GPA Requirement
Hi everyone! Many of the scholarships we offer have a GPA requirement, so we ask for GPA in the general application phase. Traditionally, we have asked for an unweighted GPA since that is the most consistent across schools. However, this year we had applicants from a school that does not provide an unweighted GPA to students -- they only provide a weighted GPA. Has anyone else run into a similar circumstance? If so, what was your approach?
How do you ask for/compare GPAs in scholarship applications?
Thank you in advance!
Best Answer
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Transcripts from our local high schools only provide weighted GPA information. The complication is that not all high schools provide the same AP class or "College in the Classroom" opportunities, so when we look at student GPAs across school districts, it's hard to compare apples to apples.
After our 2022 cycle, our evaluators asked us to provide them with a list of the AP opportunities in each high school. So I reached out to the guidance offices and generated a spreadsheet for the evaluators to use as a reference. The differences of offerings between the high schools were illuminating.
It's not a perfect solution, but we're going to try to use this informational tool in our 2023 evaluations. I can revisit this topic with you after our evaluation period and let you know how it went.
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Answers
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Hello! I have the same question. I would be interested to know if you found a solution.
Yani Ortiz
Director of Grants and Scholarships
The Montgomery County Foundation, Inc.
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Transcripts from our local high schools only provide weighted GPA information. The complication is that not all high schools provide the same AP class or "College in the Classroom" opportunities, so when we look at student GPAs across school districts, it's hard to compare apples to apples.
After our 2022 cycle, our evaluators asked us to provide them with a list of the AP opportunities in each high school. So I reached out to the guidance offices and generated a spreadsheet for the evaluators to use as a reference. The differences of offerings between the high schools were illuminating.
It's not a perfect solution, but we're going to try to use this informational tool in our 2023 evaluations. I can revisit this topic with you after our evaluation period and let you know how it went.
3 -
We direct our high school students to a GPA calculator at
This lets them enter their grades as provided by the high school and then converts them to a 4.0 scale. We found that is easier for our reviewers to understand.
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