Can I apply for top graduate US schools if I have bad marks of my Master degree?

[Lady_Di]

I have 3.67 out of 4.00 GPA of my Bachelor degree and 60% out of 100% for my Master degree (Australian school), does anyone know whether I can apply with those marks for US top graduate schools? Can my master degree marks affect my application? Thanks

[fuzzylogician]

The answer below may change depending on your field, which you didn't specify. Generally speaking (assuming you're applying for a research PhD): 

 

Yes, you can apply. Yes, the grades might affect your application. Grades aren't everything but low grades will reflect poorly on you and will make it harder for you to get into a good school. However, if you have strong letters of recommendation, a good SOP and a strong writing sample, you still have a chance. Do you have any kind of research experience? Conference presentations, publications, research assistantships? those will help you demonstrate that you're a good fit for graduate school even though your grades were low. A lot will depend on the kind of support you might get from your advisor and other professors -- strong LORs can go a long way towards helping your application. If there are mitigating circumstances behind the low grades, you may want to try and explain the problem; otherwise, yes, there will be the question of whether or not you can make it, given your lackluster previous performance, and you'll have to work extra-hard to make the answer a clear 'yes!'.

[Guest |||]

Of course you can apply.

 

The question of competitiveness though is what needs to be addressed.  Ideally with a masters thesis you will have greater research experience, letters of recommendation than an undergraduate.  What might most steer things in your favor however, is if you have published articles and the quality of this research.  Good research will compensate for many things.

[biisis]

While other aspects of your application can offset poor grades, grades are still the primary mechanism by which admissions committees conduct their first cull: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/07/14/scholar-explores-how-graduate-admissions-committees-view-measures-merit-and

[victorydance]

No offence, but if you got 60% average in a MA program at a low-ranked school, what makes you think you will be able to handle a Ph.D. program at a top ranked program?

[nonameplease]

How does 60% compare to other grading systems. In the UK it is a solid pass and at many schools in the UK the MA grades are not considered for the PhD ( with some exceptions- LSE requires a 1st in Master's  the program I am considering, though they make exceptions).

 

Similarly, at the very few US schools I have looked at exceptional MA grades were not a prerequisite.

 

In the US, it is a combination of things that make an application successful. Your grades are just one factor. By the way, what do you mean by "top"? If it is Ivy League  well then,  from my understanding those schools are highly competitive and your MA marks could be problematic. But don't despair, America is a large country filled with schools that have strong programs that are prestigious in their respective discipline. Moreover, a degree from a top school is what it is- what you do with your degree depends on many, many factors. 

 

Hope this helps and doesn't sound too pompous.