Nine students have graduated with a 4.0 cumulative GPA since 2022, according to a report from the Registrar’s Office.
An average of 141 students have achieved a 4.0 GPA each semester, during that same time period. The average GPA for men and women in the fall 2025 semester was 3.46. This average has remained relatively consistent for the past five years.
“The amount of cumulative GPAs is not super surprising, because Hillsdale’s core is so varied, so inevitably, you’re going to take at least a few classes outside your area of strength,” said Christy Maier, director of Academic Services. “It makes sense that at some point in time, you would come up against something that is a little bit more difficult for you, and thus not have a 4.0.”
Students can receive 4.0 GPAs for multiple semesters, but in order to graduate with a 4.0 GPA, they must have a 4.0 GPA every semester.
Hillsdale does not have any required grading standards for professors, according to Nathan Schlueter, professor of philosophy and religion.
“It’s a great thing when you have a college committed to hiring really good teachers, and then saying, ‘Go do your thing, and we’re not going to hover over you and try to micromanage you,’” Schlueter said. “I don’t think we’ve generally had a problem with easy teachers.”
Gaining the ability to think critically, write well, and work hard is far more valuable than achieving a 4.0, according to Maier.
“Sometimes there are people that get a 4.0. It’s great, but I think for most people, chasing a 4.0 means that they’re not going to pursue other really important goods,” Maier said.
Taking classes that a student finds fascinating and challenging are worth taking, for both their interest factor and the growth that comes with them, according to Maier.
“I try to steer and encourage students to pick a class where they can succeed, but I feel like success is measured in more than just a grade,” Maier said. “Success factors in all sorts of things, like, how engaged will they be in the class? How much will they learn from a particular class or professor? What do they want to get out of the class?”
It is important for students to challenge themselves so they can develop virtues that they would not get if they were just trying to navigate through all the easy stuff, according to Schlueter.
“What’s amazing to me is that over the years, it’s not as though all the students have gravitated to the reputational easy teachers, that’s not the case. It’s almost the opposite,” Schlueter said.
Employers care more about an applicant’s experience and ability to think than they do GPAs, according to Chad Wilcox, executive director of Career Services.
“As somebody who has hired many, many people and interviewed many more than that, you’re looking at, does this person know how to think? What are the proxies for that?” Wilcox said. “I can tell you that this is an area where Hillsdale shines, because the people who know something about Hillsdale know that they teach you how to think here.”
Grades can be important in certain contexts, such as applying for graduate school or law school, but Hillsdale alumni often do very well despite not having a 4.0, according to Wilcox.
“If you have a 4.0, shout it from the rooftops. Why not?” Wilcox said. “But what employers are looking for is evidence that you know how to think, evidence that you’ve gotten things done and evidence of some real world skills that are going to be a proxy that I know that you’re going to be a good employee.”
Going off of conventional assumptions, law schools see which students take difficult classes, and consider that when looking at GPA, according to Schlueter.
“Our students who have gotten into the top law schools have not always had 4.0s. We’ve had students with 3.7 GPAs and 3.8 GPAs get into top law schools,” Schlueter said. “I think they just showed the whole package of their application. They showed that they were very smart and capable, and where the bad grades showed up were in places where it would be reasonable.”
