Do Colleges Look at Freshman Year Grades?
They do. A college receives the full high school transcript, which lists 9th grade courses and grades beside those of later years, and the cumulative GPA printed on it normally includes them. An admissions reader sees a C in 9th grade biology as plainly as an A in 11th grade physics.
What differs is the weight. Readers pay the most attention to the most recent and most demanding work, so junior year and the first half of senior year count for more than freshman year. A small number of universities go further and say so in their published policies.
Which Colleges Do Not Count 9th Grade in the GPA?
Three well-known examples state a policy in writing.
| Institution | What it says |
|---|---|
| University of California (all nine undergraduate campuses) | The admission GPA uses A-G courses taken from the summer after 9th grade through the summer after 11th grade |
| Stanford University | Grade 9 is considered a transition year, and the review focuses on grades 10 and 11 and on final year grades and program of study |
| McGill University | For applicants from US high schools, the transcript should include final grades from grades 10 and 11 and current results from grade 12, and grade 9 results may be requested |
These are exceptions. Most other selective colleges, including the Ivy League universities, read all four years. A family should assume that freshman year counts unless a college says otherwise.
Why Does Freshman Year Still Matter at Those Colleges?
A policy that leaves 9th grade out of a GPA does not leave it out of the application. There are four reasons.
The courses still count. The University of California requires a set of college-preparatory subjects, and 9th grade courses are part of how a student completes them. The transcript is still visible. A reader at Stanford sees the 9th grade record even while giving it less weight.
Placement is the third reason, and the largest. Grades in 9th grade decide which sophomore courses a student may take, and those decide which AP or IB courses are open in junior year. A student who struggles in 9th grade mathematics or a world language can lose a year of the sequence. The fourth is class rank and the school’s own GPA, which most high schools calculate from 9th grade and which scholarship programs and most other colleges use. Our UC GPA calculator shows how one university’s method works in practice.
How Much Does a Weak Freshman Year Hurt?
Less than a weak junior year, and less than most families fear, provided the grades rise afterward. Admissions readers look at the direction of a record. A student who earns Bs in 9th grade and As in harder courses in 10th and 11th has shown growth, and counselors can explain an uneven start in their recommendation.
The damage is arithmetic. A low first year pulls down a cumulative GPA for three years, and at the most selective colleges, where most admitted students have near-perfect grades, the gap can be hard to close. For Ivy League admission, Oriel Admissions advises that a student needs nearly all As in the hardest classes, and that standard starts in 9th grade. One B does not end a candidacy, but a pattern of Bs and Cs narrows the list of realistic colleges unless the later record is exceptional. Our guides to handling a B plus and applying with a 3.7 GPA look at those cases.
Do Colleges Look at Middle School Grades?
No, with one exception. Colleges do not ask for 6th, 7th, or 8th grade report cards. The exception is a high school course taken early, such as Algebra 1, Geometry, or a world language in 8th grade. Some high schools list those courses and grades on the transcript, and when they do, a college sees them. Our guide to 8th grade algebra covers the most common case.
The policy belongs to the high school, so families should ask whether a course taken in middle school will appear on the transcript and whether its grade will be included in the GPA.
Do Colleges Look at Sophomore, Junior, and Senior Year Grades?
Yes, and with rising weight. Sophomore year is part of every GPA described above. Junior year is the most important single year, because it is the last full year a college sees and usually the most demanding.
Senior year counts as well. Colleges receive first-term senior grades in a mid-year report, and they see the full list of senior courses. An offer of admission is conditional on finishing the year at the same level, and colleges review the final transcript.
How Is the GPA That Colleges Use Calculated?
There is no single method. Most colleges start from the cumulative GPA on the transcript and read it beside the school’s profile. Some recalculate it, using only core academic subjects, removing a school’s weighting, or leaving out a year as the University of California does.
For that reason the same student can have several GPAs. What stays constant is the list of courses and grades. So when parents ask, do colleges look at freshman year grades, the more useful question is whether the transcript as a whole shows strong grades in demanding courses and a rising line. Our guide to weighted and unweighted GPA explains the different calculations.
What Should a 9th Grader Do About Grades?
The honest answer to the question do colleges look at freshman year grades is that they do, and that the year matters most for what it sets up. Oriel Admissions advises treating freshman year as the year that sets habits and placement, not as a year that can be discounted. Three things matter most: the hardest classes the school offers; As in nearly all of them, above all in mathematics and a world language, where the sequence is strict; and asking for help early, before a first-quarter problem becomes a final grade. Our guide to honors classes covers how to choose that load.
A student who has already finished 9th grade with weaker grades should look forward. The record that follows carries more weight, and a clear upward line is something colleges notice. Our freshman year plan and guide to course rigor set out the next steps.
Frequently Asked Questions: Do Colleges Look at Freshman Year Grades?
Yes. The transcript shows all four years, and most colleges use a cumulative GPA that includes freshman year. A few, including the University of California and Stanford, give 9th grade less weight.
Not in the GPA. The University of California calculates its admission GPA from A-G courses taken from the summer after 9th grade through the summer after 11th grade.
Stanford says it considers grade 9 a transition year and focuses its review on grades 10 and 11 and on final year grades and program of study.
Yes. The Ivy League universities read the full transcript, including 9th grade, and give the most weight to the most recent and most demanding work.
No, unless a high school course taken in middle school, such as Algebra 1, appears on the high school transcript.
Often, yes. Colleges look at the direction of a record, and strong grades in harder courses in 10th and 11th grade show growth. Oriel Admissions advises students to focus on the years that follow.
Junior year. It is the last full year a college sees and usually the most demanding.
Yes. Colleges receive first-term senior grades in a mid-year report and review the final transcript, and an offer of admission depends on finishing the year at the same level.
Sources: University of California: GPA Requirement, Stanford University: Admission Overview, McGill University: Requirements for US High School Applicants, University of California: Subject Requirement (A-G)
About Oriel Admissions
Oriel Admissions is a Princeton-based college admissions consulting firm advising families nationwide on elite university admissions strategy. Our team brings deep expertise across every dimension of the application, and our distinctive 360 approach develops strategy, positioning, activities, essays, and interviews as one coherent whole. To discuss your family’s admissions strategy, schedule a consultation.
