How high does your GPA have to be to get into an Ivy League?

Question

I go to a very competitive/vigorous (its one of the top highschools, and part of the Ivy Preparatory School league) in new york. roughly, what is the GPA range of going to an Ivy league college? I'm thinking harvard or columbia?

Answer 1

If you go to a Ivy Preparatory School member school, the admissions game is different. You need a high GPA, a high class rank, and leadership (and/or athletic) qualities. If you're a legacy with a wealthy alum relative, then your chances are much greater. If you're an underrepresented minority, you'll get a boost. If you're a white or Asian in the top 20 percent with perfect SAT scores, your chances are okay, but not good. About 4 years ago, the Wall Street Journal reported on the admissions game at Ivy league schools, and documented an Asian-American male at Groton School who was on the cross-country team, ranked in the top 20 percent, participated in extracurricular activities, and had a 1560 on the (old) SAT. He was turned down by Stanford, MIT, Brown, Columbia, and others, while his classmates with lower grades and test scores got in because they had connections.

It's not (all) about what you know, but who you know.

Now you see why being a student at an Ivy Prep League school, you are a special case. You'll be compared with other prep school and boarding school kids. (Think Andover, Exeter, Milton, Riverdale, etc.) Talk to your counselor. There might be a school with a "feeder" relationship (like NYU or Columbia). That's how it works with Stuy and other schools for smart kids.

Read the WSJ article at the link below.

Answer 2

I'm also a freshman in high school and have really thought about college as well, and I need a 4.0 to get into a really good college. I don't think you can say that you took Biology freshman year, cause Earth Science is all ready on your transcript. You can always take Biology over the summer and then you take the next science course in your sophmore year. I'm not sure if you have these classes, but if you take an Honors class (like Honors English or something) if you get an A in that class it's a 5.0 counted towards your G.P.A.

Answer 3

This is not the right place to be asking this question. Go to the websites of the Ivy league schools and see what they say about their entering classes. It is quite intimidating. :(

And what the other answer says is very true. A 4.0 will not get you in. Everyone who applies to these schools has a sky high average. You must do something more - something that really makes you stand out from the crowd.

Answer 4

Your GPA has to be about... I'd say around 3.8-4.0.
But it mostly depends on your rank in school. If you have a Ivy Prep School, everyone is smart and everyone might pull of the A's. But who pulls of the highest score?? Who is ranked the top five out of your class? That's what matters.

Answer 5

According to Princeton Review's web site, 95% of those admitted to Harvard graduated in the top 10% of their High School classes. 75% have SAT scores above 2100/2400.

Because most students who apply to these schools take AP classes, their GPAs are usually over 4.0.

If you are at a top high school, your guidance councilors can give you the best advice about schools for you.

Answer 6

For colleges like Harvard, everyone applying has a 4.0 pretty much, but they don't take everyone. So you need to stand out in some other way - like publishing a book, doing original research, or starting a non-profit. You need to be different.

Answer 7

i think the college counselors at your school would be in the best position to assess your chances at getting into any school and probably have the most up-to-date information on GPA/SAT requirements

Answer 8

My friend goes to Columbia and she had about a 4.2-4.3

Answer 9

3.8 or higher is the usual.