@arabrab, the 3.8 might - or might not - be an anomaly, as there is only one wave of statistics to look at since the new program is in its first year. Of course son must make a decision now, so that is all the data we will have. And the school does point out that 3.8 was an average and some were accepted with lower GPAs. But based on what we know NOW, we would need to counsel son to aim for that 3.8 to be competitive to his top choice.