What do you consider a "good" college GPA?

[Lambsbread]

Assuming this is on a 4.0 scale. What GPA would you consider acceptable for a college student?

Personal note: my current GPA is 2.9 but will most likely climb to the 3.0 range after this semester.

I consider 2.5 to be the cutoff.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Good, or satisfactory? You're asking different questions. 3.5 the former, 3.0 the latter. I'm being forced to suspend my own standards to answer this, however.

[Lambsbread]

Good, or satisfactory? You're asking different questions. 3.5 the former, 3.0 the latter. I'm being forced to suspend my own standards to answer this, however.

Satisfactory meaning what one would be happy with on their final transcript.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Good, or satisfactory? You're asking different questions. 3.5 the former, 3.0 the latter. I'm being forced to suspend my own standards to answer this, however.

Satisfactory meaning what one would be happy with on their final transcript.

Then exactly what I got or higher (and I'm bring a bit soft with regard to the former). 3.69+.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

There's also the question of whether or not a student improves over time. My undergrad GPA was 3.63 because I seriously struggled in intensive language classes in my first year. My GPA for my last two years was above 3.8.

[muon2]

An important question is whether or not you are planning to continue academic studies after college. Graduate programs look at GPAs and the school they come from, so how good is "good" depends on where you want to go. If you aren't going on past a BA/BS then the GPA may not matter at all. If a job description doesn't say something that makes a GPA relevant, then requiring a certain GPA from an applicant can be a federal offense.

When I taught intro physics for engineers I was initially surprised at the grade distribution. I expected a bell curve with a B- average based on the point scale I had put out for the course. What I found was a bi-modal distribution. There was one peak around B+ and another in the middle low C ranges. I asked and found colleagues who saw the same thing. From talking to students I found part of it depended on whether the student thought they just needed my class to stay in the program or if they thought they might go on beyond a BS. If they only needed the class to complete the major they only aimed for a C and they knew it was unlikely to impact their job. If they wanted to go on to grad school they studied hard to try to get an A.

[Blue3]

At least 3.4

[Crumpets]

What I got. Anything above that is inhuman-genius-level, anything below is a sad excuse for a student.

Obviously.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Back in undergrad at Sciences Po, I would consider myself happy if I managed a 13 or 14 out of 20.

In the US it's different, of course. Especially in grad school in a small department. When I got a B on a paper (even though I still got an A in the class) it felt like I was a complete failure.

[Illiniwek]

Good, or satisfactory? You're asking different questions. 3.5 the former, 3.0 the latter. I'm being forced to suspend my own standards to answer this, however.

[OSR stands with Israel]

I would say your major GPA is more important and you should have a GPA above 3.0 in that.

[Donerail]

Our average GPA is around a 3.4, so that. "Acceptable" for me would be a 3.6 in my major classes and a 3.25 overall.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Good, or satisfactory? You're asking different questions. 3.5 the former, 3.0 the latter. I'm being forced to suspend my own standards to answer this, however.

[RINO Tom]

Being 25 and having worked for a few years, I have started to buy into the idea that GPAs are rather meaningless; they're an annoyance that require you to maintain a basic threshold to leave the door open for certain opportunities during the immediate years after you graduate.  Anything above a 2.75, and I assume that person is smart and put in at least minimal effort, IF I'm impressed with them personally.  I'll tell you right now that someone with a 2.75 who is articulate and seems like a good fit is being hired over the 3.75 who is a wet blanket.

[RFayette]

3.9 if you want to go to medical or law school; otherwise, 3.5 is fine, more or less depending on the major.  Everything Averroes said is correct as well.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

On a side note, my understanding is that for a lot of the best jobs, they want applicants to have at least a 3.5 GPA, even if coming from a top school.  Mine fell to a 3.491 this semester, and I will probably start applying for jobs in the late summer or fall, but I honestly feel that I deserved a A- in a class that I got a B+ in, and a A- would bring my GPA up to a 3.51, and I tried to make my case to the professor, but it hasn't worked out yet.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

You know there is no law requiring you to put your GPA to three digits on your transcript, correct? Just write 3.5 and be done with it.

To answer the question: complete agreement with Crumpets - higher than what I got will make my ears perk up as I begin to worship (until I learn of extenuating circumstances )

[Rjjr77]

Unless you're going to graduate school, it's not that important.

[angus]

3 is good.  3 is a B and a B is good. 

Unfortunately, with current trends in grade inflation, demanding students, fewer state dollars in state-supported institutions, and an increasing tendency to view students as customers (who are always right), a 3 is not going to get you into many graduate programs. 

But in principle, a B is good, not excellent, and not average.