But, I can’t find the average high school GPA for accepted applications. Does anyone know?
I averaged their GPA distribution for college of engineering (3.67 - 4.00) and got 3.84. Considering my current GPA is 3.72, I don’t know if this means that I don’t really have a shot at getting it next year (I’m a junior).
Not all gpa’s are created equal. The admissions office will also consider if the rigor is high, what the profile of the school looks like, class rank, etc. If you have a 3.7 and you are #3 in your class, that’s high. If you are #300, that’s another consideration.
Depending on the the other aspects of your application, 34 act and 3.72 unweighted gpa should be a good chance for many engineering majors other than CS, Bio and Mechanical. If you choose one of these highly selective reach majors, be sure to pick a less selective engineering or science major as a second choice. For most of the other majors I’d guess those stats put you solidly in the target range if the rest of your application is solid.
@illinoisx3 So, how does applying to UIUC work? On my application do I have to select a major(s) before I apply to the school?
I don’t know how much UIUC cares about extracurriculars because it is a state school - does anyone know? - but, I have some ok ECs that are about computer science (app with 260,000+ downloads, lots of personal programming projects/website, a job teaching programming, an internship), so maybe those can make up for my lackluster GPA.
There is an entry for a choice of first and second major in the application. This is uncommon at other schools. Relevant EC are very important for selective majors like CS. EC and any hooks also considered for merit awards.
When UIUC publsihes those GPA distributions, those are unweighted GPA’s. Your 3.72 would make you a candidate who will get at least a serious look. When applying to UIUC for engineering, you get to choose a first choice and second choice major. If not accepted to first choice, you will be considered for second choice. If not accepted for second choice, you will still be considered for admission to the university for the Division of General Studies. As to choice of majors, one of the engineering “majors” you can choose in your application is engineering undeclared, and thus possibly be admitted to engineering without a specific engineering major and then try to move into one after the first year.