Chances of getting into a PhD program with 2.9 GPA

DoubleD
Tue, 08 Oct 2013 04:15:26 +0000

What kind of “top” programs are you shooting for?
Even in the top 10, there’s a notable gap between schools in terms of selectivity. Rankings may be deceptive in that some of the lower ranked schools (e.g., Princeton) are much more selective than some of the schools ranked higher.
Caltech is the most selective program in engineering. Next up is Princeton/MIT (I’m tempted to say Princeton is more selective than MIT due to how small Princeton’s program is). Next up is Stanford/UCB/Cornell, although Stanford’s MS is not terribly difficult to get into since they expect you to bring in funding. At this moment, I suggest that you do not apply to these schools, but instead look at some of the other schools that are not as selective but still in the top 10 (e.g., Purdue, UIUC, TAMU,etc…).

I’m a mechanical&aero undergrad senior @ Princeton. Unless you have a very good reason for the low GPA or are absolutely stellar in the other areas, then the hard truth is your chances are extremely slim at the ‘very selective’ top 10 schools. Where did you do your undergrad? Even then, a 2.9 from the most rigorous engineering schools is still quite alarming to an adcom.

Edit-just saw that you didn’t say you only wanted to apply to top schools in the field. A 2.9 from a reputable school will get you into lower ranked programs much easier.