Course Repeat GPA Calculator

Calculate how retaking a course changes your GPA under grade replacement policy.

New Cumulative GPA
2.93
+0.13 from current 2.80
Before Retake
2.80
After Retake
2.93
Points Replaced
1.0 → 3.0
QP Change
+6.00
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How to Use the Course Repeat GPA Calculator

Enter your current GPA, total credits completed, the original grade earned, and the course's credit hours above. Select the new grade you expect to earn on the retake — your new GPA appears instantly. Switch to Impact Analysis to see a full table of every possible retake grade and its GPA impact.

The Advanced calculator below lets you plan multiple course retakes simultaneously and compare grade replacement vs. grade averaging policies. For a full transcript view with retake analytics, scroll to the Professional tier.

Advanced Multi-Course Retake & Policy Comparison Replacement vs. averaging policy side-by-side

Plan Multiple Retakes

CourseCreditsOriginal GradeNew GradeIndividual New GPADelta
2.733+0.133
2.707+0.107
2.600
Current GPA
2.840
GPA After All Retakes
+0.240
Total GPA Change
60
Total Credits

Grade Replacement Formula

Under a grade-replacement policy, the original course quality points are removed from the cumulative total and replaced by the new course quality points. The total credit hours used in the denominator stay the same because you are not earning new credits — you are replacing old ones.

New Total QP = (Current GPA × Total Credits) − (Old Points × Course Credits) + (New Points × Course Credits)
New GPA = New Total QP ÷ Total Credits

Note: Total Credits does NOT change under grade replacement (same course, same credit hours).

Worked Example

A student has a 2.8 GPA over 45 credits. They originally earned a D (1.0) in a 3-credit course and retake it earning a B (3.0).

Current total QP: 2.8 × 45 = 126.0
Remove old points: 126.0 − (1.0 × 3) = 123.0
Add new points: 123.0 + (3.0 × 3) = 132.0
New GPA: 132.0 ÷ 45 = 2.933 ≈ 2.93

That is a gain of +0.13 GPA points from one course retake.

Grade Replacement vs Grade Averaging

Policies differ by institution. Most US colleges use grade replacement (also called grade forgiveness), where only the new grade counts in GPA. Some schools use grade averaging, where both attempts are included in the GPA calculation — this lowers the potential benefit of retaking. Always check your registrar's office policy before deciding to retake a course.

Professional Full Transcript & Retake Analytics Semester-by-semester transcript with retake checkboxes
School Policy:
Course NameSemesterCreditsGradeRetake?Retake Grade
2.418
Original GPA
3.124
GPA After Retakes
+0.706
GPA Change
2
Courses Retaken

Frequently Asked Questions

Typically no — both attempts remain visible on your official transcript. Grade replacement only affects the GPA calculation: the original grade is excluded from quality points while the new grade is included. Graduate schools and professional programs often review both grades when evaluating applications.
Many schools allow this, but some policies only permit grade replacement for courses where you earned below a C or below a passing threshold. Others limit the total number of courses that can be retaken under the grade forgiveness policy. Check your student handbook for specific limits.
Under grade replacement, the lower grade would actually hurt your GPA — the new (worse) grade replaces the original. Some schools protect students by only replacing grades when the retake grade is higher. Use the Impact Analysis tab to see the outcome for every possible grade scenario before committing to a retake.
Usually only once. Even though you take the course twice, most programs count the credit hours toward degree requirements only a single time. You will have the same number of total earned credits regardless of how many times you repeat the course. This is important for financial aid: taking repeated courses may affect your aid eligibility.
No. Grade replacement applies to individual course retakes. Academic renewal (also called academic fresh start or academic bankruptcy) is a more drastic policy that wipes out an entire semester or year of grades — typically after a long absence from school. It completely removes those credits and grades from GPA calculations. Not all schools offer academic renewal policies.

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