Why this matters
When you enter your high school information in GradMap, you'll be asked "What's the school system?" with options for Full Year, Semester, Trimester, and Quarter.
This question is more important than it looks. It affects how GradMap interprets your grades and maps them into Common App, UC, CSU, and other applications.
The tricky part: your school's term system name doesn't always match how grades are actually credited. Some schools call themselves "trimester," but each term is worth half a year of credit, making them functionally semester-based for grade reporting. Some quarter schools only report grades twice a year. Picking the wrong option here can lead to misreported coursework on your applications.
This guide walks you through picking the right one with a credit-based check that works for any school.
The credits-based check
The name a school uses for its calendar (semester/trimester/quarter) isn't always the same as how that school awards credits per term. To figure out the right term system for GradMap, look at your transcript.
Step 1: Find a full-year A-G course on your transcript
Pick a standard yearlong course, such as English, Math, or History. Find the total credits that the course gives you for completing one full year.
For most US high schools, this is 10 credits per year-long course (sometimes 5 or 1, depending on the school's scale — what matters is the ratio, not the exact number).
Step 2: Look at how many credits each reporting term gives
Now look at how that yearlong course is broken up on your transcript. How many credits do you see per grading period?
Step 3: Pick the term system that matches the math
Use this table:
Each term gives... | Total terms per year | Pick this |
Half of a full year (e.g., 5 of 10) | 2 | Semester |
One-third of a full year (e.g., ~3.33 of 10) | 3 | Trimester |
One-quarter of the full year (e.g., 2.5 of 10) | 4 | Quarter |
Full year as one value (no per-term breakdown) | 1 | Full Year |
That's it. Count by credits — not by what your school's calendar calls itself.
Common patterns that trip students up
Pattern 1: "Trimester" calendar with semester-weighted credits
Some schools run their academic year on a trimester calendar (three reporting periods), but each term is worth half a year's credit. This is essentially a semester system that just happens to have an extra reporting window during the year.
Example: A school might give 5 credits for "Trimester 1" of English and 5 credits for "Trimester 2," with no credit for Trimester 3 of English (because the course only ran for two of the three terms).
What to pick: Semester. The credit math says so, even though the school calls its calendar a trimester.
Pattern 2: "Quarter" calendar reporting per semester
Some schools use a quarter calendar but report grades only twice a year (at the end of each semester). The quarters exist as progress checkpoints, but they don't appear as separate grade entries on the official transcript.
Example: Your transcript shows only "Fall Semester" and "Spring Semester" grades, even though the school technically uses a quarter calendar.
What to pick: Semester. If only two grades appear per year per course, that's a semester regardless of the calendar structure.
Pattern 3: True trimester or quarter
Many schools that call themselves trimester or quarter really are. Each term is weighted equally for credit (1/3 or 1/4 of the full year), and each term appears on the transcript with its own grade.
Example: A true trimester school gives 3.33 credits for each of three trimesters of English, with three separate grades reported.
What to pick: Trimester (or Quarter for four-term schools).
Pattern 4: Full year only
Some schools — especially international or alternative schools — report only one grade per course per year, with no breakdown.
What to pick: Full Year.
When you're not sure
If your transcript is unclear or your school's credit system doesn't match any of the patterns above:
Ask your school counselor. They can tell you definitively how grades are reported and what the school's official position is.
Look at multiple courses on your transcript. Year-long A-G courses (English, Math, History) are usually the clearest signal. Avoid using P.E. or one-semester electives for this check, since those may not span a full year.
Contact GradMap support. If you've checked your transcript and your counselor isn't sure either, chat with PUSH (our AI assistant) or email us at [email protected]. We'll help you figure it out.
Why does GradMap ask this
Once you've picked the right term system, GradMap uses that information to:
Display the correct grade-entry fields on your Courses & Grades page (so you're entering the right number of grades per course)
Map your grades to the format each application expects (Common App, UC, CSU all have slightly different requirements)
Calculate your GPA correctly based on how credits are weighted at your specific school
Picking the right term system up front saves you from having to manually convert grades later — and ensures your applications reflect your academic history accurately.
Quick recap
Look at your transcript. Count credits per term for a yearlong A-G course.
Half of a full year per term → Semester. Two reporting periods per year.
One-third per term → Trimester. Three reporting periods.
One-quarter per term → Quarter. Four reporting periods.
Full year as one value → Full Year.
The name on your school's calendar doesn't always match the credit math. Trust the credits.
When in doubt, ask your counselor or chat with PUSH.