When applying to colleges in the USA, you might come across the term “GPA” as you research your dream schools and what exactly you need to get in. Alongside your SAT score and your transcript, your GPA is a key component in the academic portion of your university application.

But what exactly is it, and how do you calculate it as a South African? Well, Crimson is here to explain everything you need to know about GPA in South Africa.

SOUTH AFRICAN GRADING SYSTEM EXPLAINED

In South Africa, there are two broad systems used to provide high school marks. Public schools will generally use the National Senior Certificate, while private schools will usually participate in the Independent Examinations Board, or the IEB. These systems cover similar content (as determined by the CAPS curricula) but are examined differently. However, the grading of these two systems is fundamentally similar. Each term/semester, a student will receive a grade out of 100 based on the work completed in that time frame, with letter grades corresponding to the level achieved (ie 80-100 is an A, 70-79 is a B, 60-69 is a C, etc). Despite these corresponding letter grades, South African marks are still averaged using the number grade given at the end of each semester - by aggregating the marks and then dividing by the number of subjects.

WHAT IS A GPA?

GPA stands for Grade Point Average. It is a scale of 0-4 that represents your entire average across all of high school. In structure, it is similar to the APS levels we have here in South Africa, but with some differences in application. In the USA, a GPA is used as a constant reflection of your grades and is a quick sign for university admissions officers of your level of academic achievement in high school.

HOW DO I CALCULATE MY GPA IN SOUTH AFRICA?

In the South African system, the method of calculating GPA is specific to the countrywide CAPS curriculum - and there is no difference between IEB and government systems.

The first thing to note is that your cumulative GPA takes into account all of your term marks for each subject from the beginning of grade 9 until the end of Matric - this is to mirror the 4-year high school system that America has.

Once you have gathered all your marks from across all your completed terms, you need to convert them into the GPA scale as follows:

Once you’ve converted all your marks, add them all together and then divide them by how many separate marks you have to find your GPA on a 4.0 scale.

AN EXAMPLE

Let’s say you are calculating your GPA for the first term of Grade 9. You receive the following marks at the end of the term:

You take these marks and convert them to the corresponding GPA score, like this:

You then add up all the GPA scores, and divide by 6, because there are 6 subjects, and round off to two decimal places, giving you a GPA of 2.83.

WHAT IS A GOOD GPA?

Well, it depends. Most colleges across the USA will publish the average GPA of an admitted student, so you will be able to tell where you stand with regards to the rest of the applying students. Colleges will look at your GPA, but it is not the be all and end all! Admissions officers will also look at your transcript to see if you are improving over time. This can show your commitment to your academics and can give an indication of your resilience and determination.

Therefore, you shouldn’t only consider your Matric marks when planning your university application - you need to make sure your overall marks average out accordingly!

DO US UNIVERSITIES RECOGNISE SOUTH AFRICAN MARKS ALONGSIDE 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 other systems applicants from around the world are educated through, take and will understand the NSC/IEB and the nuances around it.

That said, it’s important to remember that admissions officers from top US universities receive an enormous amount of applications. For example, in the latest admissions cycle, Harvard received 61,220 applications for only 1954 places!

Reporting a GPA that is calculated from your South African marks therefore acts as a relevant reference point for admissions officers across the board enabling them to “translate” your results in a format that is more easily compared to applicants from around the world – and the US itself.

To summarise, while US Universities accept IEB and NSC marks, and love seeing applicants from South Africa, it is very helpful to present your grades in a 4.0 GPA scale alongside your regular marks.

Want to see how you stack up against other applicants?