Do Grades or Test Scores Matter More for College Admission and Full Funding?


What matters more—your GPA or your test scores? Learn how colleges evaluate both when it comes to admission and securing full funding.


GPA vs SAT/ACT: What Really Matters for Full Funding in College Admissions

Hello Reader,

One of the most common questions I get from prospective college students and their families is this:

What matters more in college admissions—in-school grades (your transcript) or standardized test scores like the SAT, ACT, or international exams such as GCSE or IB?

The honest answer is: it all matters.

Unless a school or program explicitly states that a specific test score is required—such as certain state scholarship programs in places like Georgia or Florida, where a defined score can unlock a set amount of merit aid—colleges are evaluating a student's full academic profile.

That includes:

  • Your transcript (grades over time, rigor of coursework)
  • Your standardized test scores (if submitted or required)
  • The context around both

The nuance lies in how these pieces work together, not which one “wins.”

Understanding How Colleges Evaluate Your Academic Profile

🎥 Watch the video below, where I answer this exact question during a live session with a CFF student:

video preview

These are exactly the kinds of nuances we break down inside CFF College Fully Funded®, our college admissions coaching program.

In the program, we work with serious rising high school seniors whose families cannot afford to pay for college out-of-pocket, helping them:

  • Successfully apply to college
  • Secure admission
  • Obtain full funding
  • Avoid student debt

We are actively enrolling now for Summer and Fall 2026 sessions, and spots are filling quickly. If you're interested in exploring whether this is the right fit, I encourage you to reach out.


Join Me Live in the Coming Weeks

Starting March 31, I’ll be going live several times a week on Facebook to answer common college admissions questions in real time.

Feel free to join me and bring your questions. If you cannot join live be sure to check out the replay on both Facebook and Instagram.

Next week’s schedule:

  • Tuesday, March 31 at 5:00 PM ET
  • Wednesday, April 1 at 8:00 PM ET
  • Thursday, April 2 at 7:00 PM ET

Please add these times to your calendar if you'd like to attend. And if you subscribe, I’ll send you reminders and links as we get closer.


I hope you have a great week.

To college fully funded,

Dr. Faith Okpotor

Founder and CFF Head Coach

National Center for Higher Education Access

Award-winning academic and tenured professor

P.S. Here are the ways to work with us.

  1. CFF College Fully Funded®, a 3-month intensive, curriculum-based comprehensive college admissions coaching program followed by a 7-month application support membership to help prospective undergraduate students find, apply, and get accepted at U.S. colleges/universities that will provide them full funding. Registration for the next cohort is underway.
  2. GradSchool Fully Funded, a self-paced graduate school admissions coaching program and annual membership that helps prospective master's and PhD students find, apply, and secure admission with full funding into U.S. graduate programs. You can enroll at anytime. If you are interested in joining a small 2026 cohort of GFF, click here.
  3. 1-on-1 consultation service for prospective graduate students, those interested in living and working in the United States, and people with other higher education consultation needs.
  4. The College Admission Readiness Audit (CARA) for high school freshers, sophomores and juniors. Receive a college admission readiness assessment and a personalized hour long 1-on-1 session to review your assessment results and receive recommendations on what to focus on to prepare for a successful college admission cycle. Email us to learn more.

Dr. Faith Okpotor

I am a college professor and the creator CFF College Fully Funded® and GradSchool Fully Funded. We help ambitious students, find, apply, and get into U.S. colleges/universities and graduate programs with full funding in order to avoid debt. Please use the links in the Links tab to learn more about me, our programs, or to connect. You can also read a few samples of previous editions of my twice monthly newsletter via the Posts link. If you would like to receive the newsletter on all things college admissions and funding, please subscribe below. To email me: collegefullyfunded@gmail.com .

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