Which GPA is asked for on grad school applications?

[bsharpe269]

To those you have already applied and seen typical phd applications, what gpa is usually asked for? Do they ask for uGPA, major GPA, master's GPA, or do they ask for what your gpa would be for masters and undergrad combined?

 

Obviously they see all of this different info from your transcript but I am just wondering what numbers are usually requested. My uGPA is only a 3.3 but my masters GPA is a 4.0 and it you combine all of the credit hours then it works out to around 170 hours total (graded hours) with a GPA of 3.51. This number obviously looks a lot better than a 3.3 so I would rather the 3.51 be the number that stands out.

 

So which of these numbers would be specifically asked for on a graudate school application? Or would they ask for multiple? Or does it vary?

 

Thanks!

[fuzzylogician]

I can't remember any application that asked to combine ugrad and grad GPAs. That sounds like a very odd thing to request, if you ask me. If I remember correctly, apps asked for a GPA for each degree you had separately.

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

My application was kinda weird. They asked for a bunch of different GPAs that I had to calculate by hand and I wasn't sure if I was exactly right. They asked GPA in my major, GPA in math and programming classes, GPA in the last 60 credits, and I think GPA in upper-division classes. It was kinda a pain in the ass having to go through my transcript and calculate it all. 

[Dedi]

When calculating major GPA, do you count just the classes that in the department (e.g. Psych major counting for Psych classes) or do I have to factor in supportive classes that were required for the major as well (e.g., chemistry)? My school doesn't calculate major GPA for me, and i may have to do that for applications...

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

When calculating major GPA, do you count just the classes that in the department (e.g. Psych major counting for Psych classes) or do I have to factor in supportive classes that were required for the major as well (e.g., chemistry)? My school doesn't calculate major GPA for me, and i may have to do that for applications...

Good question. That's what I wasn't so sure about. I was a linguistics major so I wasn't sure if I should calculate all the classes that began with a LING course name or all the classes that were required for my degree (including some philosophy and writing classes). I ended up just including everything -- all the classes required for my degree and anything else that might have been extra as long as it had a LING course name. It seemed to be okay because I got in. 

[Dedi]

Good question. That's what I wasn't so sure about. I was a linguistics major so I wasn't sure if I should calculate all the classes that began with a LING course name or all the classes that were required for my degree (including some philosophy and writing classes). I ended up just including everything -- all the classes required for my degree and anything else that might have been extra as long as it had a LING course name. It seemed to be okay because I got in. 

Alright, thank you!

[fuzzylogician]

My guess is: your major GPA should include grades from everything that was required for your major, regardless of whether it was in your department or not. Reasoning: that's what they granted you the degree based on, so that's what counts for GPA calculations.

[TakeruK]

If you are unsure about how to compute a specific GPA, you can always ask them. When I asked this of many places, they say that it doesn't really matter what you write in the boxes because they will probably recompute them anyways--the boxes are just there to help them get a quick look. Also, sometimes there is a box for you to explain what you chose and I always fully disclose my calculation no matter which I choose.

 

For what it's worth, here is what I used for the various GPAs. At the time of PhD applications, I had a BSc and finished all of my courses for the MSc degree program I was attending during applications.

 

For my undergrad school GPAs:

1. Overall GPA: include every course

2. Major GPA: Include every course in Physics, Math, and Astronomy (at my program, any course in these departments would count as a course fulfilling an elective requirement for my "major" so I include all these courses)

3. Upper level GPA: Include every course in Physics, Math, and Astronomy that is numbered 300 or above (at my program, any course in these departments with a number 300 or above would fulfill an "upper level" requirement for my degree, so that's why I chose these courses)

 

For my MSc school GPA, I only took four courses, so I choose the same GPA for all questions.

 

Finally, sometimes they ask for "last 60 credits" where they define 3 credits as one semester long course. I generally provide the last 60 credits, the 12 from my MSc program and the most recent 48 from my undergrad. "Most recent" would normally mean all of my final year (30 creidits) plus 18 from my second-last year (which I will take the prerogative to choose my best 18 credits). This is the only time I'd combine grades across two separate programs, and usually I see an explicit instruction to do this with a "last 60 credits" request, but sometimes they specifically say only from your undergrad degree. 

[Vene]

When calculating major GPA, do you count just the classes that in the department (e.g. Psych major counting for Psych classes) or do I have to factor in supportive classes that were required for the major as well (e.g., chemistry)? My school doesn't calculate major GPA for me, and i may have to do that for applications...

I included all classes required for the major. So, as a biology major I included all biology courses as well as chemistry, math, and physics.

[microarray]

mine were mostly overall gpa and I had one application that asked me to calculate my major gpa. However, I don't remember seeing any distinction between masters and undergrad gpa. I would definitely ask each department that you're applying to if it's unclear. 

[Catria]

There is only space for one major GPA on some applications, while, in fact, I have two majors with significant overlap... that is quite troublesome to me.

[Vene]

There is only space for one major GPA on some applications, while, in fact, I have two majors with significant overlap... that is quite troublesome to me.

If they're each relevant to the application my inclination would be to combine them (say you did chemistry and physics and are applying to a material science department). Or you could contact the program and ask how they want it reported.