Grade Point Averages Greater Than 4.0

Westland, Michigan
June 17, 2016 10:25am CST
Back in the day when I went to school, 4.0 was the highest GPA you could get. That was fair and it was a set rule. I was at a graduation ceremony last weekend and I found out that some students had a GPA greater than 4.0? I guess it is all about extra credit, blah blah blah. I am not saying students should not get extra credit help the GPA, but the GPA should never exceed 4.0. The class president had a GPA of 4.33. What? What do you think about GPA's greater than 4.0? Should that be allowed in school?
3 people like this
3 responses
@DWDavis (25820)
• Pikeville, North Carolina
17 Jun 16
High schools now have a scale for honors and Accelerated Placement classes that go above the 4.0 max. This gives recognition to students who pursue and successfully complete a more rigorous academic curriculum. Most high school consider it fair because the student who completes the more rigorous courses receives a higher GPA than a student who takes the "easy" standard courses and passes with a 4.0 but did a lot less work and gained less knowledge than the honors or AP student. Colleges and Universities often ignore this weighted GPA and instead look at the students transcript to gauge the rigor of the courses the student completed. If they see a 4.0 and all standard courses, that student will probably not even be considered by a Division 1 or top Division 2 school, unless he or she is an awesome athlete. Athletes often get a pass on academics when it comes to rigor.
1 person likes this
• Westland, Michigan
17 Jun 16
Thank you for explaining. That makes more sense. I still do not like the idea of greater than 4.0, but at least I understand. I guess I could have taken fluff courses and I could of held a 4.0, but honestly it would not have meant anything when it came to college.
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@Tampa_girl7 (48855)
• United States
17 Jun 16
I have never heard of this, but then I graduated in 1980
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• Westland, Michigan
17 Jun 16
I agree, when I graduated in 1987, the maximum was 4.0.
• United States
17 Jun 16
Yup the GPA can be higher than 4.0. I think it's fine why not! I was never 4.0+ student, but I was above average.
• Westland, Michigan
17 Jun 16
I was very average and I was not on the honor roll.
1 person likes this
• United States
17 Jun 16
@mypointsju Me either. In high school I had a 3.83 overall GPA.
• Westland, Michigan
17 Jun 16
@infatuatedbby I think mine was 3.6? It was a long time ago.
1 person likes this