Your Grade Point Average (GPA) is one of the first criteria US college admissions officers will use to determine the strength of your candidacy. At the most competitive universities, like those in the Ivy League, the average admit has a perfect GPA! It takes years to build your GPA, so it’s vital to understand its importance early in your high school career.

What is a GPA?

A high school Grade Point Average (GPA) is a score, generally on a 4-point scale, that reflects your academic performance in high school and is mostly used in the United States. While US universities don’t release official GPA criteria, they do have score expectations and may eliminate candidates with low GPAs before even looking at the rest of their application!

Since academics can account for up to 40% of your application, depending on which universities you apply to, good grades are critical — especially at the most competitive schools. And no academic component is more important than your high school GPA.

A good GPA is indicative of a dedicated, well-rounded student who can perform in a classroom environment.

Universities may track your GPA back as far as the age of 14, so it’s important to start your first year of high school with solid grades and continuously work to strengthen them. Universities also look for a steady improvement over the years and evidence that you’ve consistently worked hard to get top marks!

What is a good GPA?

The average high school GPA in the US is 3.0, which also accounts for roughly 35% of students who don’t end up applying for college.

Of college applicants, however, the average GPA is more likely between 3.5 and 4.0. If you’re aiming for a top university such as one in the Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, or others of the same caliber, a 4.0 GPA — or close to it — is expected.

However, to make things a bit more complicated, GPAs on the traditional 4.0 scale are considered ‘unweighted’ — which can be a disadvantage as it doesn’t take the difficulty of different classes into account.

For this reason, the most selective US universities prefer the ‘weighted’ GPA system, which provides a more accurate depiction of the standard achieved across a selection of students, and is measured on a 5-point scale.

Since admission rates at most selective universities tend to fall in the single-digit range and GPAs for admitted students hover around 4.0, taking more difficult classes is essential to bolster your GPA and get into universities like Harvard, Yale, or similarly competitive institutions.

What is a good GPA for Ivy League Schools and other top universities?

The academic expectations of Ivy League schools and other top universities are well above average; in fact, most Ivy League students graduate high school with a GPA above 4.0! This is because all the Ivy League universities take into account a weighted GPA over an unweighted one.

Average GPA (weighted) of Accepted Students at Top Schools

How to Calculate Your GPA

A GPA converts the letters or percentages that typically represent your grades into numbers, then finds the average of those numbers. Let’s say you’re taking five classes, and you have A’s in two of them and B’s in three of them. The two A’s will each translate to 4.0, and the three B’s will each translate to 3.0. If you add 4.0 + 4.0 + 3.0 + 3.0 + 3.0 and then divide by five, you’ll get the average: a GPA of 3.4.

When applying to US universities, it's important to know how your grades line up with the university's expectations. You can use Crimson Education’s free High School GPA Calculator or refer to the GPA conversion table below to find out your GPA!

GPA Conversion Chart

How can I improve my GPA?

Top universities don’t necessarily expect you to have good grades from the beginning. They want to see growth, ambition and drive. The simple answer is to do well in school and ace all your exams, but this is often difficult for some students.

For students who need a little extra help, Crimson Education offers online tutoring. Crimson engages the world’s best teachers and tutors to help students get good grades and reach their university admission goals.

Next Steps

If your sights are set on the Ivy League or any top university, challenge yourself with your course choices. Universities aren't looking for perfection — they're looking for students who challenged themselves academically and will continue to do so after high school.

If you’re looking for tips on getting into your dream school, info on academic programs, or ways to raise your GPA, our college focused community is here to help. With millions of users each year, and over 22 million posts across thousands of topics, College Confidential is the place you can turn to with questions. Get answers to your questions today or search colleges by GPA.