Welcome back!
No matter if you are a counselor, parent, or a student, you have probably wondered whether where you go to undergrad matters for the purposes of grad school.
If you are considering grad school, you do not want to put yourself into a situation where you have a dream grad school and are not able to get in because of the college you went to in undergrad.
On the other hand, you do not want to obsess over getting into a specific college if it does not matter in the grand scheme of things.
A few caveats before we get into this:
This is a very general answer. Your specific academic and career endeavors will drive this answer. If you need specific questions about your unique situation, please reach out to us so we can discuss in greater detail.
Unless specifically called out, we are speaking broadly. Remember, every situation will be different. This is not the time to focus on exceptions
We are assuming that for the purposes of admissions, the applicant would be a “regular” applicant. This means they do not have some other reason for being admitted (e.g., significant donation, parent is an alumni, etc.)
With that, let’s dive in.
A Bit About Grad School
Before we dive into when undergraduate matters, there are a few key things to know about grad school.
In general, graduate school admissions do not consider as many factors as undergraduate admissions do. For example, undergraduate admissions will consider if someone is a first-generation applicant, while graduate schools often will not. As a result, GPA, rigor of coursework, and standardized testing will largely drive initial admissions review.
Some programs will require specific courses to be completed, and some will not. For example, a PA program requires specific courses, while law school does not have specific educational requirements.
There are multiple paths to achieving specific career outcomes. For example, whether you go to Yale Law or Campbell School of Law, you can still become a lawyer, but whether you can achieve the exact same outcomes is debatable.
When Your Undergrad Matters
The following situations are times when your undergraduate college matters for acceptance to grad school:
If your undergraduate GPA is not strong
Obviously, everyone expects that they will go to college and be a high achiever. But sometimes, things happen, and a student with a goal of a 4.0 ends up with a 3.5. While a 3.5 from college is not necessarily bad, it can be very impactful when you are considering grad school.
Remember, grad school does not typically consider as wide an array of factors as undergrad does. With a de-emphasis on standardized testing, GPA is becoming even more important.
That’s where undergrad becomes more meaningful. Not all undergraduate colleges are the same. And in competitive admissions, GPA is not viewed in isolation. A 3.8 from an elite college will be more valuable than a 4.0 from a non-competitive college.
If you are looking for greater weight to your GPA, you should consider where you go to college.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Admissions Decisions to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.