Weighted vs Unweighted GPA: What is the Difference?

When you receive your high school transcript, you might notice two different numbers representing your academic performance: an unweighted GPA and a weighted GPA. If you are preparing for college admissions, understanding the difference between these two averages is essential.

While they both reflect your overall grades, they utilize entirely different calculation methods and scales. In this article, we will break down the differences, explain how each is calculated, and look at which one colleges care about most.

What is an Unweighted GPA?

An unweighted GPA is the traditional method used to evaluate academic performance. It represents your average grade points on a standard scale ranging from 0.0 to 4.0.

The defining characteristic of an unweighted GPA is that it does not factor in the difficulty level of your classes. Every class is treated equally. Earning an A in an advanced Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry class yields a 4.0, and earning an A in a standard introductory art class also yields a 4.0.

Standard Unweighted Point Values:

A (A+, A): 4.0 points
A-: 3.7 points
B+: 3.3 points
B: 3.0 points
B-: 2.7 points
C+: 2.3 points
C: 2.0 points
D: 1.0 point
F: 0.0 points

Because the scale maxes out at 4.0, it is impossible to earn an unweighted GPA higher than 4.0. You can calculate your flat average using our Unweighted GPA Calculator.

What is a Weighted GPA?

A weighted GPA is designed to reflect both your grades and the difficulty of your coursework. Rather than treating all classes identical, a weighted system awards extra points for advanced, collegiate-level courses taken in high school.

Typically, high schools grade weighted GPAs on a 5.0 scale (though some schools go higher). They do this by adding weight bonuses to advanced courses:

AP and IB Courses: Receive a +1.0 weight bonus (an A counts as 5.0 points, a B counts as 4.0, etc.).
Honors Courses: Often receive a +0.5 weight bonus (an A counts as 4.5 points, a B counts as 3.5, etc.).
Standard Courses: Receive no weight bonus (graded on the standard 4.0 scale).

Because of these added points, a student who takes multiple AP classes and gets strong grades can graduate high school with a GPA well above 4.0. If you want to check your own weighted scores, utilize our Weighted GPA Calculator to factor in your AP and Honors classes automatically.

Key Differences Summary

To visualize the differences between the two systems, look at how grades in different course levels translate to grade points:

Letter Grade	Standard Course (Unweighted)	Honors Course (Weighted +0.5)	AP/IB Course (Weighted +1.0)
A	4.0 points	4.5 points	5.0 points
B	3.0 points	3.5 points	4.0 points
C	2.0 points	2.5 points	3.0 points
D	1.0 point	1.5 points	2.0 points
F	0.0 points	0.0 points	0.0 points

Which One Do Colleges Care About More?

One of the most common questions high school students ask is: Do college admissions offices look at weighted or unweighted GPAs?

The short answer is: They look at both, but they value course rigor and context even more.

Admissions offices use the unweighted GPA to understand your raw, baseline performance across all subjects. Because high schools calculate weighted GPAs in many different ways (some weight Honors classes, some don’t; some use 5.0 scales, some use 6.0), the unweighted GPA provides a normalized basis for comparison.

However, they use the weighted GPA to judge your academic courage. If a student has a perfect 4.0 unweighted GPA but took only standard, easy classes, an admissions officer might view them as less prepared than a student with a 3.7 unweighted (but highly weighted) GPA who took 8 AP classes and pushed themselves.

Furthermore, most selective universities do not rely on your high school’s calculated GPA at all. Instead, they recalculate your GPA using their own internal formulas to compare all applicants fairly. During recalculation, they focus on core academic subjects (English, math, science, social studies, foreign language) and apply their own weighting standard.