Harvard University’s Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, William Fitzsimmons, once asserted that Harvard rejects five classes worth of students with perfect grades and perfect scores. After all, Harvard has its pick of the litter among students with such numbers (for the Harvard Class of 2026, 72.91% of students boasted perfect GPAs), so it’s not only about having top grades and scores when seeking admission to one of the world’s most selective institutions.
That said, what kind of GPA does a student need when applying to Harvard? Let’s take a close gander at the data over the last three years.
Harvard Admissions Rate
First, just how difficult is it to get into Harvard? For applicants to Harvard’s Class of 2027, a mere 3.41% earned admission. For the Class of 2026, this figure stood at an even lower 3.19%.
What is a Good GPA for Getting into Harvard?
GPA
Percentage of Harvard University Class of 2026
4.0
72.91%
3.75-3.99
20.82%
3.5-3.74
4.18%
3.25-3.49
1.3%
3.0-3.24
0.43%
2.5-2.99
0.29%
2.0-2.49
0.07%
GPA Percentage of Harvard University Class of 2025
So, last year, 72.91% of students who enrolled in Harvard’s Class of 2026 boasted perfect GPAs, while 75.76% of students in Harvard’s Class of 2025 and 70.55% of students in Harvard’s Class of 2024 had perfect GPAs. And for all three admissions cycles, most of the remaining students in each class boasted GPAs in the 3.75-3.99 range.
But remember, while most students admitted to Harvard choose to enroll (Harvard often boasts a yield of over 80%), imagine how many students who did not earn admission to the Ivy League institution also submitted perfect or near-perfect GPAs.
It’s why we will not offer an answer when parents rattle off their child’s GPA during free consultations with Ivy Coach and ask if they can get into Harvard. Without context — including the high school attended, the rigor of the student’s coursework, their extracurriculars, essays, letters of recommendation, and so much more — the answer would be meaningless.
Harvard, after all, like all of America’s highly selective universities, has a holistic admissions process. If it were just about a student’s GPA, the institution would be overfilled with students –many of them dull students.
Can I Get into Harvard with a Low GPA?
While it’s certainly possible to get into Harvard with a low GPA, as the numbers bear out, it’s improbable. For the Class of 2026, a mere 2.09% of admitted students to Harvard had GPAs below 3.5. Such students often meet other institutional needs (e.g., star quarterback for the football team, development case, etc.).
How Ivy Coach Can Gauge Your Child’s Chances at Harvard
If you’re interested in discerning if your child has a shot of getting into Harvard, we recommend setting up Ivy Coach’s Strategy Session. Not only will you find out if your child has a chance of getting into Harvard, but you’ll receive a game plan of how your child can optimize their admission to the best school possible. To learn more about Ivy Coach’s Strategy Session, fill out ourfree consultation form, and we’ll be in touch.
You are permitted to use www.ivycoach.com (including the content of the Blog) for your personal, non-commercial use only. You must not copy, download, print, or otherwise distribute the content on our site without the prior written consent of Ivy Coach, Inc.
Related Articles
Yale University Class of 2028 Admissions Statistics
April 1, 2024
Columbia University Class of 2028 Admissions Statistics
20.47% had a GPA between 3.75 and 3.99, and 4.04% had a GPA between 3.5 and 3.74. 92.2% of enrollees graduated in the top tenth of their high school class, and 97.6% graduated in the top quarter. The average weighted high school GPA for a student admitted to the Class of 2027 was 4.2.
It's true that a 3.5 GPA might be considered low for Harvard, but it doesn't mean that your application will be dismissed entirely. Your unique background and achievements could compensate for your GPA to some extent.
If you don't pass their SAT/ACT and GPA requirements, they'll likely reject you without much consideration. To have the best shot of getting in, you should aim for the 75th percentile, with a 1580 SAT or a 36 ACT. You should also have a 4 GPA or higher.
The GPA requirements for Harvard University are between 3.9 to 4.1. You will need an incredibly high GPA and will likely be graduating at the top of their class in order to get into Harvard University.
While it's certainly possible to get into Harvard with a low GPA, as the numbers bear out, it's improbable. For the Class of 2026, a mere 2.09% of admitted students to Harvard had GPAs below 3.5. Such students often meet other institutional needs (e.g., star quarterback for the football team, development case, etc.).
What GPA do I need to get into Harvard? To be considered for admission to Harvard, you must earn top grades in high school. According to College Data, 76% of the admitted freshmen in the class of 2026 had a GPA of 4.0 or above, and 18% had GPAs from 3.78 to 3.99.
For example, Harvard states they don't have a minimum GPA requirement, but the average GPA of students accepted to Harvard is 3.9, and the average MCAT score is 520.59. While Harvard says they take the complete background of each applicant into account, high grades are clearly a critical factor.
Yale University does not have a strict minimum GPA requirement for undergraduate admissions. However, admitted students typically have very high GPAs, ranging from 3.8 to 4.0, with an average GPA of 3.9.
The average GPA at Yale is 4.13. This makes Yale Extremely Competitive for GPAs. (Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA. This school did not officially report its average GPA, but we've estimated it here using data from over 1,000 schools.)
However, in our experience working with Harvard applicants, you will need a 3.9 or better. This is not to say that your chances are nonexistent with a GPA below that mark, but a 3.9-4.0 GPA will give you the most favorable odds.
While a 1400 makes you eligible to apply to places such as Harvard, Yale, and the University of Pennsylvania, it won't make you a competitive candidate.
Harvard University does not have a strict minimum GPA requirement for undergraduate admissions. However, admitted students typically have very high GPAs, ranging from 3.8 to 4.0, with an average GPA of 3.9.
If you're aiming for a top university such as the Ivy Leagues, a 4.0 average – or close to – is expected. To make things a little more complicated, GPAs on the traditional 4.0 scale are considered "unweighted", which can be problematic because it doesn't take the difficulty levels of classes into account.
You'll need to rely on other impressive achievements to improve your chances. Fortunately, even though a 3.5 GPA itself might not suffice, it isn't far from a GPA that will. A GPA of 3.7 is enough competitiveness to win you serious consideration for an Ivy League offer.
It's worth noting that a 3.0 GPA does not automatically disqualify you from consideration for admission to Harvard, and there have been students with lower GPAs who have been admitted in the past.
Yes, a 3.5 high school GPA is fine. While elite institutions like Ivy Leagues, some fancy liberal arts schools, and even several “Public Ivies” (like Berkeley or UMich) require a much higher high school GPA, most colleges in the country will happily accept your very decent grades.
Introduction: My name is Aracelis Kilback, I am a nice, gentle, agreeable, joyous, attractive, combative, gifted person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
