What Is Considered a Good GPA for University? Check These Tips
What’s a good GPA for students who want to get into the best colleges? It might seem like there should be a simple answer, like a single number below which colleges say “No, thanks” and above which they say “Yes, please!” And yet, there are so many things that go into figuring out a high school GPA that it is impossible to give such an answer.
Even though almost all schools give a GPA to show how well their students did in school, that number is affected by many things that can be very different from school to school.
The SAT and ACT are scored the same way no matter what high school you went to. However, GPAs can be calculated very differently even between schools in the same state.
Still, your GPA is probably the most important thing about your college application, so you need to know where it stands to know how likely you are to get into different schools.
Even if you have great scores on standardized tests, a low GPA can ruin your chances of getting in. So, how do you know what your GPA means and how admissions officers will look at it?
What’s an acceptable GPA?
GPA stands for “grade point average,” which means that it is a number that shows how your letter grades in your classes add up. Most schools use traditional letter grades, with A being the best and F being the worst (the lowest).
Most, but not all, add plus and minus signs to the letter grades to better show how well a student did in the course. Most of the time, these letter grades are equivalent to percentages, but percentages are not used to figure out GPA.
Most of the time, letter grades are the same as standard grade points. For example, an A is worth 4, a B is worth 3, a C is worth 2, and a D is worth 1.
Plus and minus grades are evenly dispersed within: a B+ is a 3.3, for example, while an A- is a 3.7. Because of this, a normal GPA is out of 4.0. (the grade point average for getting all As).
But many high schools use weighted GPAs, which means that a student can get more than 4-grade points for an honors or advanced placement (AP) class.
When interpreting your GPA, it’s crucial to know if yours is a weighted or unweighted GPA.
On top of that, some high schools have additional quirks in their GPA calculations. For example, many high schools are trending toward not including freshman-year grades in the number they print on the transcript.
Even though this might make you feel better in the short term, colleges will see those grades and take them into account.
When in doubt, ask your guidance counselor if your school uses a weighted or unweighted GPA or if there are any other factors you should know about.
In high school, what is a good GPA?
A high GPA is one that is close to the highest GPA your school allows. So, if your school uses an unweighted GPA, you should aim for a 4.0 or close to it. If your school’s GPA scale is 5 or 6 points, you want to be closer to those numbers.
In the United States, the average grade for high school students is around a B. This means that the average high school GPA is 3.0. So, if your GPA is higher than that, you’re doing well. At the same time, though, highly selective schools want to see more than “slightly above average,” so if you’re in the low 3s, you might want to step up your game.
(Note that these national averages may not apply to you, especially if your school has experienced grade inflation in recent years! Your high school may have a GPA average that is much higher than a B.)
In general, getting good grades means getting more As than Bs, which means your unweighted GPA will be at least 3.5. If your GPA is above 3.7, you got more As than A-s. If your GPA is below 3.3, you got more Bs than B+s.
Lastly, keep in mind that college admissions officers will see your grades from your senior year. Make sure you keep getting good grades as you apply to colleges.
What Is a Good College GPA?
Even so, how do you know if your GPA is good enough to get into your dream school?
The best colleges, like those in the Ivy League, look for grades that are very close to perfect. That means getting As (not A-s) in almost all of your classes.
When you do the math, that means your GPA will be at least 3.9, and ideally, it will be closer to 4.0. Students who get into these top schools have some of the best high school grades. Learn more about getting into an Ivy League school here.
You don’t need a 4.0 to get into every college, though. Schools with lower U.S. News rankings get fewer applications and have a lower yield rate, which means they have to take in more students with lower GPAs and test scores.
Still, even schools that aren’t too picky like to see more As than Bs, and if they see Cs or Ds on your transcript, they may look elsewhere.
When it comes to financial aid that isn’t based on need, colleges also look at the GPAs of applicants. Some schools are more likely to give scholarships or other forms of merit aid to high school students with high GPAs and high test scores.
So, not only can a good GPA help you get into the school of your dreams, but it might also help you avoid getting student loans.
Lastly, if you are a college student looking to switch schools or apply to graduate school, know that everything here is more or less true for you.
Here, you can learn more about transferring to a different school. Like in high school, a good GPA in college is usually 3.7 or higher, and if possible, it should be higher in your major classes.
GPAs tend to be more important than test scores, especially for graduate schools.
How to get a better GPA
So, where does that leave you after all this? Don’t worry if your GPA isn’t high enough for top schools. Your cumulative GPA (see below) will include all of your grades, but colleges like to see that students have improved their grades over time.
That means that even if you’ve had a few bad grades in the past, you can still get into a good college if you get good grades in your junior and senior year classes. Here are some suggestions to help you get started:
Seek Extra Help
Doing better on each assignment is the best way to get better grades in your classes and raise your grade point average. Your teacher should always be the first step.
Ask your teacher if you don’t understand something from your homework or class, or if you don’t know why you got something wrong on a test or paper.
A good teacher will always make time after school or during a study hall to help you master material that’s eluded you.
If you need more help, you could get a subject-specific tutor or a tutor who can help you learn how to study. Getting help with your homework and a study plan for tests from a professional can make a big difference in how well you do in class.
Create A Plan
Sometimes, students think they are doing well in class and on their homework, but when it comes time for the test, they can’t remember a thing! If that sounds like you, you need to start making a better plan for studying so that when test day comes, your knowledge doesn’t leave you when you need it most.
One way to prepare for a test is to ask your teacher for more problems or even old tests if he or she is willing to give them to you (no textbook, no notes).
You could also study with a friend and try to explain ideas to each other. This could help you find gaps in your understanding of the course material.
Lastly, you might need to change how you study. If you don’t go over your homework and classwork in the days before the test, you might be setting yourself up to fail.
Find the links between the problems, go over the ones you had trouble with, and make sure you really understand all the main ideas for that unit.
Get rid of stress
High school can be a lot to handle. When we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to do well, we don’t always get better results.
It is possible to do too much studying, like staying up all night to revise an essay or skipping class to do more textbook problems. Taking a step back can be the best thing to do if you find yourself falling into these patterns.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t study or revise your papers when you need to, but you shouldn’t be too focused on it.
Make sure you take time for yourself when you can, like going for a walk or run, seeing a movie with friends, or taking a yoga class.
Change your plans.
Lastly, if all else fails, consider changing your course load. Colleges like to see that applicants have done well in a variety of hard classes, but taking too many hard classes can mess up your GPA.
If taking all Honors and AP classes will hurt your GPA, you shouldn’t sign up for so many hard classes.
In general, take AP classes in the subjects about which you’re most passionate and that relate most closely to the college major or graduate program to which you plan to apply.
Don’t take too much on by taking hard classes in things that don’t interest you.
How many APs are too many? That depends on the student, the school, and the AP’s. Ask yourself how much time you spend on homework and if you feel stressed or overwhelmed by it.
You want to take as many hard classes as you can while keeping your grade point average at an A.
Your high school might have a limit on how many AP classes you can take. There’s a reason for these rules, but if you think you can handle more, talk to your teachers, guidance counselor, or principal to make a schedule that works for you.
How Do You Figure Out Your GPA?
You might want to recalculate your GPA to get a better idea of where you stand. We’ll focus on your unweighted, cumulative GPA to make things easier, so you can see where you stand compared to other high school and college students.
Get a copy of your latest transcript first. You really only need your final grades for each course, but if you haven’t gotten your final grade yet, you’ll need your semester or quarter grades.
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