UChicago is as quirky as it is highly competitive when it comes to college admissions. Many try their hand at admission each year, and many fail. And yes, this includes students with near-perfect grades and test scores. These types of academic heavyweights abound in the UChicago application pool (for the UChicago Class of 2028, 58.46% of students boasted perfect GPAs), so it’s not only about having top grades and scores when seeking admission to the home of the Maroons.

That said, what kind of GPA does a student need when applying to UChicago? Though the data for the University of Chicago’s Classes of 2029 and 2030 are not yet available, we can get a good picture by looking at the data from the four prior admissions cycles.

University of Chicago Admissions Rate

First, just how difficult is it to get into UChicago? For applicants to UChicago’s Class of 2028, only 4.48% earned admission (a record-setting acceptance rate for the university). The year prior, for the Class of 2027, this number was 4.78%. For the Class of 2026, 5.44% received good news from UChicago in their inboxes. It’s no walk in the park, that’s for sure!

GPA Percentage of the University of Chicago Class of 2028

The following is the GPA breakdown of the members of UChicago’s Class of 2028, as reported in UChicago’s 2024-25 Common Data Set:

GPA	Percentage of the University of Chicago Class of 2028
4.0	58.46%
3.75-3.99	30.07%
3.5-3.74	6.85%
3.25-3.49	1.76%
3.0-3.24	2.78%
2.5-2.99	0.09%
2.0-2.49	0%
1.0-1.99	0%

GPA Percentage of the University of Chicago Class of 2027

The following is the GPA breakdown of the members of UChicago’s Class of 2027, as reported in UChicago’s 2023-24 Common Data Set:

GPA	Percentage of the University of Chicago Class of 2027
4.0	62.65%
3.75-3.99	26.95%
3.5-3.74	6.62%
3.25-3.49	3.41%
3.0-3.24	0.29%
2.5-2.99	0.1%
2.0-2.49	0%
1.0-1.99	0%

GPA Percentage of the University of Chicago Class of 2026

The following is the GPA breakdown of the members of UChicago’s Class of 2026:

GPA	Percentage of the University of Chicago Class of 2026
4.0	59.88%
3.75-3.99	25.94%
3.5-3.74	11.28%
3.25-3.49	2.31%
3.0-3.24	0.58%
2.5-2.99	0%
2.0-2.49	0%

Further Context on GPAs of University of Chicago Students

58.46% of students who enrolled in UChicago’s Class of 2028 boasted perfect GPAs, while 62.65% of students in UChicago’s Class of 2027 and 59.88% of students in UChicago’s Class of 2026 had perfect GPAs. And for all of these admissions cycles, most of the remaining students in each class boasted GPAs in the 3.75-3.99 range.

But remember, while most students admitted to UChicago choose to enroll (UChicago often boasts a yield of over 80% that rivals and often succeeds the likes of Harvard), imagine how many students who did not earn admission to this private research university also submitted perfect or near-perfect GPAs.

So when parents proudly boast about their child’s GPA during complimentary consultations with Ivy Coach and ask if they can get into UChicago, we will never be able to give the answer they seek. Without context (including the high school attended, the rigor of the student’s coursework, their extracurriculars, essays, letters of recommendation, and so much more), the answer we would give would be meaningless. 

UChicago, after all, like all of America’s highly selective universities, has a holistic admissions process where grades and test scores form only two parts of the equation. If it were just about a student’s GPA, the institution would be overfilled with boring students without a unique perspective.

Can My Child Get into UChicago with a Low GPA?

While it’s certainly possible to get into UChicago with a low GPA, as the numbers bear out, it’s improbable. For the Class of 2028, only 4.63% of admitted students to UChicago had GPAs below 3.5, and it’s worth noting that these students likely filled institutional needs (such as being the children of donors).

How Ivy Coach Can Help Your Child’s Chances at UChicago

If you’re interested in optimizing your child’s odds of getting into UChicago, we recommend setting up Ivy Coach’s Strategy Session. Not only will you find out if your child has a chance of getting into UChicago with the help of Ivy Coach’s own Hannah Skaran, a former UChicago admissions officer, but you’ll come away with a game plan of how your child can optimize their odds of admission to the best school possible. To learn more about Ivy Coach’s Strategy Session, fill out our complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch.