Is a 3.8 GPA Good?
A 3.8 GPA is an excellent GPA — above nearly every admitted-student midpoint outside the most selective handful. The national high-school average is 3.11; the college average about 3.15.
3.8 GPA: above the 3.11 national average — an excellent GPA.
- Your GPA3.8
- HS national average3.11
- College average~3.15
- 4.0-scale position95%
Averages: NAEP High School Transcript Study; NCES (college).
The 3.8 GPA in numbers
National average (class of 2019 transcript study): 3.11 — 3.23 for girls, 3.0 for boys — and grade inflation has pushed ACT-tested cohorts to ~3.36 since. College is stingier: the average college GPA is about 3.15. Weighted scales muddy everything — a 3.8 unweighted with AP/IB rigor reads stronger than a 4.3 weighted in easy courses, because admissions offices recompute GPAs their own way.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 3.8 GPA good?
The national high-school average is 3.11 (latest national transcript study), so a 3.8 is an excellent GPA — above nearly every admitted-student midpoint outside the most selective handful.
What colleges can I get into with a 3.8?
Most flagships' admitted middle ranges start around 3.5–3.7 unweighted; honors programs run higher.
Can I raise a 3.8 GPA?
Each semester of straight-A work pulls a cumulative GPA up by less as credits accumulate — a junior-year 4.0 semester moves a 3.0 to about 3.17. Start now; slopes beat levels in admissions reads.
Sources & methodology
Sources: NAEP High School Transcript Study.