Law School GPA Calculator

Law schools don't see the GPA on your transcript — they see your LSAC GPA, recalculated by the Law School Admission Council using its own standardized method. This calculator shows you that number, exactly how CAS calculates it, along with why it often differs from your school's official GPA.

How to Use This Law School GPA Calculator

• Add every undergraduate institution you attended separately — your 4-year school, any community college credits, transfer credits, and study abroad coursework. LSAC counts all of them.
• Enter each course's grade and credit hours, including any courses you retook.
• If a course was withdrawn, specify whether it was a regular withdrawal (W) or a withdraw-failing (WF) — they're treated very differently.
• The calculator shows your LSAC GPA alongside your transcript GPA, with a clear explanation of any difference between the two.

Why Your LSAC GPA Differs From Your Transcript GPA

LSAC doesn't simply copy the GPA from your diploma — it recalculates everything using its own rules, and for most applicants, the result comes out lower than their school's official GPA. A few specific reasons:

• Retakes are averaged, not replaced. If you failed a course and retook it for an A, your school's transcript may show only the A. LSAC includes both grades — the original F and the retake A are averaged together, using credit hours from both attempts.
• A+ is worth 4.33, not 4.0. Most schools cap an A+ at 4.0. LSAC doesn't, which is one of the few situations where your LSAC GPA can actually come out higher than your transcript GPA — if your school awards A+ grades and you earned several.
• WF counts as a 0.0. A regular withdrawal (W) has no effect on GPA. A withdraw-failing (WF) is treated exactly like an F, even if your transcript simply lists it as a W.
• Every institution counts. Community college courses, transfer credits, and study abroad coursework all factor into your CAS GPA, even if your primary school's own GPA calculation excludes them.

Transcript GPA vs. LSAC GPA: Side-by-Side

This calculator shows both numbers together, with the specific reasons behind any gap — rather than just a single recalculated figure with no explanation. Knowing why the numbers differ matters: if the gap is driven by one retaken course, that's a very different story for your application than a gap driven by unrecognized grade forgiveness across several courses.

What Counts as a Good LSAC GPA?

Recent data across ranked law schools puts the median LSAC GPA around 3.55. For T14 (top 14) law schools specifically, a competitive GPA is generally closer to 3.8-3.9.

Admissions is a two-number game — a lower LSAC GPA can often be offset by a stronger LSAT score, and vice versa. This calculator shows where your specific number sits against these general benchmarks, though your realistic range always depends on the specific schools you're targeting.

Does Graduate Coursework Count?

No. Your LSAC GPA only includes work completed before your first bachelor's degree conferral date. Graduate or professional coursework taken afterward doesn't factor into the calculation, even though you're still required to submit those transcripts to LSAC as part of your application.

If Your LSAC GPA Is Lower Than Expected

This is one of the most common surprises in law school admissions, and it doesn't have to derail your application. Many applicants in this situation submit a GPA addendum — a short explanation addressing a specific low grade, a retaken course, or an unusual circumstance (like a difficult semester) that the raw number doesn't capture on its own. Combined with a strong LSAT score and the rest of your application, one gap between your transcript and LSAC GPA rarely defines an application by itself.

Frequently Asked Questions