Do you have a 2.6 GPA? Are you wondering whether a 2.6 is good, and what colleges you can get into with a 2.6?
We've written the most detailed guide to your GPA here:
- Find out which colleges you can get into with a 2.6 GPA.
- Learn how you can raise your GPA.
- Learn what you should be doing to maximize your chances of getting into the best colleges.
Quick disclaimer: unlike standardized test scores like SAT/ACT, GPA policies vary from high school to high school and from college to college. Some use weighted GPAs and others use unweighted GPAs. In this guide, we’ll generally talk about unweighted GPAs and compare you on a national and college level.
As we'll explain below, the actual GPA number is just one dimension of your coursework. The difficulty of your courseload is important - the more difficult your classes, the more colleges are willing to excuse a dip in GPA.
Finally, even though this guide focuses on a 2.6 GPA, our advice is the same for close GPAs, like 2.62 and 2.58 GPAs. You can use this guide for all GPAs between 2.5500000000000003 and 2.64.
Is a 2.6 GPA good?
A 2.6 GPA indicates that you've been earning mostly B-s in your classes. This is a lower than average GPA, so it will greatly limit your options for college, but you'll still have a small set of schools where you can expect to be accepted.
We've analyzed the student profiles at 1500+ colleges across the United States and the average GPA of its incoming students. Here's how a 2.6 GPA compares to the nation:
-
Percentile:
2nd
2.74% of schools have an average GPA below a 2.6.
-
Competitive For:
43 Schools
You can apply to colleges and have a good shot at getting admitted.
-
Missing Out On:
1526 Schools
You have a low chance of getting into with a 2.6 GPA.
To elaborate, the national average for GPA is around a 3.0, so a 2.6 puts you below average nationally. Keep in mind the 3.0 national average represents all students, not just students applying to college, so the average GPA of students admitted to colleges is higher than the national average.
Here's more custom advice for you if you have a 2.6 GPA. Click your grade level to see our evaluation.
The start of high school classes may have been difficult for you, but that's ok. If your GPA as a freshman is a 2.6, you still have time to bring up your grades. Most people's GPAs change between freshman and senior year. If you really step up your academic efforts, you have a good chance of increasing your GPA by at least a few tenths of a point. You may not have any colleges in mind yet, but if you do you can search for them with the tool below and check your chances of admission. You can give yourself more motivation by changing this page to a slightly higher GPA and seeing how many more schools you might be able to get into.
If you've maintained a 2.6 GPA for the first two years of high school, this is the time to reevaluate your study habits and see if there's any way for you to improve. Junior year is your last chance to raise your GPA and give yourself more options for college. With your current GPA, it will be hard to find very many schools where you're likely to be accepted. Even if you do slightly better your junior year, you'll open up a lot more possibilities for yourself. If you have any schools in mind, you can look them up in the next section and see how strong your chances of admission are with your current GPA.
At this point, you're not going to be able to change your GPA much before college applications are due. A 2.6 GPA will limit you quite a bit in terms of where you can count on being accepted, but you shouldn't have a problem getting in somewhere if you do your research. You may already be thinking about where you want to apply. If you have any ideas, look them up with the search tool in the next section to see if you have a chance at being accepted. Make sure you think critically about including a solid safety school so that you don't leave yourself without any options.
You're a senior, so you've most likely already decided where you plan on applying to college. Though your GPA is on the lower side, you should still be able to count on acceptance at a few less selective schools. Make sure you're careful in the application process and don't leave yourself without any safe options. If you want to check on your chances of admission at the schools you chose, search for them with the tool in the next section.
Your Chances With a 2.6 GPA
This is probably the biggest question on your mind. What colleges can you get into with a 2.6? What are your chances of admission at your top choice schools?
We've built a custom admissions calculator that calculates your chances based on the 3 most important factors to determining your chance of admissions:
- The school's admission rate
- Your GPA
- Your SAT/ACT score
Here's how to use this calculator:
- Choose the SAT or the ACT, depending on which you're taking
- Choose your current SAT/ACT score
- Enter the name of each college you're interested in
- Change your SAT/ACT score to see how your chances change
How would your chances improve with a better score?
Try to take your current SAT score and add 160 points (or take your ACT score and add 4 points) to the calculator above. See how much your chances improve?
This is important when you're considering your GPA. You probably know how hard it is to pull up your grades and GPA. If you improve your SAT/ACT score, you'll be able to show colleges that you're academically prepared for college.
At PrepScholar, we've created the leading online SAT/ACT prep program. We guarantee an improvement of 160 SAT points or 4 ACT points on your score, or your money back.
Here's a summary of why we're so much more effective than other prep programs:
- PrepScholar customizes your prep to your strengths and weaknesses. You don't waste time working on areas you already know, so you get more results in less time.
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- Our team is made of national SAT/ACT experts. PrepScholar's founders are Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. You'll be studying using the strategies that actually worked for them.
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There's a lot more to PrepScholar that makes it the best SAT/ACT prep program. Click to learn more about our program, or sign up for our 5-day free trial to check out PrepScholar for yourself:
Can You Improve Your GPA?
We’re not going to sugarcoat it: GPAs aren’t easy to improve. The later you are in high school, the less your GPA will change before you apply to college.
For example, if you're currently a junior in high school, your grades in freshman and sophomore year will anchor your GPA so that your junior grades won't be able to change your total GPA much.
Here's a calculator for you to see how much your GPA can improve in different cases. Choose your current grade level, and then choose your future grades up until college applications. We'll show you how high or low your GPA can be, depending on your grades from now forward.
| Your Grade Level | Current GPA | Semesters Remaining | Future Grades | GPA for Applications |
2.6 |
0 | 2.6 |
Warning: Because you have no semesters left, your GPA won't change by the time college applications are due. You'll need to apply with a 2.6 GPA. As we explain next, your best chance at improving your chances of getting in may be to improve your SAT/ACT score.
Final Verdict and Advice
While your GPA is currently below average, you still have a couple years of high school left to make improvements. A 2.6 will significantly limit your options for college, so you should work on raising your grades as soon as possible. If there are any classes that you struggle with in particular, make a point of going for extra help and putting in more time and effort.
You should also start studying for standardized tests as soon as you can - high scores make a big difference in your college applications. Above all, don't get discouraged. With at least two full school years left before you apply to college, your GPA has the potential to change significantly. Even raising it a few tenths of a point will give you many more college choices!
Based on the results from your college searches above, you can see that a 2.6 will limit your options quite a bit. Since it's your sophomore year, you still have another couple of semesters to improve your GPA before it's set in stone. Try to step up your focus junior year and make significant changes. Even if your GPA doesn't increase by much, colleges will notice if you show initiative and growth in your academic performance.
You should also think about studying for standardized tests so that you end up with high scores that will increase your chances of admission at many schools despite a lower GPA. Planning your junior year well in terms of both standardized tests and classes will be key for college admissions.
There's not much you can do to change your GPA if it's already your junior year, but you should still keep working hard in your classes and do all that you can to raise your grades. If you're concerned about getting into college based on the results for your admissions chances at schools that interest you, you should focus on studying for standardized tests and improving your scores. Standardized test scores are almost as significant as GPA as a factor on college applications, but it takes much less time and effort to improve them. Raising your scores a few hundred points could have a huge positive impact on your admissions chances.
As a senior, it's likely that you've already sent in some of your college applications or are at least starting the application process. Your GPA can't be changed at this point, so you're facing some inevitable limitations on the number of schools where you can expect to be admitted.
If it's still early on in your senior year, you might consider taking the SAT or ACT again to try and raise your scores and give yourself a better shot at admission at more selective schools. You can often send these scores to colleges as late as February of your senior year. At this point, you should just make sure that you're responsible in sending out your applications. Give yourself at least one or two safe options so that you're covered in case you don't get accepted at schools that are slightly more selective.
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and ACT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
Colleges that Accept a 2.6 GPA
We've picked out a set of schools that are within range. Click on each school to learn more about it.
Reach Schools: Harder to Get Into
These schools are hard for you to get into now, because their average GPA is higher than a 2.6. But if you improve your SAT or ACT score, you'll have a much better shot.
| School Name | Location | SAT | ACT | GPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| College at Brockport | Brockport, NY | 1148 | 23 | 2.86 |
| Buffalo State University | Buffalo, NY | 1060 | 2.9 |
Same Level: Equally Hard to Get Into
These schools have average GPAs that are close to 2.6. If you apply to these schools, you'll have a decent chance of admission. If you improve your SAT or ACT scores, you'll significantly improve your chances .
| School Name | Location | SAT | ACT | GPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame College | South Euclid, OH | 1030 | 20 | 2.88 |
| Metropolitan State University of Denver | Denver, CO | 1015 | 20 | 2.56 |
| University of Mount Olive | Mount Olive, NC | 1010 | 18 | 2.85 |
| University of Arkansas at Monticello | Monticello, AR | 1010 | 19 | 2.71 |
| St. Francis College | Brooklyn Heights, NY | 1000 | 20 | 2.9 |
| Post University | Waterbury, CT | 990 | 19 | 2.68 |
| University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | Pine Bluff, AR | 980 | 18 | 2.9 |
| Southern Vermont College | Bennington, VT | 970 | 18 | 2.35 |
| Calumet College of St. Joseph | Whiting, IN | 960 | 15 | 2.61 |
| Saint Elizabeth University | Morristown, NJ | 950 | 16 | 2.6 |
| College of St. Joseph | Rutland, VT | 940 | 19 | 2.8 |
Safety Schools: Easier to Get Into
With a GPA of 2.6, you're already strongly competitive for these schools. You're very likely to get admitted if you apply. If you improve your SAT or ACT score, your Safety Schools will get better and better.
| School Name | Location | SAT | ACT | GPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of the Southwest | Hobbs, NM | 935 | 18 | 2.63 |
| Cheyney University of Pennsylvania | Cheyney, PA | 890 | 18 | 2.37 |
| Edward Waters University | Jacksonville, FL | 880 | 16 | 2.64 |
| Pine Manor College | Chestnut Hill, MA | 870 | 15 | 2.6 |
| Paul Quinn College | Dallas, TX | 840 | 16 | 2.6 |
| Wiley College | Marshall, TX | 830 | 16 | 2.53 |
| Albany State University | Albany, GA | 830 | 17 | 2.77 |
| Medgar Evers College (City University of New York) | Brooklyn, NY | 820 | 14 | 2.82 |
| Central State University | Wilberforce, OH | 800 | 15 | 2.8 |
| Lane College | Jackson, TN | 780 | 15 | 2.57 |
| Bloomfield College | Bloomfield, NJ | 629 | 17 | 2.69 |
Change My GPA
Curious about what your profile is with a different GPA? Choose any GPA to see what you'd be able to do!
Analyze Your SAT/ACT Score
Wondering about how competitive your current SAT or ACT score is? We've created strategy guides for each SAT and ACT score so you can see what your chances are at schools, and what will happen if you improve your score.
Data on this page is sourced from Peterson's Databases © 2023 (Peterson's LLC. All rights reserved.) as well as additional publicly available sources.
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