It all depends on how that particular high school calculates grades and quality points.
Now pause and consider this: every year, colleges receive transcripts from thousands of high schools, all using different GPA systems. The variation is enormous. Colleges respond in different ways.
Some colleges simply use the GPA provided on the transcript. This will be the case for colleges that don’t use GPA as a criterion, are open enrollment (community colleges, trade schools, for-profit, etc.), or simply have a low enough threshold that any student meeting the minimum is evaluated using other factors.
Others, particularly more selective institutions, recalculate every applicant’s GPA in order to compare students using a consistent internal standard. And even among colleges that recalculate, there is tremendous variation. Some count only core academic courses. Some remove weighting. Some apply their own weighting system. Some factor in rigor differently. There is no single system on either side.
And here is the part homeschool parents need to understand: Your homeschool operates under the same principle.
Just like every other high school in the country, you establish your school’s grading scale, weighting policy, and GPA calculation method. The key is to create a clear policy, apply it consistently, and document it professionally.
In homeschool, you are the school, so the scale you use is up to you. That said, following some basic standards will help ensure that the college can interpret what you’ve presented, and if you’ve ever sat through my transcript class, you have heard my mantra dozens of times: “Make it easy for THEM!”
HS4CC recommends a weighted GPA Scale
Do Colleges Recalculate GPA?
Yes, sometimes. Since a college may just calculate core courses, or not weigh your GPA, it’s possible that the GPA they assign your student isn’t what you’ve calculated for them. Unfortunately, most colleges don’t publish their internal GPA-evaluation process. This can often lead to the internet going down a rabbit hole of speculation among nervous parents and students. Since a college may decide (internally and privately) to recalculate GPAs, in truth, we won’t always know. Since GPA is often a factor in admissions, you’ll want to use general principles rather than hard rules (that are mostly made-up anyway!) when you’re looking at what kind of GPA your student needs for college. I’ll spell out the basics, but in a nutshell, here are the three basic categories of colleges and what kinds of grades they are looking for:
- Very selective colleges (acceptance rates of 25% or less) need mostly A’s. In this category, HS4CC is unlikely to award much college credit; the purpose of earning college credit is to demonstrate rigor in your homeschool curriculum. (NOTE: the most rigorous schools – like those with acceptance rates in the 5% range, rigorous non-homeschool courses should come from in-person classes taken at a 4-year regionally accredited university for a letter grade)
- The middle ground (about 50% acceptance) is looking for mostly A’s and B’s
- Open enrollment / non-selective: the student’s final cumulative GPA should be 2.5 or higher, but there are many exceptions that allow a lower GPA.
When you Homeschool for College Credit, the goal is generally to earn college credit that can be used after high school! This is how you bring the goal post closer and make the biggest cost-impact for your teen.
By The Numbers
- Public 4-year universities: about 700
- Private 4-year universities: about 1,600
- Public 2-year colleges: about 1,200
- Private 2-year colleges: several hundred
If you’re considering admissions criteria, only about 65 colleges TOTAL have selectivity of 25% or less. So when we are talking about needing mostly A’s, that advice is critical for those aiming very high, but as you can see by the numbers, you have nearly 4,000 colleges and universities to choose from, so feeling intense pressure to earn only A’s is rarely necessary.
NACAC data varies a bit each year, but we can safely say that 85% of all colleges and universities will admit everyone who applies. There is a segment in that middle ground that accepts about 50% or better, but your student’s odds of getting into college are 100%. Of course the details vary, but the numbers don’t lie- most colleges accept (Want. Need. Beg for.) most applicants.
2.0
If your student’s high school GPA is at or above 2.0 they can walk into any community college in the country and begin their education. They can use that opportunity to seek tutoring and resources to make the most of their classes, and work on developing the skills to earn higher grades. You can get into community college with a 2.0 but you can’t always get out – some colleges require 2.5 or higher to make satisfactory academic progress, so you’ll want to manage the situation carefully if your community college GPA is around a 2.0 In addition, even an open enrollment community college will have specific programs within the college that are extremely competitive like any of the health occupations.
3.0
Even moderately selective universities accept students with a high school GPA of 3.0, but if you’re aiming for scholarships, you’ll want to give it a boost. A college course taken during high school can really help your GPA and push it up a bit. An “A” earned in a high school class is usually an unweighted 4.0, while an “A” earned in a college class can be weighted as a 5.0! It only takes a few college classes to give your GPA a huge boost.
4.0
Only necessary if you’re aiming for a college that is incredibly selective or offers very strong merit scholarships (not all do). I’m going to expose the elephant in the room: if you’re homeschooling, and all of your student’s grades are “A” with no outside validation, it can make it harder – not easier- for your student to get into a selective program. I’m a homeschool advocate and graduated 4 sons myself, so I say that comment with deep respect for the ability and right of a parent to homeschool their children. That said, a sprinkling of college courses, AP exams, SAT/ACT/CLT, or other outside assessments will strengthen their 4.0 in the eyes of admissions and scholarship committees. These outside sources validate what you already knew. 🙂
There is no universal rule, but this is the most common model:
| Course Type | A | B | C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | 4.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 |
| Honors | 4.5 | 3.5 | 2.5 |
| College / Dual Enrollment / AP | 5.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 |
When you see the “5.0” awarded for a dual enrollment course, keep in mind that you’re still on a 4.0 scale, so your student’s grade is exceeding the scale. That’s the beauty of weighted GPA!
My favorite GPA calculator and demonstration of how to do GPA are linked below! If you really want to dive into GPA, credits, and grades, the BIG Transcript Program spends a good bit of time on the topic. Also linked below.
Favorite GPA calculator: https://gpacalculator.io
We are homeschool and transcript experts! BIG Transcript Program
