Should I Put My GPA on My Resume

Put your GPA on your resume when it is strong, commonly cited as about 3.5 or higher, or when you are a student or recent graduate whom employers expect to show it. Leave it off if it is low or if years of experience now speak louder. For law school, admissions read the LSAC-recalculated GPA instead.

By Ali Unar, JD candidate at Georgetown Law and founder of Lovare Institut. Last updated August 2026. Every figure on this page was verified in August 2026 against the sources listed below.

Should you put your GPA on your resume?

Include your GPA when it is strong, commonly cited as about 3.5 or higher, and when you are early in your career and employers expect to see it. Omit it when the number is low or when substantial experience now defines you better than a grade average. The decision is about relevance, not obligation, since GPA is optional on a resume.

Why GPA helps some resumes and not others

For a student or recent graduate, a strong GPA is direct evidence of diligence when there is little work history to point to. For an experienced professional, accomplishments and results outweigh a years-old grade average, so the GPA takes up space better used elsewhere. The value of the number falls as your record of real work grows.

When a GPA belongs on your resume and when it does not

• Include it: you are a current student or graduated within the last few years with a solid GPA.
• Include it: the employer, program, or scholarship explicitly asks for it.
• Leave it off: your GPA is below the common 3.5 threshold and nothing requires it.
• Leave it off: you have several years of relevant experience that speaks for itself.

What to do if your GPA is low

If your cumulative GPA is low, you can list a stronger major GPA with a clear label, or drop the figure entirely and let experience and skills lead. Do not inflate the number, because employers and schools can verify it. For law school specifically, the LSAC-recalculated GPA is what admissions evaluate, so improving surrounding parts of your application often matters more than the resume line.

Frequently asked questions

Does pass/fail affect GPA?

A pass/fail course usually does not change your GPA, since a Pass carries no grade points. So it does not affect the GPA you might list on a resume. The class still appears on your transcript, and for law school LSAC applies its own rules, generally excluding a plain Pass from the recalculated GPA.

How does LSAC calculate GPA?

LSAC recalculates your undergraduate GPA through the Credential Assembly Service, converting all graded coursework to a standard 4.0 scale and counting failed and repeated classes. The figure can differ from the GPA on your resume, and it is the number law schools compare to their published medians in admissions.

What GPA do you need for law school?

There is no fixed minimum; each school reports 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile GPAs, and meeting a target school's median makes you competitive there. A resume GPA is separate from the LSAC-recalculated GPA admissions use, so plan around the recalculated number and pair it with a strong LSAT.

Is a 3.5 GPA good enough to list?

A 3.5 GPA is generally strong enough to list on a resume, since it sits at the common threshold recruiters treat as solid. It signals consistent academic performance, especially for students and recent graduates. If your major GPA is higher, you can add it with a clear label to strengthen the impression further.