GPA (Unweighted / Weighted)

Unweighted vs weighted

Every US high school calculates GPA at least one way, and most calculate two:

Unweighted GPA treats all courses equally. A standard-level class and an AP class are both on a 4.0 scale — an A in either gives you 4.0. This is the "pure" academic average.

Weighted GPA adds bonus points for harder courses. A typical weighting: Honors classes earn +0.5, AP/IB classes earn +1.0. An A in AP Calculus BC becomes 5.0 on a 4.0-scale calculation. Weighted GPAs can exceed 4.0 — it's common for US valedictorians to have 4.5+ weighted GPAs while keeping unweighted GPAs at 4.0.

What US admissions readers actually do

US admissions readers don't just look at the GPA number you report. They:

1. Recalculate the GPA on their own standard scale to compare applicants from different schools fairly
2. Read the transcript course by course, paying as much attention to course choice as to grades
3. Check the School Profile to understand your school's grading scale and how many hard courses were available

A 3.8 unweighted in 6 AP classes at a rigorous school is typically read as stronger than a 4.0 unweighted in standard classes at the same school. Rigor compounds. This is why Korean international school students are sometimes better served by taking harder courses and accepting slightly lower grades than by stuffing their schedule with easy wins.

Converting Korean 1–9 등급 to US GPA

This is the question Korean families ask most often about GPA, and the honest answer is: you don't convert it directly. Korean high schools use a relative grading system (1등급 ≈ top 4%, 2등급 ≈ top 11%, 3등급 ≈ top 23%, etc.) that isn't comparable to the US absolute 4.0 system.

What actually happens when you apply to US schools from a Korean general high school:

• You submit your Korean transcript as-is (with 등급 or percentages, not converted to GPA).
• Your counselor or school includes a School Profile explaining the grading scale and, ideally, your class rank or percentile.
• US admissions readers interpret your performance in the context of your Korean school's scale. They know 1등급 means you're in the top 4% of your class.
• They compare you to other applicants from similar Korean schools, not to US students on a 4.0 scale.

The takeaway: don't manufacture a "converted GPA" for a Korean general high school transcript. Submit the real grades in Korean format with good contextualizing documentation, and trust the admissions office to read it correctly.

For Korean international school students

If you attend an international school in Korea (SFS, KIS, SIS, Chadwick, etc.), your transcript will already be on a US-compatible scale — either a 4.0 GPA directly or a numeric system like 100-point that converts cleanly. You won't have the interpretation problem Korean general high school students face.

But you still need to understand the difference between your school's weighted and unweighted calculation, because different US schools will want to see different numbers. On the Common App you typically report both, and some US colleges explicitly recalculate GPAs to match their own standards.