When you apply to law school through LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service (CAS), your GPA gets recalculated from scratch — and every law school uses that number, not the GPA on your own transcript. LSAC uses a 4.33 scale, includes every undergraduate course from every institution you attended, and does not honor your school’s grade forgiveness policy. This page walks through exactly how it works.
Calculate a Standard GPAThe LSAC 4.33 Scale
Unlike the standard 4.0 scale most undergraduate schools use, LSAC gives an A+ extra value above a straight A. This is the one place a CAS GPA can actually come out higher than a school’s own transcript GPA — if you earned A+ grades that your school capped at 4.0.
| Letter Grade | LSAC GPA Points |
|---|---|
| A+ | 4.33 |
| A | 4.00 |
| A- | 3.67 |
| B+ | 3.33 |
| B | 3.00 |
| B- | 2.67 |
| C+ | 2.33 |
| C | 2.00 |
| C- | 1.67 |
| D+ | 1.33 |
| D | 1.00 |
| D- | 0.67 |
| F | 0.00 |
Each grade is converted to its LSAC value, multiplied by credit hours to get quality points, then totaled and divided by total graded credit hours — the same quality-points method used throughout this site, just with LSAC’s own conversion table and scope rules.
No Grade Forgiveness: The Biggest Difference
Many undergraduate schools let you retake a class and replace the old grade through academic renewal or grade forgiveness. LSAC does not honor these policies. If both the original grade and the retake grade appear on your transcript, both count toward your LSAC GPA — even if your school’s own GPA only reflects the newer one.
Retake: Calculus I, 3 credits, B (3.0) → 9.0 quality points
Both attempts count: 3.0 + 9.0 = 12.0 quality points ÷ 6 credits = 2.00
Your university transcript might show only the B, worth 3.0 for that course. LSAC shows both grades averaged together, worth 2.00. This is the single most common reason a CAS GPA comes out lower than an applicant expects — and it applies even if a course was retaken at a different institution, in which case it appears as two separate courses rather than a labeled “repeat,” but both still count.
What’s Included and Excluded
Included:
- Every undergraduate course completed before your first bachelor’s degree was conferred, from every institution you attended
- Community college and dual-enrollment courses, even if the credits didn’t transfer to your degree-granting school
- Transfer credits and study abroad grades that appear on your undergraduate transcript
- Both attempts of any repeated course
- AP and CLEP credits, but only if a credit hour value and a grade both appear on your undergraduate transcript
Excluded:
- Graduate and professional coursework, and any coursework completed after your first bachelor’s degree was conferred
- A second bachelor’s degree
- Pass/Fail, Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory, or Credit/No Credit grades (these are totaled separately as unconverted credits, not included in the GPA)
- Standard withdrawals (W), which don’t carry grade points
A WF (withdraw-fail) is generally treated as a failing grade and included as an F-equivalent, unless the issuing institution specifically designates it nonpunitive for reasons other than a grade-forgiveness policy.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my LSAC GPA different from my school GPA?
The most common reason is repeated courses. LSAC counts both the original and retake grade for any repeated course, with no grade forgiveness, even if your school’s own transcript only reflects the newer grade. LSAC also includes every institution you attended and uses a 4.33 scale instead of a 4.0 scale.
Does LSAC use a 4.0 or 4.33 scale?
LSAC uses a 4.33 scale, where an A+ is worth 4.33 rather than being capped at 4.0. This is the one area where an LSAC GPA can come out higher than a school transcript GPA, for applicants who earned A+ grades.
Does LSAC include graduate school grades?
No. LSAC’s CAS GPA only includes undergraduate coursework completed before your first bachelor’s degree was conferred. Graduate and professional school grades are reported separately and do not factor into your CAS GPA.
Does LSAC honor my school’s grade forgiveness policy?
No. If both the original grade and a retake grade appear on your transcript, LSAC includes both in the GPA calculation, regardless of whether your school’s own policy replaces the old grade.
Are Pass/Fail courses included in my LSAC GPA?
No. Courses graded on a Pass/Fail, Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory, or Credit/No Credit basis are excluded from the GPA calculation and reported separately as unconverted credits.
Estimate Your Standard GPA
For a general credit-weighted GPA using the standard scale, this calculator uses the same underlying quality-points method.
Go to GPA Calculator