Two numbers exist: the minimum and the reality. They are not close. The published minimum is a floor, not a target.
- Most schools publish 3.0, sometimes 2.75, it only means you will not be auto-rejected - Competitiveness lives at the program level, not the university level, always check by program - Admitted-student GPAs by program are the only number that matters, and schools least like to publish it - Below the floor, strong GRE scores, work experience, or a publication can offset it - Convert grades properly, lazy 4.0 conversions undersell Indian percentages badly
At exactly 3.0 your SOP has to carry more weight. SOPCraft frames your numbers around your two target programs for $4.99, so a low GPA reads as a story instead of a statistic.