Programs GPA requirements for PhD programs

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Most Science and Engineering PhD programs typically consider the entire undergraduate GPA, but some institutions may focus primarily on the GPA from the junior and senior years, especially if the applicant is borderline. In the case of the University of Auckland, only the GPA from the final qualifying year is crucial unless the applicant is very close to the cutoff. However, many schools generally look at the overall GPA. It's important to note that academic policies vary; for instance, at Penn State, credits can expire after 10 years if not applied to a degree, but the individual’s credits remain valid due to specific academic renewal policies. The discussion highlights the importance of GPA in admissions and the potential impact of prior academic performance on future opportunities.
itsJones610
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I was wondering if most Science and Engineering PhD programs look at the entire undergrad gpa or the Junior/Senior gpa? I am a returning student and my old gpa (from 12 years ago) is 2.04 after 63 credits. I figured out that depending on which path I take to finish my undergrad I will need to finish with an average gpa of about 3.7 or higher just to pull my overall gpa to a 3.0. Will my old gpa hurt my chances?
 
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Cannot speak for others - at the University of Auckland, the gpa for only the final qualifying year is all that matters unless you are very borderline and/or you are entering a restricted program.

Of course none of it matters if someone important wants to supervise you :)
 
Most look at your entire GPA. But at most schools (or in most states), credits expire after 10 years if you don't apply them to a degree, which means your GPA starts over (and you have to start over from the beginning with your bachelors degree). Are you sure your credits are still valid?
 
Yes they are still valid. I'm at Penn State they have something called academic renewal but to qualify you have to be out for more than 4 years AND have a gpa lower than 2.00. So my 2.04 just narrowly missed the cutoff. Too bad my younger self didn't know this or maybe I would've put more effort into skipping class and not studying lol.
 
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