What is the Average GPA? And How does it work?

Grade Point Average (GPA) is a measure of academic performance, representing the average of all grades achieved by a student across their course load. It’s an important factor that colleges and employers consider when assessing potential candidates.

In the US, GPA is calculated with a four-point scale: 

What is the average GPA for colleges?

Do you want to go to graduate college after school? 

Then you need to pay attention to your GPA score. You GPA matters when going through the application process. 

Even when companies are hiring – they look at your GPA. This does not necessarily prove that you are or aren’t a hard worker, but it does allow them to understand a little bit more about your work ethic and dedication to working towards your goals. 

The average GPA for college students in America stands at 3.15 – or roughly a B. Due to a widely observed phenomenon known as grade “inflation”. According to CollegeVine grade inflation is when school ‘give out’ higher marks to their students. 

Those looking to attend postgraduate education or take up certain professions should pay close attention to their GPA, as it can play a major part in the application process.

In high school, your GPA is very important. The average GPA in 2020 was 3.0, which is higher than the average from 2000 which was 2.68. Where you go to school and where you come from can affect your GPA too. Confidence can play a role too.

Now let’s look at some facts

• Brown University has the highest average GPA at 3.71. 
• Stanford University is very close with a 3.66 rating. 
• Harvard and Yale are also close with 3.64 and 3.62 respectively.

The average grades (GPA) in each state can be different. 

• South Carolina had the highest GPA with 3.48 
• Followed by Mississippi with 3.42 
• North Carolina with 3.37 
• and Virginia with 3.36. 

Other things like the school curriculum or teaching style can also have an effect on student grades over time.

Public Schools in the South have experienced higher grades in recent years, but tuition prices have stayed the same. 

Private schools usually experience better grades.

Girls get slightly higher scores than boys. This is because more girls are graduating with mid-level courses (49%) while boys only graduate this level 43% of the time. Since 1990, fewer girls finish below standard levels – only 23% now compared to 61% back then.

Most people get lower grades in college than they did in high school. 

On average, you will get 0.66 points lower in college than you did in high school. The average grade in high school is 3.36 and the average grade in college is 2.70. If your ACT score was higher, your grades will go down less from high school to college compared to someone with a lower ACT score. 

For example, if you had an ACT score of 12, your grades would be 0.84 points lower and for someone with an ACT score of 34 their grades would only be 0.31 points lower than their high school grade on average.