How important are grades?
They are less important than the public service and leadership record, but still significant. Nominees generally should be in the top 10 – 15% of their class. Some Truman Scholars have GPAs in the range of 3.4 – 3.6 but have received outstanding grades in upper-division courses in their field of interest.
Grades alone are less important than the overall combination of qualities (which might include research, service, leadership, and so on), but they are still significant. Nominees for prestigious fellowships generally have GPAs at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. The Marshall Scholarship requires a GPA of 3.7 or higher, and in practice most fellowships also look for a similar level of academic achievement. Some Truman Scholars have GPAs in the range of 3.5 – 3.6 but have received outstanding grades in upper-division courses in their field of interest along with several years of public service. The average GPA of Udall Scholars is 3.7, but some Udall winners have had GPAs as low as 2.8 or 2.9 combined with exceptional accomplishments related to the environment in other areas. Most Goldwater Scholars have GPAs in the range of 3.9 – 4.0. Most applicants for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowships have GPAs of 3.7 or higher, but applicants with less competitive GPAs have won awards if they show subs
