What grades do colleges look at?
The simple answer is, they look at all of them (at least all of your high school grades… click here to learn about how middle school grades factor in college applications).
But, while colleges do look at all of your grades, not every grade is created equal from an application standpoint. And be sure to remember that you are more than just your grades, something colleges really appreciate in their potential students!
Since you’re here to learn about how grades DO impact your application, let’s jump in.
Grades in core subjects
When it comes to your transcripts, there are courses colleges consider your “core” subjects (sometimes called “college prep courses”), meaning these are the foundation of your academic life in high school. It’s probably no surprise to you that these courses are the ones you take most if not all years in high school (highly selective colleges will tend to expect you to take 4 years of each when possible), and they’re considered “core” because they give you the skills and habits of mind you need for all your other courses (and, really, also for life). These are:
English
Math
Social Studies
Science
Foreign Language
The vast majority of colleges consider your grades in these courses important because they think of them as a fair representation of your academic capabilities, so your grades in these classes ARE important. But colleges evaluate these grades a little differently from 9th-12th grade, and some years definitely carry more weight than others (hint: junior year is pretty important, but more on that shortly).
How colleges evaluate grades
Freshman year grades:
So, you’re new to high school and trying to gain your footing. All of a sudden, you have more responsibility, more homework, you’re likely in a new school, and you’re trying to figure out how being a high school student is different from being a middle school student. Colleges understand all of this and generally give you a little leeway when it comes to your grades in 9th grade. To be clear, they don’t IGNORE your freshman year grades (take a look at this link for more about freshman grades and college admissions), but if your grades in 9th grade aren’t stellar, this alone won’t prevent you from getting into an amazing college.
Sophomore year grades:
In 10th grade, you’re no longer the new kid on the block. You have a year of high school under your belt, so colleges tend to be less forgiving when it comes to your sophomore year grades. This is usually also the year you can start opting into more advanced courses (like AP courses, for example), so things ramp up in general in sophomore year.
Junior year grades:
From an application standpoint, your grades in 11th grade are generally the most important. This is the year you start the application process, and colleges figure that by this point you are well-established as a high school student. Additionally, your junior year grades will be the most recent ones on the transcripts colleges receive, so they consider them an indicator of your readiness for senior year and college. Your junior year grades show your trajectory as a student (i.e. your academic progress), so colleges consider these an important sign of where you’re headed. While all high school grades matter in one way or another, your junior year grades really matter.
Senior year grades:
Your grades in senior year are most important in the first semester. Colleges consider these grades (along with your junior year grades) as an essential clue about how ready you are for your college classes. So, senior year is not a time to slack off (although we totally understand the desire to… it’s probably felt like a long few years in high school)!
Really important note: In terms of second semester senior grades, colleges check these out to make sure you’ve kept things up after getting admitted. Some students wrongly assume that once they’re admitted to college they’re IN, but it can be a horrible surprise to have your admission offer rescinded because you couldn’t stay motivated for one. more. semester. And believe us, it happens. And it’s as disappointing as you think.
One more note about how colleges evaluate grades, and this has to do with weighted and unweighted GPAs. In simple terms, weighted GPAs use a 5-point scale instead of a 4-point scale to account for advanced courses like Honors, AP, or IB courses. Some high schools use weighted GPAs and some use unweighted GPAs, but colleges account for these differences when looking at applicant transcripts, so they’re still comparing apples to apples instead of apples to a 5.0 GPA (check this out for more details about weighted vs. unweighted GPAs).
What are colleges looking for in your grades?
This is an excellent question, because it’s not just about that A, B, or C. It’s also about your grades in specific courses, the overall strength of your courses, and (sometimes) your class rank. (Check out this report from the National Association for College Admission Counseling for detail.)
Remember those core classes we mentioned? Colleges definitely look at your grades in these courses to establish a kind of baseline understanding of how you’re doing in school. Your heart might really be in photography, for example, which helps you get an A in your Photo II class. But if you’re also getting a C- in English every year, colleges will pay(way more) attention to this.
Colleges also look at your overall course load and course choices and weigh how much you’ve challenged yourself. So, if you’ve earned A’s in every single class from 9th-12th grade but you’ve chosen not to take any advanced courses your school might offer, admission officers notice this and consider this as part of your application. Conversely, if you haven’t earned A’s in every single course but have opted into classes that are more rigorous, colleges notice this as well (and are glad to see you taking that academic leap). A GPA is a GPA, but it’s part of a bigger picture (This is why the question of what colleges consider a "good" GPA is maybe a bit more complex than you think).
Some colleges also consider class rank (which is essentially how your grades compare to the rest of the students in your grade at your school). Class rank allows colleges to get a sense of your academic performance relative to that of your classmates, who, in theory, have access to the same resources you do. But we know that just because students go to the same school doesn’t mean they actually have access to the same resources, so (thankfully) some schools are starting to move away from this metric. If you’re not sure about your high school’s use of class rankings, you can check with your counselor or 11th or 12th grade teachers.
What do colleges care about besides grades?
A lot! We actually have an entire in-depth guide to what colleges look for in students. While grades are an important piece of the college application puzzle, they’re still just a piece. Colleges also really care about who you are beyond your grades, so they’ll consider a number of different puzzle pieces to get the full picture. Here are some of those other important factors:
How you spend your time outside of school (e.g., your extracurricular activities such as volunteering, sports, or your interest in the arts) all weigh into your admission decision. The letters of recommendation you get from teachers are also an important piece of the “you” puzzle since your teachers can give colleges insight that goes beyond what transcripts reveal.
Important note: teacher rec letters aren’t used to evaluate something like how smart you are—they’re used more as a means of understanding things like how you collaborate, who you are in a classroom, how you’ve grown, etc. The people reading and evaluating your applications want to know if you’ll be a good fit for their school and if you align with their school’s values, and this isn’t something grades can necessarily tell them, so they find other ways to learn about these intangible but important factors.
Because colleges recognize that a student’s transcript often doesn’t provide the whole picture, they tend to rely on your application essays quite a bit to learn more about who you are (that personal statement is pretty important). What you share about yourself in these essays tells them A LOT about what you prioritize, who and what you care about, and whether or not that will serve you well at their particular school.
While more and more schools are moving away from standardized test scores as a consideration for admission (sigh of relief), there are still many schools who consider SAT or ACT scores, so your best bet is to look at the websites for the colleges you’re applying to and determine if these tests factor into admission decisions.
Some schools track something called demonstrated interest, which is basically all the ways you can show a college you’re really and truly interested in attending their school. As much as you don’t want to be just a number to the schools you’re interested in, they also want to make sure you’re not just drawn to their rank or the fact that they’re an Ivy (btw, “Ivy League” is just the name of their sports league). So, it’s often important to demonstrate your interest by doing things like filling out an inquiry card at a college fair, meeting with college reps if they come to your school, reaching out to alumni or current students, or visiting the campus if you’re able to.
One more note about what colleges care about… it depends on the college! Public universities (like the UCs) pay attention to different things than liberal arts colleges which will pay attention to different things than Ivy League schools, and so on and so on. Again, the best advice we can give here is to do your homework about the schools you’re applying to. Look at their websites, pay attention to their mission and value statements, and ask around!
And in case you missed it above, for more info on what factors colleges consider, check out that guide.
FAQ for what grades do colleges look at?
What if my grades were… not great my freshman year but improved by senior year?
This is not the end of the world, we promise! As we mentioned above, colleges notice improvement over time (in fact, they kind of love it). So, if 9th to 12th grade has been a steady climb for you grade-wise, that’s awesome.
What if something in my personal life impacted my grades at some point?
All sorts of things can happen unexpectedly, and sometimes these things impact your ability to show up as a student the way you want to. Maybe you experienced a prolonged illness or had to care for someone in your family who was ill. Maybe financial issues meant you had to get an after-school job that meant you couldn’t spend as much time on your schoolwork. Or maybe your mental health suffered for some reason. Colleges want to give you the chance to share these things with them, so there is a spot on your college application (usually called the Additional Information section) that lets you tell your story. Use it if you need to!
Do colleges care more about grades or extracurricular activities?
Again, it depends on the school. And the answer is… both! But grades tend to outweigh extracurricular activities unless, for example, you’re applying to a specific program for which your extracurricular activities have helped prepare you (for example, a performance conservatory, a visual arts program, a coding program).
Do colleges see all of my grades?
They do see all your high school grades, yes. But do they see that C in 7th grade Science or that B- in 4th grade English? They absolutely do not. And if you’re applying to the UC system, the UCs don’t include freshman year or senior year grades in your GPA calculation (though they do still look at what courses you took freshman and senior year to get a sense of the rigor of your course load relative to what opportunities were available to you)
Special thanks to Jessica for writing this blog post.
Jessica has a Ph.D in English from the University of Southern California and teaches English at a Los Angeles-area independent school, where she has also been English department chair and a class dean. Sandra Cisneros is her hero, and she loves books, her awesomely-sarcastic family, the beach, cozy sweaters, and more books. Oh, and her sweet pitbull/lab mix named Ruby.
Top values: Curiosity, equity, wonder
