Relay GPA Policy – Relay Support

Undergraduate GPA Policy (Admissions 2022)

Relay recognizes that a prospective student's candidacy for admissions is determined by a number of factors. One factor that Relay considers during admissions is an applicant’s undergraduate GPA. As an institution of higher education, Relay is required to maintain an undergraduate GPA policy that meets state and regulatory standards. Below is Relay’s undergraduate GPA policy.

Prospective students seeking admission to Relay must meet the eligibility requirements of the program to which they are applying. This could include Institutional Admission for programs with a Master of Arts in Teaching component and/or Educator Preparation Program Admission for those seeking certification.

Institutional Admission Eligibility - Relay’s minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA requirement for Institutional Admission is 2.50 on a 4.00 scale. All applicants to Relay must meet the institutional GPA requirements for admission. (See Institutional Admission Table below).
Educator Preparation Program Admission Eligibility - Certification-seeking applicants to one of Relay's state-approved educator preparation programs or out-of-state educator preparation programs must also meet the state-specific requirements for admissions. Admission requirements for Relay’s educator preparation programs are aligned with state requirements and may be different from Relay’s institutional GPA requirements or impose certain conditions on exceptions, including state-specific, out-of-state, and distance learning programs. (Please see the Location-Specific Admissions Requirements for Relay’s Educator Preparation Programs table below.)

Note: Applicants to Relay programs in Louisiana and Ohio will find their state-specific requirements for admissions in the same table, however, Relay does not offer admissions to educator preparation programs in these locations.

In addition to the tables below, you may also check out our Locations Guide on the Prospective Students Website.

Institutional Admission
Undergraduate GPA	Eligibility
2.50 or higher	Applicant is eligible for admissions to Relay
Below 2.50	Relay may admit a small portion of applicants with an undergraduate GPA below a 2.50 who have: Earned a 2.50 GPA in their last 60 credit hours of their undergraduate program, or Earned a 2.50 GPA in their major coursework in their undergraduate program, or Earned a master’s degree or higher with a GPA of 2.50 or higher. Applicants who do not meet the above criteria may be prompted to have a secondary recommendation submitted that will be used to evaluate their eligibility for admissions to Relay. Relay can admit only a small number of students via the second recommendation exception. Please submit your transcript and application as soon as possible in order to be considered.

Location-Specific Admissions Requirements for Admission to Relay’s Educator Preparation Programs

Locations

GPA Requirement for EPP Admission

Exceptions

Colorado

2.50

Applicants enrolling in Colorado programs who are teaching in Florida, Georgia, Rhode Island, Louisiana, and Rhode Island - please refer to those states for specific requirements.

Note: Applicants not applying for admission to an educator preparation program in the state must meet Relay’s institutional admission GPA requirement of 2.50.

Applicants with an undergraduate GPA below the Relay minimum of 2.50 may apply to be admitted to Relay’s Colorado educator preparation programs via exception to Relay’s GPA policy who have:

Earned a 2.50 GPA in their last 60 credit hours of their undergraduate program, or
Earned a 2.50 GPA in their major coursework in their undergraduate program, or
Earned a master’s degree or higher with a GPA of 2.50 or higher.

Applicants who do not meet the above criteria may be prompted to have a secondary recommendation submitted that will be used to evaluate their eligibility for admissions to Relay. Relay can admit only a small number of students via the second recommendation exception. Please submit your transcript and application as soon as possible in order to be considered.

Connecticut

2.70

Relay may admit up to 10% of applicants to Relay’s Connecticut educator preparation programs via exception who have a GPA below the state minimum of 2.70

Applicants with a GPA below the state minimum of 2.70 will be prompted to provide contact information for a second recommendation that will be used to evaluate their eligibility for admissions to Relay. This includes applicants below the state minimum of a 2.70 GPA in addition to applicants whose GPA also falls below Relay’s minimum GPA of 2.50.

Delaware

3.00

Applicants must have at least a cumulative 3.00 GPA on all coursework previously attempted at an accredited institution of higher education from which the bachelor’s degree or higher was conferred. Applicants with a GPA below the state minimum of 3.00 may apply to be admitted to Relay’s Delaware educator preparation program if they meet one of the following conditions:

Demonstrated mastery of general knowledge, including the ability to read, write, and compute, be achieving passing scores on the Praxis Core, ACT, SAT, or GRE exams.

Relay may admit up to 10% of applicants to Relay’s Delaware educator preparation program via exception if the applicant has a GPA below the state minimum of 3.0 and does not meet the above conditions, as well as via exception to Relay’s GPA policy for those applicants with a cumulative GPA lower than 2.50. These candidates should meet one of the following:

Earned a 3.0 GPA in their last 60 credit hours of their undergraduate program, or
Earned a 3.0 GPA in their major coursework in their undergraduate program, or

Applicants who are a part of the 10% who fall under this exception and also fall below Relay’s minimum GPA requirement of 2.50 may be prompted to have a secondary recommendation submitted that will be used to evaluate their eligibility for admissions to Relay. Relay can admit only a small number of students via the second recommendation exception. Please submit your transcript and application as soon as possible in order to be considered.

Florida*

2.50

Note: Applicants not applying for admission to an educator preparation program in the state must meet Relay’s institutional admission GPA requirement of 2.50.

Relay enrolls prospective teachers in Florida in its Colorado-approved online educator preparation program.

Applicants with an undergraduate GPA below the Relay minimum of 2.50 may apply to be admitted to Relay programs in Florida via Relay’s Colorado educator preparation programs via exception to Relay’s GPA policy who have:

Earned a 2.50 GPA in their last 60 credit hours of their undergraduate program, or
Earned a 2.50 GPA in their major coursework in their undergraduate program, or
Earned a master’s degree or higher with a GPA of 2.50 or higher.

Applicants for the Florida Temporary Certificate must:

Demonstrate Mastery of Subject Area Knowledge or
Meet Subject Specialization with a 2.50 GPA for a requested subject

Georgia*

2.50

Note: Applicants not applying for admission to an educator preparation program in the state must meet Relay’s institutional admission GPA requirement of 2.50.

Relay operates as an out-of-state educator preparation program in Georgia and enrolls prospective teachers in its Colorado-approved educator preparation program.

Applicants with an undergraduate GPA below the Relay minimum of 2.50 may apply to be admitted to Relay programs in Georgia via Relay’s Colorado educator preparation programs via exception to Relay’s GPA policy who have:

Earned a 2.50 GPA in their last 60 credit hours of their undergraduate program, or
Earned a 2.50 GPA in their major coursework in their undergraduate program, or
Earned a master’s degree or higher with a GPA of 2.50 or higher.

Illinois

2.50

Note: Applicants not applying for admission to an educator preparation program in the state must meet Relay’s institutional admission GPA requirement of 2.50.

Applicants with an undergraduate GPA below the Relay minimum of 2.50 may apply to be admitted to Relay’s Illinois educator preparation programs via exception to Relay’s GPA policy who have:

Earned a 2.50 GPA in their last 60 credit hours of their undergraduate program, or
Earned a 2.50 GPA in their major coursework in their undergraduate program, or
Earned a master’s degree or higher with a GPA of 2.50 or higher.

Indiana

2.50 - 3.00 depending on additional requirements

All applicants to Relay Indiana’s educator preparation programs must meet one of the following criteria:

Elementary Education (Grades K-6):
- Baccalaureate degree from an accredited post-secondary educational institution with a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 point scale; or
- Both a baccalaureate degree from an accredited post-secondary educational institution with a grade point average of at least 2.50 on a 4.0 point scale, and five (5) years of professional experience; or

Secondary Education (Grades 5-12):

- Baccalaureate degree from an accredited post-secondary educational institution in the subject area that the individual intends to teach with a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 point scale; or
- Graduate degree from an accredited post-secondary educational institution in the subject area or related field in which the person wants to teach; or
  - Both a baccalaureate degree from an accredited post-secondary educational institution in the subject area that the individual intends to teach with a grade point average of at least 2.50 on a 4.0 point scale, and five (5) years of professional experience; or

Elementary Education & Secondary Education
- Both a baccalaureate degree from an accredited post-secondary educational institution with a grade point average of at least 2.50 on a 4.0 scale, and proof of passing state-approved content area examination(s) in the subject area.

Applicants with an undergraduate GPA below the Relay minimum of 2.50 may apply to be admitted to Relay’s Indiana educator preparation programs via exception to Relay’s GPA policy who have:
- Earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited post-secondary educational institution, AND
- Submitted proof of passing state-approved content area examination(s) in the subject area prior to admission to Relay, AND
  - Earned a 2.50 GPA in their last 60 credit hours of their undergraduate program, or
  - Earned a 2.50 GPA in their major coursework in their undergraduate program, or
  - Earned a master’s degree or higher with a GPA of 2.50 or higher.

Applicants who do not meet the above criteria under Elementary Education and Secondary Education may be prompted to have a secondary recommendation submitted that will be used to evaluate their eligibility for admissions to Relay. Relay can admit only a small number of students via the second recommendation exception. Please submit your transcript and application as soon as possible in order to be considered.

Louisiana**

N/A

Note: Relay will not be offering admissions to educator preparation programs in Louisiana, therefore applicants must meet Relay’s institutional admission GPA requirement of 2.50.

If your undergraduate GPA is less than 2.50, Relay may admit a small portion of applicants with an undergraduate GPA below a 2.5 who have:

Earned a 2.50 GPA in their last 60 credit hours of their undergraduate program, or
Earned a 2.50 GPA in their major coursework in their undergraduate program, or
Earned a master’s degree or higher with a GPA of 2.50 or higher.

Applicants who do not meet the above criteria may be prompted to have a secondary recommendation submitted that will be used to evaluate their eligibility for admissions to Relay.

New Jersey

3.00

Note: Applicants not applying for admission to an educator preparation program in the state must meet Relay’s institutional admission GPA requirement of 2.50.

Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.00 from a completed baccalaureate or higher degree program. Applicants with a GPA below the state minimum of 3.00 may apply to be admitted to Relay’s New Jersey CE educator preparation program who have:

Earned a minimum baccalaureate or higher degree program GPA of 2.75 AND
Exceeded the passing score on the appropriate State test of subject matter by at least 10%

Applicants with an undergraduate GPA of at least 2.75 who do not meet the criteria above may be considered for program sponsorship. Sponsored candidates can make up no more than 10% of the CE preparation program’s annual accepted candidates. Applicants for program sponsorship must:

Maintain employment while enrolled in the program, AND

Have earned a 3.0 GPA in their last 60 credit hours of their undergraduate program, OR
Have earned a 3.0 GPA in their major coursework in their undergraduate program, OR
Have earned a master’s degree or higher with a GPA of 3.00 OR higher

New York

3.00

Note: Applicants not applying for admission to an educator preparation program in the state must meet Relay’s institutional admission GPA requirement of 2.50.

Relay may admit up to 50% of applicants with an undergraduate GPA below the state minimum of 3.00.

Applicants may apply to be admitted to Relay’s New York educator preparation programs via exception to Relay’s 2.50 Institutional GPA policy who have: 

Earned a 3.0 GPA in their last 60 credit hours of their undergraduate program, or
 Earned a 3.0 GPA in their major coursework in their undergraduate program, or
 Earned a master’s degree or higher with a GPA of 3.00 or higher

Applicants who do not meet the above criteria and whose undergraduate GPA falls below Relay’s minimum GPA for admission of 2.50 may be prompted to have a secondary recommendation submitted that will be used to evaluate their eligibility for admissions to Relay. Relay can admit only a small number of students via the second recommendation exception. Please submit your transcript and application as soon as possible in order to be considered.

Ohio**

N/A

Note: Relay will not be offering admissions to educator preparation programs in Ohio, therefore applicants must meet Relay’s institutional admission GPA requirement of 2.50.

If your undergraduate GPA is less than 2.50, Relay may admit a small portion of applicants with an undergraduate GPA below a 2.5 who have:

Earned a 2.50 GPA in their last 60 credit hours of their undergraduate program, or
Earned a 2.50 GPA in their major coursework in their undergraduate program, or
Earned a master’s degree or higher with a GPA of 2.50 or higher.

Pennsylvania

3.00

Applicants with an undergraduate GPA below the state minimum of 3.00 may be considered for admission to Relay’s Pennsylvania educator preparation programs who have:

Earned a minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.80 and

Submitted qualifying scores on the Praxis I, or
A combined score of 1050 on the SAT with no score lower than 500 on either the verbal or mathematics subtests, or
A score of no less than 23 on the English subtest and 20 on the Mathematics subtest of the ACT.

Residency Program Only:

Relay may admit up to 10% of residency applicants with an undergraduate GPA below the state minimum of 3.00 and who do not meet the criteria above. These applicants may apply for conditional admission* who have:

Earned a 2.50 GPA in their last 60 credit hours of their undergraduate program, or
Earned a 2.50 GPA in their major coursework in their undergraduate program, or
Earned a master’s degree or higher with a GPA of 2.50 or higher

*Applicants admitted conditionally must achieve a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 in Relay coursework by the end of the first 12 credit hours.

Rhode Island*

2.50

Note: Applicants not applying for admission to an educator preparation program in the state must meet Relay’s institutional admission GPA requirement of 2.50.

Relay enrolls prospective Rhode Island teachers in its Colorado-approved online educator preparation program.

Applicants with an undergraduate GPA below the Relay minimum of 2.50 may apply to be admitted to Relay programs in Rhode Island via Relay’s Colorado educator preparation programs via exception to Relay’s GPA policy who have:

Earned a 2.50 GPA in their last 60 credit hours of their undergraduate program, or
Earned a 2.50 GPA in their major coursework in their undergraduate program, or
Earned a master’s degree or higher with a GPA of 2.50 or higher.

Tennessee

2.75

Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 2.75 from a completed baccalaureate or postbaccalaureate degree program or a GPA of 3.00 in the most recent sixty (60) credit hours earned at a regionally accredited IHE.

(Updated 3/10/2022)

Texas

2.50

Applicants with an undergraduate GPA below the state minimum of 2.50 may be considered for admission to Relay’s Texas educator preparation programs who have:

Earned a 2.50 GPA in their last 60 credit hours of their undergraduate program, or
Earned a master’s degree or higher with a GPA of 2.50 or higher.

Washington, D.C.

3.00

Note: Applicants not applying for admission to an educator preparation program in the state must meet Relay’s institutional admission GPA requirement of 2.50.

Applicants with an undergraduate GPA below the state minimum of 3.00 may apply to be admitted to Relay’s Washington DC educator preparation programs who have:

A GPA of 3.25 in the last 60 hours of their undergraduate program OR a GPA of 3.25 in subject courses from their undergraduate program AND fewer than 5 years of successful work experience OR
A cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.75 AND 5-10 years successful work experience, OR
A cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.50 AND more than 10 years of successful work experience.

Relay may admit up to 10% of applicants to its Washington D.C. educator preparation programs who have an undergraduate GPA below 3.0, via exception who do not meet the above conditions, and who have:

Earned a 3.0 GPA in their last 60 credit hours of their undergraduate program, or
Earned a 3.0 GPA in their major coursework in their undergraduate program, or
Earned a master’s degree or higher with a GPA of 3.00 or higher

*Applicants who seek to teach in a state other than the one in which the program of their enrollment was approved should verify that their undergraduate GPA meets the requirements for licensure in that state. See the table above for admissions requirements to Relay’s educator preparation programs.

**Applicants who seek to teach in Louisiana and Ohio who are enrolled in Relay Colorado’s Distance Learning program should verify that their undergraduate GPA meets requirements for admissions to Relay in the "Institutional Admission" table above.

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