What do Northeastern admissions counselors value more in your application? Standardized test scores or GPA?
I have a 35 ACT but only a 4.1 weighted GPA (due to overloaded junior year - took 4 APs, which was not a good decision). I was wondering if this would make my chances of getting in go down if my GPA is below average. Or does Northeastern look more at standardized test scores?
GPA is important but standardized test scores matter more since they are a national standard the college can use to measure you up to all other students. With a GPA, you can’t do the same since the rigor of schools vary widely.
@swim1128 I don’t mean to be rude, but you are 100% incorrect. GPA always matters more than test scores. A GPA is a representation of four years of work while a test score is a mere 4 hours. It is true that a test score can qualify a GPA, but I know of no colleges that factor test scores more than GPA when making their decisions. Check out this site:
@swim1128 @ap012199 I think you are both right to a certain extent. swim is correct in that test scores can serve as a standardizing measure between students from different places/schools, but ap0 is correct in saying that most colleges are more into GPA than test scores. That being said, I think the general consensus is that a slightly low GPA can perhaps be compensated with high test scores provided the courses taken were very rigorous, or vice versa. (This doesn’t mean a 2.0 student can compensate with a 2400, I just mean to a certain extent.) For OP, I think they will have a chance at NE due to high ACT and rigor…also, a 4.1 isn’t exactly low. I can definitely see ap0’s point though; the only reason I say OP has a good chance is because a 4.1 isn’t “low.”
What is your UNWEIGHTED GPA @emilyhillers ?
Compared to other Universities, I feel Northeastern values ACT more.
There is nobody here that can answer your question. It will all be purely speculation. But why not contact your regional admissions counselor and pose the question to them? If you ask it the way you are asking here, expect an answer that will sound like something along the lines of, “we take a holistic view of our applicants.” I’d think carefully about how you ask the question if you want more information than that. Maybe something that starts with acknowledging that you had a tough year last year that also highlights your previously strong academic performance, (hopefully) your current strong academic performance and your strong test scores followed by a statement about your interest in Northeastern (be specific… has he/she already visited your school? Did he/she say something in the presentation that spoke to you?) Then YOU ask if the admissions process will take a holistic view of your application because you are concerned about the impact last year had on your overall GPA. Then let him/her answer and see where it goes. Perhaps he/she will give you the opportunity to elaborate on the challenges of the previous year. In any event, this way you’ve acknowledged the issue, highlighted your strengths and shown specific interest in Northeastern all in the same inquiry. I think you’d find that more productive than asking folks here who don’t work for NEU admissions and therefore can only guess at the answer. Good luck!
Here is how you find your regional counselor if you don’t already know who it is: https://www.northeastern.edu/admissions/connect/admissions-staff/
I believe a 4.1 gpa is still safe, as long as you have extra curriculars. THe Admissions staff also look at your schedule and AP scores, so if you did well on the AP tests that’ll show mastery of the material and they’ll assume that it was just rough in terms of teachers (which is a common thing to happen). And from my experience, they typically take people with harder schedules over someone with a good GPA and easy schedule.
Thanks so much @safkjheoih , I feel like my course load and AP are more definitive of my academic ability than my GPA tbh.
@emilyhillers Am I missing something? Your gpa is excellent!
@peopleperson1 - you must be new here. On CC, any GPA below 5.0 out of 4.0 is horrible… 
No one can answer til we hear your Unweighted and you GPA scale. My sisters high school is a 5.0 in weighted and 6.0 weighted. A 4.1 on a 6.0 is pretty bad