Do you have a 1.6 GPA? Are you wondering whether a 1.6 is good, and what colleges you can get into with a 1.6?
We've written the most detailed guide to your GPA here:
- Find out which colleges you can get into with a 1.6 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 1.6 GPA, our advice is the same for close GPAs, like 1.62 and 1.58 GPAs. You can use this guide for all GPAs between 1.55 and 1.6400000000000001.
Is a 1.6 GPA good?
If your GPA is a 1.6, you have a C- average across all of your classes. A GPA that's below a 2.0 will make it difficult for you to get into college.
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 1.6 GPA compares to the nation:
-
Competitive For:
0 Schools
You can apply to colleges and have a good shot at getting admitted.
-
Missing Out On:
1574 Schools
You have a low chance of getting into with a 1.6 GPA.
To elaborate, the national average for GPA is around a 3.0, so a 1.6 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 1.6 GPA. Click your grade level to see our evaluation.
The good news is that as a freshman, you have plenty of time to improve your grades. With most of your classwork ahead of you, you can boost your GPA from a 1.6 to the 2.0-3.0 range if you understand where you're falling short and work hard to improve your grades. We want to be serious but encouraging - if you don't improve your GPA from this point on, your chances of getting into a 4-year college are slim. But with hard work and smart work, you can turn this around. Using our tool below, enter a few schools you might be interested in applying to and figure out your chances with your current GPA.
At this stage, it will be more difficult to improve your GPA. A 1.6 is a GPA that will put you at risk of not getting into college. Luckily, you still have your junior year to raise your grades. If you work very hard and earn B+s or higher in your classes, you may be able to get your GPA to a 2.5 or higher before application time rolls around. Next year is really your last shot to put in the effort and get your GPA to a point where you have more college options. You can see your chances of admission to schools that you're interested in with your current GPA by using our search tool in the next section. It may be even more helpful for you to use the tool in the following section to check how much you can improve your GPA before senior year.
It's very hard to change your GPA once you get to your junior year in high school. Unfortunately, with a 1.6, this means that you'll have a tough time in the college application process. You may be able to raise your GPA slightly if it's only the first semester of your junior year, but it probably won't be significant enough to make a big difference in your options for college. At this level, any school where you apply will end up being at least somewhat of a reach. You can look up any schools that interest you in the next section to see your chances of admission with this GPA.
Unfortunately, if it's your senior year, you're not going to be able to change your GPA at all before you apply to colleges. A 1.6 is below the level of the average accepted student at all the colleges we have in our database, so it will put a strain on the application process. You'll need to accept that every school where you apply will end up being a reach for you. If you want to see the statistics on your chances of admission for the schools where you've chosen to apply, you can look up schools in the next section.
Your Chances With a 1.6 GPA
This is probably the biggest question on your mind. What colleges can you get into with a 1.6? 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.
- We guide you through your program step-by-step so that you're never confused about what you should be studying. Focus all your time learning, not worrying about what to learn.
- 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.
- We've gotten tremendous results with thousands of students across the country. Read about our score results and reviews from our happy customers.
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 |
1.6 |
0 | 1.6 |
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 1.6 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
Even if the past year has been tough on you, you can still turn things around. Low freshman year GPAs are common because many students have trouble adjusting to the social and academic landscape of high school. You have the potential to change your GPA significantly if you're serious about fixing your study habits and filling gaps in your understanding. Now is the time to ask for help if you need it! Over the course of the next two years, you can potentially make dramatic changes to your GPA and get it up to a level where you'll have better options for college. At this point, it's all up to you - if you're willing to be proactive, you'll start to see positive results.
If you're struggling in your classes, it's not too late to bring up your GPA. You still have at least one full year of high school left before college applications, so try to make it count! As you can see from the rest of this article, your current GPA is low enough that it will put you at serious risk of not getting into college. If you push yourself your junior year, you may be able to get it up to a level that's compatible with admissions requirements at some schools.
Now is also a good time to start thinking seriously about standardized tests. You should begin preparations so that you're ready to take the SAT or ACT for the first time near the beginning of your junior year. High test scores can drastically increase your chances of college admission with a low GPA.
This late in the game, you're going to have to take some serious stock of your options. If you've used the tools presented in this article, you know that your GPA puts you at risk of not getting into college. If you're currently feeling lost in any of your classes, reach out for help and put in the effort to improve your grades.Even a bit of improvement this year will give you a better shot at being accepted.
You should also devote a significant amount of focus to studying for standardized tests. If you have decent test scores, schools may be more inclined to forgive a very low GPA. With some dedicated studying and a concentrated effort to raise your grades this year, you will end up with a much better chance at college.
Though you've already begun the college application process, hopefully this article was helpful in assessing the possibilities that are in front of you. Unfortunately, your GPA may leave you with very few options for college at this point. To increase your chances of acceptance, you might consider retaking the SAT or ACT.
Even if you've already sent out applications, you should keep in mind that you can usually send schools new test scores up until February of your senior year. Try to apply to a realistic range of colleges and do all that you can to explain any extenuating circumstances that may have caused you to struggle with your GPA.
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 1.6 GPA
We've picked out a set of schools that are within range. Click on each school to learn more about it.
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 © 2024 (Peterson's LLC. All rights reserved.) as well as additional publicly available sources.
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