GWA (General Weighted Average) is the weighted average of all your academic grades, weighted by course units. PHL universities use GWA for:
- Latin honors (cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude)
- Graduate school admissions
- Scholarship eligibility
- Honor roll/dean's list
- Some employer hiring decisions
Calculation:
GWA = Σ(Grade × Units) / Σ(Units)
Latin honors thresholds (typical PHL universities):
- Cum laude: GWA 1.45-1.75 (varies by university)
- Magna cum laude: GWA 1.20-1.45
- Summa cum laude: GWA below 1.20 (rare)
Note: PHL grading typically uses 1.0-5.0 scale where 1.0 is highest. Some universities use 4.0 scale where 4.0 is highest.
What it means for you:
- Track GWA each semester to project graduation honors
- Many scholarship renewals require minimum GWA (e.g., DOST-SEI requires 2.0)
- Some Big 4 firms have GPA cutoffs (Top 30% of class typical)
- For graduate school applications, recalculate using their specific weighting rules
- Don't obsess — solid GWA matters but isn't the only signal employers weigh