GPA and chances

[Lovahboy222]

How important would you say GPA is in applying to West Point? I hear cases of people with 3.2 gpas being accepted...

 

[jkim123]

How important would you say GPA is in applying to West Point? I hear cases of people with 3.2 gpas being accepted...

To my knowledge, the WCS is 60% academic: 35% SAT score, 15% Class Rank, 10% GPA. It all depends on a person's district. It's usually rare for people with 3.2 GPA getting in but there is always outliers. They might be exceptional leaders or recruited athletes.

 

[shock-n-awe]

How important would you say GPA is in applying to West Point? I hear cases of people with 3.2 gpas being accepted...

Read all of the class profiles and search chance me threads. GPA is only a part of your WCS. You will also find the acronym list for what that means as well.
That GPA is low, so many other things would have to be stellar to be considered for appointment, such as standardized test scores, class rank, leadership experience, etc...

 

[CougarBattalion]

Would be very interested if anyone could confirm would jkim123 said above. I know that for me, developing interest in the academies pretty late in the game left me with a GPA that I know no admissions officer is happy about! However, it is a Whole Candidate Score. Lovahboy, I don't know if you're applying for the class of 2021 or 2020, but remember we all have our strengths and weaknesses. Best of luck!

 

[Lovahboy222]

Just to be clear, I don't have 3.2 gpa. I was just a bit surprised that there have been accounts of people getting accepted with such a low GPA.

 

[Padre101]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but for USMA, I am very certain your GPA is irrelevant. They look at your class rank. If your school doesn't rank, then they will look at standardized test scores. They will also look at the rigor of your course load.

Can you get into USMA with a 3.2 GPA? Yes.

Also, other factors matter such as are you a recruited athlete? Are you prior enlisted? GPA alone is not the focus of West Point Admissions.

 

[rwjohnson416]

How important would you say GPA is in applying to West Point? I hear cases of people with 3.2 gpas being accepted...

It's not your GPA that they look at, but rather your class rank. The reason for this is because grading scales change across the country and the best way to compare students is by ranking them.

 

[jl123]

How important would you say GPA is in applying to West Point? I hear cases of people with 3.2 gpas being accepted...

It's not your GPA that they look at, but rather your class rank. The reason for this is because grading scales change across the country and the best way to compare students is by ranking them.

Yes, that is correct. USMA looks at class rank. Some schools give out 4.0's like candy, some schools don't give a bump for AP and Honors classes. There is no easy way to use GPA as a comparison, even among students at the same school when students take courses at different levels.

Interestingly, however, is that Rand conducted a study several years ago to determine what admissions factors were correlated with future success as a cadet. They found that all of the factors had a positive correlation, except class rank. If I recall correctly, test scores were the strongest predictor of success.

 

[5Day]

The class profile for USMA dose not show GPA, but it does show class rank for the class of 2020. 7% of the admitted class was in the third-fifth (middle) of their class. So, yes it is quite possible to be admitted with a 3.2 GPA, but to be sure there needs to be something else about the candidate that makes them stand out.

 

[RedDog22]

I think the reality is there are a number of outliers for a number of reasons. Trying to quantify chances is probably impossible. Put your best foot forward and take a shot.