Want To Raise Your GPA? Then Check These Tips

Raising your GPA in college is very tedious and involving. Something that demands a lot of efforts and push. Try these tips to increase your GPA.

A high school student’s grade point average can be a big deal when it comes to getting into college and getting money to help pay for it.

The same is true for a college student, since many majors, graduate schools, scholarships, and other forms of financial aid have minimum grade requirements.

Susan Whorton, who runs the Academic Success Center at Clemson University in South Carolina, says that students in college should care more about how they learn than about their GPA.

But keeping a high GPA can make life easier for students while they are in college, and after they graduate when they apply for jobs or graduate school.

“GPA doesn’t really show how much a student has learned; it shows how well they did on the tests in that course,” says Whorton. “It’s about figuring out how to get along in school as it is now.”

Experts say that students must have a GPA of at least 2.0, or a C average on a scale of 4.0, in order to graduate and keep getting federal financial aid.

At many colleges, getting a scholarship or getting into a program often depends on getting grades above a C average. If a student’s GPA is below 2.0, the consequences can be bad, and the student could be put on academic probation.

“As soon as a student is put on probation, they are invited to meet with an academic adviser to start working on a plan to get back into good academic standing,” Luke Wood, vice president of student affairs and campus diversity at San Diego State University in California, wrote in an email.

“A student could be kicked out of school if their cumulative GPA doesn’t go up, so we want to make sure they know what could happen and, more importantly, that we can work with them to come up with a long-term plan to improve their grades.”

What Is a Good College GPA?

Most colleges use a standard grading scale that is similar to what students are used to from K–12, but some programs may use a stricter scale.

How to Raise Your GPA in College

College students who want to raise their GPA have choices, even if some of them involve repeating classes and giving up things.

An expert says that for some students, that might mean putting schoolwork ahead of social plans, seeing a tutor or academic coach, or changing how they spend their time.

Depending on how far behind a student is in school, they may need to dig themselves out.

Register says that retaking courses in which a student got a low grade is a good way for them to raise their GPA, but there are some rules.

Register says that some courses can only be taken more than once, especially if a student has already passed with a grade like a D. Schools may have different rules about how many times a course can be taken again.

“College sports would be a good comparison,” she says. “The best athletes are trained every day. Even the best quarterbacks and linebackers want to get better every day. They are taught. They team up with someone who can help them reach their fullest potential.”

Experts say there are a lot of reasons why a student’s GPA might be low, such as not being able to adjust to the faster pace and heavier workload of college, taking a lot of hard classes in the same semester, being sick, having family problems, having a job, or moving from a highly structured high school to college.

Even though it’s mostly up to the students to keep their grades up or ask for help when they need it, Wood says universities need to make sure that those who are having trouble get a lot of help.

“Sometimes student performance is a result of gaps in university support systems, and effective teaching and learning practices at the university or college may not be in place for all student groups,” he says.

In the same way, Wood tells students to get over any shame they might feel about using campus resources, like tutoring, advising or one-on-one talks with faculty and staff.

He says that one of the most important things we learn in life is that asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but of strength.

READ ALSO: First Class Degree: Secrets to Graduate with Highest Grade

How to Raise Your GPA in College
College students who want to raise their GPA have choices, even if some of them involve repeating classes and giving up things.

“It’s about a student asking, ‘What are my priorities?'” Says Whorton. “What matters most to me? What do I need to do to get that GPA if I want to get into that major that requires it? “What do I need to do to get the GPA I need?”

How to Figure Out if You Are Ready for College
She says that for some students, that might mean putting schoolwork ahead of social plans, seeing a tutor or academic coach, or changing how they spend their time. Depending on how far behind a student is in school, they may need to dig themselves out.

Whorton says, “It’s really about knowing what their goals are and what steps they’re willing to take to reach them.”

Register says that retaking courses in which a student got a low grade is a good way for them to raise their GPA, but there are some rules. Register says that some courses can only be taken more than once, especially if a student has already passed with a grade like a D. Schools may have different rules about how many times a course can be taken again.

Whorton says that going to tutoring regularly is another good way to fix problems. He also says that it can help students who are already doing well in school stay that way.

“College sports would be a good comparison,” she says. “The best athletes are trained every day. Even the best quarterbacks and linebackers want to get better every day. They are taught. They team up with someone who can help them reach their fullest potential.”

Experts say there are a lot of reasons why a student’s GPA might be low, such as not being able to adjust to the faster pace and heavier workload of college, taking a lot of hard classes in the same semester, being sick, having family problems, having a job, or moving from a highly structured high school to college.

Even though it’s mostly up to the students to keep their grades up or ask for help when they need it, Wood says universities need to make sure that those who are having trouble get a lot of help.

“Sometimes student performance is a result of gaps in university support systems, and effective teaching and learning practices at the university or college may not be in place for all student groups,” he says.

Experts say that students who are having trouble should reach out for help. Whorton says that students should see it as a “productive struggle” and urges them to take advantage of chances to get better.

In the same way, Wood tells students to get over any shame they might feel about using campus resources, like tutoring, advising, or one-on-one talks with faculty and staff.

He says that one of the most important things we learn in life is that asking for help is not a sign of weakness but of strength.