GPA Retake / Grade Replacement Calculator
See your new cumulative GPA after repeating a course — under grade replacement or grade averaging.
Assumption: your current total credits already include the original attempt of the course you are retaking.
Grade replacement · 30 total credit hours.
Retake policies differ widely — some schools replace the old grade, some average both attempts, and many cap retakes or only forgive grades below C. This is an estimate; confirm the rule with your registrar.
With grade replacement, a retake swaps the old grade’s points for the new ones and the course still counts once. Retaking a 3-credit D (1.0) for an A (4.0) on a 3.00 GPA over 30 credits gives (90 − 3 + 12) ÷ 30 = 3.30, up 0.30.
Grade replacement vs grade averaging
Retaking a course changes your GPA in one of two ways, depending on your school’s policy. Under grade replacement (also called grade forgiveness), the original attempt’s quality points are pulled out of the average and the new attempt’s points take their place; because the course is only counted once, your total credit hours don’t change. Under grade averaging, both attempts stay in the average — the retake adds its own credits and quality points on top, so the new grade only dilutes the old one rather than erasing it.
Replacement moves your GPA far more than averaging, since it removes a low grade instead of just adding a higher one beside it. This calculator assumes the current total credits you enter already include the original attempt of the course you are retaking.
old attempt removed, new attempt added; total credits unchanged
both attempts count; the retake’s credits are added to the total
Worked example
A 3.00 GPA over 30 credits; you retake a 3-credit course, turning a D (1.0) into an A (4.0).
- 1 Find your current quality points. 3.00 × 30 = 90 quality points banked so far.
- 2 Replacement — swap the grades. 90 − 1.0×3 + 4.0×3 = 99, and credits stay 30 → 99 ÷ 30 = 3.30.
- 3 Averaging — add the new attempt. 90 + 4.0×3 = 102 over 30 + 3 = 33 credits → 102 ÷ 33 = 3.09.
- 4 Compare. Replacement lifts the GPA by 0.30; averaging only by 0.09 — same grades, different policy.
Letter grade → GPA points (4.0 scale)
The common US scale with plus/minus steps; your school’s cutoffs may differ slightly.
| Letter | GPA points |
|---|---|
| A | 4.0 |
| A− | 3.7 |
| B+ | 3.3 |
| B | 3.0 |
| B− | 2.7 |
| C+ | 2.3 |
| C | 2.0 |
| C− | 1.7 |
| D+ | 1.3 |
| D | 1.0 |
| D− | 0.7 |
| F | 0.0 |
Policies vary — treat this as an estimate
Retake rules are set school by school and vary widely. Some institutions replace the old grade outright; others average both attempts; many cap the number of retakes, limit forgiveness to your first attempt, or only forgive grades below a C. A few keep the original grade in the GPA but flag it as repeated. Even when a grade is replaced in the GPA, the earlier attempt usually still appears on your transcript. Before you count on a retake, read your registrar’s repeat-course policy and confirm which mode applies to you.