<p>I am a foreigner wondering about the US GPA system. I know how it is calculated but as I understand it there is no real "standardization" of grades between colleges. So I'd like to take a little survey of what a TOP 10% GPA would be at various colleges/universities and in various programs.</p>
<p>*What GPA would put YOU in the top 10% of YOUR undergraduate program/class? * Please go ahead and name your college and program if you feel comfortable doing so. If not, that's fine too. Thanks!</p>
<p>Hi Nauru. I did my undergraduate at George Washington University, majoring in international affairs. The school didn't report class rank on the transcripts, but there were ways of finding out. I belieive a 3.70 or so would have put you in the top 10% for my program. Of course this would vary widely if you start talking about other disciplines, especially the hard sciences where GPAs were much lower on average.</p>
<p>Hey genericbill, you went to GW? Me too! What year did you graduate?</p>
<p>But yeah, I'd say that's a fair estimate for GW, about a 3.7, particularly for international affairs, where the caliber of student was a bit higher than in other programs.</p>
<p>Heres something copy and pasted from my program--university of Michigan, College of Literature, Science and the Arts. Note that engineering, education, and other programs are totally different, and have their own standards.<br>
These change yearly FYI.</p>
<p>"LSA awards students who are ranked in the top 25%, 10%, and 3% of their class with distinction on their transcripts and diplomas. The top 25% will be awarded “distinction,” the top 10% with “high distinction,” and the top 3% with “highest distinction.” The GPA range for distinction is determined on the cumulative GPAs of the LSA May graduating class and is subject to change every year based on the GPAs of the May class. If you graduate in December or August, the GPA range for distinction will be based off the preceding May graduating class. Distinction is usually determined by the second week of June. </p>
<p>May, August and December 2007 graduates:
Higest Distinction: 3.930 - 4.000
High Distinction: 3.821 - 3.929
Distinction: 3.649 - 3.820"</p>
<p>Most schools are to their own students. When transcripts are sent out, grade report guides are also. For my school's engineering program, the 25th percentile GPA is a 3.0, 50th is a 3.3, and 75th is a 3.61. Top 10% would be 3.75.</p>
<p>I went to a LAC and top10% at the whole school was around 3.8. This value was significantly lower in the sciences, so it was difficult to get school scholarships in the sciences. I am guessing biology was between around 3.6-3.7. The highest GPA I knew of in physics was ~3.5 (I am a biologist but I took a lot of physics/math classes with these people), so I am guessing top10% was ~3.4 for physics majors.</p>
<p>To be fair some of the humanities also had lower GPAs averages, but not as low as the sciences. Half of our student body was in business and they all had 3.9+.</p>
<p>You need a 3.5 to get into Psi Chi I believe and only seven students out of about maybe 35-40 got in.</p>
<p>I've got a 3.91 (projected after this semester) although much of that came from education courses. In psych courses I have all A's in past work and this semester am projecting three A's and a B+. I don't really think one B is going to matter much either in terms of grad school apps or GPA and it definitely won't put me below a 3.9. I'm hoping that I can get out with around 3.92 or so.</p>