Labeling your gpa on resume

Career Opportunities & Internships
1

So as I am applying for internships and I am in an Honors Program/Degree in engineering at Penn State University. Im not very happy about my gpa. Now its not a bad engineering gpa its just not one to really brag about. I have heard of people putting “honors degree” or something in that regard on their resume instead of their gpa. Any thoughts on this? Could I do it or should i just stick to putting my gpa? Or should i put both? My gpa is about a 3.2 by the way. Thank you!

-Stephen

2

3.2 is a perfectly respectable GPA. I would personally put it on the resume. It’s a red flag to me when students leave it off.

3

3.0 is a common cutoff GPA when employers do preliminary screening to see who gets called for an interview.

So 3.2 should be fine for most potential employers. List your GPA exactly as it is on your transcript and include the date or term it is through. Leaving off your GPA may cause employers to think it is lower than 3.0 or whatever their cutoff is.

4

Agree. You can talk to your career center but this is my opinion…

  1. A 3.2 is perfectly respectable for engineering (especially in an honors program).
  2. Many employers have a 3.0 cutoff
  3. Any potential employer will likely want to know you GPA before they hire you (many will want to know before they interview you).
  4. There is a chance you could lose interviews if a company assumes your GPA is missing because it is below their cutoff.
  5. If the 3.2 precludes you from a particular internships so be it – they will find out your GPA before they make an offer so there is no reason to waste anyone’s time (including yours).