* Type of institution: Elite private colleges often have higher average GPAs than community colleges or less selective public universities.
* Major: Some majors are known for being more rigorous and thus resulting in lower average GPAs.
* Grade inflation: Grade inflation varies across institutions and over time, making comparisons difficult.
While you can find various studies and articles citing different averages (often ranging from 3.0 to 3.5), these figures should be interpreted cautiously. They are often based on limited samples and may not represent the entire US college-graduating population accurately. It's more accurate to say that the average GPA is somewhere in the 3.0-3.5 range, but with a wide margin of error.