3.87 GPA - Is it Competitive?

I'm a junior in high school and I have a 3.87 GPA. I was just wondering, is this a competitive GPA for college admissions? Like, what kind of universities would consider this GPA? Thanks in advance!

A 3.87 GPA is generally seen as very strong in the eyes of many colleges. This GPA places you well above average nationally and indicates that you've consistently received good grades. As such, many universities would consider this GPA strong, particularly if it's unweighted.

For context, the average unweighted high school GPA, if considered on a standard unweighted 4.0 scale, is generally around 3.0. So, at a 3.87, you're doing considerably better than many of your peers nationwide.

That being said, the competitiveness of your GPA also depends on the rigor of your coursework. Colleges will be interested in knowing if these grades come in the context of a challenging curriculum - did you take difficult classes like AP or Honors courses? It's generally more impressive to colleges if you've earned high grades in challenging classes.

Moreover, remember that the competitiveness of your GPA will vary depending on the specific college you're interested in. While a 3.87 GPA is considered competitive for many institutions, highly selective colleges (with an acceptance rate in the low teens or single digits) often have average GPAs for admitted students that are even higher. For example, many Ivy League schools report average unweighted GPAs for their incoming classes that are well above 4.0 when considering weighted GPAs.

Lastly, your GPA is just one piece of your overall application. Other factors such as your extracurricular activities, your college essays, letters of recommendation, and any standardized test scores will also play a role in the admissions decision.

It's hard to provide an exhaustive list of colleges that would consider a 3.87 GPA competitive without knowing more about your overall profile and preferences (like the type of school you're interested in, your intended major, etc), but generally speaking this GPA would make you a strong candidate at many schools across the country.