{"id":24137,"date":"2020-05-05T23:46:07","date_gmt":"2020-05-06T04:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/?p=24137"},"modified":"2025-03-03T18:15:54","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T18:15:54","slug":"how-to-get-into-college-with-a-low-gpa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/pre-college\/how-to-get-into-college-with-a-low-gpa\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get into College with a Low GPA"},"content":{"rendered":"<div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-first  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><img class='wp-image-47937 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-47937 avia_image' src=\"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-content\/uploads\/How-to-Get-into-College-with-a-Low-GPA.png\" alt='' title='How to Get into College with a Low GPA' height=\"554\" width=\"1600\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h1>How to Get into College with a Low GPA<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/section>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re looking up how to get into college with a low GPA, you\u2019re already ahead of the pack \u2014 and you\u2019re committed to a challenging goal. Of course your high school GPA is important, but it\u2019s not the whole story.\u00a0In the best case scenario, your GPA reflects consistent success due to hard work during your high school career. But what happens when you can\u2019t apply to college under these ideal conditions and have to apply with a low or lower-than-average GPA? It turns out, there\u2019s lots you can do to get into college with a low GPA.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n<div  class='avia-icon-list-container   avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_promobox '><ul class='avia-icon-list avia-icon-list-left av-iconlist-big avia_animate_when_almost_visible avia-iconlist-animate'>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue812' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Offset a Lower GPA with a Stellar SAT or ACT Score<\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By the time you\u2019re applying to college, most of your high school years are behind you. This means that there isn\u2019t much you can do to impact your GPA in a huge way in your senior year. Your SAT or ACT score, on the other hand, is completely in your control and you can greatly impact your score with just a few months of studying. Although colleges will look at your application holistically, meaning that they\u2019ll look at you as a whole \u201cpackage,\u201d the only two quantitative measures colleges have to rely on are your GPA and SAT or ACT score. If your GPA is on the lower end, make sure your test score is on the very high end of the curve. This will show admissions officers that you have the critical thinking skills to succeed in college-level classes. Best of all, unlike your GPA at this point, you can have multiple opportunities to perfect your test score before you submit your application.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue812' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Bolster Your \u201cNumbers\u201d with Other Tests<\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to getting the best score you can on your SAT or ACT, you can show college admissions committees that you have a strong grasp of academic subjects by taking AP or SAT II exams in the subjects you struggled in. Your grades could have been affected by a number of factors, but if you\u2019re were committed to remediating those subjects, show that off with a solid AP score (which could also earn you college credit) or SAT subject test score. Beyond proving that you\u2019ve addressed your weakness from class, this shows that you can overcome setbacks.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue812' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Explain. Don\u2019t Make Excuses or Assumptions<\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Admissions officers are going to see your grades and overall GPA, so you might as well address a low GPA head-on. Remember that admissions officers understand that high school students don\u2019t all follow the same path to college and they understand that things can happen in your life that will affect your school performance. Whatever the reason, address it in your application in plain, honest terms, and most importantly, show what you\u2019ve learned from the situation. Maybe you weren\u2019t ready to take on tougher classes in freshman year, or you had to take a part-time job to help support your family, or you dealt with an illness or a death in the family. Show your learning and your resilience and how you got better. It\u2019s equally important to not make excuses or blame others \u2014 your English teacher probably didn\u2019t hate you \u2014 and to take responsibility for what you could have done. Lastly, try to avoid the \u201cif it weren\u2019t for this one thing, I surely would have gotten an A in the class.\u201d You don\u2019t know that. If it\u2019s your freshman and sophomore grades that affect your GPA the most, showing an upward trend can help; settling in to high school demands can take some time, but if you turned it around come junior and senior year, that\u2019s a trend that\u2019s more likely to continue.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue812' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >You\u2019re So Much More Than Your GPA<\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your grades and your SAT or ACT score tell a small part of your story and they certainly don\u2019t tell who you are as a person or even who you could be as a college student. While you should continue to do your best in your academics, show off everything else you\u2019ve done during your high school career. Did you keep a regular volunteer shift, start a student club that made a difference in your school, or juggle other duties like athletics, work, or all of the above? Showing that you also have leadership skills, the ability to manage your time, or the maturity to manage a workload in addition to school can show admissions officers that you\u2019re ready to take on college. Your teachers, guidance counselor, and people you\u2019ve worked or volunteered with may also be able to write letters or recommendation for you that speak to these \u201csoft\u201d skills.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue812' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Check Out Alternative Paths to College<\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are limitless paths to college, so even if you have to take a detour or two, stay focused on your goals. Some colleges that you apply to might have programs for conditional admission, where you\u2019ll take some remedial courses and participate in college-readiness programming. These programs are designed to make sure that once you\u2019re in college, you\u2019re set up for success. You can also look at starting out in community college. You can ease into the rigors of college-level academics and be around advisors and professors who know how to help. <a href=\"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/pre-college\/whats-the-difference-between-community-college-and-university\/\">Community college<\/a> will allow you to build a good GPA history and show you\u2019re ready to take on tough classes plus you can save on those tuition costs. After two years, you can transfer to and graduate from a four-year school, just make sure you\u2019re on top of credit transfers.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n\t<div   class='av_promobox  avia-button-yes   avia-builder-el-4  el_after_av_iconlist  el_before_av_sidebar '>\t\t<div class='avia-promocontent'><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Want to start working on your SAT or ACT score right now? Check out our mini-quiz.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><div  class='avia-button-wrap avia-button-right ' ><a href=' https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/sat\/sat-vs-act'  class='avia-button  avia-color-theme-color   avia-icon_select-no avia-size-large avia-position-right '   ><span class='avia_iconbox_title' >ACT vs. SAT Mini-quiz<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<div  class='avia-builder-widget-area clearfix  avia-builder-el-5  el_after_av_promobox  el_before_av_postcontent  avia-builder-el-last '><div id=\"text-74\" class=\"widget clearfix widget_text\">\t\t\t<div class=\"textwidget\"><p><span data-sumome-listbuilder-embed-id=\"abcf7e42f95202964683adf111250b7472e96ead15100d520b72eb4609e079e8\"><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><div id=\"text-75\" class=\"widget clearfix widget_text\">\t\t\t<div class=\"textwidget\"><p><span data-sumome-listbuilder-embed-id=\"8fdc0a662abaec34c4fe4aec6c26b99c898b65c7c231689a40e329ebfaf6a105\"><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div   data-autoplay=''  data-interval='5'  data-animation='fade'  data-show_slide_delay='90'  class='avia-content-slider avia-content-slider-active avia-content-slider1 avia-content-slider-odd  avia-builder-el-7  el_after_av_postcontent  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  '  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Blog\" ><div class='avia-content-slider-inner'><div class='slide-entry-wrap'><article class='slide-entry flex_column  post-entry post-entry-12224 slide-entry-overview slide-loop-1 slide-parity-odd  av_one_third first fake-thumbnail post-format-standard'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><a href='https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/sat\/picking-the-right-college\/' data-rel='slide-1' class='slide-image' title='Picking the Right College'><span class=' fallback-post-type-icon' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue836' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><span class='slider-fallback-image'><\/span><\/a><div class='slide-content'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h3 class='slide-entry-title entry-title '  itemprop=\"headline\" ><a href='https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/sat\/picking-the-right-college\/' title='Picking the Right College'>Picking the Right College<\/a><\/h3><span class=\"av-vertical-delimiter\"><\/span><\/header><div class='slide-meta'><time class='slide-meta-time updated'  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2021-05-28T08:14:44+00:00\" >May 28, 2021<\/time><\/div><div class='slide-entry-excerpt entry-content'  itemprop=\"text\" >Where you go to college is as much up to you, the applicant,\u2026<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><span class='hidden'>\r\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" >\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'><\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='height'>0<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='width'>0<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"publisher\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Organization\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" >\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='name'>admin<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='logo' itemscope itemtype='https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject'>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>http:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/kaplan_logo_purple_726-4.png<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" ><span itemprop='name'>admin<\/span><\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2020-05-05T23:46:07+00:00\" >2021-05-28 08:14:44<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"dateModified\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/dateModified\" >2021-06-15 16:17:50<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"mainEntityOfPage\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/mainEntityOfPage\" ><span itemprop='name'>Picking the Right College<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/article><article class='slide-entry flex_column  post-entry post-entry-15709 slide-entry-overview slide-loop-2 slide-parity-even  post-entry-last  av_one_third  fake-thumbnail post-format-standard'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><a href='https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/college-parents\/my-daughters-college-admission-journey\/' data-rel='slide-1' class='slide-image' title='My Daughter&#039;s College Admission Journey'><span class=' fallback-post-type-icon' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue836' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><span class='slider-fallback-image'><\/span><\/a><div class='slide-content'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h3 class='slide-entry-title entry-title '  itemprop=\"headline\" ><a href='https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/college-parents\/my-daughters-college-admission-journey\/' title='My Daughter&#039;s College Admission Journey'>My Daughter&#039;s College Admission Journey<\/a><\/h3><span class=\"av-vertical-delimiter\"><\/span><\/header><div class='slide-meta'><time class='slide-meta-time updated'  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2020-06-01T09:22:15+00:00\" >June 1, 2020<\/time><\/div><div class='slide-entry-excerpt entry-content'  itemprop=\"text\" >After a year plus-long process of preparing for the SAT and ACT\u2014numerous\u2026<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><span class='hidden'>\r\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" >\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'><\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='height'>0<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='width'>0<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"publisher\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Organization\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" >\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='name'>admin<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='logo' itemscope itemtype='https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject'>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>http:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/kaplan_logo_purple_726-4.png<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" ><span itemprop='name'>admin<\/span><\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2020-05-05T23:46:07+00:00\" >2020-06-01 09:22:15<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"dateModified\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/dateModified\" >2020-09-11 20:39:49<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"mainEntityOfPage\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/mainEntityOfPage\" ><span itemprop='name'>My Daughter&#039;s College Admission Journey<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/article><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47937,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[129],"tags":[128],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24137"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24137"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24137\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47938,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24137\/revisions\/47938"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}