Midwestern Colleges for a 3.6 GPA

With a 3.6 GPA, you are competitive at 392 four-year colleges in the Midwest (182 target, 31 reach, 179 safety). A 3.6 is typically a A- (~89%) on a common grading scale.

Colleges in the Midwest for a 3.6 GPA

Target Schools (Competitive Chance of Admission)

Target schools have average GPAs near 3.6 - your grades fit squarely in the admitted pool.

College	Avg GPA	Acceptance Rate	Your Chance
Michigan State University East Lansing, MI	3.72	85%	Medium
Ohio State University Main Campus Columbus, OH	3.76	61%	Medium
Purdue University Main Campus West Lafayette, IN	3.67	50%	Medium
Indiana University Bloomington Bloomington, IN	3.74	78%	Medium
Iowa State University Ames, IA	3.7	89%	Medium
University of Illinois Urbana Champaign Champaign, IL	3.79	42%	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 Minnesota Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN	3.75	80%	Medium
Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL	3.71	82%	Medium
University of Cincinnati Main Campus Cincinnati, OH	3.69	85%	Medium

View all 182 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
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
University of Iowa Iowa City, IA	3.81	84%	Low
Washington University in St Louis St. Louis, MO	3.92	12%	Low
Butler University Indianapolis, IN	3.92	85%	Low
Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH	3.86	37%	Low
Bradley University Peoria, IL	3.83	77%	Low
Creighton University Omaha, NE	3.84	80%	Low

View all 31 reach colleges

Safety Schools (Very High Chance of Admission)

Safety schools have average GPAs well below 3.6; 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
Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL	3.3	70%	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
Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI	3.37	80%	High
Central State University Wilberforce, OH	2.8	99%	High
Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI	3.3	91%	High
University of Wisconsin Whitewater Whitewater, WI	3.3	86%	High
Northern Michigan University Marquette, MI	3.33	84%	High
Northeastern Illinois University Chicago, IL	3.1	75%	High
Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH	3.31	91%	High

View all 179 safety colleges

View the full list of colleges that accept a 3.6 GPA in the Midwest

See all colleges nationally for a 3.6 GPA

Published: August 19, 2026