<p>Average GPA is around a 3.4-3.5. From [Advising</a> Program Office: Honors](<a href=“http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~advising/honors.html]Advising”>http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~advising/honors.html) :</p>
<p>“The lowest GPA to receive a degree cum laude in field in June 2006 was 3.417” - and the person with the 3.417 GPA is right around the median.</p>
<p>Sewhappy- I’m not sure we’re actually disagreeing. My take is that it’s very, very hard at Harvard to get straight As. It is also very very hard to get below a B- (with some exceptions). It’s not so much that GPAs are inflated, it’s more that they’re condensed, because there are only five grades that are regularly given out, and there’s only a 1.3 point spread between the lowest (B-) and the highest (A).</p>
<p>If for whatever reason, you’re very very driven to get straight As, or as close to straight As as possible, you will have to work very hard (or pick very easy classes). If you’re fine receiving a mix of grades from A –> B, then Harvard academics become much more “crammable” like I talked about earlier.</p>