Hi there, I'm thinking of applying to Berkeley next year, and I'm pretty stressed about their GPA expectations. What's the typical GPA for admitted students? Is there a huge difference between out-of-state and in-state GPAs? Thanks for any info you can share!
While Berkeley doesn't disclose a 'minimum' GPA requirement, stats show that the average unweighted HS GPA for its admitted students tends to be around 3.91 and the average weighted GPA is typically around 4.45.
As an in-state applicant, competition will be tough but the acceptance rate is slightly better than that for out-of-state students. It is important to note that GPA is just one aspect of the application and the admissions officers at Berkeley consider the difficulty of coursework and track academic improvement over time. Having a rigorous schedule with AP or IB courses where you've gotten good grades can certainly help to offset a slightly lower GPA.
In terms of the difference between in-state and out-of-state GPAs, the numbers fluctuate year by year and it's hard to make an accurate comparison. However, out-of-state students often face tougher competition due to the limited slots available. This means that the average GPA for out-of-state admitted students may be slightly higher.
Beyond GPA, make sure you're developing a strong application overall — solid essays, recommendation letters, and extracurriculars can also greatly enhance your application. For example, demonstrating a passion in your field of interest through extracurriculars (referred to often as having a "spike") is looked favorably upon by top colleges like Berkeley.
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