Clarify Undergraduate vs. Graduate Gpa for me

Jman35 said:

I know that graduate gpa and UG gpa are seen as two different entities, with one not really telling much about the other (well for adcoms at least). The thing I am confused about is this. If I do an informal postbac, my ug gpa goes up, this is obvious. But, what happens if I apply and get into a graduate (masters) program and while taking grad level courses I also take UG classes? Is this a case of, once you are considered a grad student your gpa is considered your graduate gpa, regardless of what classes you take? OR do they somehow differentiate, and count your grad classes towards grauate gpa, and UG classes towards its respective gpa?

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Any undergraduate class that you take, no matter at what level, will be considered part of your undergraduate GPA. Only your graduate classes count toward your graduate GPA. AMCAS does make this distinction on the application and so do med schools.

Graduate classes you take as an undergrad count towards UG GPA though, right?

caliprincess said:

Any undergraduate class that you take, no matter at what level, will be considered part of your undergraduate GPA. Only your graduate classes count toward your graduate GPA. AMCAS does make this distinction on the application and so do med schools.

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This is not correct. If you take graduate class in an undergrad degree, it counts in your undergrad GPA. If you take undergraduate classes under a graduate program/degree, it counts in your graduate GPA. The prevalent theme is the degree/program you are listed under on your transcript. That defines your record.

some_user86 said:

This is not correct. If you take graduate class in an undergrad degree, it counts in your undergrad GPA. If you take undergraduate classes under a graduate program/degree, it counts in your graduate GPA. The prevalent theme is the degree/program you are listed under on your transcript. That defines your record.

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Nope.

If your registrar considers it graduate credit, it goes in your graduate GPA. It does not matter what degree you're pursuing. For example, I'm in a graduate program. If I walk down the street to the bio building and take an undergraduate level biology class, that will go in my AMCAS UG GPA - NOT in my graduate GPA (even though I'm taking it pursuing an MS).

You may be thinking of mixed grad/UG classes. For example, I had classes in college that were cross-listed by the registrar. Same room & prof, but grad students got grad credit & UG's got UG credit.

Maxprime said:

Nope.

If your registrar considers it graduate credit, it goes in your graduate GPA. It does not matter what degree you're pursuing. For example, I'm in a graduate program. If I walk down the street to the bio building and take an undergraduate level biology class, that will go in my AMCAS UG GPA - NOT in my graduate GPA (even though I'm taking it pursuing an MS).

You may be thinking of mixed grad/UG classes. For example, I had classes in college that were cross-listed by the registrar. Same room & prof, but grad students got grad credit & UG's got UG credit.

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What about classes that are listed as grad courses by the registrar but are open to undergrads with permission of the dept..I have quite a few of them on my record (my last 2 semesters were 100% "grad" courses) and I've used them towards completion of my major. My UG GPA is going to fall under 3.0 if these don't count..

pky463 said:

What about classes that are listed as grad courses by the registrar but are open to undergrads with permission of the dept..I have quite a few of them on my record (my last 2 semesters were 100% "grad" courses) and I've used them towards completion of my major. My UG GPA is going to fall under 3.0 if these don't count..

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Those will count as UG GPA, since you took them as an undergrad.

Ok... So.

It's a complicated definition. Here is the official AMCAS Guide to filling in your coursework.

=======================================

The following rules will help you determine the appropriate AMCAS School Year for all of your course work (including foreign course work):

· Do not assign more than one status to a term.

· Once your undergraduate Academic Status (FR, SO, JR, SR) has advanced (e.g., FR to SO), do not assign the previous status (e.g., FR) to subsequently completed course work.

· Assign High School (HS) status to college-level courses taken while you were in high school, regardless of the physical location of the college-level course.

· Assign Freshman (FR) status to Advanced Placement, Exempt, or CLEP credit awarded when you first entered college.

· Junior/Community College courses (e.g., associate degree course work) should usually be listed as FR or SO if you took them before you attended a four-year institution. For attendance longer than two years at the same school, JR status - depending on the number of credits - may be entered.

· Assign the upcoming status to summer session courses (e.g., summer courses between your freshman and sophomore years should be assigned Sophomore (SO) status).

· Courses for a Bachelor's degree earned in three years should be assigned Freshman (FR), Sophomore (SO), or Senior (SR) statuses.

· Courses for a Bachelor's degree earned in more than four years should be assigned statuses of Freshman (FR), Sophomore (SO), Junior (JR), Senior (SR), Senior (SR), etc.

· Assign Post Baccalaureate (PB) status to any undergraduate level course work you enrolled in:

· After receipt of your initial BA/BS degree.

· While enrolled in a graduate program, if course work is not applied to a graduate degree.

· Assign Graduate (GR) status to any professional or graduate-level course work that is not applied to an undergraduate degree.

· Do NOT assign Graduate (GR) status to any professional or graduate-level course work applied to an undergraduate degree. Assign appropriate undergraduate status (FR, SO, JR, SR).

^ See... that's what I meant when I said it depends on how it shows up on your transcript.

Admittedly, I did not know that if you take a UG course while in grad school and you don't let it count for your grad degree, it still gets counted as a UG. I saw just the second definition: that a UG course while in grad school and counted towards your grad degree is counted as a GR course.

Wait..so the grades we got in AP courses in HS are factored into our GPA?

So what if you're an "unclassified graduate" (not in any specific grad program), already with a BA/BS, taking graduate level courses? The credits earned will be toward your UG gpa?

pky463 said:

Wait..so the grades we got in AP courses in HS are factored into our GPA?

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I think that refers to dual credit courses, not AP courses. Dual credit courses produce an actual college transcript from a community college, whereas AP courses do not.

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Edit:
Oh, I see which line you might be referring to. This one:

· Assign Freshman (FR) status to Advanced Placement, Exempt, or CLEP credit awarded when you first entered college.

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?

If that was the case, you don't list high school grades for that. I think you denote that the credit received on your transcript was due to AP credit (there is an option, if I am not mistaken) and no grade is entered for that part.


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Edit, Part II:

Here are the sections regarding AP credit from AMCAS instructions:

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• Courses with the AMCAS grades listed below are not included in the GPA
calculations. Instead, the total hours for each of these categories are reported
to the schools under the heading "Supplementary Hours."
• Pass/Fail - Pass
• Pass/Fail - Fail
• AP Credit
• CLEP Credit
=========================
AMCAS Grades that Do Not Affect the GPA
The following AMCAS grades do not have a weight or value in computing the AMCAS
GPA:
G Used to indicate AP credit not assigned a letter grade
L Used for CLEP or USAFI/DANTES credit not assigned a letter grade
P Used for courses taken in a Pass/Fail system, which are Passed
N Used for courses taken in a Pass/Fail system, which are Failed
=========================

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Edit, Part III:
Some more details regarding AP vs dual credit:
=========================

Courses Taken While in High School
Many students attempt college-level courses while still in high school for a variety of
reasons. These primarily fall into the two following categories:
1. AP Prep Courses/Exams
Unless credit has been granted by a U.S. or Canadian institution or university for an
AP prep course or an AP exam, such information should not be listed on the
application. If credit has been granted, courses/exams should be listed according to
the instructions for Advanced Placement credit. Do not send high school transcripts
or AP test score reports to AMCAS.
2. Other Courses
Many high school students take other types of college-level courses either
independently or through special programs offered by their high school. Courses
may be physically taken at the high school or at a college, depending on the
program, but should be listed on the application under the name of the college.
You must contact the college involved to determine transcript availability prior to
submitting the application. If a transcript from the college is available, it must be
forwarded to AMCAS and courses must be listed on the Academic Record. If letter
grades and credit hours are listed on the college transcript, these courses will be
included in AMCAS GPA calculations even if they have not been transferred to the
primary undergraduate school or used towards a degree. These courses do not
require any special Course Type, unless otherwise appropriate. The Academic Status
for such courses is High School.
Course Work
If a transcript is not available from the college, do not send high school transcripts to
AMCAS. Instead, the registrar's office of the college must forward an official letter
with an AMCAS Transcript Request Form attached indicating that no transcript is
available due to institutional policies. The Transcript Request Form can be found in
the Transcript Requests section of the application.

I think AMCAS has a support number that we can contact if we have questions and get stuck. They're generally quite helpful.

Of course, SDN is a great resource. But, it's always best to go to the official source.

some_user86 said:

-snip-

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Thanks! That clears up pretty much everything!

jamorro12 said:

So what if you're an "unclassified graduate" (not in any specific grad program), already with a BA/BS, taking graduate level courses? The credits earned will be toward your UG gpa?

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I tried to search for info on this, but it is such a unique situation that I can't tell. Perhaps you should contact AMCAS directly and ask them? Anyone have any ideas on how this type of situation is handled? Actually, it would be a good idea to contact AMCAS anyways, besides whatever you learn from here.

What happens if I started my post-bac before I graduated, but finished it after I graduated (e.g, half the classes were before, half after). Would half those classes have the SR designation, while the other half PB designation?

In any case, its all counted in your overall undergrad GPA, so it shouldn't be a big deal.