Are high school GPAs stronger predictors of college graduation than ACT scores?

Students' high school grade point averages are five times stronger than their ACT scores at predicting college graduation, according to a new study published today in Educational Researcher, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Educational Research Association.

What is the strongest predictor of college graduation?

The research

And they found that a student's high school GPA was one of the strongest predictors of their eventual college graduation – far more predictive than a student's SAT/ACT score.

Do colleges look at GPA or ACT scores more?

Although the ACT is given a lot of weight, the GPA is still a huge component of your application. It is the only piece of numerical data that can reveal hard work, self-discipline, and consistency. Together with your transcript, your GPA can show improvement over time and intellectual growth.

Is high school GPA a good predictor of college GPA?

According to the authors, their study confirms prior research that finds high school GPAs are more predictive than SAT and ACT scores of college freshman GPA and college graduation.

Is GPA more important than ACT?

Recent research suggests that GPA—not standardized testing—better predicts students' success in college. In fact, researchers found that GPA was five times better at making this prediction when compared to the ACT. Another study showed that grades were a better predictor of graduation rates than test scores.

Virtual Harper Lecture: What Do ACT Scores and High School GPAs Tell Us about College Readiness

What is the best predictor of college performance?

Using SAT scores with high school GPA was the most powerful predictor of future academic performance. On average, SAT scores added 15% more predictive power above high school grades alone when attempting to understand how students will perform in college.

Does Harvard look at ACT scores?

Admissions Summary

Harvard College is extremely selective with an acceptance rate of 3%. Students that get into Harvard College have an ACT score of 34–36*.

Do ACT scores predict college success?

The study determined that both a student's ACT score and their high school GPA (HSGPA) effectively predicted long-term success during college. Overall, they found that ACT scores were a more accurate predictor, and that ACT benchmarks also provided compelling evidence.

What is the correlation between high school GPA and ACT scores?

After applying statistical corrections for range restriction, the typical correlations with first-year college GPA are 0.58 for high school GPA and 0.51 for ACT Composite score. While high school GPA is typically the stronger predictor of first-year GPA, the results in Table 1 indicate that the difference is not large.

Is a 3.750 GPA good in high school?

A 3.7 GPA is a very good GPA, especially if your school uses an unweighted scale. This means that you've been earning mostly A-s in all of your classes. If you've been taking high level classes and earning a 3.7 unweighted GPA, you're in great shape and can expect to be accepted to many selective colleges.

What happens if you have a high GPA but low ACT score?

While your GPA and transcript are very important, your low ACT score may make an admissions officer question if your grades were “inflated” (which some teachers do) or ask if you took easy classes. They may think that your low ACT score is a better signifier of how prepared you are for higher education.

Do colleges prefer ACT or SAT?

This is a common misconception. Colleges don't have a preference between the SAT or ACT so it's important to know how to choose the test that's right for you. Both tests are widely accepted across U.S. colleges—including those that are test optional.

Can a high GPA offset a low ACT?

If you have a GPA of 3.5 or above, this would generally be considered “high” at most colleges and can help offset lower SAT or ACT scores.

Is graduating with a 3.7 GPA good?

A 3.7 GPA is above average, so you don't need to worry too much about improving your GPA—you should still have a good shot at getting into most schools.

Is graduating with a 3.7 good?

A 3.7 GPA is considered to be a very good GPA and is often an indicator of strong academic performance.

What are the two most important factors that predict college graduation?

Test Scores and Grades. Both SAT or ACT scores and high school GPA are associated with the likelihood that students at four-year colleges earn a bachelor's degree. But when considered together, the predictive power of high school GPA is much stronger.

Do Ivy Leagues look at ACT scores?

Generally speaking, you need a minimum ACT score of 31 to get into an Ivy League School. The minimum score is 32 at a few of these schools, including Harvard and Yale. The minimum SAT score to get into an Ivy League school ranges from 690 to 730 for the reading section and from 700 to 730 for the math section.

What is the relationship between GPA and ACT?

As shown in the chart, the average difference decreases with ACT Composite score. For students with an ACT Composite score of 12, college GPA was 0.84 points lower than high school GPA. For students with an ACT Composite score of 34, college GPA was 0.31 points lower than high school GPA.

Can you get into college with low GPA but high ACT?

In addition to top scores and high GPAs, colleges are also looking for exceptionally talented students in specific fields. If you have an exceptional ability, it could overcome a low GPA, especially with your high ACT/SAT score.

Do high school grades predict college success?

This study builds on a previous REL Northwest study that found high school GPA was a stronger predictor of college academic performance than scores on standardized college entrance exams among first-time students at the University of Alaska.

What is the lowest GPA accepted to Harvard?

Even though the average weighted GPA for Harvard is 4.2, this is still an average. Successful applicants may have scores that fall well above or below that figure. That means you won't automatically be rejected if your GPA is under 4.0. Some say that the lowest GPA accepted to Harvard is about 3.0 (weighted).

Will a 36 ACT get you into Harvard?

Average ACT: 34

The 25th percentile ACT score is 34, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 36. In other words, a 34 places you below average, while a 36 will move you up to above average. There's no absolute ACT requirement at Harvard, but they really want to see at least a 34 to have a chance at being considered.

What is minimum GPA for Harvard?

Final Admissions Verdict

If you don't pass their SAT/ACT and GPA requirements, they'll likely reject you without much consideration. To have the best shot of getting in, you should aim for the 75th percentile, with a 1580 SAT or a 36 ACT. You should also have a 4 GPA or higher.

What is the single biggest predictor of high academic achievement?

Genes and family are biggest predictor of academic success.

What is the best predictor of high school graduation?

Being on-track in 9th grade is strongly predictive of on-time graduation.