3.5 GPA Colleges: See Colleges That Accept a 3.5 GPA | Appily (2024)

Grade point average (GPA) considers all of the final grades from every class taken during your high school career to provide a single number that sums up general academic performance.

The most common GPA scale in the US is the 4.0 scale, where an A is a 4.0, a B is a 3.0, and so on. On this scale, a 3.5 GPA can be approximately translated to a B+ or an A-. However, it's important to note that conversions can vary between colleges.

What is a 3.5 GPA?

A 3.5 GPA is 90% or a B+/A- average. This means you probably mainly earned B's (3.0) and A's (4.0) in your coursework. Of course, the exact grades that make up a 3.4 GPA will vary from student to student.

Is a 3.5 GPA Good?

As a top-letter grade, a B+ or A- is considered "good." A 3.5 GPA means that a student consistently performs well on homework, tests, and projects in every subject, making it a desirable GPA across the board. The national average GPA for high school graduates is 3.0, and many colleges and universities consider a 3.0 the competitive benchmark. A 3.5 GPA exceeds that number and matches the benchmark several more selective colleges use.

What Percentile is a 3.5 GPA?

A 3.5 GPA is a percentile of 90%, which is a grade of B+ or A-, depending on the grading scale your school uses.

How Does a 3.5 GPA Affect College Admissions?

A 3.5 GPA is a strong GPA, but it may not guarantee admission to highly selective colleges. Admissions committees consider your entire application when making their decisions, including yourtest scores, extracurricular activities,recommendations, andessays.

A 3.5 GPA may make you a competitive candidate. But if you aren't sure, it's best to try to improve your GPA and other areas of your application.

How Can I Improve My 3.5 GPA?

To improve your GPA, you'll want to figure out what's been keeping you from getting the grades you've wanted so far. For general ideas, trya combination of studying more effectively, seeking additional help from teachers or tutors, and ensuring you're doing all your classwork and assignments. You can also consider taking more challenging weighted classes- but only if you're sure you can make A's in them.

What Colleges Can I Apply to With a 3.5 GPA?

A 3.5 GPA is eligible for acceptance at a sizable number of colleges and universities, including some more competitive ones. We've compiled a representative sample in the list below. While GPA alone doesn't guarantee admittance, all these schools have a history of accepting students with GPAs in the 3.5-3.6 range.

The best plan of action, no matter where you are in your high school career, is to keep it up.

For underclassmen, the real question is what kind of college to attend. A 3.5 GPA will be highly competitive, and admission can be reasonably expected at many colleges. Still, it's not the most competitive at places like Harvard, Yale, and Dartmouth, which, on average, accept students with GPAs exceeding 4.0.

Since a 3.5 GPA qualifies for consideration and possibly admission to selective colleges and universities, it can elevate you to an entirely different playing field if that's your interest. If you're dreaming of Ivy Leagues and are still in your first semester of freshman year, increasing your GPA to as high as 3.9 would require flawless grades for four solid years. If available, taking honors or AP courses could make you eligible for an even higher GPA.

Being a well-rounded student involved in afterschool activities, sports, and community service should still be at the forefront of the mind of every high schooler. Make sure to find subjects you're passionate about—not only will this help you determine what to major in during college, but it also elevates the competitiveness of your application when the time comes.

As for juniors, after establishing a 3.5 GPA, concentrate your efforts on preparing to take the ACT or SAT. Because most colleges weigh standardized test scores on par with GPA, do the studying necessary to ensure those scores represent your skills as your GPA. Set aside study time throughout the week for practice tests and, if possible, enroll in an SAT or ACT prep course through your high school.

And for seniors, now is the time to ensure that all college application components are as strong as your GPA. Consult your college counselor so that they can give feedback on your essay and advice for making sure that your list of extracurricular activities represents your high school career in the best possible light. If an admissions officer from a college or university that interests you is visiting, attend the session and network with them. With a 3.5 GPA, you have an excellent foundation for getting accepted to most institutions, but standing out from the crowd never hurts!

What scholarship can you get with a 3.4 GPA?

A 3.5 GPA will make you eligible for many different scholarships. You may find some that require a 3.5 or higher, but those should be few and far between. Check out our extensive scholarship database to find scholarships!

View All Scholarships

What Are Colleges Looking at Other Than a 3.5 GPA?

When you're applying to a competitive school with a 3.5 GPA, they will look closely at your extracurriculars and standardized test scores. Make sure to be involved and show that you're well-rounded to earn a spot at a competitive institution. Colleges look at potential students holistically, so you'll want to show off:

  • SAT Scores/ACT Scores
  • Extracurricular/After-school activities
  • Your Sports
  • Application Essays
  • Volunteer Work / Community Service
  • Jobs / Internships / Special Projects

How Do You Calculate GPA?

You calculate grade point average like this:

  1. 1. Assign a numerical value to each letter grade received. For example, most schools use a 4.0 scale, where an A is a 4.0, a B is a 3.0, a C is a 2.0, a D is a 1.0, and an F is a 0.

  2. 2. Multiply the numerical value of each grade by the number of credits for each class.For example, if you received an A in a 3-credit class, the grade point for that class would be 3 x 4.0 = 12.0.

  3. 3. Add up the total grade points for all classes. For example, if you received three grades, an A, B, and C, with 12.0, 9.0, and 6.0 grade points, respectively. The sum would be 12.0 + 9.0 + 6.0 = 27.0.

  4. 4. Divide the total grade points by the total number of credits.For example, if the total number of credits for the three classes is 9, the GPA would be 27.0 ÷ 9 = 3.0.

This is the basic formula for calculating GPA. However, some schools or universities may use a different scale or assign a different weight to some classes, so it's essential to understand the specific method used by your school.

What is a Weighted vs. Unweighted GPA?

A weighted GPA considers the difficulty of the classes you take. For example, honors, Advanced Placement (AP), and International Baccalaureate (IB) classestypically have a higher weight, meaning that a higher grade in these classes will result in a higher GPA. A weighted GPA is often used in college admissions to assess the academic rigor of a student's high school curriculum.

On the other hand, an unweighted GPA assigns a standard value to each letter grade regardless of the class's difficulty level. For example, an A in an honors class is assigned the same value as an A in a regular class. An unweighted GPA is often used in high school to give a general overview of a student's academic performance.

Explore Colleges for Every GPA with Appily

Ready to explore colleges that accept a GPA like yours? We have a comprehensive database to help you find and research schools. There, you can see essential data points likeacceptance rate,average financial aid award,average test scores, andapplication deadlines, including those for rolling admission,early decision, and early action schools.

Go ahead and search colleges now.

3.5 GPA Colleges: See Colleges That Accept a 3.5 GPA | Appily (2024)

FAQs

3.5 GPA Colleges: See Colleges That Accept a 3.5 GPA | Appily? ›

A 3.5 GPA is a strong GPA, but it may not guarantee admission to highly selective colleges. Admissions committees consider your entire application when making their decisions, including your test scores, extracurricular activities, recommendations, and essays. A 3.5 GPA may make you a competitive candidate.

Will colleges accept you with a 3.5 GPA? ›

A 3.5 GPA is a strong GPA, but it may not guarantee admission to highly selective colleges. Admissions committees consider your entire application when making their decisions, including your test scores, extracurricular activities, recommendations, and essays. A 3.5 GPA may make you a competitive candidate.

Is a 3.5 GPA in college okay? ›

But, a grade point average of 3.5 and above is good in college. 3.5 GPA students normally qualify for the dean's list and honors programs. The average GPA in four-year undergraduate courses in U.S. colleges is 3.15. So, we can confidently say that yes, a 3.5 GPA is good in college.

Can I get into Cornell with a 3.5 GPA? ›

Earning a cumulative GPA. of at least 3.5 with no grades earned below a B.

Can you get into Harvard with a 3.5 GPA? ›

It's true that a 3.5 GPA might be considered low for Harvard, but it doesn't mean that your application will be dismissed entirely. Your unique background and achievements could compensate for your GPA to some extent.

Is a 3.5 GPA impressive? ›

Most commonly, students graduate cum laude (Latin for "with praise") when they earn a 3.5-3.7 GPA, magna cum laude ("with great praise") when they earn a 3.7-3.9 GPA, and summa cum laude ("with highest praise") when they earn a 3.9 GPA or higher.

How many b's is a 3.5 GPA? ›

A 3.5 GPA is equivalent to 90% or a B+ letter grade.

What will an F do to a 3.8 GPA? ›

The failing grade will NOT calculate in your GPA, but it will still show on your transcript. On your transcript, an "E" will show to the right of your failing grade to mark the course as "Excluded".

Can I go to Ivy League with 3.5 GPA? ›

You'll need to rely on other impressive achievements to improve your chances. Fortunately, even though a 3.5 GPA itself might not suffice, it isn't far from a GPA that will. A GPA of 3.7 is enough competitiveness to win you serious consideration for an Ivy League offer.

What does a 3.5 GPA say about you? ›

A 3.5 GPA usually means you're getting mostly a mix of A-s and B+s across your classes, which indicates that you're a good student, putting in consistent effort and achieving solid results.

Does Harvard accept 3 GPA? ›

It's worth noting that a 3.0 GPA does not automatically disqualify you from consideration for admission to Harvard, and there have been students with lower GPAs who have been admitted in the past.

What GPA for Yale? ›

To have the best shot of getting in, you should aim for the 75th percentile, with a 1560 SAT or a 35 ACT. You should also have a 4.14 GPA or higher. If your GPA is lower than this, you need to compensate with a higher SAT/ACT score.

What is the lowest GPA Cornell will accept? ›

Academic record: Students should have a GPA of 3.5 or higher, and should have excellent analytic and communication skills.

What is the lowest GPA Yale will accept? ›

What is the minimum GPA required for admission? We do not set a minimum GPA, nor do we attempt to re-weight GPA's to any standard other than what a school provides. An applicant's complete secondary school transcript (not just the GPA or class rank, if they are provided) is evaluated during the admissions process.

What is the lowest GPA accepted to Princeton? ›

You should also have a 3.95 GPA or higher. If your GPA is lower than this, you need to compensate with a higher SAT/ACT score. For a school as selective as Princeton, you'll also need to impress them with the rest of your application. We'll cover those details next.

What's the lowest GPA colleges accept? ›

Unofficially, 2.0 is the lowest GPA accepted into a standard college, so while there's a chance that college admission is possible, it's not likely at more than a few institutions.

Is a 3.5 GPA good enough for Ivy League? ›

What Is a Good GPA for the Ivy League? To get into most Ivy League schools, you'll need an average GPA between 3.9 and 4.0.

How common is a 3.5 GPA in college? ›

Is a 3.5 GPA "good" in college? A 3.5 GPA is equal to a 90% average. Many employers and graduate programs use a 3.5 GPA as the benchmark. However, outside of the top 10 graduate schools, the average GPA for law, medical, and business graduate school are as much as 0.74 below 3.5.

Is a 3.5 GPA from an Ivy League good? ›

While a 3.5 GPA may be on the lower end for Ivy League schools, there are cases where students with similar GPAs have been accepted. However, keep in mind that these students generally have other factors that offset their lower GPA.

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