Midwestern Colleges for a 3.5 GPA

With a 3.5 GPA, you are competitive at 395 four-year colleges in the Midwest (205 target, 57 reach, 133 safety). A 3.5 is typically a A- (~88%) on a common grading scale.

Colleges in the Midwest for a 3.5 GPA

Target Schools (Competitive Chance of Admission)

Target schools have average GPAs near 3.5 - your grades fit squarely in the admitted pool.

College	Avg GPA	Acceptance Rate	Your Chance
Purdue University Main Campus West Lafayette, IN	3.67	50%	Medium
Iowa State University Ames, IA	3.7	89%	Medium
University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL	3.41	77%	Medium
Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI	3.65	83%	Medium
Ball State University Muncie, IN	3.52	85%	Medium
University of Cincinnati Main Campus Cincinnati, OH	3.69	85%	Medium
Illinois State University Normal, IL	3.41	88%	Medium
Wayne State University Detroit, MI	3.42	81%	Medium
Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI	3.47	90%	Medium
University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, MN	3.51	89%	Medium
University of Michigan Dearborn Dearborn, MI	3.66	56%	Medium
Xavier University Cincinnati, OH	3.68	86%	Medium

View all 205 target colleges

Reach Schools (Lower Admission Chance)

Reach schools typically enroll students with higher average GPAs; admission is possible but more competitive.

College	Avg GPA	Acceptance Rate	Your Chance
University of Michigan Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI	3.88	16%	Low
Michigan State University East Lansing, MI	3.72	85%	Low
Ohio State University Main Campus Columbus, OH	3.76	61%	Low
University of Chicago Chicago, IL	3.95	4%	Low
University of Wisconsin Madison Madison, WI	3.88	45%	Low
Northwestern University Evanston, IL	3.92	8%	Low
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN	3.91	11%	Low
Miami University Oxford Oxford, OH	3.85	75%	Low
Indiana University Bloomington Bloomington, IN	3.74	78%	Low
University of Illinois Urbana Champaign Champaign, IL	3.79	42%	Low
University of Iowa Iowa City, IA	3.81	84%	Low
University of Minnesota Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN	3.75	80%	Low

View all 57 reach colleges

Safety Schools (Very High Chance of Admission)

Safety schools have average GPAs well below 3.5; you have a very high chance of acceptance.

College	Avg GPA	Acceptance Rate	Your Chance
Indiana State University Terre Haute, IN	3.29	81%	High
Southern Illinois University Carbondale Carbondale, IL	3.24	87%	High
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI	3.16	91%	High
Concordia University Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI	3.19	69%	High
Central State University Wilberforce, OH	2.8	99%	High
Northeastern Illinois University Chicago, IL	3.1	75%	High
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI	3.24	87%	High
Augsburg University Minneapolis, MN	3.27	82%	High
Adrian College Adrian, MI	3.2	73%	High
Vincennes University Vincennes, IN	2.98	100%	High
Holy Cross College Notre Dame, IN	3.2	75%	High
Roosevelt University Chicago, IL	3.13	97%	High

View all 133 safety colleges

View the full list of colleges that accept a 3.5 GPA in the Midwest

See all colleges nationally for a 3.5 GPA

Published: August 19, 2026