Undergrad or MA GPA more important?

[placeinspace]

Hi everyone,

I'm applying to PhD programs after taking a few years off after my MA. My question is whether programs will weigh my undergrad or MA GPA more when looking at my application, or if they will be equal. Anyone have any insight?

Thank you!

[Warelin]

In most cases, a higher GPA is expected at the MA level because grad-level work is "curved" more. When looking at your undergrad GPA, it's most likely that they'll look at your last 60 credits because that's usually where the bulk of your major's courses were. How much GPA matters depends on the committee reviewing and how much they value scores. Often, this changes year to year. Some place a high value on GRE scores when sorting applicants; others place a higher value on the school you went to; some on GPAs. Sometimes the SOP is more important than the Writing Sample; sometimes it isn't. Unfortunately, it's hard to tell what the committee values most. I imagine that anywhere around the 3.5-3.7 GPA range for undergrad and 3.7-3.9 range for grad school puts you in a safe category though.*

*At least, for English PHDs.