You work hard throughout your high school years to earn a a good GPA but what does this mean?
A high school GPA is a cumulative grade point average based on a students full high school career. However, students apply for college prior to completing their senior year, before their final high school GPA score is known. Colleges, use grade point average to measure a students track record, assess their dedication to learning and predict the student’s ability to succeed at college level.
Colleges receive thousands of applications each year and they need a system to select those students who are most likely to succeed. In order to achieve this, they determine a minimum grade point average for acceptance at their institution. It is left up to the individual institutions to determine this threshold.
Any students who fall under the minimum grade point average for acceptance will be immediately eliminated from the candidate pool. It is important for high school students to know the minimum GPA score for their school of choice so that they don’t waste time and effort applying to a school whose minimum GPA acceptance threshold is significantly higher than their high school grade point average.
Your high school GPA does not tell the whole story however. Once the GPA is used to weed out applicants the college acceptance committees will look closely at the types of classes taken, individual grades, and other aspects of the college application such as essays, resumes, SAT and ACT scores to determine which students will be offered a place for the following academic year.
Colleges also use your high school GPA score to select those students who qualify for a scholarship.
It is clear, that students need to be aware of the important role their high school grade point average plays in the selection process by colleges and universities. Visit our high school GPA Calculator often to calculate your high school GPA and stay ahead of the competition!