Grade Forgiveness Calculator
Retaking a class? Calculate exactly how replacing an old bad grade with a new grade will skyrocket your cumulative GPA under a Grade Forgiveness policy.
1Your Current Transcript
Must include the credits from the failed class.
2The Retaken Course
The Magic of Grade Replacement
Grade Forgiveness is one of the fastest ways to drastically raise your GPA because of how the math works. It essentially erases the negative mathematical weight of the past.
Example Scenario:
- You have 60 total credits and a 2.50 GPA.
- You previously took a 3-credit Calculus class and got an F (0.0 points).
- You retake the 3-credit Calculus class and get an A (4.0 points).
Your total quality points jump from 150 to 162. Your total credits stay at 60 (since the 3 credits were already factored in).
Your new GPA is a 2.70. You gained 0.20 GPA points from a single class!
Frequently Asked Questions
How does grade forgiveness work?
Under a true grade forgiveness (or grade replacement) policy, if you retake a class, the university completely removes the old grade from your GPA calculation and replaces it with the new grade. The old grade usually stays on your transcript as a record, but it no longer drags down your mathematical average.
Does grade forgiveness change my total credits?
Usually, no. If you failed a 3-credit class, those 3 credits were already factored into your GPA divisor. When you retake it and get an A, the divisor stays the same, but you suddenly gain the quality points from the A, causing a massive spike in your GPA.
Is grade averaging different from grade replacement?
Yes! Many universities do NOT offer grade replacement. Instead, they average the two attempts together. If you got an F (0.0) the first time, and an A (4.0) the second time, the university averages them to a C (2.0) for those credits. Always check if your school's policy is 'Replacement' or 'Averaging'.
Do graduate and medical schools honor grade forgiveness?
Generally, no. Programs like AMCAS (Medical School) and LSAC (Law School) require you to submit transcripts from every institution and they will recalculate your GPA including BOTH attempts of the course, regardless of your undergraduate institution's forgiveness policy.