Well, the unfortunate reality is that all b-schools have to submit the average GPA of their incoming class to the rankings boards, which is then figured into that school's overall ranking. The reason they do this, is because schools find it important to be "bringing in the best and brightest" as it pertains to raw academic performance, but know that it is just a metric and is not nearly as highly scrutinized as the average GMAT score when it comes to the rankings. This is why an outstanding GMAT score can sometimes help counterbalance a poor undergraduate GPA, but not always vice versa. There is too much inconsistency among UG institutions on grading so that a direct comparison cannot always be made between applicants based solely on GPA. Because the GMAT is standardized, it's much easier to use it as an apples to apples comparator for raw ability and propensity to handle the rigors of b-school. in short, there would be no way to ascertain which schools hold the GPA as less important than the next school. B-schools are notoriously tight lipped when it comes to any mention of formula or weightings in a client's applicaiton. Best thing you can do with a poor GPA is to have achieved much in your career, to give it a few years before applying, and to nail the GMAT. If you are really self-conscious about proving your academic mettle, you can also try to take some ancillary courses elsewhere to demonstrate to the committee you can handle higher level business courses. hope this helps.