UC GPA
The University of California's recalculated GPA, capped at 4.4 weighted with limited honor-points credit. Used by all UC campuses and CSUs.
UC GPA is the recalculated grade point average the University of California uses for admission decisions. It is calculated only from approved A-G courses (the UC's required college-prep curriculum) taken in 10th and 11th grade. The fully weighted UC GPA includes one extra point for up to 8 semesters of approved honors, AP, IB-HL, or community college transferable courses, with a maximum of 4 of those semesters in 10th grade.
UC publishes three GPA figures: unweighted, fully weighted, and weighted-capped (the same as fully weighted but limited to 8 honor-points semesters across both years). The capped GPA is what the UC uses to evaluate California residents.
For California families, calculating UC GPA correctly is essential because it differs meaningfully from a student's high-school GPA. California State Universities (CSUs) use a similar but slightly different formula. The California State Universities and University of California websites both publish step-by-step calculators.
Related terms
View all terms- Weighted GPAA GPA that gives extra points for honors, AP, and IB courses, typically allowing the maximum to exceed 4.0 (often 4.5 or 5.0 scale).
- A-G RequirementsThe 15-course college-prep sequence required for admission to the University of California and California State University systems.
- Recalculated GPAThe GPA a college calculates internally from the transcript using its own formula. Often differs from the GPA on a student report card.
- Unweighted GPAA GPA on a 4.0 scale where every A counts as 4.0 regardless of course difficulty. The simplest, most comparable GPA measure.