GPA on a Resume: When and Where Should You Include It?

Knowing whether to include your GPA on a resume can be difficult — especially if you have mixed feelings about your final grade point average.

You only have limited space to use on your resume, and you don’t want to waste words on something recruiters don’t care about. But at the same time, although you don’t want your resume to feel cluttered and hard to read, you also don’t want to miss out on an interview opportunity because you left out important information.

Fortunately, there are a few simple guidelines that can help you decide whether you should add your GPA to your resume or keep it off. Here’s why you might want to include it, when it’s unnecessary, and where you should list your GPA on your resume.

When to List GPA on a Resume

If any of these situations apply to you, include your GPA:

The Job Listing Asks for It

It’s getting less and less common for job listings to ask you to include your GPA. In fact, a May 2021 CollegeRecruiter article by Steven Rothberg reports that the percentage of employers using GPA to screen candidates has decreased by 19% in the past five years alone. In many industries, this is due to employers increasingly prioritizing relevant skills and work experience over degrees and grades.

But it’s not unheard of for job listings to require your grade point average — especially for academic roles. If the listing asks for your GPA, don’t leave it off, even if it’s lower than you’d like. Best case? Hiring managers will think you lack attention to detail or that you’re trying to hide a low GPA.

In the worst-case scenario, your resume will be automatically discarded for not including required information. This is especially likely if the company is using it as a screening question in their applicant tracking system (ATS) to automatically filter out candidates who don’t meet their minimum requirements.

You’re a Recent Graduate or Pivoting Careers

Most companies will care more about your recent jobs than your grades. But if you have fewer than 1-2 years of relevant work experience, a high GPA could help create a positive impression.

This advice could also apply if you’re changing careers — especially if you’re transitioning to something that’s more in-line with a degree you completed. Say you majored in journalism in college before spending three years teaching English in South Korea. In this case, an exceptionally good GPA from your original degree might help you get a foot in the door for publishing internships.

You Have an Impressive GPA

If your GPA is 3.5 or higher on a standard 4.0 scale, it’s generally worth including. If it’s lower than that, it’s unlikely to have a positive impact on your job search.

Before you decide not to include your 3.2 GPA, however, figure out if there’s a different way to present it. For example, if you’ve earned a degree from a college that calculates a major GPA, you could include it if it’s higher than your overall score. If you do, just make sure it’s clear that the GPA you’ve included refers to your major with something like, “Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (Major GPA: 3.7).”

Similarly, you could mention your grades for specific modules or courses, but only if they’re highly relevant for the role or company you’re applying to. As an example, if you were applying for an entry-level marketing role at Apple, and you received an A in a college capstone course where you produced a thesis on Apple’s branding strategy, that may be worth highlighting on your resume.

You’re Applying for a Job Overseas

If you’re applying for a job overseas, you may want to include your GPA on a resume, even if it’s not over a 3.5 or you’re not a recent graduate. For example, in the UK, your grades should nearly always be included. In Germany, you’re often also expected to provide your degree certificate, according to German news site Deutschland.de.

When adding your GPA, make sure it’s clear that you studied in the US and the grade is marked out of four. In many European countries, degrees are marked out of 7, 10, or even 20 — meaning a 4.0 GPA could look far less impressive than it actually is.

When to Skip It

Generally speaking, if the job listing you’re applying to doesn’t require a GPA or if your GPA is on the low side, leave it off your resume. The same goes for employees who have been in the working world for several years — at that point, it’s assumed that your professional accomplishments should take precedence over your academic achievements.

Digging a little deeper, separate standards can exist when it comes to including your high school GPA vs. your college GPA. In most cases, you can take your high school GPA off of your resume once you’ve been in college for 1-2 years or worked in 1-2 roles after high school. And if you’ve pursued additional degrees after your bachelor’s, include only the GPA from your most recent program (assuming you meet the additional criteria described above).

Where Should You Include Your GPA on Your Resume?

If you’ve decided to include a GPA, you may be wondering, “Where on my resume should I put my GPA?”

As a standard practice, add it after your degree title in the education section of your resume. If you’re a recent graduate or pivoting into a new career that’s more closely linked to your studies than your recent jobs, put this section above your work history section, but after your skills section and personal summary (if you include one).

Otherwise, move your GPA below your work history section. If your GPA isn’t as high as you’d like, but you’re still required to include it, strategically position it below more important information — such as your relevant experience — to keep the focus on the value you have to offer as a candidate.

Finally, when listing your GPA, keep it simple and concise. Use numerals rather than writing out the score, e.g. “4.0” instead of “a four-point grade average,” and make sure to specify “GPA” in front of your grade. And if your GPA wasn’t marked on a four-point scale, include the highest possible rating as well for reference.

Launch Your Job Hunt with Rocket Resume

No matter what your GPA is, your resume should be personalized to each role you apply for, highlighting your best features as a candidate for that particular position. But even if you do customize your resume, choosing the wrong layout or an unappealing design can work against you by covering up your qualifications.

Rocket Resume’s professional resume templates can help you custom-tailor your resume to specific job application requirements, as well as avoid common resume mistakes. They’re also readable by Applicant Tracking Systems — as long as you meet the requirements for the job, you can be confident your resume will make it through to the recruiter’s inbox.

Writing a professional, attractive resume on your own isn’t easy. Use Rocket Resume’s resume templates to simplify the process and get the job done in just minutes.