GPA in Graduate Admissions

Level 3 - Advanced Concepts

Welcome! Today is focused on graduate level admissions. 

One of the most common questions is whether undergraduate GPA matters in graduate admissions and what to do if you have a low undergrad GPA but still want to pursue a masters/PhD.

Before we dive into that, we need to put forth some specific assumptions and qualifiers to make sure everyone is on the same page. 

Graduate admissions is different from undergraduate admissions in the sense that undergraduate admissions tends to be much more holistic. That means graduate admissions tends to consider fewer factors than undergrad. There are several reasons for that, but that is the subject of a different post. 

It is also important to understand that different types of graduate programs will have a different emphasis on undergraduate GPA. A medical program will have a different weight on GPA than a masters program in accounting. 

For the purpose of this discussion, we are also assuming that someone is going directly (or within a few years) to a graduate program. In other words, the admissions process will look different for someone who is applying directly from undergrad to a graduate program versus someone who has been working professionally for 10 years who decides to apply to a graduate program. 

Finally, we are assuming that this is an application to a full-time program. Executive, part-time, or night classes are very different programs with very different requirements. 

With all of that out of the way, let’s dive in. 

Basics of Graduate Admissions

At its most basics, graduate admissions largely comes down to a few factors:

• GPA

• Standardized Test Scores

• Undergraduate Strength

• Relevant Experience

Some graduate programs will have other factors, but at its core, this is probably the most consistent list of factors you will find regardless of the program that you are a part of. 

The good news is that it makes it easier to know what to focus on if you are going to apply to a graduate program. 

The bad news is that it is not easy to “hide” if one of these pillars is weak. 

So if your GPA is low, what do you do?