Looking for colleges that would accept a 3.6 GPA?

Hello, just a stressed junior here who's trying to find the right colleges for my 3.6 GPA. What kind of colleges should I be setting my sights on? Are there any in particular that you guys would recommend? Trying to see where I fit in the grand scheme of things.

Absolutely, a 3.6 GPA puts you both in and above the average GPA range for a number of colleges – it's definitely a solid GPA. When choosing colleges, you should take into account not just your GPA, but also your choice of major, your test scores (if applicable), and extracurricular activities.

As a rule of thumb, colleges tend to be considered reach schools if your GPA falls under the 25th percentile of the incoming class, target schools if your GPA falls between the 25th and 75th percentiles, and safety schools if your GPA is above the 75th percentile.

For instance, if you look at schools like University of Michigan (UMich), the University of Southern California (USC), and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC Chapel Hill), these could be considered reach schools, as their average accepted student GPA is typically around 3.7 to 3.9.

Then you have potential target schools like University of Wisconsin, Madison (UW Madison), University of Washington (UW), and Drexel University, where the average GPA of admitted students usually falls in the 3.5 - 3.8 range.

For safety schools, you might consider some of the less competitive state schools or smaller private colleges, where the average GPA often falls below 3.5.

Remember, this is a starting point - you should still research each school you're interested in and visit campuses if possible. There are plenty of great colleges out there that would consider a 3.6 GPA strong, especially if it’s paired with strong test scores, impressive extracurriculars, or a compelling personal story.