TRANSCRIPT VERIFICATION AND GPAs

VERIFYING YOUR COURSE HISTORY

PTCAS will return your application to you for corrections or explanation if it identifies a significant number of course discrepancies or omissions. If you fail to properly enter all of your courses when you first submit your application or do not make corrections as requested, you may jeopardize your chances for admission.

GPA CALCULATIONS

To calculate a grade-point-average (GPA), PTCAS determines your total number of quality points by multiplying semester hours attempted by the value of the verified PTCAS grade. Quarter hours and units are converted to semester hours (quarter hours are multiplied by .667). The quality points are divided by the total number of hours for completed courses. PTCAS will report your standardized GPA in semester-based 4.0 grading scale.

PTCAS Grades and Weights

For every complete application, PTCAS will calculate the following grade point averages (GPAs):
Overall Cumulative GPA - Includes every U.S. undergraduate, graduate, and professional course completed with the exception of non-graded courses (see GPA calculation rules).

• Overall Cumulative GPA – All undergraduate, graduate, and professional courses.
• Undergraduate Cumulative GPA - Excludes post-BS undergraduate courses.
• Graduate Cumulative GPA - If no graduate coursework, GPA will be blank.
• GPA for Each College / University Attended (as calculated by PTCAS) - GPA may differ from the GPA on the transcript due to the grade standardization process.
• GPA by Academic Status - GPAS are based on the student’s registration status at the time the courses were taken: freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, graduate, and post-BS undergraduate.
• Upper-Division Course GPA - GPA for junior and senior courses is based on the “Course Level” field in the Coursework section.
• Combined Science and Math GPA - GPA includes course completed in Anatomy and Physiology, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Math.
• Course Subject GPAs - GPAs for every PTCAS course subject: Anatomy and Physiology, Biology, Chemistry, English Composition, Math, Movement Science, Other Course, Other Science, Physics, Professional Course, and Social / Behavioral Science.
• Core PT Prerequisite GPA - GPA based on courses identified as core PT prerequisites by the applicant in the Coursework section. Core PT prerequisites differ from program-specific course requirements.

PTCAS GPA CALCULATION RULES

PTCAS calculates a standardized GPA to help participating PT programs evaluate applicants using uniform and consistent criteria, regardless of different institutional transcript policies. PTCAS GPAs are likely to be different from those calculated by the colleges and universities you attended due to the PTCAS grade standardization process. (Institutions may choose to use the PTCAS GPAs or calculate new GPAs for their own institutional use.)

•  GPAs include verified course data from regionally accredited U.S. postsecondary institutions only.

•  All courses with credit hours and a PTCAS Grade are calculated into the PTCAS GPAs, regardless of whether the credit counts toward a degree or counted toward a college/university GPA.

•  If the course credit hours or grade are missing, the course is excluded from the PTCAS GPAs. PTCAS will NOT calculate GPAs by totaling grade values and dividing by the number of courses completed.

•  PTCAS counts grades and hours assigned by the college/university where the courses were originally taken, not by any institution that has granted transfer credit. (The only exception to this rule is Study Abroad coursework that transferred to a U.S. institution with itemized credit and grades.)

•  PTCAS will include ALL initial AND repeated course work in its GPA calculations (including those repeated under freshman forgiveness, academic bankruptcy, and other related institutional policies).

•  Grades and credit hours for all FAILED courses will be included in the PTCAS GPA, even if they are not included in the GPA calculations of the transcript-issuing institution. The PT programs to which you are applying may recalculate your GPA excluding repeated coursework.

•  GPAs are calculated on a 4.0 semester-based system.

•  If “Quarter”, PTCAS system will automatically convert quarter hours to semester hours (Quarter Hour x .667).

•  If “Unit”, PTCAS manually converts unit credits to semester hours for each course.

•  Grade value of the course is multiplied by the semester hours for that course. The product of this multiplication equals the quality points. Cumulative quality points are divided by the cumulative attempted hours. (Total Quality Points / Total Credit Hours Attempted = GPA)

•  All credit hours are rounded to the tenths place. PTCAS GPAs are round at the hundredths place.

•  The following course types are NOT calculated in the PTCAS GPA calculations:
  • Advanced Placement
  • CLEP
  • Audit
  • Deferred
  • Institutional/Departmental Exam
  • International Baccalaureate
  • Incomplete
  • Pass/Fail
  • Withdrawn/Withdrawn Passing
  • Withdrawn Failing

Numeric Grading Schemes

Some college transcripts report numeric grades, rather than alpha (letter) grades. Registrars often provide a transcript key to indicate the alpha (letter) value for each numeric grade. The letter value varies by college and university. For example, a “92” may be equal to an “A” at one institution and “B” at another institution. PTCAS verifies that the applicant selected the correct alpha (letter) “PTCAS Grade” based on the transcript key. If the transcript does not indicate a corresponding alpha (letter) grade, PTCAS will default to the standardized grade scale below.

For Transcripts with No Alpha Grade Key

For Transcripts with No Alpha Grade Key

Narrative (Non-Graded) Transcripts

Most U.S. colleges and universities evaluate students’ work with a numeric (e.g., 4.0) or alpha grade (e.g., B+). Some colleges and universities evaluate students with a “narrative” – sentences or paragraphs discussing the student’s work. PTCAS cannot verify narrative transcripts. If received, these transcripts will be photocopied and mailed to your designated PT programs. The following institutions use narrative evaluations completely or partially, or have used them during some period of time.

Military Transcripts and Other Unique Grading Schemes

If PTCAS cannot convert/decipher a grading scheme for a particular feeder institution after contacting the Registrar, the staff will mark the courses and credits on the application as un-verified. PTCAS will include any unverified courses in your list of courses reported to your designated PT programs, but the grades will be excluded from the GPA calculations. Your selected PT programs may decide to incorporate unverified grades in its local GPAs.

REVIEWING PTCAS GPA CALCULATIONS

You may review your PTCAS-GPAs by logging onto your account on the PTCAS web site. Your PTCAS GPAs will be calculated within 4-5 weeks after PTCAS receives your completed application, ALL transcripts, and the correct fee payment. You will receive an automated email once your PTCAS GPAs are online. PTCAS GPAs are likely to be different from those calculated by the colleges and universities you attended due to the PTCAS grade standardization process. Please contact PTCAS by email if you have difficulty accessing your account.
Example:

32 (Quality Points) divided by 16 (Credit Hours Attempted) = 2.00 (GPA)

DEGREE VERIFICATION

PTCAS will verify that all degrees reported as earned in the Colleges and Universities section of the application also appear on the applicant’s official transcripts. PTCAS reserves the right to make edits to the application degree fields in order to correct minor typographical errors; however, it is ultimately the applicant’s responsibility to properly enter all degrees on the PTCAS application. Failure to properly enter your degrees may delay your application in processing or jeopardize your chances for admission.

During the Academic Update, PTCAS will verify any new degrees earned since the application was initially submitted and verified. PTCAS will not verify any new degrees earned in the 2010 spring or summer terms.
PT institutions are instructed not to automatically interpret a PTCAS-reported "NO" in the degree earned fields to mean that the applicant entered falsified information. PTCAS and designated PT programs recognize that registrars may not report a degree as earned on a transcript until several weeks after the degree is earned or until the end of the academic year. PT programs reserve the right to contact the applicant or registrar directly, if they have questions about the status of a degree.

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