How is the GPA for the "last 45 credit hours" calculated?

[equitate]

Forgive me if this is an obvious question but my forum search didn't provide any answers. I was thinking about how some schools calculate and consider an applicant's GPA for their last 45 credit hours in addition to the cumulative GPA. I attempted to calculate mine but ran into a problem. I have 38 credits from my last 3 semesters so would have to dip into another semester for the last 7 credits (I took a total of 15 credits that semester). How do they choose which grades will be used in the calculation? Do they pick the best ones (gee, wouldn't that be nice! 🙂), or..? Perhaps this is answered by the VMCAS application but I haven't been exposed to it as I am applying next fall. Thanks for any insight!

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[cowgirla]

Forgive me if this is an obvious question but my forum search didn't provide any answers. I was thinking about how some schools calculate and consider an applicant's GPA for their last 45 credit hours in addition to the cumulative GPA. I attempted to calculate mine but ran into a problem. I have 38 credits from my last 3 semesters so would have to dip into another semester for the last 7 credits (I took a total of 15 credits that semester). How do they choose which grades will be used in the calculation? Do they pick the best ones (gee, wouldn't that be nice! 🙂), or..? Perhaps this is answered by the VMCAS application but I haven't been exposed to it as I am applying next fall. Thanks for any insight!

I think most schools include the entire semester that you need to "dip" into. So you have 48 credits in your "last 45" GPA, etc.
I dont recall VMCAS asking for us to calculate the last 45? Definitely some of the supplementals will though.

 

[jpeterman13]

I think most schools include the entire semester that you need to "dip" into. So you have 48 credits in your "last 45" GPA, etc.
I dont recall VMCAS asking for us to calculate the last 45? Definitely some of the supplementals will though.

You beat me to it, but I was gonna say the same thing. And there wasn't a calculation for last 45 on VMCAS from what I can remember. The schools calculate that themselves.

 

[equitate]

Thanks for your responses. So the "last 45 credits" would actually be 54 credits, in my case? This would include my senior year plus 2nd semester of my junior year (18 + 20 + 16*). Sounds reasonable?

*I made a mistake - that semester had 16 credits, not 15 as in my original post.

 

[thereservoirdog]

Do they count fall 2009 into the last 45?

 

[jpeterman13]

Do they count fall 2009 into the last 45?

some them say on their websites that they don't calculate fall grades into your GPAs (cum/sci/last 45). I'd figure it's because most of them have already calculated your GPAs by the end of Janurary. Some of them may use them though.

 

[ckd816]

I almost started this exact same thread! My situation is a little weirder... I'm not applying until this fall but I graduate after spring semester, and I'm taking winter classes now. So do they use the winter as one of my semesters even though I'm only taking 6 credits? 😕

 

[jpeterman13]

I almost started this exact same thread! My situation is a little weirder... I'm not applying until this fall but I graduate after spring semester, and I'm taking winter classes now. So do they use the winter as one of my semesters even though I'm only taking 6 credits? 😕

I think that they are going to count back to 45 credits but use the entire semester that they end on. So it's not that they are counting the semester, but the credits in the semester (if that makes any sense, it's different at Michigan State bc they use the last 3 semesters) e.g. say you took 12 credits in the spring, 6 in winter, 12 in fall, 12 in the previous spring, and 6 in the previous fall...they will end up using ALL 48 credits to calculate your last 45.
*this is how I understand it anyway 🙂

 

[equitate]

I almost started this exact same thread! My situation is a little weirder... I'm not applying until this fall but I graduate after spring semester, and I'm taking winter classes now. So do they use the winter as one of my semesters even though I'm only taking 6 credits? 😕

haha - hope it helped 🙂

I, too, am graduating this spring and applying next fall. I just went on a grade-frenzy, got curious and had-to-know-right-this-instant 🙂

 

[HopefulAg]

Shoot...I was unaware of the 'count the whole semester' thing if you had uneven hours. This is the situation I'm currently facing and guess which class is in the uneven hours semester that they'll be dipping into? My only C. Blast! Go away you GPA killer, begone! Sucks even more since it's a 5 hour class. 🙁 Oh well, only one more semester and it'll be off my Last 45 Hours.

 

[ckd816]

I think that they are going to count back to 45 credits but use the entire semester that they end on. So it's not that they are counting the semester, but the credits in the semester (if that makes any sense, it's different at Michigan State bc they use the last 3 semesters) e.g. say you took 12 credits in the spring, 6 in winter, 12 in fall, 12 in the previous spring, and 6 in the previous fall...they will end up using ALL 48 credits to calculate your last 45.
*this is how I understand it anyway 🙂

Oh okay, I get it!

Thanks! 👍

 

[gilch]

Don't forget that some schools, like Missouri, don't include summer classes for last 45 hours GPA.