"At least 3.0/4.0 for final 60 semester hours" what is this exactly mean?

[jjj01]

I know that this can be a very basic question.. but..

On the school website, it says "at least 3.0/4.0 for final 60 semester hours"

I'm a biology major, so is this mean in that final 60 semester hours, I can only include science courses?

From what point do I have to count back the "60 credit hour?"

If the deadline for an application is December, the latest GPA that can be considered for admission is spring.

So do I have to count back 60 credit from the spring semester?

I'm confused because if I calculate it this way, I will have another 2 semesters before I get my bachelor's degree (and graduate), and this wouldn't actually be my "final 60 credit".

If I took classes at other school, and even if the credits cannot be transferred to "my school,"

do they still include those credit in the 60 hour?

Also, I used GPA forgiveness for a class, and the grade for that class is not included in my GPA.

I'm not sure if graduate school admissions usually include the grade that I dropped when they calculate GPA.

Thank you all for the help!

[ANDS!]

It's meant that only your junior and senior years hold much weight in the application, as that's when most people generally take the upper division courses related to their majors. When I did my application, I simply started from 4 semesters (two years) back from the date of my application, regardless of whether it was 60 hours or not. You should be fine; so long as your calculated GPA isn't like a half a point more different than what their actual calculation will be it wont matter much.

[ccarmona]

Does anyone know if this rule applies going into doctoral programs? I mean do they take the last 60 of your graduate credits or still factor in the undergraduate GPA? Any response would be greatly appreciated!

[bfat]

I worked in the admissions office of a school that used the "last 60" calculation. The way that it worked was that if your cumulative GPA was less than a 3.0, they would use a program to calculate your GPA for the last 60 credits only, which would often bump the average up above a 3. (If not, your application may not be considered.)

As far as I know this applies only to undergraduate GPA--most master's programs are 30-40 credits, so could not be used in this way. Also, most institutions will not grant a master's degree with a GPA below 3.0.

Hope this helps!

[ccarmona]

I worked in the admissions office of a school that used the "last 60" calculation. The way that it worked was that if your cumulative GPA was less than a 3.0, they would use a program to calculate your GPA for the last 60 credits only, which would often bump the average up above a 3. (If not, your application may not be considered.)

As far as I know this applies only to undergraduate GPA--most master's programs are 30-40 credits, so could not be used in this way. Also, most institutions will not grant a master's degree with a GPA below 3.0.

Hope this helps!

Hi, thanks for adding your experience to the question.

I added up my total cumulative undergrad GPA. It equals 2.68. That would be freshman-senior. Junior-Senior was spent @ one university and Freshman-Sophomore was spent @ another. My masters program equals 3.2. Not sure which program your college used but the problem with my GPA is my junior and senior year. I had a child my junior year and no one here seems to really understand that part (not that I am looking to sympathy here). And I can't externalize it because it was part of my life I wouldn't change anyway. Either way I have calculated it and the sum always comes out to less than 3.0 GPA. I have used 3-4 methods. So incredibly frustrating because I have spent the last two years bringing up my GPA in hopes of getting into a decent doctoral program.

These life experiences under a statement of purpose I feel would throw someone completely off the radar. Some of the programs I am considering all have 3.0 GPA cutoffs but two (Creighton and Northeastern). The school I really want to apply to is ASU because its really close to where I live. They have a 3.0 cut off. I think I would have to take 6-7 classes at the undergraduate level with all A's to get my overall GPA above 3.0. But even then it doesn't ensure my top schools of choice. Any kind words of advice would help. Thanks for your time.

Edited March 30, 2012 by ccarmona