This documentation provides comprehensive information about CollegeVine’s GPA calculation configurations for university admissions staff. Each GPA configuration represents a different methodology for calculating student academic performance based on transcripts.
Table of contents
GPA columns
GPA calculation: Included courses
GPA calculation: Formulas
Grade mappings & course weightings
GPA columns
Appletree Cumulative Weighted GPA
CSV column name: cv_appletree_cumulative_weighted_gpa_100
Components
Included courses:
cumulativeGPA formula:
percentGrade mappings & course weightings:
Chestnut GPA
CSV column name: cv_chestnut_gpa_4
Components
Included courses:
cumulativeGPA formula:
pointsGrade mappings & course weightings:
Grassfield GPA
CSV column name: cv_grassfield_gpa_100
Components
Included courses:
cumulativeGPA formula:
grassfield
Lychee GPA
CSV column name: cv_lychee_gpa_100
Components
Lychee Five Point Rule GPA
CSV column name: cv_lychee_five_point_rule_gpa_100
Components
Included courses:
academicGPA formula:
lychee_five_point_ruleGrade mappings & course weightings:
Mapletree Core GPA
CSV column name: cv_mapletree_core_gpa_4
Components
Orangetree GPA
CSV column name: cv_orangetree_gpa_4
Components
Included courses:
cumulativeGPA formula:
pointsGrade mappings & course weightings:
Peachleaf GPA
CSV column name: cv_peachleaf_gpa_4
Components
Raspberrybush GPA
CSV column name: cv_raspberrybush_gpa_4
Components
Included courses:
cumulativeGPA formula:
pointsGrade mappings & course weightings:
Redbud Cumulative Unweighted GPA
CSV column name: cv_redbud_cumulative_unweighted_gpa_4
Components
Included courses:
cumulativeGPA formula:
pointsGrade mappings & course weightings:
Walnut Core GPA
CSV column name: cv_walnut_core_gpa_4
Components
Walnut Cumulative GPA
CSV column name: cv_walnut_cumulative_gpa_4
Components
Included courses:
cumulativeGPA formula:
pointsGrade mappings & course weightings:
GPA component reference
Included courses
Included courses: academic
Academic Course Selection: Includes only core academic courses that count toward cumulative GPA calculation.
This selector focuses on traditional academic subjects that form the foundation of college preparatory education, excluding non-academic electives and practical courses.
Start with cumulative courses (all courses with gradeable scores)
Filter to academic subjects only: English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, World Languages, and other core academic disciplines
Exclude non-academic courses: Physical Education, Health, Study Hall, Driver’s Education, and practical electives
Include academic-level electives: Advanced academic courses in subjects like Psychology, Philosophy, or Computer Science when classified as academic
Result: A focused selection representing the student’s performance in traditional college-preparatory academic coursework.
Included courses: cumulative
Cumulative Course Selection: Includes all completed courses that have gradeable scores for GPA calculation.
This selector identifies courses that can contribute to a numerical GPA by filtering for courses with measurable academic performance. It serves as the foundation for other more specific course selection methods.
Include courses with letter grades (A+, A, A-, B+, B, etc.) that can be converted to numerical values
Include courses with percentage grades (0-100%) that represent quantitative performance
Include courses with scaled point grades that provide numerical assessment
Exclude courses with pass/fail grades only, as these cannot be converted to numerical GPA values
Result: The broadest selection of academically assessable courses, representing the student’s complete gradeable academic record.
Included courses: peachleaf
Peachleaf Course Selection: A hybrid approach that includes academic courses plus all AP/IB courses regardless of subject classification.
This selector recognizes that Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses represent college-level rigor and should be included in GPA calculations even when they fall outside traditional academic categories.
Start with cumulative courses (all courses with gradeable scores)
Include all academic courses (core subjects like English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, World Languages)
Also include AP courses regardless of subject area (including AP Art, AP Music Theory, etc.)
Also include all IB courses at any level (Standard Level, Higher Level, or Unknown Level)
Exclude other non-academic courses that are not AP or IB designated
Result: Academic courses plus any Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate coursework, providing recognition for advanced course rigor across all subject areas.
GPA calculation: Formulas
GPA formula: Grassfield
Grassfield GPA Calculator: A specialized percentage-based calculator with unique Honors/AP credit bonuses.
This calculator uses a percentage-based approach but adds a unique bonus system that awards additional credits for Honors and AP courses rather than grade point bonuses.
Convert grades to percentages: Letter grades use specific mappings (A+ = 100%, A = 97%, etc.), scaled points converted using formula (55.9 + points × 11)
Calculate weighted percentage average: Multiply each course percentage by credit hours, sum all values, divide by total credits
Count Honors/AP courses: Identify courses marked as Honors or Advanced Placement difficulty
Apply Honors/AP bonus: Add 0.333 credits per Honors/AP course to the base percentage average
Result: A percentage-based GPA (typically 60-100+) that rewards both academic performance and advanced course participation.
GPA formula: Lychee Five Point Rule
Lychee Five-Point Rule Calculator: A specialized calculator that compares recalculated GPA with transcript-reported GPAs using a 5-point tolerance rule.
This calculator implements an admissions policy where the final GPA is determined by comparing the recalculated academic GPA against the original transcript’s weighted and unweighted GPAs, selecting the highest value within a 5-point tolerance.
Calculate recalculated GPA: Use the standard percentage-based calculator on academic courses to get a baseline 100-point scale GPA
Convert transcript GPAs: Convert any 4.0-scale transcript GPAs to 100-point scale for comparison
Apply 5-point rule: Compare transcript weighted and unweighted GPAs against the recalculated GPA
Select highest qualifying GPA: Choose the highest GPA among transcript weighted, transcript unweighted, and recalculated, provided it’s within 5 points of the recalculated GPA and higher than it
Fallback to recalculated: If no transcript GPA qualifies, use the recalculated GPA
Result: A percentage-based GPA (0-100) that favors the student by using the highest qualifying GPA while maintaining academic integrity through the 5-point tolerance rule.
GPA formula: Peachleaf
Peachleaf GPA Calculator: A specialized calculator using course-based averaging with AP/IB bonuses and a unique grading scale.
This calculator treats each course equally (no credit weighting) and uses a specialized 13-level grading scale with bonuses only for AP and IB courses.
Convert grades to percentages: Letter grades mapped to specific values (A+ = 98%, A = 95%, F = 55%), with floor rounding applied
Convert percentages to quality points: Use specialized scale (94+ = 4.0, 90-93 = 3.7, 87-89 = 3.3, etc.) with 13 grade levels
Apply AP/IB bonuses: Add +1.0 quality point for Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses only
Calculate simple average: Sum all quality points and divide by number of courses (not credit-weighted)
Result: A 4.0+ scale GPA that treats each course equally while rewarding AP/IB participation with bonus points.
GPA formula: Percent
Percentage-Based GPA Calculator: Calculates GPA on a 0-100 percentage scale using weighted averages.
This calculator converts all grades to percentages and applies difficulty modifiers to account for advanced coursework, then calculates a weighted average based on credit hours.
Convert all grades to percentages: Letter grades use a configured mapping (e.g., A = 95%, B = 85%), percentage grades remain as-is
Apply difficulty modifiers: Add bonus points for advanced courses (e.g., +5 points for AP courses) based on configuration
Weight by credit hours: Multiply each course’s adjusted percentage by its credit value
Calculate weighted average: Sum all weighted percentages and divide by total credits
Result: A GPA expressed as a percentage (0-100), where higher percentages indicate better academic performance.
GPA formula: Points
Points-Based GPA Calculator: Calculates GPA on a traditional 0-4.0 scale following College Board standards.
This calculator follows the standard College Board methodology for converting grades to a 4.0 scale, with configurable difficulty bonuses for advanced courses.
Convert all grades to 4.0 scale: Letter grades use configured point mappings (e.g., A = 4.0, B = 3.0), percentage grades use floor mappings (e.g., 90-100% = 4.0)
Apply difficulty modifiers: Add bonus points for advanced courses (e.g., +1.0 for AP, +0.5 for Honors) based on configuration
Weight by credit hours: Multiply each course’s adjusted point value by its credit hours
Calculate weighted average: Sum all weighted points and divide by total credits
Result: A GPA on the standard 4.0 scale, with potential for values above 4.0 due to weighted courses.
Grade mappings & course weightings
Course specific weightings (percent): difficulty_modifier_percent_mapping_1
Difficulty level | Modifier |
normal | 0 |
accelerated or gifted | 5 |
Honors | 5 |
AP | 10 |
college-level | 10 |
IB | 10 |
IB (standard level) | 10 |
IB (higher level) | 10 |
Course specific weightings (percent): difficulty_modifier_percent_mapping_unweighted_1
Difficulty level | Modifier |
normal | 0 |
accelerated or gifted | 0 |
Honors | 0 |
AP | 0 |
college-level | 0 |
IB | 0 |
IB (standard level) | 0 |
IB (higher level) | 0 |
Course specific weightings (points): difficulty_modifier_points_mapping_1
Difficulty level | Modifier |
normal | 0.0 |
accelerated or gifted | 0.5 |
Honors | 0.5 |
AP | 1.0 |
college-level | 1.0 |
IB | 1.0 |
IB (standard level) | 1.0 |
IB (higher level) | 1.0 |
Course specific weightings (points): difficulty_modifier_points_mapping_2
Difficulty level | Modifier |
normal | 0.0 |
accelerated or gifted | 0.5 |
Honors | 0.5 |
AP | 0.5 |
college-level | 0.5 |
IB | 0.5 |
IB (standard level) | 0.5 |
IB (higher level) | 0.5 |
Course specific weightings (points): difficulty_modifier_points_mapping_3
Difficulty level | Modifier |
normal | 0.0 |
accelerated or gifted | 0.0 |
Honors | 1.0 |
AP | 1.0 |
college-level | 1.0 |
IB | 0.0 |
IB (standard level) | 0.0 |
IB (higher level) | 0.0 |
Course specific weightings (points): difficulty_modifier_points_mapping_4
Difficulty level | Modifier |
normal | 0.0 |
accelerated or gifted | 0.0 |
Honors | 0.5 |
AP | 1.0 |
college-level | 1.0 |
IB | 1.0 |
IB (standard level) | 0.5 |
IB (higher level) | 1.0 |
Course specific weightings (points): difficulty_modifier_points_mapping_unweighted_1
Difficulty level | Modifier |
normal | 0.0 |
accelerated or gifted | 0.0 |
Honors | 0.0 |
AP | 0.0 |
college-level | 0.0 |
IB | 0.0 |
IB (standard level) | 0.0 |
IB (higher level) | 0.0 |
Grade mappings (letter): letter_grade_percent_mapping_1
Letter grade | Percentage |
A+ | 98 |
A | 95 |
A- | 92 |
AB | 90 |
B+ | 88 |
B | 85 |
B- | 82 |
BC | 80 |
C+ | 78 |
C | 75 |
C- | 72 |
CD | 70 |
D+ | 68 |
D | 65 |
D- | 62 |
F | 60 |
Grade mappings (letter): letter_grade_points_mapping_1
Letter grade | Points |
A+ | 4 |
A | 4 |
A- | 4 |
AB | 3.5 |
B+ | 3 |
B | 3 |
B- | 3 |
BC | 2.5 |
C+ | 2 |
C | 2 |
C- | 2 |
CD | 1.5 |
D+ | 1 |
D | 1 |
D- | 1 |
F | 0 |
Grade mappings (letter): letter_grade_points_mapping_2
Letter grade | Points |
A+ | 4.3 |
A | 4 |
A- | 4 |
AB | 3.5 |
B+ | 3 |
B | 3 |
B- | 3 |
BC | 2.5 |
C+ | 2 |
C | 2 |
C- | 2 |
CD | 1.5 |
D+ | 1 |
D | 1 |
D- | 1 |
F | 0 |
Grade mappings (percentage): percent_grade_floor_points_mapping_1
Percentage floor | Points |
90 | 4.0 |
80 | 3.0 |
70 | 2.0 |
60 | 1.0 |
0 | 0.0 |
Grade mappings (percentage): percent_grade_floor_points_mapping_2
Percentage floor | Points |
90 | 4.0 |
80 | 3.0 |
70 | 2.0 |
65 | 1.0 |
0 | 0.0 |
Grade mappings (percentage): percent_grade_floor_points_mapping_3
Percentage floor | Points |
97 | 4.3 |
90 | 4.0 |
80 | 3.0 |
70 | 2.0 |
65 | 1.0 |
0 | 0.0 |