College Admissions Responses to Curriculum Changes

Honors classes do not receive a GPA bump in the CCHS Grade Point Average (GPA). Honors and grade-level classes are the same, with no extra points for honors. AP classes are weighted. CCHS submits their annual School Profile so institutions know what is and is not offered at our high school (the local context) and evaluate applicants within that context.

• The College Board believes that all students deserve engaging, relevant, and challenging grade-level coursework. Access to this type of coursework increases opportunities for all students, including groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in AP and college classrooms. Therefore, the Pre-AP Program is dedicated to collaborating with educators across the country to ensure all students have the supports to succeed in appropriately challenging classroom experiences that allows students to learn and grow. It is only through a sustained commitment to equitable preparation, access, and support that true excellence can be achieved for all students… (College Board, 2022)

University of California and California State University:

“Courses designed for 9th graders are not approved as Honors. Honors English classes are not recognized as honors-level or weighted in any way by the CSU and UC system. When students apply for universities, it is based upon the types of classes offered at their high school. A student applying to a UC can receive ‘an extra point per each semester of a UC honors-level course, with a maximum of 8 points between 10th and 11th grades.’ When a student applies, CCHS submits their annual School Profile so the institution knows what is and is not offered at your high school (the local context). UC applicants must rank in the top 9 percent of the graduating class of a participating California high school (the local context) to be eligible for admission.”  

Click here to determine how to calculate your GPA when applying to a UC, and here for more information on applying as a freshman..

Click here for more information on applying to a California State University.

University of Chicago:

“As to your question, I can reassure you that this curriculum change would have no negative consequences for your students in our evaluation process. We always review high school transcripts in the context of individual high schools and do not recalculate GPA nor do we award points based on honors/AP level classes. I hope this helps to ease concerns from parents!”

Harvard:

“I’m glad to know of these course changes. Please rest assured that they will have no impact on how your students are reviewed in our admissions process - they will not be at any sort of disadvantage! We don’t assign points to honors classes (or any other sorts of classes) or particular types of curriculums. When we do our review, it is in the context of each individual high school and what the student has achieved with the opportunities that s/he has been presented with. We do not compare curriculums across high schools. It would be helpful to note these changes on your school profile so that we can understand the course progression on transcripts, but there is no disadvantage to your students as a result of these changes.”