Quick answer. UC publishes three GPAs: unweighted, weighted uncapped, and weighted capped. UC reads the capped one in admissions. It counts only 10th and 11th grade UC-approved courses, adds +1.0 for honors/AP/IB, and stops adding that +1.0 after eight semester courses (four yearlong courses).
The three UC GPAs
Apply to UC and the system computes three values. Readers see all three.
- Unweighted UC GPA. 10th and 11th grade UC-approved courses. Standard 4.0 scale, no bonuses.
- Weighted uncapped UC GPA. Same scope. UC adds +1.0 to every UC-approved honors, AP, or IB course. No course limit on the bonus.
- Weighted capped UC GPA. Same as uncapped, but the +1.0 bonus stops after eight semester courses taken in 10th and 11th grade. UC quotes this metric in admissions data.
The rules in detail
- Only "a-g" UC-approved courses count. UC requires seven subject areas: history, English, math, lab science, language other than English, visual/performing arts, and college-prep electives.
- Freshman year drops out. Only 10th and 11th grade courses enter the GPA. Summer courses taken before 10th grade may satisfy a-g requirements but stay out of the GPA.
- Honors bonus is +1.0. For UC-approved honors, AP, or IB courses. UC weights honors the same as AP and IB. Most high school scales give honors only +0.5.
- Cap at 8 semester courses. The bonus stops after eight one-semester courses (or four yearlong courses). Additional courses still enter the GPA at the unweighted level.
- Repeated D or F: only the higher grade counts. Both grades appear on the transcript. UC uses the better one.
Why the cap exists
A student loaded with 12 AP courses could earn a 6.0+ GPA without the cap, and comparison across applicants breaks down. The 8-course cap evens out differences between schools that offer many AP options and schools that offer few.
Example
Ten yearlong UC-approved courses in 10th and 11th grade. Eight are AP/honors, all As. Two are regular, one A and one B. Each year counts as two semester courses, so 20 semester courses total: 16 AP/honors and 4 regular.
The cap applies the +1.0 bonus to 8 of the 16 AP/honors semesters.
- 8 bonused semester courses at 5.0 each = 40
- 8 unbonused AP/honors semester courses at 4.0 each = 32
- 4 regular semester courses: 3 As at 4.0 + 1 B at 3.0 = 15
- Total: 87 / 20 = 4.35 weighted capped UC GPA
Common mistakes
- Counting freshman year. Easy to miss when transferring grades from a transcript. The calculator above excludes freshman year by default.
- Weighting non-UC-approved honors courses. Your school may call a course honors. UC may not. Check the a-g designation in UC Doorways before applying the bonus.
- Weighting community college courses incorrectly. Transferable community college courses count as honors for UC GPA when taken in 10th or 11th grade. They do not double-count with an AP version of the same subject.
Sources
The rules above come directly from UC's official GPA requirement page and the UC Calculate Your GPA page.