There’s a pervasive attitude in higher education that as long as you pass every class, your grades don’t really matter. There’s some truth to that – especially as it pertains to job applications – but there are plenty of ways that lackluster college grades can hamper your future.
If you need some motivation for the fall semester, read below to learn about all the ways your grades can impact you.
How College Grades Impact You
Many college students don’t realize how much grades matter. Read below to see how class performance can affect you.
Financial aid
If you’re receiving financial aid, you may have to maintain a certain GPA to keep your eligibility. Students who have federal financial aid, including student loans and grants, must be making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to keep their financial aid for the following year.
Each school sets its own requirements for SAP, but most require that students take a certain number of credit hours toward their degree and have a 2.0 GPA or higher. If your GPA falls below that threshold, you will lose access to federal financial aid and have to find another funding source, like private student loans.
Unfortunately, some private student loan companies will also use your GPA to determine if you qualify for a loan. If you have a low GPA, you may not be eligible.
Students who receive scholarships that renew each year must generally maintain a certain GPA. The exact GPA will depend on the specific scholarship organization, but is often around 3.0. Students may also be required to take a certain number of credit hours every semester. Some state grants have GPA requirements, which vary depending on the state.
Graduate school
Graduate schools often have a minimum GPA requirement for admission, usually a 3.0. However, getting admitted to top-ranked schools often means having at least a 3.5 GPA. In general, having a high GPA will make it easier to be accepted. You may also earn more scholarship opportunities with a better transcript.
In some cases, you also need to have a specific grade in a class for that class to count as a prerequisite. If you don’t, you may have to retake that class before being eligible to apply for grad school.
Students with worse grades should find other ways to stand out on a grad school application, like having a unique background or a variety of extracurricular activities. If you have to take prerequisite classes, focus on getting the highest grade possible. This may help you improve your overall GPA and qualify for admission.
When you apply to graduate school, you often have to submit recommendation letters from professors. If you didn’t get good grades, you may struggle to find professors who will feel comfortable writing a recommendation letter.
Getting a job
When it comes to finding a job after graduation, your GPA is one factor that employers may consider. Whether or not your GPA matters depends on the company and the industry.
For example, if you’re applying to be a journalist, you generally need to have several internships under your belt and a stack of articles you’ve written. Editors will care more that you can write a good story than what your college GPA was.
However, if you’re applying to be an accountant, then the accounting firm may consider your GPA as proof of your competency.
If you graduated college with a low GPA and are looking for a job, don’t include the GPA on your resume. If you insert a poor GPA, you may be automatically excluded. But if you don’t mention the GPA, then you may not be asked about it.
If you are required to provide a GPA on an application and have a poor transcript, you should address it in your cover letter. You can talk about how well you did in certain classes or how you improved your grades throughout the program.
How to improve your GPA
Ask the professor for help
Most professors want to help, but you have to be willing to ask. Start by attending office hours and trying to come with specific questions about the material. If you can show them exactly where you’re struggling, then they can provide more exact guidance.
Try to attend office hours as much as possible. If those times don’t work with your schedule, email the professor and ask when else they might be available. Just showing up regularly will prove that you care about learning, and the professor may offer extra credit so you can improve your grades.
Find tutoring opportunities
Many schools offer free tutoring help for students who are struggling. Talk to your academic advisor about your options.
If you can’t find free tutors, you can also see if there are any upperclassmen or graduate students who work as tutors. You can even ask your friends if they would be willing to help out.
If you can’t afford a traditional tutor, you can use sites like Chegg that offer online help for a monthly subscription fee. There are also countless YouTube videos about any topic, from the French Revolution to microeconomics.
Disclaimers
