Being smart is not the only quality that a college looks for in a student. Extracurricular activities, essays, and recommendation letters are other aspects of your application that colleges could take into consideration.
In addition to this, there are over 4,000 colleges and universities in the US, and most of them don’t have students at the top of their class.
You do not have to be smart to go to college because there are colleges that accept 100% of applicants. However, the more selective/prestigious the college, the higher your stats need to be in order for you to be a competitive applicant of that school.
Even though intelligence is subjective, many people in high school associate GPA and SAT/ACT with how smart a person is.
But your grades and test scores do not always reflect your level of intelligence. Someone could be very smart, but have a low GPA for a multitude of reasons:
The national average GPA (grade point average) in America is approximately a 3.0, but it will range slightly every year.
PrepScholar
Reasons For Low GPA
Little To No Work Ethic
This is something that a student should be responsible for entirely. A lack of work ethic can take a toll on your grades, no matter your level of intellect.
If you don’t do your homework, put little effort into projects, and completely bomb your tests, your grades are going to match your level of effort.
This is something you can fix, so if you are still in the early days of high school, try your best to increase the range of schools you will be a competitive applicant for.
Environment
Living in a poor area with a poor education system usually means that your school has fewer resources (e.g., textbooks & technology) and higher student to teacher ratio. Without the necessary supplies and educators, your grades will inevitably suffer.
On the other hand, if you live in an affluent neighborhood, you will likely attend a good school with plenty of resources and teachers. You have the ability to show your potential and maintain good grades.
Because of this, someone with the same intellectual ability as someone from a well-off neighborhood could have a lower GPA because they live in a poor area.
Financial Circumstances
The SAT/ACT tests your ability to take a test, not how smart you are. That’s why there are so many books with strategies on how to boost your score; many people also hire tutors to help them as well.
But, if your family doesn’t have the money to afford all the books and tutors, how will your score compare to those who can afford it?
You could be smarter than someone who got a higher score than you just because that person’s parents had hired a personal tutor and signed up for a $1,000 course.
This is one of the reasons that colleges are going test-optional. Your SAT/ACT doesn’t provide any indication of your intellectual ability.
Unexpected Circumstances
There are instances in life that you can’t control. You may find yourself having to work jobs to support your family. It could be that you’re struggling because your parents are getting a divorce. Whatever it is, your academic performance could be compromised.
When I interviewed Taylor from GW, she told me something that severely affected her grades in her sophomore year. She got really sick and spent a lot of time in a hospital, quite a bit of distance from her home.
As a result, her grades in sophomore year dropped dramatically. She “slaved away” her junior and senior year and was able to bring her GPA back up.
Taylor probably couldn’t predict such a thing happening, and her inability to do schoolwork made her grades suffer.
She didn’t have a low GPA that year because she was stupid; she had a low GPA because her circumstances didn’t allow her to be at school.
However, even if a highly selective college/university were to know your circumstances, in most cases, they would accept the student with a 4.0 GPA over someone with a GPA lower than the national average.
Because of that, I included a list of colleges (from each state) that accept ≥ ~80% of applicants. These are not the only colleges you can get into, but schools that would probably accept you, regardless of your GPA or SAT/ACT score.
| University | Location | Acceptance Rate |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham | Birmingham, AL | ~92% |
| University of Alaska Anchorage | Anchorage, AK | ~81% |
| The University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ | ~84% |
| University of Central Arkansas | Conway, AR | ~91% |
| California State University Stanislaus | Turlock, CA | ~86% |
| University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, CO | ~82% |
| University of New Haven | West Haven, CT | ~84% |
| Wilmington University | New Castle, DE | 100% |
| Barry University | Miami Shores, FL | ~91% |
| University of North Georgia | Dahlonega, GA | ~81% |
| University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa | Honolulu, HI | ~84% |
| Boise State University | Boise, ID | ~81% |
| Illinois State University | Normal, IL | ~89% |
| Indiana State University | Terre Haute, IN | ~90% |
| The University of Iowa | Iowa City, IA | ~83% |
| Kansas State University | Manhattan, KS | ~93% |
| University of Kentucky | Lexington, KY | ~94% |
| Northwestern State University | Natchitoches, LA | ~82% |
| University of Maine | Orono, ME | ~92% |
| St. Mary’s College of Maryland | St. Mary’s City, MD | ~80% |
| Salem State University | Salem, MA | ~85% |
| Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo, MI | ~81% |
| Concordia University – St. Paul | Saint Paul, MN | ~97% |
| University of Mississippi | University, MS | ~88% |
| Missouri State University | Springfield, MO | ~85% |
| University of Montana | Missoula, MT | ~88% |
| University of Nebraska – Omaha | Omaha, NE | ~82% |
| Nevada State College | Henderson, NV | ~81% |
| New England College | Henniker, NH | 100% |
| New Jersey City University | Jersey City, NJ | ~96% |
| Western New Mexico University | New Mexico | 100% |
| Iona College | New Rochelle, NY | ~88% |
| University of North Carolina – Asheville | Asheville, NC | ~94% |
| North Dakota State University | Fargo, ND | ~93% |
| Cleveland State University | Cleveland, OH | ~88% |
| The University of Oklahoma | Norman, OK | ~78% |
| University of Oregon | Eugene, OR | ~83% |
| Washington & Jefferson College | Washington, PA | ~82% |
| Bridgewater State University | Bridgewater, MA | ~90% |
| Columbia College | Columbia, SC | ~96% |
| University of South Dakota | Vermillion, SD | ~86% |
| University of Memphis | Memphis, TN | ~84% |
| The University of Texas – Arlington | Arlington, TX | ~80% |
| Utah State University | Logan, UT | ~89% |
| Northern Vermont University – Johnson | Johnson, VT | ~84% |
| George Mason University | Fairfax, VA | ~81% |
| Western Washington University | Bellingham, WA | ~88% |
| Concord University | Athens, WV | ~89% |
| University of Wisconsin – Stout | Menomonie, WI | ~90% |
| University of Wyoming | Laramie, WY | ~96% |
Should I Consider Community College?
As we’ve already established, you can still go to college even if your grades are below average. However, if you really want to aim for a more selective school, community college could be an option.
You could spend two years in community college and then apply to transfer to whichever school you want. In the two years of community college, a lot of people complete their general graduation requirements, like math, and then transfer to a university to pursue a major.
Community college gives you the chance to bring your grades up and show the university that you can be a competitive applicant. And, going to community college saves you a lot of money.
Definitely consider community college if you wish to aim for a more selective school than the ones on the table above.
Last Thoughts
Having bad grades doesn’t mean that a person is dumb or not qualified for college, but grades can deeply influence a college’s decision. The lower your grades are, the smaller your selection of colleges will be.
However, there are many colleges that accept the vast majority of applicants, and community college is also an option.