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Does GPA matter for Fulbright Scholarship?

USEFP clearly states that the purpose of the Fulbright Scholarship Program is to promote the mutual understanding between the people of Pakistan and the United States through educational and cultural exchange. Fulbright scholars from Pakistan are required to share information about Pakistani society and culture with students and also demonstrate a strong plan to contribute something to their home country upon their return. Securing this prestigious scholarship requires much more than profiles embellished with mere grades and academic achievements.

While grades do matter a lot, they certainly are not the only deciding factor.

A common conception is that ‘All Fulbrighters are a bunch of nerds with great GPA’s and standardized test scores’. While this is true in most cases, it should not prevent you from applying. The Fulbright Commission isn’t just looking for students with great GPA’s, impeccable GRE, TOEFL or GMAT test scores, perfect IQ’s and a long list of awards and honors – they look for people with a demonstrated passion for their area’s of interest along with well-rounded interests, unique life experiences and a desire to be a cultural ambassador of Pakistan in US culture. And in most cases there is a strong correlation between GPA and passion.

Certainly, there are low scoring students who get the scholarship.

GPA, an important narrator of applicant’s achievements

Grades have their place. However, every university has its own criteria to calculate GPA’s – some give a 3.5+ to those who fall in the top 10% of the class while some give it to those who lie in the top 2%. There are even some programs such as LUMS that give a 4.3 GPA (Bonus GPA) to the exceptional performers. In short GPA is not a standard and unified measure that can be used to shortlist students for such a prestigious scholarship as the Fulbright.

Moreover because of this inconsistency in calculating the GPA, a student with a 3.5 GPA from, for example NUST, can’t be equal to another student with 3.5 GPA from some other university. And Fulbright does keep this into account.

So, don’t worry if you don’t have a stellar GPA because your university was competitive or did not give out great GPA’s (like in case of GIKI where most of the people score below 3.00)

What Does the Fulbright Committee Look For?

Fulbright is a lot about communicating your passion and your ability to compete in a certain area of interest. You have to exhibit this passion via a logical and a well-structured SOP (Statement of Purpose or Personal Statement). The requirement of GRE scores, publications, research proposal, study objectives and sound letter of references (LOR) decrease the emphasis on GPA’s. Therefore, a good GPA definitely supplements these several other factors that can play a deciding role in winning you the Fulbright Scholarship.

What is a Safe GPA for Successful Application?

USEFP clearly states that there is no minimum GPA requirement for Fulbright Scholarship Program. However, over the years I have observed that anything above 3.3 is a safe GPA for Fulbright. That doesn’t rule out the chances for candidates with less than 3.3 GPA’s. In fact, every year few Fulbrighters secure the scholarship with less than 3 GPAs as well. But one thing is for sure, that their application stood out in all the other remaining factors such as strong international publications, eloquent personal statements and stellar GRE scores. Whereas many students with 3.7 GPA’s get rejected primarily because they applied with lackluster study objectives, trite reference letters and below average GRE scores.

So, having a strong GPA doesn’t warrant your application’s success but it definitely increases your chances significantly.

How to Make Up for Low GPA?

Many talented students have low grades in universities due to different factors. There are ways to compensate your low GPA and few of them are stated below:

• Your personal statement is an ideal place in your application to explain your low GPA. You can attribute your low GPA to illness, financial restrictions or some other reasonable factor. Your faculty member can also defend your low grades in reference letters.
• Get a strong GRE score especially in the section that is more related to your field of your application. For example, a strong quantitative score matters more for engineering students than verbal score.
• Try writing a research paper on your Final Year Project and present it in some international conference. A strong international publication can do wonders for your Fulbright chances.

A Final word

Academic achievement is only one of the many factors that contribute to the selection of Fulbright Fellows. So, don’t allow your low GPA from preventing you from giving a shot to one of the most prestigious scholarships available. Good Luck!