What is a 4.3 GPA? What colleges accept a 4.3 GPA?

Do you have a 4.3 GPA? Are you wondering whether a 4.3 is good, and what colleges you can get into with a 4.3?

We've written the most detailed guide to your GPA here:

  • Find out which colleges you can get into with a 4.3 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 4.3 GPA, our advice is the same for close GPAs, like 4.319999999999999 and 4.28 GPAs. You can use this guide for all GPAs between 4.25 and 4.34.


Is a 4.3 GPA good?

This GPA is above a 4.0, which means it's weighted (it takes into account the difficulty of your classes in conjunction with your grades). This is a very good GPA. It most likely means you're taking high level classes and are earning As and Bs.

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 4.3 GPA compares to the nation:

  • score-percent Percentile: 99th

    99.81% of schools have an average GPA below a 4.3.

  • score-compete Competitive For: 1571 Schools

    You can apply to colleges and have a good shot at getting admitted.

  • score-missing Missing Out On: 3 Schools

    You have a low chance of getting into with a 4.3 GPA.

To elaborate, the national average for GPA is around a 3.0, so a 4.3 puts you above 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 4.3 GPA. Click your grade level to see our evaluation.

Looks like you started off strong in your high school classes. Keep up the good work! Since you're a freshman, your GPA is likely to change at least a little bit before you apply to college, but you can still try searching for some schools that interest you in the next section and see what your chances of admission might look like.

You've managed to maintain a strong GPA for the first two years of high school, and you should be in good shape for college admissions. As long as you keep working hard and challenging yourself in your classes, your GPA probably won't change much between now and when you apply to college. Try searching for schools that interest you in the next section to get a sense of your chances of admission with your current GPA.

By your junior year, your GPA is pretty much solidified. You can expect it to stay at this level for college admissions. If you have a good sense of where you're thinking of applying, try searching for schools in the next section to find out your chances. With this GPA, there will be many selective schools where you have a high chance of acceptance.

Congrats! You've made it through high school with a great GPA. You're probably already in the process of applying to college, but if you're curious about your chances of getting in at your top choice schools you can try searching for them in the next section. With a 4.3 GPA, you'll stand a good chance of being accepted across a wide range of very selective schools.


Your Chances With a 4.3 GPA

This is probably the biggest question on your mind. What colleges can you get into with a 4.3? 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:

  1. Choose the SAT or the ACT, depending on which you're taking
  2. Choose your current SAT/ACT score
  3. Enter the name of each college you're interested in
  4. Change your SAT/ACT score to see how your chances change



Pick your test: Old SAT ACT

SAT Score
School Name Location Chances: 4.3 GPA + Chances: 4.3 GPA + Average GPA
% %
*These calculations fix your GPA at 4.3, but you might have room for improvement. If you want to see your chances with a different GPA, at the bottom of this page you'll be able to switch to a different GPA.

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:

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

4.3
 0 4.3

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 4.3 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

Based on the information above, you can see that your current GPA gives you a solid chance of getting into a wide variety of schools, including many highly selective institutions. Since you're already taking high level classes and earning good grades, you should continue to work hard and challenge yourself. Colleges like to see students who have the capacity for growth and improvement in academics, so don't let your efforts slip. Try to take the most difficult classes in subjects that interest you, and don't shy away from new challenges! If you stay on your current path, you can expect a positive experience in the admissions process.

After looking up different schools and checking your chances of admission, you can see that your high GPA opens up a lot of options for you. You've managed to maintain a high level of academic achievement for two years of high school, so don't stop now. Your junior year is your last opportunity to really challenge yourself and make sure you're living up to your full potential. If you continue working hard, you should have no problem getting into a great school.

At this point, it's also worth it to start thinking about standardized tests. You'll most likely end up taking the SAT or ACT for the first time your junior fall, so you should make sure you're fully prepared. If you earn test scores that match up with your high GPA, you'll be in great shape!

As you're gearing up for the college application process, you can rest assured that your GPA will open lots of doors for acceptance at highly selective schools. Keep working hard in your classes and challenging yourself! Your GPA is unlikely to change before you apply to college as long as you maintain consistent standards.

At this point, the only thing you should be worried about is making sure that your standardized test scores compliment your GPA. If you think there's room for improvement, you can take the SAT or ACT again later in your junior year or during the fall of your senior year before you go to college. High scores combined with your GPA will give a great shot at getting into some of the best schools in the country.

Since you've already begun the college application process, there may not be much to do now besides put the finishing touches on your applications and wait for the results. If you feel like you might be able to improve your standardized test scores, you still have time to take the SAT or ACT again before your applications are final. Some schools will allow you to submit scores from tests taken as late as February of your senior year. Based on what you learned about your chances of admission from the search tool above, you have every reason to expect great results. Good luck, and get excited for college!



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Colleges that Accept a 4.3 GPA

What schools can you get into with a GPA of 4.3?

We've picked out a set of schools that are within range. Click on each school to learn more about it.

image description

Same Level: Equally Hard to Get Into

These schools have average GPAs that are close to 4.3. 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
Harvard University Cambridge, MA 1550 35 4.2
Duke University Durham, NC 1550 34 4.2
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA 1543 35 4.19
Brown University Providence, RI 1540 35 4.18
Yale University New Haven, CT 1540 34 4.18
University of Chicago Chicago, IL 1540 35 4.32
Columbia University New York, NY 1524 35 4.15
Tufts University Medford, MA 1500 34 4.11
Dartmouth College Hanover, NH 1500 34 4.11
Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA 1485 34 4.08
College of William and Mary Williamsburg, VA 1460 33 4.4
image description

Safety Schools: Easier to Get Into

With a GPA of 4.3, 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 Maryland College Park, MD 1450 33 4.45
University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA 1445 33 4.32
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC 1424 30 4.47
Smith College Northampton, MA 1415 32 4.2
University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA 1358 30 4.07
University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 1355 29 4.3
Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY 1352 31 4
United States Military Academy West Point, NY 1331 30 4
Clemson University Clemson, SC 1320 30 4.43
University of South Florida Tampa, FL 1300 26 4.2
Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL 1300 28 4.2


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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