I am looking to apply to UVA this fall. I had a 3.5 gpa freshman year, 3.7 sophomore, and a 4.4 junior year. By junior year I had finished AP BC Calculus with an A- and AP Physics with a A-. I have 6 AP’s including senior year, and play 2 varsity sports. I am also a part of DECA and I have taken STEM. i scored a 1900 on my SAT and a 31 on my ACT. with these score what is the likelihood of me being accepted in the early decision? Also, if i was to be denied from the engineering program would it be possible for me to still be accepted into the school? Please be honest
They say they don’t care about your GPA. Instead, they look at the specific courses you took, and the grades you got in each - so an A in AP Calc BC and another in AP Physics is much more important than “4.4 junior year.” If there is any trend in your grades, it is best if it is consistently upward (freshman grades < sophomore grades < junior grades). Do NOT take lighter courses in an attempt to boost your GPA. They want to see you taking the hardest classes available in your school.
Above and beyond GPA, they want to see that you excelled in comparison to your peers - that you are near the top of your HS class (if ranked).
Your ACT score looks better than your SAT score at this point. Don’t forget that they strongly suggest two SAT-II subject tests (they are not required, but you should have a good reason why you couldn’t take them if they aren’t part of your application).
A 1900+ SAT or 31+ ACT and an unweighted cumulative GPA of 3.8+ is probably the minimum you should shoot for to be comfortable if you’re applying as a Virginia resident. Some get in with lower, of course.
If you’re out of state, try to bring a 3.9+ unweighted and a 2100+/33+, but again, some do get accepted with lower numbers. (Admission is really, Really competitive for OOS applicants, though.) Obviously, the higher the numbers, the better your application will read.
If you happen to be an OOS legacy (i.e., you had a parent or stepparent graduate from UVA), they will use the Virginia resident standards when evaluating your application. This is NOT the same as having Virginia residency for any legal purpose such as tuition!
This doesn’t give any GPA data, or break test scores down by residency, but it does convey how much of an advantage it is to be a Virginia resident: http://uvaapplication.blogspot.com/2015/03/unofficial-uva19-admission-statistics.html
If you’re in-state, I think you have a pretty good chance. The applicant pool varies each year, so I can’t give you a definite answer. I had around the same SAT/ACT scores as you, but my grades were relatively higher. Make sure you take the subject tests (especially math 2 and a science test if you’re interested in engineering) and work hard your first semester of senior year.
Anyways, UVA was my top (and target) school. I applied into SEAS early action and was deferred. On my deferral letter, they gave me the option to switch into the College of A&S. When regular decision came around, I was accepted into the College of A&S. I then tried to switch back into Engineering and had to wait until everyone made their deposits. A few weeks ago (mid-May), I was able to switch back into engineering. I am not necessarily suggesting this, but I think it helps if you really want to go to UVA. I know a few people from my school (with similar statistics) who applied into SEAS during regular decision but were waitlisted.