Grades Needed to Get Into Harvard Graduate School

Harvard University is consistently ranked one of the top universities in the U.S. In its 2013 rankings, U.S. News & World Report listed Harvard as the second best university in the country, though it has regularly occupied the No. 1 spot in past ranking lists. Its graduate programs also consistently rate highly. Students who wish to apply to any of the graduate schools at Harvard -- such as The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Kennedy School or the Graduate School of Education -- should have an excellent academic record, including top grades and test scores.

Students who wish to apply to any of the graduate schools at Harvard must hold a bachelor's degree and have a distinguished academic record. Grades compose a large part of that criteria, but many of the university's graduate schools do not require a minimum GPA for successful applicants. Instead, many of the schools emphasize that there is no minimum GPA required and says that the admissions committee considers an applicant's entire academic record. However, some particular departments within Harvard's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences do publish applicant guidelines. For example, students who wish to be admitted to the English graduate program are advised to have no lower than an A- on each of the literature or related courses taken in their undergraduate studies. Students applying to the film and visual studies program should have no lower than an A- in classes related to film or visual studies.