Updated October 31, 2026
GPA raise calculator
Credits needed = current hours x (target GPA - current GPA) / (GPA you'll earn - target GPA). From a 3.20 over 90 hours, reaching 3.50 takes 54 semester hours of straight A's, about 18 three-credit courses. AMCAS and AACOMAS count every attempt of a repeated course and add undergraduate post-bacc courses to your cumulative undergraduate GPA, so a retake or a post-bacc course raises your GPA the same way any new course does. Graduate courses don't count toward it.
- Credits needed at 4.00
- 54
- Three-credit courses
- 18
- Full-time semesters (15 h)
- 3.6
90 hours at 3.20 plus 54 at 4.00 gives 3.50 over 144 hours. Retakes and undergraduate post-bacc courses count as new hours on AMCAS and AACOMAS.
Even straight A's land at 3.40. You'd need a 4.40, which is above 4.0, so plan more credits.
Grades open the door. Interviews decide the rest.
Practice your med school interview freeRetake and post-bacc rules from the 2027 AMCAS Applicant Guide and the AACOMAS help center: Calculating Your GPAs, checked October 31, 2026. The math is ours. Enter semester hours (AACOMAS converts quarter hours at 0.667 each). Nothing you type leaves this page. Confetto is not affiliated with the AAMC, AACOM, PAEA, Liaison or TMDSAS.
How many credits does it take? A worked example
Our example: a 3.20 GPA over 90 semester hours, about three years of full-time study. Semester hours needed for each target:
| Target | Straight A's (4.0) | Averaging 3.70 |
|---|---|---|
| 3.30 | 13 | 23 |
| 3.40 | 30 | 60 |
| 3.50 | 54 | 135 |
| 3.60 | 90 | 360 |
Two things stand out. Each extra tenth costs more than the last, and a small drop in the grades you earn (4.0 to 3.7) can double the hours or more. Late in college, the hours you already have weigh the most, which is why a post-bacc moves a GPA slowly.
Retakes: why they don't erase a grade
Many schools replace the old grade when you retake a course. The application services don't:
- AMCAS counts grades for all attempts of a repeated course, even if your school does not, and you enter each completed attempt even if the first one was removed from your transcript.
- AACOMAS does not recognize schools' forgiveness, academic renewal or grade replacement policies, and all grades earned for repeated courses count.
So on both, a retake adds hours like any new course. Our example: a 3.00 over 60 hours that includes a 4-credit C. Retaking it for an A gives 3.06 on AMCAS and AACOMAS. A school that replaces the grade would show 3.13. A retake still shows growth in that subject, but for the number alone, a new course you need anyway does the same.
Post-bacc, graduate and special master's courses
- Undergraduate post-bacc courses count. AMCAS puts undergraduate-level courses you take after your first bachelor's degree in postbaccalaureate status, includes them in your Undergraduate Total GPA and also shows them as a separate Postbaccalaureate GPA. AACOMAS adds post-baccalaureate coursework to your undergraduate years for a cumulative undergraduate GPA.
- Graduate courses don't move your undergraduate GPA. AMCAS gives graduate-level coursework not applied to an undergraduate degree its own graduate status and GPA. AACOMAS counts graduate coursework in your overall GPA only. A special master's program at the graduate level works the same way.
- Schools see each piece. AMCAS reports a GPA for every academic status, from freshman through graduate, plus BCPM and all other. A rising post-bacc line can say more than the cumulative number does.
Plan your raise in four steps (ours)
- Get your real starting point. Your school's GPA may already differ from the services', so run your courses through the AMCAS GPA calculator and the AACOMAS GPA calculator.
- Run cumulative and science separately. Science courses move both numbers, other courses only the cumulative one.
- Use a GPA you can hold, not a perfect 4.0, as the grade you expect. If the hours come out at more than two years, the trend line may matter more than the target.
- Count what each extra cycle costs with our application cost calculator.
Questions people ask
Does retaking a class replace the grade on AMCAS or AACOMAS?
No. AMCAS counts grades for all attempts of a repeated course, even if your school doesn't, and AACOMAS doesn't recognize schools' grade replacement policies. Both grades count. In our example, retaking a 4-credit C for an A moves a 3.00 over 60 hours to 3.06, not the 3.13 a school's replacement policy would show.
Do post-bacc courses count in my undergraduate GPA?
Yes, undergraduate-level ones. AMCAS includes postbaccalaureate coursework in your Undergraduate Total GPA and also reports it as a separate Postbaccalaureate GPA. AACOMAS combines post-baccalaureate coursework with your undergraduate years into a cumulative undergraduate GPA.
Will a master's degree raise my undergraduate GPA?
No. AMCAS gives graduate-level coursework its own graduate status and GPA. AACOMAS adds graduate coursework only to your overall GPA, not the cumulative undergraduate one. Schools see both, so a strong graduate GPA still helps, just not this number.
Why can't I reach my target?
Every new course is averaged in, so with straight A's your GPA only approaches 4.0, and the more hours you already have, the slower it moves. If the target is at or above the GPA you expect to earn, no number of credits gets you there. AMCAS gives an A+ the same 4.0 as an A, so 4.0 is the ceiling.
Can I use this for my science GPA?
Yes. Enter your science GPA and science hours instead (BCPM on AMCAS: biology, chemistry, physics and math). Only science courses move that GPA. Our AMCAS and AACOMAS calculators give you both numbers from your transcript.