A GPA, or grade point average, is an average of all high school grades. A 2.4 GPA is considered a C+, and is right on the cusp of a B- average, which is much more marketable to colleges and universities.
Is a 2.4 GPA Good?
A 2.4 GPA signals to a college or university that a student has earned average scores within the B- and C+ range. A 2.4 is a hair away from the 2.5 range, which opens up eligibility for a number of colleges, but is still below the competitive benchmark for college applications of 3.0. The closer you can get to that threshold, the wider variety of colleges you’ll have to choose from.
What Colleges Can I Get Into With a 2.4 GPA?
There are some 4-year colleges that accept students with a 2.4 GPA and several examples are listed below. While no GPA guarantees admission to any school, these colleges and universities have established a history of admitting students with a 2.4-2.5 GPA.
As a freshman or sophom*ore, there’s no need to panic. There’s plenty of time to improve your GPA to competitive levels. Make a commitment to devoting more evenings to studying and test prep with the goal of turning a C+ into a B- or B. Remember that every tenth of a GPA point gained opens up several more college options during the application season. Make these study techniques a habit and they will come in handy when it’s time to prepare for standardized tests.
As for juniors, balancing studying for grade improvement and standardized testing at the same time can get tricky, but is certainly possible. Set a goal of incrementally improving your GPA, setting step-by-step challenges to improve your GPA to the 2.5-2.8 range. While it’s possible to earn a 3.0 by graduation if you’re still in your first semester of junior year, it would require flawless 4.0 semesters until graduation.
If you’re a senior, a 2.4 GPA is within a tenth of a point of a 2.5 and it’s worth going all out to try to bring it up to that level before application season is officially over in late February or early March (check those deadlines!). Applying for schools with later deadlines will be your best bet for increasing your college options as long as you make the most of first semester senior year. Another option is to consider attending a community college for the first year or two of your bachelor’s degree. On top of the open enrollment policy at most 2-year institutions, it can help students save money through lower tuition payments and avoid the typically high cost of room and board. After working towards a satisfactory GPA during the next two years, transfer to a 4-year college or university with junior standing.
What Are Colleges Looking At Other Than a 2.4 High School GPA?
GPA, or Grade Point Average, is only one component in a college application — admissions officers want to know more than your academic ability. They look at you holistically. They want to hear about interests, passions, and more, so include any or all of the following in your application:
- SAT Scores / ACT Scores
- Extracurricular/Afterschool activities
- Sports
- Application Essays
- Volunteer Work / Community Service
- Jobs / Internships / Special Projects
- FAFSA
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a 2.4 GPA in high school considered good?
The best GPAs offer lots of options for competitive entry into colleges, and, unfortunately, a 2.4 GPA just doesn’t offer that. The national average GPA for graduating students is 3.0, which is also the benchmark for competitive applications at a majority of colleges. While there are options with a 2.4 GPA, there’s just not as many as there could be.
What colleges can I get into with a 2.4 GPA?
There are some 4-year colleges you can get into with a 2.4 GPA, including Southern Vermont College, Southern University at New Orleans, and Talladega College, all three of which admit students with an average GPA of 2.4.
What percentile is a 2.4 GPA?
A 2.4 GPA is a percentile of 79, putting you squarely with a C+ letter grade that’s just on the cups of B-.
What scholarships can you get with a 2.4 GPA?
You may find it difficult to apply for scholarships with a 2.4 GPA, at least if there’s a GPA requirement on the scholarship. Usually, the requirement is at least 2.5, putting you just below. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t scholarships you can’t apply to. Rather than looking for scholarships based on academics with GPA requirements, search for scholarships focusing on your passions, hobbies, or sports. Apply for as many as possible as early as possible so you can build up a nest egg to help offset college tuition.
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