GPA requirement

UC has a specific way to calculate the grade point average (GPA) it requires for admission.

3.0GPA

For California residents

3.4GPA

For nonresidents

California applicants must earn at least a 3.0 GPA and nonresidents must earn a minimum 3.4 GPA in all A-G or college-preparatory courses to meet this requirement. To see how to calculate your UC GPA, follow our instructions below. 

How to calculate your UC GPA

1. Convert your grades to grade points.

Convert the letter grades earned in all A-G courses completed between summer after 9th grade through summer after 11th grade to grade points: A=4 points, B=3 points, C=2 points, D=1 points. (Pluses and minuses don't count.)

If you're a California resident and want to know which of your classes count as A-G courses, see your high school’s A-G course list. If you're not a California resident, referring to the A-G course list site (a database of UC-certified course lists in California schools) and the 15 college-preparatory course categories can provide guidance on the types of courses that have been UC-approved.

2. Give yourself an extra point for each semester of a UC honors-level course, with a maximum of 8 points between 10th and 11th grades.

For California residents: 

  • Honors courses are Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate Higher Level (IB HL) and designated Standard Level (IB SL) courses, UC-transferable college courses and UC-certified honors courses that appear on your school's course list.
  • For 10th grade, you cannot use more than 4 honors points.
  • Grades of D or F in an honors course do not earn an extra point.
  • Classes taken during the summer after 9th grade count as 10th grade; classes in summer after 10th grade count as 10th grade; classes in summer after 11th grade count as 11th grade.
  • One college course = one grade = one honors point.

Nonresidents: 

In calculating an out-of-state student's GPA to determine if the 3.4 minimum has been met, UC will grant honors weight for AP or IB courses only, but not for school-designated honors courses. The weight is given to letter grades of A, B, or C. School-designated honors courses may be considered in the campus comprehensive review process.

3. Add up all the points to find out your total grade points.

4. Divide your total grade points by the number of letter grades earned in courses taken between the summer after 9th grade through summer after 11th grade.

This is your UC GPA (for example: 3.57). Do not round up or down.

Competency-based learning and assessments

Students attending a school exclusively using a non-traditional, narrative or ‘mastery’ transcript for assessment can only be considered for admission by exception. If your school assigns grades in addition to the competency-based assessment, UC will use the grades from your GPA-based transcript to calculate a GPA for admission.