How GPA, Credits & Coursework Choices Impact Future College Options
by Stacy Thompson
The most important factor in college admissions
The importance of academic performance in college admissions is agreed upon nearly unanimously by professionals, whether in secondary schools, undergraduate admissions offices, or other experts in the field. A high school student’s academic profile is the most important consideration in a college application. Serving as the foundation of any college application, an academic profile is the narrative built during a student’s time in high school through selected courses, performance in those courses, test scores, and related academic activities or interests. A high school transcript, as the primary representation of a student’s academic profile, has the power to tell the story of their academic journey throughout high school.
How GPA can impact college options
A Grade Point Average (GPA) is the cumulative, numeric measure of a high school student’s coursework. Though the GPA is just part of the academic profile, this single number can greatly influence college options - both in match and fit factors.
Class Rank: Perhaps most influentially, GPA is used to determine student ranking in a graduating class. Depending on the secondary school, students may be given an exact numeric rank (i.e., #1, #2, #3, etc.) or a percentile rank (i.e., 10%, 25%, 50%, etc.). Some smaller secondary schools do not rank students, though that does not guarantee the college will not assign a class rank for admissions.
College Match: College match refers to how well a prospective student meets the college’s admission requirements through their GPA and test scores. Often, colleges report their applicant data by sharing the mid-range GPA of admitted students. To get a better understanding of which colleges might be a strong match, there are several tools available to research the GPA requirements and admitted range of GPAs for colleges, such as: (a) BigFuture College Search, (b) CampusReel College Acceptance Calculator, (c) CollegeData, or (d) College Navigator.
Admission Eligibility by State: Some states and public universities offer admission-eligibility programs based primarily on a student’s GPA and class rank.
Texas Uniform Admissions Policy- In Texas, students in the Top 10% of their graduating class are eligible for admission to most public colleges & universities in Texas. Some public colleges even offer tiers of admission eligibility for students in the Top 25% or Top 50% of their graduating class.
University of California Statewide Guarantee- At California’s flagship university, students in the Top 9% of their graduating class (as calculated by the UC Index) are eligible for admission. Recently, Cal State also announced a pilot automatic admission eligibility policy. Check out Contigo Ed’s Resource for California Eligibility Index Calculation: UC/CSU/CalGrant GPAs.
AI Prompt Tips: Try using these prompts to check if public colleges in your state offer GPA-based admission programs and see whether you might qualify!
“Do public colleges in [your state] offer any guaranteed or assured admission policies for in-state students, similar to the ‘Texas Uniform Admissions Policy’ or ‘University of California Statewide Guarantee’ policies?”
“Can you help me find colleges in [your state] where I might be eligible for guaranteed or assured admission?”
“I am a high school student in [your state]. My GPA is ____ and I am in the ___% of my graduating class. Do I qualify for guaranteed admission at any colleges in my state?”.
Financial Aid & Scholarships: College affordability is often the #1 fit factor for determining which college to attend. A student’s GPA can further impact their college options through merit-based financial aid opportunities. Some colleges offer specific scholarships for students with certain GPAs or rankings. Other scholarships may simply have a GPA minimum to be eligible.
Other Considerations: While the previous examples show some of the ways that GPA can be very influential in college match & eligibility, the rules of college admissions are not always black-and-white. There are many other factors related to GPA that may be considered, depending on the student and the college, including (but not limited to):
GPA Trends: While the cumulative GPA is the most commonly referenced measure, colleges do look at student GPA trends over time. A GPA that has increased over time may be viewed more favorably than a decreasing or erratic GPA.
Weighted vs Unweighted: A weighted GPA has extra values to boost a GPA if the student takes more rigorous courses like Honors, Advanced Placement, or Dual Enrollment. An unweighted GPA does not have extra values and does not take difficulty of courses into account.
College Re-Calculation of GPAs: High schools typically issue rankings based on the weighted GPA, but colleges will often re-calculate GPAs to reduce inflation reflected in GPAs.
Highly-Selective College Match: More selective and highly-ranked colleges have more strict GPA expectations for admission. Even with a GPA match, highly-selective colleges may have additional or different considerations to account for high numbers of applications
Coursework & Credits ⇒ GPA ⇒ College Options
While the GPA is a very important number that reflects a student’s general, summarized academic performance, the specific courses that are calculated into the GPA are equally (if not more) important components of the academic profile.
Core Curriculum Courses: All colleges emphasize GPA requirements, but they focus particularly on performance in core subject areas such as English, mathematics, science, and history.
See the “High School Classes Required for College Admission” recommended by NACAC
Khan Academy offers a lesson unit in “Making high school count”
College- or Major- Specific Course Requirements: The courses a student completes can significantly impact eligibility for admission to certain colleges or specific majors within a college. Even if a student is admitted to a college or university, they may not be admitted to their preferred major without meeting certain academic criteria. Additionally, statewide admissions programs do not apply if the applicant has not completed the required high school courses:
University of Texas- High School Prerequisites - University of Texas Admissions
University of California- Subject requirement (A-G) | UC Admissions
Advanced / Honors Courses: When appropriate, taking advanced courses can greatly improve your college eligibility by demonstrating college readiness & willingness to take challenges. In recent years, some colleges or majors have started to require certain advanced courses
Check out this article, “Calculus: Gatekeeper of Selective College Admissions” by Top Tier Admissions
Academic Electives: Elective courses are another opportunity to enhance your college options. Some colleges require additional electives that exceed those required for high school graduation. For example, several colleges require 3-4 years of language courses, even if the high school requires only 2 years. In addition to using electives to explore potential majors, students can also demonstrate their commitment to an intended major by completing high-school level courses in their major of choice. Some majors may even require certain high school electives for admission, such as fine arts. You can also take general electives focusing on college prep, critical thinking, public speaking, and other relevant skills you'll use later. Seeing these on your transcript could make your application more appealing to the college admissions panel.
Coursework Considerations:
Advanced Middle School Credits- Many middle schools offer advanced courses for students to begin earning high school credit in 8th grade, such as Algebra I or language electives.
AP/IB Early College Credits- While passing an AP exam may earn a college credit or exemption, the credit itself does not make an applicant more or less likely to be accepted to college
Subject-Specific Scholarships: Several colleges and independent scholarships are available for students who have demonstrated commitment and excellence in certain academic areas.
Contigo Ed Resources for School Counselors
Transcript Resources
Micro-course: Understanding Transcripts
Blog Post: Transcripts, Course Selection and Career Pathways…Oh My! — Contigo Ed
College Match Resources
Micro-course: College Match
Advising Resources
