Anonymous
03/12/2026 02:07
Subject: GPA bump
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Interested in hearing people’s thoughts on this.
My kids high school gives a GPA bump of +1 for AP classes, +0.5 bump for Honors classes, and no bump for dual enrollment even in advanced classes equivalent to AP like Calculus 1 & 2, calculus based Physics or post AP classes like Multivariable, Linear Algebra, Organic Chemistry. School doesn’t rank so it doesn’t really matter unless aiming for valedictorian, which he doesn’t care about.
Dual enrollment works better for him, because it has guaranteed in state transfer, and there are more interesting classes to take. For all dual enrollment class he plans to take the equivalent AP exam, eg AP calculus BC.
Is taking the dual enrollment classes with no GPA weight going to hurt for college applications? Is the answer different for top tier like HYPSM? He might apply to a few of them in addition to safeties and matches.
In the two bigger public suburban districts and the top "regional" public magnet in our area, if the AP equivalent exists, it should be taken over DE.
The DE is not considered as rigorous by VT, UVA and of course everything above that. Our DE gets the same 1.0-point bump as AP thus not a GPA issue here. The school counselors are not always clear about AP being considered more rigorous but the data is clear every year when same or higher GPA students with DE Calc and physics do not get in to VT or UVA but the AP PhysC and Calc BC or even AB do. Every year parents are upset they were steered into DE after pre-calc and other students were steered into AP. They heard it as equivalent but it is not considered so. Take DE at your own risk when the equivalent AP is offered. Talk to your school and ask them the direct questions or ask to see admissions of DE students vs AP.
The fact that the ivies and T20 privates as well as many publics do not take any DE as credits should tell you all you need to know about how they are viewed. AP does not always count as "credit" at ivy types but it is often usable for placement into the next level. DE is not.
The idea is to take the DE class *and* the AP exam in May. Only the AP exam gets credit or can be used for placement, not the class itself. Flagship will take DE credits, some Top 20 will take the AP exams.
Please link if you have some data that shows students with DE Calculus and Physics don’t do as good as kids with the AP classes.
Anonymous
03/12/2026 01:58
Subject: GPA bump
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:AOs may wonder about the quality of the “interesting” classes.
YES. OP's kid should focus on challenging themselves in the high school, taking the hardest classes offered not the ones that work best. Interesting academic pursuits can be done outside of school in the summer, on winter break, or on weekends.
The issue with the high school is that many AP classes are heavily gated, as in no AP in 9th grade, priority for seniors, lottery when class is oversubscribed. Also prerequisites are more stringent, for example you need to take regular chemistry before AP Chemistry. For dual enrollment there are fewer restrictions, and you can take introductory college level classes without high school prerequisites.
The high school allows students to sign up for any AP exam they wish even if they didn’t take the class.
Anonymous
03/12/2026 01:47
Subject: Re:GPA bump
Anonymous wrote:How are these both true:
- there are more interesting DE classes to take
And
For all dual enrollment class he plans to take the equivalent AP exam
If all DE classes will match an AP class’ content so he can take the AP exam…how are DE classes more interesting?
The dual enrollment courses tend to be more complete, for example Physics 1 & 2 have more material than Physics C, and there’s also Physics 3 on Optics, electromagnetic waves and atomic and molecular. It’s the same for Math and chemistry. The exams and homework are definitely easier than AP, which is why taking the AP exam shows the content is mastered at a higher level.
Anonymous
03/11/2026 22:43
Subject: GPA bump
Anonymous wrote:For top-tier schools, APs are generally regarded as more rigorous than DE, simply because the content is known and standardized.
This
Anonymous
03/11/2026 22:26
Subject: GPA bump
Anonymous wrote:Don't most schools strip off the weighting and recalculate based on their own formulas anyway?
It is less of a re-calculation as it is a look at the core subject courses each year of high school compared to the core subject areas taken by the top students. The AOs keep data from prior years and they have the school profile to see what is offered. They also can and often do compare transcripts from students applying from the same high school. It is no secret and well documented by AOs and deans.
Anonymous
03/11/2026 22:23
Subject: GPA bump
Anonymous wrote:Not to hijack your thread, I actually have a closely related question: would dual enrollment at a t100 state school be viewed more slightly favorably by t20 AOs compared to dual enrollment at a 2-year community college?
yes ... but... AP is better if offered at the high school (or IB if that is considered the hardest at that high school).
Anonymous
03/11/2026 22:22
Subject: GPA bump
Anonymous wrote:AOs may wonder about the quality of the “interesting” classes.
YES. OP's kid should focus on challenging themselves in the high school, taking the hardest classes offered not the ones that work best. Interesting academic pursuits can be done outside of school in the summer, on winter break, or on weekends.
Anonymous
03/11/2026 22:19
Subject: GPA bump
Anonymous wrote:Interested in hearing people’s thoughts on this.
My kids high school gives a GPA bump of +1 for AP classes, +0.5 bump for Honors classes, and no bump for dual enrollment even in advanced classes equivalent to AP like Calculus 1 & 2, calculus based Physics or post AP classes like Multivariable, Linear Algebra, Organic Chemistry. School doesn’t rank so it doesn’t really matter unless aiming for valedictorian, which he doesn’t care about.
Dual enrollment works better for him, because it has guaranteed in state transfer, and there are more interesting classes to take. For all dual enrollment class he plans to take the equivalent AP exam, eg AP calculus BC.
Is taking the dual enrollment classes with no GPA weight going to hurt for college applications? Is the answer different for top tier like HYPSM? He might apply to a few of them in addition to safeties and matches.
In the two bigger public suburban districts and the top "regional" public magnet in our area, if the AP equivalent exists, it should be taken over DE.
The DE is not considered as rigorous by VT, UVA and of course everything above that. Our DE gets the same 1.0-point bump as AP thus not a GPA issue here. The school counselors are not always clear about AP being considered more rigorous but the data is clear every year when same or higher GPA students with DE Calc and physics do not get in to VT or UVA but the AP PhysC and Calc BC or even AB do. Every year parents are upset they were steered into DE after pre-calc and other students were steered into AP. They heard it as equivalent but it is not considered so. Take DE at your own risk when the equivalent AP is offered. Talk to your school and ask them the direct questions or ask to see admissions of DE students vs AP.
The fact that the ivies and T20 privates as well as many publics do not take any DE as credits should tell you all you need to know about how they are viewed. AP does not always count as "credit" at ivy types but it is often usable for placement into the next level. DE is not.
Anonymous
03/11/2026 22:08
Subject: GPA bump
AOs may wonder about the quality of the “interesting” classes.
Anonymous
03/11/2026 22:05
Subject: GPA bump
For top-tier schools, APs are generally regarded as more rigorous than DE, simply because the content is known and standardized.
Anonymous
03/11/2026 21:51
Subject: Re:GPA bump
How are these both true:
- there are more interesting DE classes to take
And
For all dual enrollment class he plans to take the equivalent AP exam
If all DE classes will match an AP class’ content so he can take the AP exam…how are DE classes more interesting?
- there are more interesting DE classes to take
And
For all dual enrollment class he plans to take the equivalent AP exam
If all DE classes will match an AP class’ content so he can take the AP exam…how are DE classes more interesting?
Anonymous
03/11/2026 21:33
Subject: GPA bump
^^ slightly more
Anonymous
03/11/2026 21:32
Subject: GPA bump
Not to hijack your thread, I actually have a closely related question: would dual enrollment at a t100 state school be viewed more slightly favorably by t20 AOs compared to dual enrollment at a 2-year community college?
Anonymous
03/11/2026 20:48
Subject: GPA bump
Don't most schools strip off the weighting and recalculate based on their own formulas anyway?
Anonymous
03/11/2026 20:20
Subject: GPA bump
Interested in hearing people’s thoughts on this.
My kids high school gives a GPA bump of +1 for AP classes, +0.5 bump for Honors classes, and no bump for dual enrollment even in advanced classes equivalent to AP like Calculus 1 & 2, calculus based Physics or post AP classes like Multivariable, Linear Algebra, Organic Chemistry. School doesn’t rank so it doesn’t really matter unless aiming for valedictorian, which he doesn’t care about.
Dual enrollment works better for him, because it has guaranteed in state transfer, and there are more interesting classes to take. For all dual enrollment class he plans to take the equivalent AP exam, eg AP calculus BC.
Is taking the dual enrollment classes with no GPA weight going to hurt for college applications? Is the answer different for top tier like HYPSM? He might apply to a few of them in addition to safeties and matches.
My kids high school gives a GPA bump of +1 for AP classes, +0.5 bump for Honors classes, and no bump for dual enrollment even in advanced classes equivalent to AP like Calculus 1 & 2, calculus based Physics or post AP classes like Multivariable, Linear Algebra, Organic Chemistry. School doesn’t rank so it doesn’t really matter unless aiming for valedictorian, which he doesn’t care about.
Dual enrollment works better for him, because it has guaranteed in state transfer, and there are more interesting classes to take. For all dual enrollment class he plans to take the equivalent AP exam, eg AP calculus BC.
Is taking the dual enrollment classes with no GPA weight going to hurt for college applications? Is the answer different for top tier like HYPSM? He might apply to a few of them in addition to safeties and matches.