Is my GPA public or private information?

In graduate school admissions how do people use information like GRE scores and GPA to make their decisions?

• Answer:

  Most of the schools I've worked for look at the whole application package--GPA, test scores, letters of recommendation, personal statement, writing sample, anything else they've asked you to send. It's not just about the numbers. Many schools have a preferred minimum score--for example, a GPA above a 3.0, or GRE scores above 600 Verbal and 600 Quantitative (that's with the old scoring system), but they will consider applicants with lower numbers, if everything else in their application looks good. Other schools advertise a minimum that's fairly low, but in practice, they're so competitive, nobody gets in unless their numbers are a good bit higher. So, it really depends on the school, and the program. Why don't you contact the programs you're considering applying to, and ask them how they do it?