The best colleges that accept 2.5 GPAs
Jeremy is an education researcher, journalist, and editor for Degreechoices. He majored in Slavic languages and has a master’s degree in Eastern European studies.
He has previous experience as a fraud analyst, in-house translator, teacher, and truck driver.
David Levy manages the product and data strategy for Degreechoices and writes about college rankings and accountability.
There are many excuses for having a low GPA in high school. Each student faces unique challenges that sometimes result in bad grades. To some extent, college admissions officers understand this.
However, they also know that according to studies, a low grade-point average is a relatively strong indicator of how a student will perform in college. This means that a bad GPA – like a 2.5 – can limit your college options.
But as we show, even if you underperformed in high school, you can still get into some decent schools.
Is a 2.5 GPA good?
There are no two ways to slice it – a 2.5 GPA is not good.
We looked at publicly available admissions information for 1,298 4-year colleges and universities and sorted them by the median high school GPA of their student body.
Out of all these schools, only 4 (!) had average GPAs of 2.5 or less.
But that does not mean that you must resign yourself to applying to one of these schools. The median GPA represents each school’s midpoint, meaning that 50% of your fellow students will have higher GPAs, and 50% lower.
Therefore, if you’re certain your bad-grade days are behind you, you should absolutely apply to schools with higher average GPAs. Incidentally, if you’re not exactly sure what your GPA is, you can use our GPA calculator to find out! All you need to do is input the percent you scored in your class or a letter grade!
» Also read: The best colleges with low GPA requirements
The best colleges that accept a 2.5 GPA or lower
At Degreechoices, we rank degrees based on if they’re “worth it” from an economic standpoint. In other words, we check whether the average salaries they unlock make up for their cost. To do this, we use a formula based on the financial concept of return on investment (ROI).
This formula spits out an Economic Score (ES); the lower the better.
Unfortunately, there are very few colleges that have a median GPA of 2.5 with an Economic Score in at least the top 50% of all colleges. Most of the colleges on this list are probably not worth it unless you’re going for free.
| College | Median GPA | ES | Percentage against other schools |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of South Carolina-Upstate | 2.66 | 4.6 | Average – 40% |
| Bowie State University | 2.53 | 5.06 | Below average – 60% |
| University of Advancing Technology | 2.5 | 5.2 | Below average – 60% |
| Albertus Magnus College | 2.6 | 5.8 | Poor – 80% |
| Coppin State University | 2.62 | 6.19 | Poor – 80% |
| Saint Elizabeth University | 2.6 | 6.8 | Poor – 80% |
| Calumet College of Saint Joseph | 2.65 | 8.20 | Poor – 80% |
| National Louis University | 2.68 | 8.7 | Poor – 80% |
| Western New Mexico University | 2.5 | 9.5 | Terrible – 100% |
| Newschool of Architecture and Design | 2.5 | 10.2 | Terrible – 100% |
| Metropolitan College of New York | 2.1 | 14.21 | Terrible – 100% |
| Bloomfield College | 2.69 | 18.1 | Terrible – 100% |
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Just as grim, the average graduation rate for these schools is 56.9%, about 7% lower than the national average graduation rate of 61.4%%. Not only are these schools largely not worth the money, according to the statistics, you most likely won’t even graduate.
Does that mean you should give up hope? No! Some colleges accept all applicants, regardless of their grades. These colleges, which have an “open admissions” policy, don’t usually disclose information on their student body’s high school GPA.
» Also read: How much do acceptance rates really matter?
The best open admissions colleges
While all the colleges with an average high school GPA of 2.5 are kind of crap, plenty of open admissions colleges are a great educational investment.
They include 5 schools that are in the 5% of all colleges by value for money, as shown below.
| Open admissions college | ES | Percentage against other schools |
|---|---|---|
| St Petersburg College | 0.71 | Outstanding – 5% |
| West Coast University-Dallas | 1.07 | Outstanding – 5% |
| University of Arkansas Grantham | 1.09 | Outstanding – 5% |
| Bismarck State College | 1.21 | Outstanding – 5% |
| Florida State College at Jacksonville | 1.33 | Outstanding – 5% |
| Potomac State College of West Virginia University | 1.60 | Very good – 20% |
| West Coast University-Miami | 1.63 | Very good – 20% |
| Peirce College | 1.80 | Very good – 20% |
| Charter Oak State College | 1.87 | Very good – 20% |
| Western Governors University | 1.87 | Very good – 20% |
| Union Institute & University | 1.90 | Very good – 20% |
| Columbia Southern University | 1.90 | Very good – 20% |
| West Coast University-Orange County | 1.92 | Very good – 20% |
While this list only contains 4-year degree-granting institutions, keep in mind that many community colleges are also open to everyone.
Community college can be a very good investment, leading the way to a solid job without breaking the bank.
What if you don’t have time to improve your GPA?
If your grades are bad, there are 2 ways you can make the most of a less-than-ideal situation. Picking the right path will require a little bit of soul searching.
1. Community college or open admissions
If you know that your low GPA was a fluke and your poor performance is a thing of the past, consider starting out at community college. Some community colleges even offer bachelor’s degrees.
If you’re really determined, you could then transfer from a community college to a 4-year university. Community college allows you the opportunity to prove to excellent state universities – and to yourself – that you can indeed handle college despite underperforming in high school. Your degree from the state university will be much more respected than a degree from any of the colleges listed in our first table.
Alternatively, just stay at community college. Several lucrative careers, like nursing, only require an associate degree.
2. Trade school
If book learning just isn’t your thing (and there’s nothing wrong with that!), then we would recommend picking a trade school. Trade schools equip you with the hands-on skills you need to become an electrician, plumber, mechanic, dental hygienist, etc.
Many jobs in the trades are surprisingly well paid (even better than the average for college grads), and you’ll also save a lot of money on student loans. For example, learn how to become a welder.
Working in the trades can lead to high job satisfaction, and you won’t need spend long, boring hours listening to lectures in a classroom.
Final thoughts
A 2.5 GPA isn’t great, but that doesn’t mean your life is over. There are lots of options for people who didn’t get good grades in high school. Enroll in a community college to start your academic career or find an apprenticeship in the trades.
Both options can lead to rewarding and lucrative careers – often skipping the high debt burden that college graduates have to deal with.
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