Should You Put Your GPA on a Resume? (2026)
Most recruiters stop caring about your GPA once you have a year or two of relevant work experience. The exception is early-career hiring, internships, new-grad roles, and some finance or consulting tracks still screen on it.
Here is the cutoff to use, when to drop it, and how to format it so it does not look like filler.
When to include your GPA
- You graduated within the last 1–3 years and have limited full-time work history.
- Your GPA is 3.5 or higher out of 4.0, or near the top of your program if the scale differs.
- You are applying in a field that explicitly screens on it: investment banking, consulting, some engineering and government roles.
- The job posting or application form asks for it directly.
When to leave it off
- Your GPA is below 3.5, a low number draws more attention to itself than no number at all.
- You graduated more than 3–4 years ago, work experience has replaced it as the relevant signal.
- You changed majors or had a rough first year that dragged the overall number down, list your major GPA instead if it is stronger.
How to format it
Keep it short and put it where the reader expects it: next to your degree in the education section, never in a summary or skills section.
- Format: "B.S. Computer Science, GPA: 3.8/4.0" on the same line as your degree.
- If your major GPA is meaningfully higher, list it instead or alongside: "Major GPA: 3.9/4.0".
- Always include the scale (/4.0). An unscaled number reads as evasive.
What to do if your GPA is low
Lean on other things instead: relevant coursework, a capstone project, internships, and technical skills. See our entry-level resume guide for building a resume around projects and coursework rather than GPA.
Put it into practice: browse resume examples by role, start from a free ATS-friendly template, and generate a tailored letter with our AI cover letter generator.
Frequently asked questions
Should I put 3.3 GPA on resume?
It sits right at the edge. 3.3 is not strong enough to help you get flagged, but not so low that it hurts if the posting asks for it directly. If you have relevant experience or projects to lead with instead, leave it off; if you are a student with little else, including it does no harm.
What GPA is too low for a resume?
Below 3.5 generally is not worth including for most roles, and below 3.0 will actively raise questions with recruiters. Replace a low GPA on your resume with coursework, projects, or internship results instead.
Is a 3.7 GPA good to put on a resume?
Yes, 3.7 sits comfortably above the 3.5 threshold most recruiters treat as a positive signal, especially on internship and new-grad applications. List it next to your degree.
How do you say GPA in a resume?
Write it as "GPA: 3.x/4.0" directly after your degree and major in the education section, using the same scale your school reports. Spelling out "grade point average" is unnecessary, the abbreviation is standard.
Applygrid builds the ATS-friendly resume builder and AI cover letter generator behind these guides. We write from hands-on experience with how applicant tracking systems parse resumes, what recruiters actually screen for, and what gets job seekers to the interview.
Put this into practice
Build an ATS-friendly resume and generate a tailored cover letter with Applygrid, free to start.