What colleges can you get into with a 2.8 GPA?
A 2.8 GPA is a below-average GPA, best matched to higher-acceptance schools; a strong upward trend and test scores matter more here. Below, the 1,100+ colleges we track are grouped into safety, target, and reach by selectivity, since admitted GPA is not published the same way everywhere. For your real, school-specific odds, the free calculator combines your GPA with course rigor and test scores.
For example, a 2.8 GPA is a strong match at Lake Forest College, a likely safety at Kansas State University, still a reach at Fisk University.
Safety schools
724 schools where a 2.8 GPA your score clears the admitted middle, so academics are unlikely to be what holds you back.
Target / Match schools
269 schools where a 2.8 GPA your score sits right in the competitive admitted range.
Reach schools
41 schools where a 2.8 GPA your score is below the admitted middle, so the rest of your profile has to carry more weight.
High reach schools
60 schools where a 2.8 GPA admission is a long shot on scores alone; these stay reaches for almost everyone.
How to read this list
Why these are selectivity bands, and where the real number comes from.
Colleges report admitted GPA inconsistently (weighted vs unweighted, different scales), so grouping purely by published GPA would be misleading. Instead, these tiers map your GPA to the selectivity range it is typically competitive at: a higher GPA brings more selective schools into "target" and "safety." It is a planning heuristic, not a probability. Your real chance, computed per school from GPA plus course rigor and test scores, comes from our transparent model in the calculator (method published on the methodology page). Have a test score? Cross-check with the SAT lookup.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 2.8 GPA good?
A 2.8 is a below-average GPA, best matched to higher-acceptance schools; a strong upward trend and test scores matter more here. Whether it is "good" depends on the schools on your list and on your course rigor: the same GPA reads very differently with a transcript full of AP/IB classes than without one.
What colleges can I get into with a 2.8 GPA?
Grouped by selectivity, a 2.8 lines up with 724 safety and 269 target schools in our database, for 993 realistic options. Because schools do not all publish admitted GPA the same way, these are selectivity bands; the calculator computes your real per-school odds once it has your rigor and test scores too.
Can I get into a selective school with a 2.8 GPA?
Selective schools would treat a 2.8 as a reach, but a strong upward grade trend, demanding courses, and high test scores can offset a lower GPA. Build a balanced list with several targets and safeties, and use the calculator to see how much each improvement would move your odds.
Weighted or unweighted GPA?
These bands assume an unweighted GPA on a 4.0 scale, which is the most comparable across schools. If you only have a weighted GPA, the calculator handles the conversion and also factors in how demanding your courses were.
More GPAs
Jump to another GPA.
Acceptance rates reflect publicly reported data (U.S. Department of Education / NCES IPEDS / Common Data Sets). GPA tiers are a selectivity-based planning heuristic, not a guarantee. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are computed by a fixed, transparent model and are a planning tool, not a prediction of any admission decision.