UC admissions calculates 3 UC GPA’s: Unweighted, Capped Weighted and Weighted Uncapped. The UCOP data tracks the Capped weighted UC GPA but all campuses will see all 3 UC GPA’s for admission purposes so HS course rigor will be determined based on the available Honors/AP/IB or DE classes taken by the student which is reflected in the Weighted Uncapped along with comparing these courses within the context of the student’s HS.
Yes, the less A-G courses taken with the maximum 8 semesters of Honors points, the higher the Capped weighted GPA but the # of a-g courses taken above the stated minimum’s are also considered.
An applicants overall academic record is considered not just the calculated UC GPA’s and especially not just the Capped weighted UC GPA.
Here are some of the academic criteria used to evaluate all applicants:
- Academic grade point average in all completed A-G courses, including additional points for completed UC-certified honors courses.
- Number of, content of and performance in all A-G subject areas beyond the minimum requirements.
- Number of and performance in UC-approved honors, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate Higher Level and transferable college courses.
- Identification by UC as being ranked in the top 9 percent of your high school class at the end of your junior year (Eligible in the Local Context, or ELC).
- Quality of your senior-year program as measured by the type and number of academic courses in any A-G subject area in progress or planned.
- Quality of your academic performance relative to the educational opportunities available in your high school.
The UC’s also track the # of UC approved Honors classes and # of A-G courses for all applicants and admits on their Freshman summaries. Freshman fall admissions summary | University of California
There is recent discussion on this subject: UC capped GPA?
Also if your student attends a California HS, you can see the average admitted Capped weighted UC GPA for their particular HS by campus on this link although the data is from 2023. 2024 data should be available in the next few months. Admissions by source school | University of California