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Average College GPA by Major

Updated 16 April 2026

Not all GPAs are created equal. Employers and grad schools know this. A 3.0 in Chemical Engineering (average: 2.85) is significantly harder to earn than a 3.5 in Education (average: 3.36). Here is the data for 27 fields of study.

Highest Average GPA

Education

3.36

Lowest Average GPA

Aerospace Engineering

2.83

A difference of 0.53 grade points between the highest and lowest major averages

Average GPA by Major (Sorted High to Low)

Major	Average GPA	Category	Notes
Education	3.36	Non-STEM	Consistently among the highest average GPAs. Grading tends to emphasize practical teaching skills and reflective assignments.
Foreign Languages	3.34	Non-STEM	Small class sizes and participation-based grading contribute to higher averages.
Biology / Pre-Med	3.31	STEM	Upward pressure from pre-med students who need high GPAs for medical school applications.
Music / Performing Arts	3.30	Non-STEM	Portfolio and performance-based assessment rather than traditional exams.
Social Work	3.29	Non-STEM	Practicum-heavy curriculum with less emphasis on traditional exams.
Psychology	3.24	Non-STEM	Large introductory classes with moderate difficulty; upper-level courses vary.
Communications / Media	3.21	Non-STEM	Project-based assessment and subjective grading boost averages.
English / Literature	3.19	Non-STEM	Essay-based grading allows for more subjective assessment.
History	3.17	Non-STEM	Writing-intensive with research papers as primary assessment.
Political Science	3.11	Non-STEM	Varies widely by institution. Mix of essay and exam-based courses.
Business / Finance	3.11	Non-STEM	Close to the national average. Quantitative courses lower the average for some students.
Nursing	3.09	STEM	Strict grading standards due to clinical competency requirements. Pass/fail clinical components.
Sociology	3.08	Non-STEM	Similar to other social sciences. Research methods courses can be challenging.
Environmental Science	3.06	STEM	Interdisciplinary; difficulty depends on STEM vs social science course mix.
Economics	3.03	Non-STEM	Math-heavy courses (econometrics, micro/macro theory) lower the average significantly.
Kinesiology / Exercise Science	3.02	STEM	Mix of science courses and practical application.
Computer Science	2.99	STEM	Rigorous grading, competitive curves. Lower-division weed-out courses are challenging.
Information Technology	2.98	STEM	Similar to CS but typically slightly less theoretical. Still involves challenging technical courses.
Mathematics	2.95	STEM	Purely objective grading on problem sets and exams. No partial credit in many courses.
Architecture	2.94	STEM	Demanding studio culture with heavy workload. Design reviews can be harsh.
Chemistry	2.90	STEM	Lab courses, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry are known as GPA killers.
Engineering (Civil)	2.92	STEM	Heavy math and physics requirements. Curved exams are standard.
Engineering (Mechanical)	2.90	STEM	Thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and materials science are particularly challenging.
Engineering (Electrical)	2.88	STEM	Signal processing, circuits, and electromagnetics have steep learning curves.
Physics	2.87	STEM	Small classes, proof-based courses, and demanding problem sets. Among the lowest average GPAs.
Engineering (Chemical)	2.85	STEM	Combines chemistry, physics, math, and engineering. Consistently among the most challenging majors.
Aerospace Engineering	2.83	STEM	Highly specialized with advanced mathematics. Small cohorts with intense workloads.

Data compiled from NCES, individual university registrar reports, and published academic research. Averages represent approximate national figures and vary by institution.

Why STEM GPAs Are Systematically Lower

Objective Grading

STEM courses rely heavily on exams with right-or-wrong answers. There is less room for subjective grading, partial credit, or effort-based assessment. A proof is correct or it is not. An engineering calculation works or it does not.

Curved Exams

Many STEM courses use curves that normalize grades, making it structurally harder to earn A's. When the class average on an exam is 55%, even strong students may receive B's. This is standard practice in physics, chemistry, and engineering.

Weed-Out Courses

STEM programs intentionally have difficult early courses (Organic Chemistry, Calculus II, Introduction to Circuits) designed to filter students. These courses have high failure rates and pull down major averages significantly.

Cumulative Knowledge

STEM courses build on each other. Struggling in Calculus I affects performance in Calculus II, Physics, and Engineering courses. This cumulative nature means early difficulties compound, unlike humanities where each course can be relatively independent.

Why This Matters for Your Applications

Sophisticated employers and graduate admissions committees understand that GPA context matters. A 3.0 in Aerospace Engineering from a rigorous program signals different ability than a 3.0 in Communications. Here is how different audiences interpret major-adjusted GPA:

* Graduate schools in technical fields often weight your major GPA more heavily than your cumulative GPA. Many engineering programs consider a 3.2 in engineering equivalent to a 3.5+ in non-technical fields.
* Elite employers (McKinsey, Goldman Sachs) recruiting from engineering and science programs sometimes apply lower GPA cutoffs for STEM majors than for business or liberal arts majors.
* Medical schools calculate a separate science GPA (BCPM) because they know science grades are earned differently from humanities grades.
* Law schools do not adjust for major, which disadvantages STEM students. This is one reason some pre-law advisors recommend non-STEM majors for students targeting top law schools.

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