The average high school GPA in the U.S. is 3.11, about a B, and the average college GPA at graduation is 3.26 in the latest federal data. Students who go on to college report higher high school GPAs: 49% of recent college starters who took the SAT or ACT reported a 3.5 or higher.
- Average high school GPA
- 3.11
- Up from 2.68 in 1990
- Average college GPA
- 3.26
- At graduation · median 3.30
- College starters with a 3.5+
- 49%
- Took the SAT or ACT
- Most selective colleges
- 3.92
- Typical average, admit under 10%
On this page · 6 sections
What is the average high school GPA?
The average high school GPA is 3.11 on a 4-point scale, which works out to roughly a B. It’s read from real transcripts collected from a national sample of graduates, with every grade put on the same scale.
Across the rounds of the study shown below, it has only gone up: 2.68, then 3.00, then 3.11 in the latest.
- 1990 graduates2.68
- 2009 graduates3.00
- 2019 graduates3.11
Note
Many high schools add points for honors, AP or IB classes, so a weighted GPA can pass 4.0. The national average counts every A as 4, so compare it with your unweighted GPA. The high school GPA calculator shows both.
Students who head to college are a different crowd, though, and their numbers run higher.
Average high school GPA of college students
College students report higher high school GPAs than the national average. Among recent college starters who took the SAT or ACT, 49% reported a GPA of 3.5 to 4.0 and 80% reported 3.0 or higher.
- 3.5–4.048.7%
- 3.0–3.431.3%
- 2.5–2.912.0%
- 2.0–2.46.6%
- Below 2.01.5%
Where students enroll makes a big difference. At private nonprofit doctoral universities, 71% of new students reported a 3.5 or higher; at community colleges, 31% did.
Note
Students reported these GPAs themselves on the SAT or ACT questionnaire, in ranges rather than exact values. Read them as a picture of where college students stand, not as an exact average.
Individual colleges publish their own figures too, and they line up closely with how selective each school is.
Average GPA at colleges by acceptance rate
Many colleges publish the average high school GPA of their new first-year students in their Common Data Set. We grouped the 243 colleges in our college database that report one by acceptance rate: the dot marks the middle college in each group, and the bar shows where the middle half of colleges fall.
- Admit 75% or more136 colleges3.46, middle half of colleges 3.35 to 3.64
- Admit 50–74%70 colleges3.58, middle half of colleges 3.44 to 3.71
- Admit 25–49%19 colleges3.76, middle half of colleges 3.62 to 3.84
- Admit 10–24%10 colleges3.85, middle half of colleges 3.82 to 3.90
- Admit under 10%8 colleges3.92, middle half of colleges 3.86 to 3.94
The lower the acceptance rate, the higher the average: 3.46 at colleges that admit 75% or more, rising to 3.92 at those that admit under 10%.
Tip
A college’s average isn’t its minimum, since half its students came in below it. Check any school’s own figure on its college page.
Once students reach college, grades are measured on a fresh scale.
What is the average college GPA?
The average college GPA at graduation is 3.26 in the latest federal data. The median is 3.30, so half of graduates finish above it, and the middle half land between 2.97 and 3.62.
- 10th percentile2.60
- 25th percentile2.97
- Median3.30
- 75th percentile3.62
- 90th percentile3.85
Graduates of private nonprofit colleges average a little higher than those of public colleges, 3.34 against 3.22. The overall average has also risen from 3.16 for graduates of 1999–2000.
These figures count students who finished a bachelor’s degree, so they don’t describe everyone who starts college.
Averages differ by field too, from 3.05 in general studies to 3.44 in education. See average GPA by major.
How does your GPA compare to the average?
Type your unweighted GPA to see it against every benchmark on this page at once: the high school average, typical averages at colleges, and where college graduates finish.
Where your GPA stands
Enter a GPA from 0.00 to 4.00.
A 3.40 is at or above 2 of these 6 national GPA marks. For colleges, the mark is the typical average GPA of their new students, on a 4.0 scale.
- High school average3.11, you meet it
- Middle college graduate3.30, you meet it
- Colleges that admit 75%+3.46, above your GPA
- Colleges that admit 50–74%3.58, above your GPA
- Top 10% of college graduates3.85, above your GPA
- Colleges that admit under 10%3.92, above your GPA
- New college students in this range
- 31%
- had a high school GPA of 3.0–3.4, among students who took the SAT or ACT.
- College graduates with a lower GPA
- About 58%
- Estimated from bachelor's graduates in the latest federal data.
Data: NAEP High School Transcript Study; NCES Beginning Postsecondary Students 2020/22 and Baccalaureate and Beyond 2016/20; colleges' Common Data Sets (243 colleges).
Why average GPAs keep rising
Both averages have gone up. High school graduates moved from 2.68 to 3.11 across the transcript studies, and college graduates from 3.16 to 3.26.
The studies show the rise, not its cause. Over the same years, high school graduates also took more and harder classes: their academic credits grew from 16.7 to 20.8 on average. Grade inflation may explain part of the rise, but the data can’t separate the two.
Takeaway
Because averages keep rising, an old rule of thumb such as “a 3.0 is good” can undersell what colleges see today. Compare yourself with recent figures, and see what counts as a good GPA for the schools and goals you have in mind.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average GPA in the U.S.?
For high school graduates it’s 3.11 on a 4.0 scale, from the latest national transcript study. For college graduates it’s 3.26 at graduation, with a median of 3.30.
What is the average GPA for college admission?
It depends on the college. Among 243 colleges that publish an average of 4.0 or below, the middle college reports 3.46 where 75% or more of applicants get in and 3.92 where fewer than 10% do.
Is the national average GPA weighted or unweighted?
Unweighted. The transcript study counts every A as 4 on one standard scale, whatever the class. Colleges report their own averages on the 4.0 scale the Common Data Set asks for, often without saying whether they’re weighted.
Why is the average college GPA higher than the high school average?
The two figures measure different students on different grading systems. The high school average covers every graduate’s transcript, while the college average covers only students who finished a bachelor’s degree, so the numbers aren’t directly comparable.
How are national average GPAs measured?
The high school average comes from real transcripts collected from a national sample of graduates. The college average comes from a federal survey that records the cumulative GPA of each bachelor’s graduate in its sample.
Sources
- 2019 NAEP High School Transcript Study resultsNational Assessment Governing Board
- How GPA is calculated in the High School Transcript StudyNational Center for Education Statistics
- Beginning Postsecondary Students 2020/22 (DataLab)National Center for Education Statistics
- Common Data Set InitiativeCommon Data Set Initiative
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System: AdmissionsNational Center for Education Statistics
- Baccalaureate and Beyond 2016/2020 (DataLab)National Center for Education Statistics
- A Descriptive Summary of 1999–2000 Bachelor’s Degree Recipients 1 Year Later, With an Analysis of Time to Degree (NCES 2003-165)National Center for Education Statistics