Ivy League / Common Data Set

Ivy League Admit GPA Medians

Updated 18 August 2026

Ivy League admit GPAs concentrate above 3.9 unweighted per Common Data Set reports. CDS Section C7, which reports the high school GPA distribution of admitted students, shows that 90% or more of admits at every Ivy fall in the 3.75-4.0 band. Each Ivy is sourced individually below; verify the current cycle directly with the school's published CDS.

Direct answer / average weighted GPA for Ivy League

There is no published "average weighted GPA" for the Ivy League. Weighted GPA depends entirely on each high school's scale, so no single weighted number is comparable across applicants. The figure the Ivies actually report is the unweighted GPA: 90% or more of admits sit in the 3.75-4.0 band.

Published (CDS C7) figure3.75-4.0 unweighted

On a 5.0 weighted scale~4.3-4.8 typical

Published weighted medianNone (scale-dependent)

Benchmark that transfers3.9+ unweighted + max rigour

The ~4.3-4.8 range is an illustration, not an Ivy statistic: on the common 5.0 scale (AP and IB courses graded to 5.0, honors to ~4.5), a student earning near-straight-A's across a heavy AP/IB load lands there arithmetically. On a school that uses only a 4.0 scale there is no weighting, so the weighted and unweighted figures are the same (~3.9-4.0). Admissions readers recalculate to their own rubric regardless, so the portable target is a near-4.0 unweighted GPA paired with the most rigorous course load your school offers. See weighted vs unweighted GPA for the mechanics.

What the Common Data Set tells us

The Common Data Set is a voluntary disclosure standard maintained by College Board, Peterson's, and US News for higher education institutions. CDS Section C reports admissions data: C7 covers the high school GPA distribution of admitted students; C9 covers test score percentiles; C12 covers acceptance rate and yield. Most US universities publish their CDS annually on their institutional research website.

For the Ivy League, the C7 distribution is the most useful GPA datum because the schools do not publish a single median admit GPA. Instead, C7 reports the share of admits in each GPA band (3.75-4.0, 3.50-3.74, 3.25-3.49, etc.). At every Ivy, the 3.75-4.0 band contains the substantial majority of admits.

Ivy admit GPA reference table

Ivy	CDS admit GPA	Admit rate (2029)	Notes
HarvardHarvard University	3.95+ unweighted	Not released	Harvard declined to release Class of 2029 admit statistics. CDS C7 shows >90% of admits with HS GPA in the 3.75-4.0 band. Recalculated GPA emphasises academic-track courses.
YaleYale University	3.95+ unweighted	4.6%	2,308 admitted of 50,228 applicants. Yale recalculates with strong weight on course rigour and trend.
PrincetonPrinceton University	3.95+ unweighted	Not released	Princeton did not release Class of 2029 admit statistics. CDS C7 shows median admit class rank in the top 5% of high school class.
ColumbiaColumbia University	3.95+ unweighted	4.9%	2,946 admitted of 59,616 applicants (final figure; the Ivy Day rate was 4.29% before Columbia expanded the class). Holistic review; rigour and trend weigh alongside GPA.
PennUniversity of Pennsylvania	3.90+ unweighted	4.9%	3,530 admitted of 72,544 applicants, Penn's most selective year on record. Wharton GPA medians run slightly higher than CAS.
CornellCornell University	3.85+ unweighted	8.4%	6,077 admitted of 72,523 applicants. Variation across colleges within Cornell (Engineering, ILR, CALS, A&S).
BrownBrown University	3.90+ unweighted	5.7%	2,418 admitted of 42,765 applicants. Brown's open curriculum context; admissions still weight academic-track rigour heavily.
DartmouthDartmouth College	3.90+ unweighted	6.0%	1,702 admitted of 28,230 applicants. Smaller cohort; CDS C7 shows similar concentration to other Ivies.

GPA bands sourced from each school's published Common Data Set. Admit rates are the Class of 2029 cycle (admitted spring 2025), the most recent published, drawn from each school's official admissions announcement or student-press reporting of it. Harvard and Princeton declined to release Class of 2029 admit statistics. Verify the current cycle directly.

Recalculated GPA vs reported GPA

Ivy admissions readers do not use the GPA value printed on the applicant's transcript directly. Each school recalculates the GPA using an internal rubric. The recalculation typically strips electives (PE, art, study hall) and other non-academic courses, normalises weighting systems across districts, and applies course-rigour adjustments. The recalculated GPA may be materially different from the transcript GPA in either direction.

For an applicant with mostly regular-track courses and a high unweighted GPA, the recalculation can yield a lower effective figure because the rigour signal is missing. For an applicant with mostly AP / IB courses and a slightly lower unweighted GPA (because AP courses are graded harder), the recalculation can yield a higher effective figure because the rigour signal is strong.

The published CDS C7 figure is the recalculated GPA where the school reports it that way, or the unweighted GPA in the form the school chose to report. The Ivies are not uniform in how they report; some report unweighted only, some report both unweighted and weighted. Always check the CDS notes for the specific school.

Holistic review caveat

Every Ivy uses holistic review. This means the GPA, however calculated, is one factor among many: essays, letters of recommendation, extracurricular leadership, demonstrated interest, demographic context, and individual circumstances all contribute. The published CDS C7 figure tells you what admitted students presented as GPA, not what GPA value would have guaranteed their admission. Many applicants with 4.0 unweighted GPAs are rejected each cycle at every Ivy; many applicants with sub-3.9 GPAs are admitted with strong compensating factors.

The functional implication for applicants: a 3.9+ unweighted GPA places the applicant in the academically competitive pool at the Ivy tier. It does not guarantee admission. It is necessary, not sufficient. Conversely, a sub-3.9 GPA does not automatically disqualify an applicant; it does mean the rest of the application has to carry more weight. The most common rejected-applicant profile at the Ivy tier is a 4.0 GPA with strong test scores but unremarkable extracurriculars or unmemorable essays; the most common admitted-with-lower-GPA profile is a strong personal narrative, distinctive achievements, or significant institutional priority (recruited athlete, first-generation, geographic balance).

Differences across the Ivy League

The Ivies are similar in admit-GPA concentration but differ in some structural details. Cornell has the largest admit rate (around 8%) and the most internal variation across its constituent colleges (Engineering, ILR, CALS, Architecture, A&S each have somewhat different admit profiles). Penn has school-by-school variation as well: Wharton admit GPA medians sit higher than College of Arts and Sciences in some cycles. Dartmouth has the smallest cohort and reports the most concentrated admit-GPA distribution. Yale and Stanford (often grouped with the Ivies in "HYPSM" conversations even though Stanford is not formally Ivy) are the most selective at the GPA level.

The strategic implication for applicants: targeting the Ivy with the largest internal variation that matches your strengths can improve outcome odds. Cornell's Industrial and Labor Relations school admits different applicants than Cornell's College of Engineering; choosing the right college within Cornell can matter as much as choosing among Ivies.

Beyond the Ivy

Several non-Ivy institutions have similar or higher admit-GPA medians: Stanford, MIT, Caltech, the University of Chicago, Duke, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt, Rice. These schools are often grouped with the Ivies as "Top 20" for admissions difficulty. Their admit GPA distributions are functionally similar to the Ivies': 90%+ of admits in the 3.75-4.0 band per CDS C7.

For the analogous public-school tier, see the top public flagships page. For the liberal-arts-college equivalent, see the top LAC admit GPA page. Each tier has different admit GPA dynamics and different recalculation conventions.

Educational reference. Not admissions advice. Verify each school's current Common Data Set directly at the school's institutional research office.

Common Questions

What is the average weighted GPA for Ivy League admits?

There is no published average weighted GPA for the Ivy League. Weighted GPA depends on each high school's scale (some use a 5.0 scale for AP/IB, some a 100-point scale, some only an unweighted 4.0), so a single weighted figure is not comparable across applicants and none of the Ivies reports one. The figure the Ivies do publish, in Common Data Set Section C7, is the unweighted GPA: 90% or more of admits fall in the 3.75-4.0 band. As an illustration, on the common 5.0 weighted scale a student earning near-straight-A's across a heavy AP/IB load presents a weighted GPA in roughly the 4.3-4.8 range, but that is a function of the school's scale, not an admissions target. The benchmark that transfers across schools is a near-4.0 unweighted GPA paired with the most rigorous course load available, since admissions readers recalculate GPA to their own rubric regardless.

What GPA do you need for Ivy League?

Ivy League admit GPAs concentrate above 3.9 unweighted per published Common Data Set reports. CDS Section C7 reports the distribution of admitted students by high school GPA: at all eight Ivies, 90%+ of admitted students have unweighted GPAs in the 3.75-4.0 band. A 3.9+ unweighted GPA with strong course rigour, test scores, and extracurriculars is the baseline competitive profile.

Where is the Ivy GPA data published?

Each Ivy publishes its Common Data Set annually on its institutional research website. CDS is a voluntary disclosure standard maintained by College Board, Peterson's, and US News. Section C7 reports the high school GPA distribution of the freshman class. Section C9 reports test score percentiles. Section C12 reports acceptance rate and yield. Search 'Harvard Common Data Set' (or equivalent for any school) to find the current cycle's published report.

Do Ivies use weighted or unweighted GPA?

Both are reported on transcripts but the Ivies recalculate using their own rubric for admissions purposes. The recalculated GPA strips electives, normalises weighting systems, and applies course-rigour adjustments. The published CDS C7 figure typically reports the unweighted GPA. The internal recalculation is not published and varies by institution. Course rigour (number of AP / IB / honors courses) is reported separately in CDS and weights heavily.

Is a 4.0 GPA enough for Harvard?

It is the table-stakes baseline at the Ivy tier but not sufficient on its own. Harvard rejects more 4.0-GPA applicants each cycle than it admits, because admits are evaluated holistically on essays, recommendations, extracurriculars, demonstrated interest, and personal context. A 4.0 unweighted with maximum AP / IB course load and strong test scores puts the applicant in the academically competitive cohort; the rest of the application determines the outcome.

Do legacy admits have lower GPA requirements at Ivies?

The published CDS data does not separate legacy admits from non-legacy admits, and several Ivies have phased out legacy preference (Johns Hopkins, MIT, Caltech have no legacy preference; Harvard reaffirmed its consideration during recent admissions cycles per public statements). Legacy applicants at schools that still consider legacy receive a modest admissions advantage, but the published median admit GPA is the median across all admitted students.

Do Ivies do GPA-only auto-admit?

No. None of the Ivies has any auto-admit or auto-reject GPA threshold. Every application receives holistic review. This contrasts with many state flagship publics that publish auto-admit GPA thresholds (Texas top-6%, California UC eligibility minimums). The Ivy admissions process is by design contextual; no single number determines outcome.