LSAC GPA Calculator — Official 4.33 Scale
Estimate the GPA law schools will see: the Law School Admission Council recalculates every applicant's undergraduate grades on its own 4.33 scale (A+ = 4.33), counts both attempts of retaken courses, and treats punitive withdrawals as 0.00. Enter your courses below; everything runs in your browser.
—
Add courses to see your estimated LSAC GPA.| Course | Grade | LSAC value | Credits | Quality points | Counted? |
|---|
LSAC grade conversion table
LSAC's official conversion scale. A+ is the only grade that can push a GPA above 4.00.
| Letter grade | LSAC value | Counted |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 4.33 | Yes |
| A | 4.00 | Yes |
| A− | 3.67 | Yes |
| B+ | 3.33 | Yes |
| B | 3.00 | Yes |
| B− | 2.67 | Yes |
| C+ | 2.33 | Yes |
| C | 2.00 | Yes |
| C− | 1.67 | Yes |
| D+ | 1.33 | Yes |
| D | 1.00 | Yes |
| D− | 0.67 | Yes |
| F | 0.00 | Yes (failing) |
LSAC counting rules you must know
- Both attempts of a retake count. LSAC does not do grade forgiveness — the original C and the retake A each add their own quality points and credits.
- Scope = through your first bachelor's degree. Community college, dual enrollment, transfer credits (if graded), and study-abroad grades on your domestic transcript are included; post-baccalaureate and graduate work are not.
- Punitive withdrawals are zeros. WF/WU/WNP count as 0.00; a plain W disappears from the calculation.
- Pass/fail is invisible. P grades add nothing — neither points nor credits — so they cannot help or hurt the number.
- AP/CLEP count only if graded. Credits with no grade on the transcript are not calculated.
Worked example 1 — the A+ bonus vs a standard 4.0 scale
Four senior-year courses: A+ (3 credits) → 4.33 × 3 = 12.99; A− (3) → 3.67 × 3 = 11.01; B+ (4) → 3.33 × 4 = 13.32; A (3) → 4.00 × 3 = 12.00.
Total quality points = 12.99 + 11.01 + 13.32 + 12.00 = 49.32 over 13 credits → LSAC GPA = 49.32 / 13 = 3.7938…, displayed as 3.79.
On a standard 4.0 scale with A+ capped at 4.00 the same courses give 48.33 / 13 = 3.7177… = 3.72. The LSAC scale adds about +0.08 here — entirely from the single A+.
Worked example 2 — a retaken course counts twice
A 3-credit course first earned a C (2.00 × 3 = 6.00 quality points), then was retaken for an A (4.00 × 3 = 12.00). LSAC counts both: 18.00 / 6 = 3.00. A school transcript with grade forgiveness might show 4.00 for that course — your LSAC GPA will be lower. This is the single most common surprise in LSAC recalculations.
Worked example 3 — punitive withdrawal (WF) vs plain W
Courses: B (3 cr) → 9.00, C+ (3 cr) → 6.99, WF (3 cr) → 0.00. LSAC GPA = 15.99 / 9 = 1.7767… = 1.78. If that withdrawal had been a non-punitive W, it would be excluded and the GPA would be 15.99 / 6 = 2.67. Check your transcript symbols carefully — one letter changes the denominator.
Tips for an accurate estimate
- Work from official transcripts, not your student portal — LSAC reads the transcript symbols.
- Include every institution: community college, summer courses, dual enrollment, and transfers with grades.
- Enter retakes as two separate rows so both attempts are counted, matching LSAC policy.
- Double-check W vs WF: a punitive notation costs a full zero in the average.
- Remember the calculator is an estimate — LSAC decides ambiguous symbols when it processes your file.
Frequently asked questions
What is an LSAC GPA?
Your LSAC GPA is the Law School Admission Council's standardized recalculation of your undergraduate grades, computed by its Credential Assembly Service (CAS). LSAC converts every letter grade to its own 4.33 scale and averages them by credit hours. Law schools use this number — not the GPA printed on your transcript — as the common yardstick for comparing applicants from different schools.
Why does the LSAC scale go up to 4.33?
LSAC awards 4.33 grade points for an A+, while most US colleges cap an A+ at 4.00 on their own scale. That extra 0.33 per A+ credit is why an applicant's LSAC GPA is often slightly higher than their institutional GPA. For example, 30 A+ credits out of 120 total credits add 0.33 × 30 / 120 = 0.0825, roughly +0.08, to a 3.60 GPA — about 3.68 on the LSAC scale.
How does LSAC handle a course I retook?
Both attempts count. LSAC does not recognize grade forgiveness: the original grade and the retake grade each contribute their own quality points and credit hours. Worked example: a 3-credit course first earned a C (2.00 × 3 = 6.00) then an A (4.00 × 3 = 12.00). LSAC GPA = 18.00 / 6 = 3.00, even if your school's transcript GPA shows only the retake at 4.00.
What is the difference between a W and a WF?
A non-punitive withdrawal (W) is excluded from the LSAC GPA entirely — it adds no quality points and no credits. A punitive withdrawal (WF, or equivalents like WU/WNP) counts as 0.00 and its credits stay in the denominator. Example: B (3 cr) + C+ (3 cr) + WF (3 cr) gives (9.00 + 6.99 + 0.00) / 9 = 1.78. If that WF were a plain W instead, the GPA would be 15.99 / 6 = 2.67.
Which courses does LSAC exclude from the GPA?
Non-punitive withdrawals, pass grades (P), no-pass (NP), incompletes that never converted to a grade, audits, and unconverted transfer credits are not calculated. Graduate-level coursework completed after your first bachelor's degree is also excluded — only undergraduate work through your first bachelor's degree counts.
Does LSAC count community college or study-abroad grades?
Yes, when they meet the inclusion rules: community college and dual-enrollment courses count, as do study-abroad grades that appear on your domestic transcript and transfer credits whose grades appear on your undergraduate transcript. AP and CLEP credits count only if both credit hours and a grade appear on the transcript.
How is the LSAC GPA different from my school's GPA?
Three common differences: (1) the A+ bonus — 4.33 at LSAC vs 4.00 at most schools; (2) retakes — LSAC counts both attempts while many schools replace the old grade; (3) scope — LSAC includes every undergraduate course before your first degree (community college, transfers, dual enrollment) that your school's GPA may ignore. Same courses: A+ (3 cr), A− (3 cr), B+ (4 cr), A (3 cr) give LSAC 49.32 / 13 = 3.79 but a standard 4.0 scale with A+ capped gives 48.33 / 13 = 3.72.
Can my LSAC GPA be higher than 4.00?
Yes. Because an A+ is worth 4.33, enough A+ grades push the weighted average above 4.00 — for example A+ (3 cr) + A (3 cr) gives (12.99 + 12.00) / 6 = 4.165. Many calculators that cap at 4.00 will under-report such transcripts.
My school never awards A+ grades. Does that hurt me?
LSAC cannot award points for grades your school never gave, so applicants from schools without A+ grades can't capture the 4.33 bonus. LSAC still standardizes everyone onto the same scale, and law schools see your full transcript, so grade trends and rigor remain visible alongside the number.
What should I do about an Incomplete on my transcript?
If the incomplete was resolved into a letter grade, LSAC uses that grade. A standing incomplete with no grade is not calculated — but LSAC may ask for an updated transcript, and law schools will notice unresolved incompletes during review.
Where do I find my official LSAC GPA?
After you register for the Credential Assembly Service and your schools send transcripts, LSAC publishes an Academic Summary Report with your official standardized GPA. This calculator is an estimate for planning — LSAC makes the final call on edge cases like ambiguous transcript symbols.
How is this different from the other GPA calculators on this site?
This tool implements the LSAC CAS methodology specifically: the 4.33 conversion table, both-attempts retake counting, and punitive-withdrawal rules. The GPA Calculator Suite covers generic US-style GPA, weighted/AP scales, and what-if planning; the Letter Grade to GPA Calculator is a single-grade lookup; the Pakistan GPA tool implements HEC bands. Use this page when you need your law-school application number.
Free tool by NRTechStudio