29 Best Colleges for B Students and how to Enter

July 6, 2023

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Generally speaking, the more college alternatives you have, the better your grades are. Some students, however, have the misconception that you need straight As to enroll in a top university. Students are anxious and stressed that receiving a few Bs will condemn them to a subpar university.

Fortunately, receiving Bs won’t preclude you from enrolling at a top university. There are many top universities that accept B students. We’ll outline how to choose a decent college if you’re a B student and present a list of 29 of the best colleges for B students.

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You are a B Student? You can still Attend a Top University

Don’t panic if you have largely Bs on your transcript at the end of your junior year or the start of your senior year; you can still get into a top college.

You may wish to focus your attention on reputable universities that are somewhat less selective as highly selective colleges will certainly be out of your reach. For instance, Stanford only accepts about 4% of applicants and requires a high school GPA of 3.96/4.00 in order to enter a student. The admittance rate at the University of Michigan is 20%, and the average GPA of those admitted there is 3.88/4.00.

On the US News and Forbes rankings lists, B students may struggle to get into the top 50 colleges, but they may have a good chance of getting into the top 100. The top 100 universities are still superior to more than 99% of four-year colleges in the US, which has over 3,000 of them.

How Important Are Grades in Applying to College?

It should go without saying that your grades have a significant impact on the colleges you can attend. In fact, one of the key criteria that colleges look at when determining whether to admit you is your grade point average.

The National Association for College entrance Counseling (NACAC) performed a survey on the situation of college entrance in 2019 and found that 75% of universities think total GPA and grades in college prep courses are very essential admission factors. Only around 46% of the institutions surveyed believe test scores from the ACT, SAT, and other exams are very relevant. This suggests that one of the key considerations for college admission is unquestionably grade point average.

But it’s not only grades that matter; universities also want to see that you’re pushing yourself by enrolling in hard courses. The NACAC report shows that 84% of institutions place at least some importance on how challenging a student’s course load is. To put it another way, earning good grades isn’t enough; you also need to do well in challenging courses.

Even if you can still get into a top college with a B average, we advise trying to raise your grades if you have any additional time before the deadline for college applications.

B Students are not all Equal.

Colleges consider a wide range of characteristics when deciding who gets in, including grades, classes, test scores, extracurricular activities, references, and the personal statement.

Considering all other factors to be equal, a student who received all Bs in regular classes will be significantly less qualified than a student who received all B+s in primarily honors and AP subjects. This is typically reflected in your weighted GPA, which gives harder courses a higher weight than easy courses. In this case, the student who received straight Bs would have a 3.0 GPA, whereas the student who received straight B+s (assuming they took four honors classes out of a possible six) would have a 3.97 GPA.

However, you might make up for poor marks by doing well in other areas. For instance, if you had a weighted GPA of 3.4 and an ACT score of 33, you would likely be able to enroll in far more selective colleges than a student with the same GPA and a 27 ACT score.

Also, if you excel in your extracurricular activities, you might be able to make up for poor academics. Even with a few Bs on your transcript, you might be able to get into the most selective universities if you’re an Olympic-caliber athlete or a successful businessperson.

In general, if you have a B average but want to enroll in institutions with strict admissions requirements, concentrate on making sure that every other aspect of your college applications is as excellent as it can be.

How to Increase a B Student’s Chances of Admission

1. Make a study plan for the SAT or ACT.

You can boost your chances of getting into the college of your choosing by raising your standardized test results. Give yourself enough time to study, practice, and, if necessary, retake the SAT or ACT. There are several free SAT exams, therefore there are no justifications!

2. Produce an effective additional essay

Supplemental essays may be necessary to gain admission to a reputable university. You can share more about yourself in your supplemental writings than just your GPA or ACT results. Instead, you should describe your personality and your goals for the future.

If you want to produce a fantastic supplemental essay, conduct your research, avoid repetition, and proofread it carefully for foolish errors. Try your best because a strong additional essay can mean the difference between receiving an admission or rejection letter.

3. Engage in Extracurricular Activities

Engaging in extracurricular activities will help you submit a well-rounded college application. It displays that you can balance your time between working on schoolwork and taking part in other activities.

Also Read: How to Gain Leadership Experience in High School

How were these Colleges for B Students Chosen to be on this List?

We looked at a number of rating lists, including US News, Forbes, and Niche, to come up with this list of excellent colleges for B students. Because the US News rankings are the most respected and esteemed of the college rankings, we assigned them more weight.

If a college’s average GPA for approved candidates was less than 3.75, we deemed it accessible to B students. All of the colleges listed below may be reach, target, or even safety schools for you if your weighted GPA is between 3.30 and 3.80. You might also want to look at the top institutions for students with low GPAs if your weighted GPA is less than 3.30.

This list by no means includes all the top universities for B students. In the end, we made an effort to compile a broad list that included institutions from all geographic locations and classifications, such as huge public universities and small liberal arts colleges.

Best Colleges for B Students

The list of top colleges for B students is presented below. We divided up all the schools into the West, Midwest, Northeast, and South categories. We listed each school’s address, US News ranking, typical GPA, typical SAT score, typical ACT score, and typical acceptance rate.

Remember that US News divides its rankings of educational institutions into four groups: national universities, national liberal arts colleges, regional universities, and regional colleges. No regional colleges made the list; the majority of the institutions are national universities and liberal arts colleges. Unless otherwise stated, the US News ranking for each region is for national universities.

The GPA ranges and other ranges for the other items on our list are as follows:

GPA range: 3.33 to 3.90
SAT average: 1185 to 1340
ACT score on average: 25 to 30
Rate of Acceptance: 32% to 83%

West

School	Location	US News Ranking	Average GPA	Average SAT	Average ACT	Acceptance Rate
Loyola Marymount University	Los Angeles, CA	77	3.92	1335	30	46%
Pepperdine University	Malibu, CA	55	3.74	1355	28	53%
San Diego State University	San Diego, CA	151	3.77	1225	26	38%
University of Colorado, Boulder	Boulder, CO	97	3.68	1272	28	80%
University of Oregon	Eugene, OR	105	3.73	1225	26	93%
University of the Pacific	Stockton, CA	151	3.58	1250	28	79%
University of Utah	Salt Lake City, UT	105	3.66	1290	25	89%

South

School	Location	US News Ranking	Average GPA	Average SAT	Average ACT	Acceptance Rate
Auburn University	Auburn, AL	#97	3.97	1260	27	71%
Baylor University	Waco, TX	#77	3.77	1256	29	57%
Furman University	Greenville, SC	#45 National Liberal Arts Colleges	3.65	1330	31	71%
Rollins College	Winter Park, FL	#1 Regional Universities South	3.5	1250	27	49%
Sewanee: University of the South	Sewanee, TN	#51 National Liberal Arts Colleges	3.8	1295	29	60%
Texas Christian University	Fort Worth, TX	#89	3.64	1240	28	54%

Midwest

School	Location	US News Ranking	Average GPA	Average SAT	Average ACT	Acceptance Rate
Beloit College	Beloit, WI	#81 National Liberal Arts Colleges	3.33	1305	25	67%
Creighton University	Omaha, NE	#115	3.86	1238	27	77%
College of Wooster	Wooster, OH	#76 National Liberal Arts Colleges	3.7	1325	29	61%
Indiana University Bloomington	Bloomington, IN	#72	3.74	1270	29	85%
Michigan State University	East Lansing, MI	#77	3.75	1210	26	83%
Purdue University	West Lafayette, IN	#51	3.69	1310	30	69%
University of Iowa	Iowa City, IA	#83	3.76	1240	26	86%
Wabash College	Crawfordsville, IN	#55 National Liberal Arts Colleges	3.72	1420	26	62%

Northeast

School	Location	US News Ranking	Average GPA	Average SAT	Average ACT	Acceptance Rate
Clark University	Worcester, MA	#97	3.69	1311	29	48%
Fordham University	New York, NY	#72	3.71	1390	30	58%
Providence College	Providence, RI	#1 Regional Universities North	3.47	1225	29	58%
Rutgers University	Piscataway, NJ	#55	3.73	1355	30	68%
St. Lawrence University	Canton, NY	#68 National Liberal Arts Colleges	3.6	1310	31	57%
Syracuse University	Syracuse, NY	#62	3.69	1310	30	59%
University of Delaware	Newark, DE	#89	3.94	1260	29	70%
University of Massachusetts	Amherst, MA	#67	4.02	1355	31	66%

How can this List of Colleges for B Students be Used?

Make sure to do your study on any of the universities on this list that appeal to you if you’re a B student seeking for a top university. To help you with your investigation, consult the school’s websites, finders, handbooks, and ranking lists. You can also visit colleges in person to get a sense of what they’re like and see if they might be a good fit for you.

We also advise you to talk to parents, current students, teachers, guidance counselors, and alumni to gain more specific information and to help you narrow down your college search.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does B student GPA work?

A 3.0 GPA is equal to an 83–86% grade, or a B. You are on the correct track considering that the national average GPA is 3.0.

What does the letter B in a grade mean?

A+, A, and A- denote superior performance. B+, B, or B- denotes competent performance. A grade of C+, C, or C- denotes acceptable performance. D+, D, and D- denote performance that is not up to par.

What grade are you in, A or B?

A student is considered to be "an A Student" if they consistently receive 90% or better on their assignments and tests, as opposed to "a B Student," who typically receives 80% or higher.

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