I had an abysmal undergrad GPA of 2.42, but my poor grades all came in the first half of college and my GPA for the last 60 credit hours (including non-matriculated coursework after graduation) is a 3.67. My biggest worry is that a lot of schools that have minimum GPA cut-offs will filter out my application before they can see that improvement.
My question is, will a high GRE score (169 verbal 170 quant 5.0 writing) get me past the minimum GPA cut-off or are GPA and GRE considered independently? Is there a human being making the first round of cuts at most schools or do they just mechanically throw away every application below a certain numerical threshold?
I think different colleges handle it differently. But I do think that at many, the grad school office, not the department handles the first cut before the department sees it. You may have better luck contacting professors directly first, if you have aligned research interests and research experience.
If a school has a minimum GPA cut-off, then no, your GRE score usually won’t make up for it. GRE is far less important for admissions than GPA.
However, not a lot of programs have a hard-and-fast GPA cut-off to the point that the department secretary or office “throws out” your application below a certain level (although it is true that often someone other than professors will handle your application first, and sometimes select out the most interesting applications for professors). Most grad admissions (especially if you are going for a PhD or an academic field) have holistic reviews. That means that your entire application is taken into account together. Sometimes people have a low GPA because of illness but a high last 60 credits GPA. Or they have a low undergrad GPA but a very high master’s GPA. Or sometimes they have another terminal degree or some interesting work experience. Most programs consider that.
It really depends on the volume of applications that need to be handled. If the volume is high and there is the usual 3.0 GPA minimum, then you are likely out of luck.
I would suggest that you apply to some smaller programs that will take the time to look at each application individually. You could try for a Masters there and then apply to a more selective program after the Masters with a strong GPA.
I think that you might want to consider applying to masters programs first. I think that it would be very difficult to get into a competitive PhD program with such a low GPA. Even though your GRE scores are fantastic, schools might view a stellar GRE and a low GPA as someone who, while innately smart, isn’t willing to put in the hard work required for a Ph.D. Masters programs have less stringent requirements and will provide you with a platform to prove your ability to perform in a classroom setting.
^Complicated question with no answer. That doesn’t mean that what @mademoiselle2308 said isn’t true, though, because perception is often different from reality.