Curious how you can use your HSC grades to apply to top universities in the US? Look no further. Read on to learn everything you need to know about how admissions officers look at HSC grades and why converting them to a Grade Point Average (GPA) can increase your odds of acceptance.

If you are an Australian student interested in walking the halls of Harvard or the yards of Yale or the science labs of Stanford — then learning about how you can use your HSC results (which eventually make up your ATAR), to apply to top US universities is an important part of your successful application journey.

The good news is that the majority of admissions officers at top US schools are aware of the various curricula offered by countries around the globe, including New South Wales’ HSC.

That said, being able to convert your scores to a more globally familiar GPA (or Grade Point Average) is important — as you will be asked to report your GPA (along with your school grades) on your applications.

Before we dive into the conversion methods, let’s take a quick look into the HSC and how your subject marks are converted into an ATAR.

What is the HSC and How is an ATAR Calculated?

The Higher School Certificate (HSC) is the highest educational award you can achieve at secondary school in New South Wales. Students must complete at least 12 units of preliminary courses and 10 units of HSC courses, including English, to receive the HSC. The HSC mark is a 50:50 combination of a student’s examination mark and school-based assessment mark for each course.

HSC marks for each course are divided into bands and each band aligns with a description of a typical performance by a student within that mark range. For a 2 unit course, Band 6 indicates the highest level of performance (between 90 - 100 marks), whereas Band 1 indicates a student has not met the requisite course outcomes for a report to be made (between 0 - 49 marks). The ‘average’ performance in most HSC courses is typically a mark in the low-mid 70s (Band 4).

These scores are then eventually calculated and scaled into an overall ranking or percentage or ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank) which is the culmination of the best of your 10 units of subject results.

So how does the ATAR system compare to the US system where a Grade Point Average (GPA) is the primary numerical summary of all your accumulated grades? To answer this question, we can start by explaining what a GPA is and exactly how it is calculated.

What is a GPA and How is it Calculated?

In the US, most schools use a letter grading system, with a corresponding letter grade, for example an A or B or C. This is measured by a number called a Grade Point Average, or GPA. Your GPA, which is measured on a scale from 0 to 4.0, is the cumulative average of the grades in all of your subjects and is calculated by dividing the total amount of grade points earned by the total amount of credit hours attempted.

Here’s a simple chart that shows how US students convert their letter grades to the 4.0 scale.

Weighted vs. an Unweighted GPA

An unweighted GPA is the average of all your grades on the scale shown in the table above. However, some US schools use a ‘weighted’ GPA scale, which gives more ‘weight’ or points to grades in more difficult or accelerated courses like an ‘Honours’ class or a more difficult AP course. So, while an ‘A’ might normally be a 4.0 on the unweighted scale, on a weighted scale, an ‘A’ may be a 5.0.

What is a Good GPA?

Different people may have different answers to this question depending on their academic and US uni goals. Generally speaking, a good GPA is over 3.5 and — if you are aiming at top US universities — ideally over 3.7. Here is a table which shows the average GPA of students admitted to the top 30 US unis. Remember, this is an average so there are students who are admitted with GPAs slightly above or below this median.

Do US Universities accept HSC alongside any calculated GPA?

In short, yes!

International curricula such as the International Baccalaureate (IB) or A Levels are widely recognised; therefore, they are theoretically easier curricula for US universities to evaluate and compare. However, admissions officers in the US are aware of the various global curricula applicants take and will understand the HSC and the nuances around it.

That said, it’s important to remember that admissions officers from top US unis receive an enormous amount of applications. For example, in the latest admissions cycle, Harvard received 57,435 applications for only 1968 places.

Reporting a GPA that is calculated from your HSC grades therefore acts as a relevant reference point for admissions officers across the board enabling them to “translate” your results in a more commonly applied format.

To summarise, while US universities accept HSC grades and welcome applicants from Australia who study this curriculum, it is very helpful to present your grades in a 4.0 GPA scale alongside your HSC reporting.

Ready to calculate your GPA using your HSC (or predicted HSC) grades?