How to graduate with a 4.0 GPA

[Yorkd2]

New to this approach to education. How does CLEP, DSST, etc transcribe into your overall GPA? Is it possible to graduate with a 4.0?

[clep3705]

It is possible.

You can think of credit by exam as pass/fail. It is more accurate to think of it like transfer credit. When you transfer to another school, your transfer credits not grades. Pass in pass/fail could be D level. CLEP and DSST are C level credits. There are some schools that assign letter grades based on CLEP and DSST scores, but this is the exception. For those exceptions, you'd have to have very high scores to get A grades.

It's possible to accumulate 116 credits at Thomas Edison from testing and take the final required cornerstone and capstone courses for the remaining 3-4 hours. Make A in both and your GPA is 4.0. You may be able to accomplish the same thing at Charter Oak or Excelsior. Mot all degrees at equally test friendly. Graduate and professional schools may not consider a 4.0 obtained in such a manner as good as a 4.0 obtained from 120 hours of graded courses. If you always wanted to graduate with highest honors, I don't know if a minimum number of graded hours are required.

[davewill]

...
It's possible to accumulate 117 credits at Thomas Edison (and maybe Charter Oak or Excelsior) and take the capstone course as your only graded course. Make an A in that and your GPA is 4.0.

It's now 116 units and you have to take the 1cr cornerstone as well.

[dfrecore]

It's now 116 units and you have to take the 1cr cornerstone as well.

But the Cornerstone is either C/NC or P/F (I can't remember which). So no GPA for that.

[dfrecore]

It is possible.

It's possible to accumulate 117 credits at Thomas Edison (and maybe Charter Oak or Excelsior) and take the capstone course as your only graded course. Make an A in that and your GPA is 4.0.

At TESU, if you get the BSBA, you could actually take the capstone TECEP and not have a single grade at all. So, if you need a GPA for some reason, just make sure you take at least 1 course in a way that is graded: your best bet is a CC course.

[cookderosa]

It's a perfect plan, as long as you rock out the Capstone/Cornerstone. More than one member here hasn't.

[cathgrl]

At TESU, if you get the BSBA, you could actually take the capstone TECEP and not have a single grade at all. So, if you need a GPA for some reason, just make sure you take at least 1 course in a way that is graded: your best bet is a CC course.

I thought that TESU required a 2.0 GPA now (from a TESU course), so you would need to take at least one graded course at TESU. Am I incorrect?

[jsd]

I thought that TESU required a 2.0 GPA now (from a TESU course), so you would need to take at least one graded course at TESU. Am I incorrect?

If you take actual courses at tesu, you'll need to maintain a 2.0. If everything is transferred in/tested out of, then you can graduate without a gpa.

[Yorkd2]

I am working toward a doctorate in physical therapy. To be considered for grad school GPA must be 3.0 or higher. I will have to take 6 science classes at a B&M school as they won't allow "testing out" for the core science courses.

[davewill]

I am working toward a doctorate in physical therapy. To be considered for grad school GPA must be 3.0 or higher. I will have to take 6 science classes at a B&M school as they won't allow "testing out" for the core science courses.

Then those can most likely be your GPA. When you apply to grad school, admissions will take all your transcripts and calculate their own GPA. Check with the schools you want to apply to, but I don't think they'll care whether you happen to have a GPA at TESU or not.