Is a 3.5 GPA Good?

Yes, a 3.5 GPA is very good. It sits between a B+ and an A-, about 90%, and is above the average at most schools. It is competitive for many programs and scholarships, though the most selective ones may expect higher.

What a 3.5 means for college options

A 3.5 puts you above most applicants and makes many colleges and merit scholarships realistic. It is also near the line for some honors programs and academic awards.

At the most selective schools a 3.5 can be below the typical admitted GPA, so the rigor of your courses, test policy and the rest of the application count. Treat a 3.5 as a strong base, not a promise. (NACAC, Factors in College Admission)

• Many merit scholarships and honors programs list 3.5 as a common target.
• Strong chances at a wide range of public and private colleges, depending on the school.
• A good fit for many competitive majors, though some, such as nursing or engineering, set higher cutoffs.
• Often the range where Latin honors begin, such as cum laude, but each school sets its own cutoffs.

See what colleges you can get into with a 3.0+ GPA

How to protect or lift a 3.5

At 3.5 the goal is often to hold steady or edge toward 3.7. The more credits you have, the slower the GPA moves, so one low grade matters less, but a streak of strong terms adds up.

Use the target GPA calculator to see what each remaining term must average, or the raise GPA calculator to test how a perfect term changes things.

Run your own numbers with the raise GPA calculator.

Sources

• NACAC, Factors in College Admission: 79.2% of institutions attributed considerable importance to grades in college-prep courses (13th State of College Admission report).

Also see: what is a good GPA, is a 3.0 GPA good, is a 2.5 GPA good.