Above average / 4.0 scale

Is a 3.3 GPA Good?

Updated 20 October 2026

Where a 3.3 sits among US college graduatesNCES, class of 2007-08

Below 2.50: 6.7%
2.50 to 2.99: 21.2%
3.00 to 3.49: 35.7%
3.50 or higher: 36.4%

A 3.3 falls in the 3.00 to 3.49 band, which held 35.7% of graduates, with 27.9% below it and 36.4% above.

Cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2007-08 first-time bachelor's degree recipients, NCES 2013-150, Table 2.3, the most recent national GPA distribution NCES has published. Graduates only: students who left without a degree are not counted.

A 3.3 GPA is a solid B+ average. It sits above the 3.15 US national average, clears the 3.0 employer screen with margin, and meets the floor for standard master's programmes. It falls below the 3.5 bar used by elite-industry recruiters and below the admit medians at top professional schools. For most students a 3.3 is a workable, respectable number: the useful question is which specific thresholds it clears and which it does not.

Quick verdict

A 3.3 GPA is a B+ average, above the US college average of about 3.15. It clears the 3.0 employer screen and the standard master's floor, but sits below the 3.5 elite-industry bar and below top medical, law, and MBA admit medians.

Letter-grade equivalentB+ (4.0 scale)

Vs. national college averageAbove (3.15)

3.0 employer screenClears cutoff

3.5 elite-industry barBelow

Standard master's floorMeets (3.0 min typical)

Strong in a STEM major?Yes (above field median)

Where 3.3 sits in the distribution

The average undergraduate GPA at US four-year institutions is about 3.15, a 2013 figure from the grade-distribution tracking of Stuart Rojstaczer and Christopher Healy at gradeinflation.com (87 four-year institutions that published or supplied grade data). The nearest federal figure is 3.16 cumulative for 1999-2000 bachelor's degree recipients, in NCES 2003-165, Table 5. A 3.3 is 0.15 grade points above that average. On the most recent national distribution NCES has published, a 3.3 falls in the 3.00-3.49 band that held 35.7% of 2007-08 bachelor's degree recipients, with 27.9% below it and 36.4% at 3.50 or higher (NCES 2013-150, Table 2.3). It is above the national average but short of the top band, which starts at 3.50 and holds more than a third of graduates.

The percentile reading is major-dependent, though the real spread is narrower than the figures that circulate. The last time NCES published national mean GPAs by field, for the 1999-2000 graduating cohort, the whole range ran from 3.06 in the other technical and professional fields to 3.34 in mathematics, with engineering at 3.11, business at 3.11 and education at 3.22 (NCES 2003-165, Table 5). A 3.3 is above the field average in every one of those fields bar mathematics. The same number does signal stronger relative performance in a hard-graded major, and sophisticated admissions committees and technical recruiters read it that way. See the average GPA by major breakdown for the full 27-field table.

Target readiness at 3.3

The clearest way to read a 3.3 is against the specific thresholds different targets use. The table below summarises which a 3.3 clears and which sit above it:

Goal	Threshold / median	Verdict at 3.3
General employer screen (3.0 floor)	3.0	Comfortably aboveClears the most common GPA cutoff (NACE) with margin.
Standard master's programme	3.0 minimum	Comfortably aboveEligible at virtually all standard master's programmes.
Federal SAA + Pathways	3.0 / 3.45 for higher grade	Above thresholdQualifies for Superior Academic Achievement at the 3.0 tier under OPM rules.
Competitive master's / PhD	3.5 typical	Below rangeWorkable with strong GRE, research, and an upward trend.
Elite industry (IB / MBB / Big 4 priority)	3.5	Below cutoffBelow the 3.5 resume screen; other signals must compensate.
Medical school (MD)	Matriculant average 3.81	Below rangeNeeds a strong MCAT (~517+) and often a post-bac.
Medical school (DO)	Matriculant average ~3.60	Below averageMore realistic path with sound MCAT and clinical hours.
T14 Law School	Median 3.88-3.99	Well below medianVery difficult without an exceptional (175+) LSAT splitter.
T50-T100 Law School	Median 3.40-3.70	Below to near medianIn range at lower-T100 programmes with a strong LSAT.
Top MBA (M7)	Median 3.65-3.75	Below medianNeeds a high GMAT and strong work experience to offset.

3.3 in employer context

For employer screening, a 3.3 cumulative GPA clears the most common cutoff with room to spare. NACE Job Outlook surveys consistently find that among employers who screen by GPA, roughly two-thirds use 3.0 as the cutoff. A 3.3 is above that floor. It does not reach the 3.5 threshold used by elite-industry campus recruiting: investment banking analyst pipelines, MBB consulting, Big 4 priority interviews, and some Big Tech programmes typically screen at 3.5 or higher.

In practice, a 3.3 is a listable, positive resume number that does not by itself open elite-recruiting doors. Two moves help most. First, list a higher major GPA alongside the cumulative when the major GPA is meaningfully stronger, especially for engineering and science candidates whose field-context reading is favourable. Second, lean on the signals that matter more than a tenth of a GPA point once the 3.0 screen is cleared: internships, technical projects, and demonstrated skill. See GPA for jobs for the industry-by-industry breakdown.

3.3 in grad-school context

For graduate admissions, a 3.3 is above the floor for standard programmes and below the competitive range for selective ones. Standard master's programmes typically publish a 3.0 minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA; a 3.3 clears it. Competitive master's and most PhD programmes expect 3.5 or higher, so at a 3.3 the application leans on compensating strength: a strong GRE, research output or relevant work experience, focused letters of recommendation, and a clear upward grade trend in later semesters.

Professional schools. A 3.3 is well below the admit medians at the most selective targets. Medical school (MD) matriculants averaged a 3.81 total and 3.75 science GPA for the 2025 entering class per the AAMC Facts (Applicants and Matriculants) data; T14 law schools had median matriculant GPAs of 3.88-3.99 for the fall 2025 entering class per ABA 509 disclosures; M7 MBA admit-GPA medians run 3.65-3.75. At a 3.3 these targets require substantial offsetting factors (an exceptional test score, distinguished experience) and, for medicine, often a post-baccalaureate or special master's programme to demonstrate current science capability. Osteopathic (DO) programmes, with a matriculant average nearer 3.60, are a more realistic medical path at this GPA.

Strategy at 3.3

For a current undergraduate at 3.3, the recovery math is favourable if there is time. A sustained 3.6-plus across the remaining semesters can lift the cumulative into the high-3.4s or toward 3.5 by graduation, which crosses the elite-industry and Latin-honors thresholds at many schools. Model a specific scenario with the GPA calculator for your credit count, and see how to raise your GPA for the tactics that move the number.

For a graduating senior at 3.3, the number is largely fixed, and the strategy shifts to positioning: document a strong upward trend if one exists, present a higher major GPA where it applies, and target the paths a 3.3 clears (most Fortune 500 employers, standard master's programmes, federal SAA at the 3.0 tier) rather than the ones anchored to 3.5-plus. Five years into a career, the undergraduate GPA stops being the primary signal at all; demonstrated capability takes over.

A 3.3 GPA is above average and genuinely useful. It is not an elite number, and pretending otherwise helps no one, but it clears the screens most careers actually run on. The productive work is knowing which thresholds it clears, in which contexts the field-adjusted reading is favourable, and which compensating signals are worth building for the specific paths the holder cares about.

Educational reference. Not admissions advice. Confirm specific programme and employer requirements directly.

Common Questions

Is a 3.3 GPA good or average?

It is a little above average. The US college undergraduate average is approximately 3.15 (Rojstaczer and Healy's 2013 grade-distribution tracking), so a 3.3 sits above it, in the middle band of graduates: 35.7% of 2007-08 bachelor's degree recipients finished between 3.00 and 3.49, with 27.9% below and 36.4% at 3.50 or higher (NCES 2013-150, Table 2.3). It clears the 3.0 employer screening threshold used by most companies that filter by GPA (NACE), but it is below the 3.5 threshold used by investment banking, management consulting, and Big 4 priority recruiting, and below the admit medians at top medical, law, and MBA programmes.

Is a 3.3 GPA good for grad school?

For standard master's programmes, yes: most publish a 3.0 minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA, and a 3.3 clears that floor with margin. For competitive master's and most PhD programmes, which typically expect 3.5 or higher, a 3.3 is below the usual range and needs compensating strength (strong GRE, research output, relevant work, a clear upward grade trend). For top professional schools (medical, T14 law, M7 MBA) with admit medians in the 3.65-3.85 range, a 3.3 is well below median and would require substantial offsetting factors. A 3.3 in a hard STEM major reads more favourably because admissions committees weigh field context.

What does a 3.3 GPA mean in letter grades?

A 3.3 is a B+ average on the standard unweighted 4.0 scale (a B is 3.0, a B+ is 3.3, an A- is 3.7). It reflects mostly B and B+ work with some A grades pulling the average up and occasional lower grades pulling it down. It is one full step above a straight-B (3.0) transcript and two-tenths above the national average.

Is a 3.3 GPA good for jobs?

It clears the most common employer cutoff. Among employers that screen by GPA, 3.0 is the most common threshold per NACE Job Outlook surveys, and a 3.3 is comfortably above it. It does not clear the higher 3.5 bar used by elite-industry campus recruiting (investment banking, MBB consulting, some Big Tech pipelines). A 3.3 is worth listing on a resume (the rule of thumb is to include GPA only if 3.0 or higher), and listing a higher major GPA alongside it can help for technical roles. After two to three years of professional experience, GPA falls off the resume entirely.

Is a 3.3 GPA good for med school?

It is below the competitive range. AAMC matriculant data shows an average (mean) total GPA of 3.81 and science GPA of 3.75 for the 2025 entering class, so a 3.3 is well under the matriculant average. In the AAMC Table A-23 GPA-by-MCAT acceptance grid, applicants in the low-3.x GPA bands need a strong MCAT (roughly 517 or higher) to reach competitive acceptance rates, and many candidates at this GPA level use a post-baccalaureate or special master's programme to demonstrate current science capability. Osteopathic (DO) programmes, whose matriculant average is closer to 3.60 per AACOMAS, are a more realistic path at a 3.3 with sound MCAT and clinical hours.

What percentile is a 3.3 GPA?

Between the 28th and 64th percentile of graduates; no national source cuts it finer. NCES publishes bands, not percentiles: 27.9% of 2007-08 bachelor's degree recipients finished below 3.00 and 63.6% below 3.50 (NCES 2013-150, Table 2.3), and a 3.3 falls inside that 3.00-3.49 band. The reading shifts by major, but less than the circulating tables claim. The last national per-field means NCES published, for the 1999-2000 graduating cohort, ran from 3.06 to 3.34 with mathematics highest and engineering at 3.11 (NCES 2003-165, Table 5), so a 3.3 is above the field average in every field on that table except mathematics.

How do I raise a 3.3 GPA?

The math depends on how many credits are already banked. Early in a degree, a sustained run of A-range semesters can lift a 3.3 into the high-3.4s or 3.5 range by graduation; late in a degree, each additional semester moves the cumulative less. Use the GPA calculator on this site to model a specific credit count and target. For students near graduation, the more effective lever is often documenting a strong upward trend and leaning on compensating signals (test scores, projects, work) rather than the GPA number itself.