Hey everyone, so I'm seriously thinking about applying to Washington University in St. Louis (WashU). Does anyone know what sort of GPA they usually look for in applicants? Do they prefer weighted or unweighted GPAs? Any advice would be awesome!
Hello! Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a highly selective institution and they generally look for students who have performed exceptionally well throughout high school. While there's no absolute GPA cutoff, you'll want to aim high — a majority of accepted students have GPAs in the top 10% of their class.
As per the most recent data, the average GPA of accepted students is around 4.22 on a weighted 4.0 scale. Keep in mind that while these numbers give you a ballpark, the admissions process will take other factors into account like your course rigor, extracurriculars, essays, rec letters, and SAT/ACT scores (if you choose to submit them).
Regarding your question about weighted vs unweighted GPAs, WashU takes both into consideration. They understand that each high school has a different way of calculating GPA, so they re-calculate all GPAs on a standard 4.0 scale for the sake of uniformity. However, they do value the fact that you took more rigorous coursework (like AP, IB, or Honors), which is generally what leads to a weighted GPA. So, even though the weight might not directly impact your GPA in their calculation, the challenging coursework will certainly be noted.
Hope this info allays some of your worries. Best of luck with your application to WashU!
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