What is the difference between weighted and unweighted GPAs?

When applying to college, both weighted and unweighted GPAs are important. Colleges may use a student’s unweighted GPA to elevate their performance on a student scale, while their weighted GPA can show their ability to handle more difficult courses. However, an academic consulting website says colleges also consider the context of a student’s school grading system. 

Unweighted GPA

Unweighted GPAs are treated with all courses equally regardless of difficulties. It’s calculated by adding up all the students’ grade points and dividing it by the number of courses. The calculators are usually on a 4.0 scale.

Weighted GPA 

Weighted GPAs are created by considering the difficulty of a student’s courses and assigning higher point values to more challenging classes. It is calculated by multiplying each grade by a corresponding weight and then averaging the results. They are often calculated on a scale higher than 4.0, sometimes as high as 5.0 or 6.0.

GPAs for Athletes

Why are GPAs lowered for athletes?

The majority of schools lower or drop GPA requirements for student-athletes to keep them on the team, and to make the team more competitive. Some reasons for this include: motivating students to come to school and luring away coaches. 

However, a common sense article says that raising the GPA requirements would force athletes to focus more on school instead of sports. Others say that coaches should teach players how to balance their time, and that athletes should keep up with their schoolwork so they don’t get dropped from the team. 

They believe that athletes receive special treatment in the admissions process and that their academic requirements are more relaxed. Others argue that winning is highly correlated with revenues and that at some schools athletes’ performance is more important than academic achievements. 

Conclusion:

GPAs are complex for weighted and unweighted for any normal student. For an athlete, GPAs play a huge role in what your college future and career may look like.