A 3.35 GPA is above the national average for college students and puts you in solid academic standing. According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, the national average college GPA is 3.15, so a 3.35 sits comfortably above that benchmark. Whether it’s “good enough” depends on what you plan to do with it.
How a 3.35 Compares to the Average
A 3.35 translates roughly to a B+ average. You’re earning mostly B’s with a healthy mix of A’s, which signals consistent performance across your coursework. Sitting about two-tenths of a point above the national average means you’re outperforming a significant portion of your peers, even if it doesn’t feel that way on campus.
That national average of 3.15 includes students across all types of institutions and majors. At schools with more competitive admissions, the average GPA among enrolled students tends to run higher, sometimes closer to 3.3 or 3.5. So a 3.35 might feel average at a highly selective university while standing out at a less competitive one. Context matters more than the raw number.
Your Major Changes the Picture
Not all 3.35 GPAs are created equal. Engineering, chemistry, physics, and other STEM fields are widely known for tougher grading curves, heavier course loads, and lower class averages. A 3.35 in chemical engineering carries different weight than a 3.35 in communications, and graduate programs and employers in technical fields understand this. If you’re in a major where the department average hovers around 2.8 or 3.0, your 3.35 is genuinely strong.
Humanities and social science programs tend to have slightly higher average GPAs, so a 3.35 in those fields, while still above the national average, may land closer to the middle of the pack within your department. The best way to gauge where you stand is to ask your academic advisor what the average GPA looks like for students in your specific program.
What It Means for Graduate School
If you’re thinking about graduate school, a 3.35 clears the most common admissions threshold. Most graduate programs require a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale just to be eligible for consideration. UC Berkeley’s graduate division, for example, lists a 3.0 as its baseline requirement. A 3.35 gives you a comfortable cushion above that floor.
Clearing the minimum and being competitive are two different things, though. For master’s programs in less selective fields, a 3.35 paired with strong recommendation letters and relevant experience can make you a solid candidate. For more competitive programs in areas like business, law, or medicine, admitted students often carry GPAs north of 3.5 or 3.7, and standardized test scores carry significant weight alongside your GPA.
If graduate school is your goal and you still have semesters ahead of you, pushing that number up even a tenth or two can make a meaningful difference. A 3.5 opens doors to more fellowships and funding opportunities. Programs also look at your GPA trend. Finishing your last two years with a 3.6 or higher signals growth, even if your cumulative number stays in the mid-3s.
How Employers View a 3.35
Most employers care far less about GPA than students expect. Once you have a year or two of work experience, your GPA rarely comes up again. That said, for your first job out of college, it can matter. Some large corporations, consulting firms, and financial institutions use GPA cutoffs during initial resume screening, and those cutoffs typically sit at 3.0 or 3.5. A 3.35 clears the more common 3.0 filter but may fall just below the 3.5 threshold at the most selective firms.
For the vast majority of entry-level positions, a 3.35 will not hold you back. Internship experience, skills, and how you interview carry more weight. If your resume includes relevant internships or projects, most hiring managers will view a 3.35 favorably and move on to evaluating your actual qualifications.
Where It Falls for Academic Honors
A 3.35 will land you on the Dean’s List at many schools during semesters when your term GPA hits the required mark, which is typically 3.5 or higher depending on the institution. For graduation honors like cum laude, the bar varies widely. Some universities set cum laude at around 3.5, while highly competitive schools push that threshold much higher. At UCLA, for instance, the cum laude cutoff for the 2025-26 year ranges from about 3.89 to 3.96 depending on the school within the university.
A 3.35 won’t qualify for Latin honors at most institutions, but that’s true for the majority of college graduates. Latin honors represent the top tier of academic performance, not the dividing line between good and bad students.
Raising Your GPA From Here
If you want to move your GPA higher, the math gets harder the further along you are. A freshman with a 3.35 after 30 credit hours can shift that number significantly in a single strong semester. A junior with 90 credit hours would need to earn nearly straight A’s across a full semester just to bump up by a tenth of a point.
A few practical strategies can help. Retaking a course you earned a C or D in can replace the old grade at many schools, giving your GPA a noticeable boost from a single class. Taking a lighter course load during a difficult semester lets you focus more energy on each class. And meeting with professors during office hours, forming study groups, and using campus tutoring centers are the kinds of straightforward habits that tend to push grades from B territory into A territory.
A 3.35 is a GPA you can be genuinely proud of. It shows consistent effort, clears the thresholds that matter for most career and academic paths, and gives you a strong foundation to build on if you want to aim higher.