Carleton University is a community of talented, committed and enthusiastic faculty and staff who are dedicated to the excellence and support of education and research that make Carleton Canada’s premier university.
Carleton University offers master’s degrees in a variety of fields, from accounting to social work. Doctoral programs in Counseling Psychology (PsyD) and Leadership Studies (PhD) are also available.
Review the data and choose wisely
At some schools, your application with a low GPA is unlikely to be accepted, especially if the school publishes data showing that your GPA is very lower than their most recent group of accepted students. If you find that your GPA is even below the 5th percentile of accepted students, that means that 95% of accepted students probably had a higher GPA. However, you may find that your low GPA is closer to the 10-40th percentile at other schools and use that data to make an informed choice. It’s always important to create a balanced list of schools, so try not to include too many schools that you would rate as low on their scale.
Letters of recommendation are a great way to add a different perspective to your application and bring your story and application to life! Some graduate programs require more letters of recommendation than others. Recommendation letters are always important, but generally schools that allow you to include more letters or required letters rather than optional letters place more value on recommendations. These are schools that want to hear what your teachers, peers and others have to say about you. After all, academic performance is not the only part of your question! When deciding who to ask for letters of recommendation, keep in mind how much they know you and support your goals. Those who know you well and have worked closely with you are more likely to write a glowing recommendation that may surprise admissions readers and focus on your strengths, instead of your lower GPA.
Master of Education (MEd) from Concordia University in Portland
The online MEd program from Concordia University in Portland could be a good choice for education professionals who wish to acquire specialized knowledge and pursue their teaching career. The program offers a range of concentrations and offers candidates a number of ways to present themselves beyond the GPA. Applicants from an accredited institution must have at least a 2.8 GPA, but Concordia allows those with a lower GPA to explain in their required mission statement how they will succeed in a demanding degree program on the academically by meeting this requirement. Applicants will address a number of other topics in their statements, which will be considered in the school’s admissions decision.
Although they do not impose a minimum entrance requirement, most graduate schools consider a student’s GPA when evaluating applications.
Although GPA is not necessarily an accurate measure of a candidate’s intelligence, it serves as a barometer of overall performance and can be a good indicator of student success at the graduate level. Graduate programs are interested in admitting students who demonstrate they have what it takes to succeed in their master’s degree programs and serve as good representatives of their schools in the professional arena. Since most schools rank undergraduates on a 4.0 scale, consulting the GPA for admissions staff is a convenient way to compare graduate applicants from colleges across the country.
Rules for entering graduate school with a low GPA
- If you have poor grades in courses related to your major, retake them as a student at part-time. Find Mar.
- If you work in a research-based STEM field, consider applying for R&D jobs or a technical job in a university lab. (Increasingly, the latter option seems like a golden ticket – a veritable “side door” into your PhD.)
- Spend six months learning everything you can about your target program and target teachers. Read their work. Make a list of nuanced questions to ask during your interview. Never ask questions that Google can answer.
- Don’t forget to write a rock star SOP
- And finally, don’t worry. You have this.
I know that these activities may scare some candidates. If you’re starting your senior year with a less than perfect GPA and want to apply in the fall, the thought of spending a year, two, or three years working as a technician can be overwhelming. Organic chemistry or linear algebra.
Western Governors University
Western Governors University offers competency-based learning and a personalized curriculum, with individual support for its students.
GPA requirement: no minimum stated