College Admissions Forum

Most successful Ivy applicants have near-perfect unweighted GPAs, think 3.9–4.0 on a 4.0 scale.
Why: Ivies see tons of straight-A students, so an unweighted GPA below ~3.8 makes admission much harder unless other parts of your application are exceptional.

A few things to keep in mind:

Unweighted vs. weighted: Schools report both differently. A 4.0 unweighted means all A’s; a 4.5+ weighted often reflects AP/IB/honors classes. Admissions care about both GPA and course rigor.

Context matters: Grade scale at your high school, class rank, and trends (rising grades > falling) are important.

Extras matter too: Top extracurriculars, essays, recommendations, and demonstrated interest/fit can offset a tiny GPA gap — but don’t count on it alone.

Tips: aim for strong grades in core academic courses, take challenging classes you can handle, and explain any unusual circumstances in the application.

Anyone here applied with a 3.7–3.8 unweighted and got into an Ivy? Share your story — curious about what made the application stand out.