<p>I've got that 3.49 and some of the programs I'm applying to have a 3.5 + criteria. </p>
<p>Am I just going to get thrown out?</p>
<p>I hope not, but it is very possible. I applied for IIT bombay for a study abroad, and no cutoff was ever stated in the application process, but the rejected me with the rather terse response:</p>
<p>“Mr. (me) does not meet the expectation of EE Dept. He has a
CPI below 3.5”</p>
<p>Because I have one semester that is a 2.8.</p>
<p>My opinion is, any place that adheres dogmatically to such a practice is not worth caring about. I barely have a 3.51 overall though my gpa the last two years is a 3.7 average.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply!
That’s really depressing. </p>
<p>I thought about rounding. 0.01 difference is not a big deal!!!
But I assume they would see the “real thing” on my transcript.</p>
<p>Think about significant figures. If you have a 3.49 and they require a 3.5 and not a 3.50 then you’re fine.</p>
<p>Interesting!! That is really reassuring ! Thank you</p>
<p>Woops, I forgot to add that I had a 3.48 at the time of application.</p>
<p>@Sephiroth - IIT’s are not even slightly flexible, so don’t worry too much.</p>
<p>And they are amazingly terse. For anyone who fails the JEE, the notice is “Sorry, your ranking is insufficient.”</p>
<p>I’m from India - I know.</p>
<p>If you have other compelling aspects of your application, I doubt .01 would make a difference; however, it depends on how the applications are processed. Some programs get so many applications that they have the graduate school office screen them for subpar stats. And those screeners have no way of determining the strength of applications. In this case, I would like to think that such a program would direct the GS to send them everything about 3.4, despite the official cutoff, just to make sure that they didn’t miss an exceptional case. </p>
<p>The real worry for you with a stated 3.5 cutoff is how qualified the other applicants are. If everyone who applies has a GPA of 3.5 or better, then you have to make up your lower GPA with better letters and experience.</p>