What does your GPA have to be to get into Harvard? (2024)

FAQs

What does your GPA have to be to get into Harvard? ›

The GPA requirements for Harvard University are between 3.9 to 4.1. You will need an incredibly high GPA and will likely be graduating at the top of their class in order to get into Harvard University.

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.

Even though the average weighted GPA for Harvard is 4.2, this is still an average. Successful applicants may have scores that fall well above or below that figure. That means you won't automatically be rejected if your GPA is under 4.0. Some say that the lowest GPA accepted to Harvard is about 3.0 (weighted).

To have the best shot of getting in, you should aim for the 75th percentile, with a 1580 SAT or a 36 ACT. You should also have a 4 GPA or higher. If your GPA is lower than this, you need to compensate with a higher SAT/ACT score.

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.

A 4.0 GPA (Grade Point Average) is typically considered a perfect or straight-A average. Since it represents the highest possible grade point average, a 4.0 GPA would place you at the top of your class in terms of academic achievement.

A 5.0 generally indicates that a student took only 5.0-scale classes and earned only A's (and/or A+'s). Normally, all perfect straight-A grades result in a 4.0; with weighted classes, though, perfect straight-A grades could result in a 5.0 (or even higher).

A 1.0 means, overall, you have received a D average in high school or college. Some colleges have GPA cutoffs where if you score lower than their requirements, they will not consider your application. These cutoffs usually fall between 2.0 and 2.5, but every college is different.

To be considered for admission to Harvard, you must earn top grades in high school. According to College Data, 76% of the admitted freshmen in the class of 2026 had a GPA of 4.0 or above, and 18% had GPAs from 3.78 to 3.99. Among those who were admitted, 94% were in the top 10% of their high school classes.

The average GPA for graduating high school students is a 3.0, which 2.5 falls below. A 2.5 means that you received a C-average for academic performance, equally out to a percentile between 73% and 76%.

Does Harvard accept 2.0 GPA? ›

The GPA requirements for Harvard University are between 3.9 to 4.1. You will need an incredibly high GPA and will likely be graduating at the top of their class in order to get into Harvard University.

Average GPA: 4.13

The average GPA at Yale is 4.13. This makes Yale Extremely Competitive for GPAs. (Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA. This school did not officially report its average GPA, but we've estimated it here using data from over 1,000 schools.)

The minimum GPA for admission into Harvard is 4.18 on a 4.0 scale on your official high school transcript. This means that you have to be an advanced placement student to stand a chance of getting admitted to Harvard University. You need to have a grade A in a higher level class, not the standard level class.

Is a 3.0 GPA Good? A 3.0 GPA is the national average for all graduating high school students. Because of this, a 3.0 GPA means that you are eligible to apply at most (if not all) colleges and your application will be competitive for admission at many institutions.

Hi there! A 4.4 GPA is indeed a strong academic foundation, but keep in mind that Harvard is a highly-selective institution with a very competitive applicant pool.

No, in practical terms you cannot get to Harvard with this GPA. Even with a 4.0 GPA your odds for Harvard would be low. But there are plenty of good public colleges that will take you.

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.

A 3.5 GPA is below average at Ivy League schools. While we wouldn't say acceptance is impossible, you'll need to offset a lower GPA with an otherwise strong application. You may be able to offset a low GPA with high test scores, thoughtful application narratives, and strong extracurricular activities.

While it's certainly possible to get into Harvard with a low GPA, as the numbers bear out, it's improbable. For the Class of 2026, a mere 2.09% of admitted students to Harvard had GPAs below 3.5. Such students often meet other institutional needs (e.g., star quarterback for the football team, development case, etc.).

Is a 3.5 GPA good? A 3.5 unweighted GPA means that you've earned an A- average across all of your classes. You're well above the national average for GPA and should have a solid chance of acceptance at a wide variety of colleges. 70.11% of schools have an average GPA below a 3.5.