Calculate your law school GPA
| Course | Grade | Credits | Remove |
|---|
Law school 4.33 scale grade reference
| Letter | Law school points | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 4.33 | Standard 4.33 scale used at most ABA schools |
| A | 4.00 | Often the curve maximum at strict-curve schools |
| A- | 3.67 | Above-median grade at most schools |
| B+ | 3.33 | Above-median at schools with 3.2 curve |
| B | 3.00 | Curve median at many schools |
| B- | 2.67 | Below-median grade |
| C+ / C / C- | 2.33 / 2.00 / 1.67 | Bottom-tail; can affect scholarship retention |
| D+ / D / D- | 1.33 / 1.00 / 0.67 | Below most schools\' satisfactory progress floor |
| F | 0.00 | Failure; required to retake at most schools |
| H (Honors) | 4.00 proxy | Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Berkeley H/P/LP/F schools |
| P (Pass) | 3.00 proxy | H/P/LP/F schools; numeric proxy for rank computation |
| LP (Low Pass) | 2.00 proxy | H/P/LP/F schools |
| CR / Pass-Fail | excluded | 1L Legal Writing at many schools |
H/P/LP/F schools do not publish numeric GPAs or class rank. The proxy rows let students compute an unofficial comparable figure for personal reference or external applications.
How the Law School GPA Calculator Handles the Mandatory Curve
The law school GPA calculator above runs the weighted-average formula every ABA-accredited school uses for class rank, journal write-on eligibility, and scholarship retention. What separates law school GPA from undergraduate GPA is not the math; it is the mandatory grading curve. Every ABA-accredited school publishes a required median for 1L courses, typically between 3.0 and 3.4 depending on the school. The registrar applies the curve course by course before the grade reaches your transcript, so the grade you enter into the calculator above is the post-curve figure. The weighted-average math is standard: Sum(Grade Points x Credits) / Sum(Credits). Because the curve compresses the middle of the class into a narrow band, a 0.05 GPA change can move a student 20 or more rank positions.
GPA Calculator Law School Workflow for 1L Students
A GPA calculator law school workflow for 1L runs once fall grades post (usually January) and again after spring grades post (usually June). 1L fall is typically 14 to 16 credits of required doctrinal courses: Torts, Contracts, Civil Procedure, Legal Writing, and Criminal Law depending on the school. Some schools grade 1L Legal Writing pass/fail; exclude those rows from the law school GPA calculator above since pass/fail courses do not contribute grade points. 1L spring adds another 14 to 16 credits (Property, Constitutional Law, Legal Writing II, and an elective or two). The cumulative 1L GPA determines journal write-on eligibility at most schools, summer associate recruiting OCI eligibility at most firms, and scholarship retention at every school that offers conditional scholarships.
Columbia Law School GPA and School-Specific Scales
A Columbia law school GPA calculation follows the Columbia grading system, which uses a letter scale with numeric grade points published in the Academic Rules. Other ABA-accredited schools use variants: Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and Berkeley use H/P/LP/F with no numeric GPA at all, and they do not publish class rank. The University of Chicago uses a 155-186 numeric scale. Most other T14 and lower-ranked schools use traditional 4.0 or 4.33 letter-grade systems with published grade-point tables. The law school GPA calculator above accepts any letter on the 4.33 scale, so it handles every traditional scale once you match the school\'s published conversion. For H/P/LP/F schools, use the labelled proxy rows in the grade dropdown to compute an unofficial figure.
Calculate Law School GPA Across Multiple Semesters and Years
To calculate law school GPA across multiple semesters, add every graded course since enrollment to the law school GPA calculator above. The cumulative figure is the weighted average across all terms to date. Most schools compute class rank twice per year, after fall grades post and again after spring grades post, using the cumulative GPA through that semester. The workflow for a 3L student includes six semesters of data: 1L fall, 1L spring, 2L fall, 2L spring, 3L fall, and 3L spring. The resulting figure is what appears on the final transcript, on OCI bid lists, on bar exam character-and-fitness disclosures, and on post-graduate employment outcome reporting.
Calculating Law School GPA for Journal Write-On and Grade-On Eligibility
Calculating law school GPA for journal write-on competitions uses the cumulative 1L GPA through spring. Secondary journals often publish explicit GPA cutoffs (top 30 to 50 percent of the class is typical); primary law review at T14 schools is usually pure write-on with no GPA floor. A few schools publish a grade-on alternative where the top percentage of the 1L class gains automatic law review invitations. The law school GPA calculator above reproduces the cumulative figure the registrar uses; the class-rank percentile band chart shows where the GPA sits on the typical distribution.
Law School GPA Formula Reference
- Grade Points = school-specific value for the posted grade (after curve) on the published scale
- Credits = course credit hours (doctrinal: 3 to 4; seminars: 2 to 3; clinics: 4 to 6)
- Included = all letter-graded courses taken at the school through the cumulative period
- Excluded = pass/fail courses, CR/NC courses, audits, transfer courses (CR at most schools)
- Grade Points (4.33 scale) = A+ 4.33, A 4.0, A- 3.67, B+ 3.33, B 3.0, B- 2.67, C+ 2.33, C 2.0, C- 1.67, D+ 1.33, D 1.0, D- 0.67, F 0.0
- Credits = semester credit hours; quarter credits convert by multiplying by 2/3
- Included = every graded undergraduate course at every institution through the first bachelor's degree
- Excluded = pass/fail grades, audits, non-punitive withdrawals; graduate coursework reported separately
Switch the calculator above to "Undergrad to LSAC GPA" mode to apply the LSAC special-status rules (every retake counts, A+ counts as 4.33, pass/fail excluded). For the full LSAC rule set including punitive versus non-punitive withdrawals, quarter-credit conversion, and study-abroad treatment, use our dedicated LSAC GPA calculator.
Law School Admissions GPA and the LSAT Index
A law school admissions GPA calculator pairs the LSAC calculated GPA with the LSAT to produce an admissions index. The most widely used formula across ABA-approved schools is: Index = (GPA x 10) + ((LSAT - 120) x 0.8) plus school-specific modifiers. Each ABA-accredited school publishes its 25th-75th percentile GPA and LSAT ranges in the annual ABA 509 disclosure. A score above the 75th percentile on both metrics is a strong positive signal; below the 25th percentile on both is a strong negative.
Using the GPA Output With LSAT Score Predictors
The 7Sage predictor and most law school admission chance tools combine LSAC calculated GPA and LSAT into a tiered probability estimate (super-reach, reach, target, safety). The law school GPA calculator above produces the GPA input for any predictor. Cross-reference the result against the school\'s ABA 509 report for current-cycle admissions probability. Tools that combine GPA and LSAT into an admissions chance, sometimes called a law school predictors GPA calculator or an LSAT GPA calculator, still take the LSAC-calculated 4.33-scale GPA as the input, not the transcript GPA.
Class Rank, Scholarship Retention, and the Published Curve
Class rank is derived directly from the cumulative law school GPA. At a school with a 3.2 curve median, a 3.35 cumulative GPA might place a student at the 30th percentile from the top; at a school with a 3.0 curve median, the same 3.35 places that student at the 15th percentile from the top. Always check the school\'s published curve median, usually in the Academic Rules or a public registrar page. Scholarship retention thresholds attach to the cumulative GPA: a 3.0 retention requirement at a school with a 3.2 curve is generous; a 3.3 retention at a school with a 3.0 curve will push roughly half of conditional-scholarship recipients off the scholarship.
ABA Standard 509 requires schools to publish scholarship retention rates each year. Pull the school\'s 509 report before accepting a conditional offer. The rank-band chart in the calculator widget above shows the typical distribution; the colored band where a student\'s GPA sits is the approximate class-rank percentile band for most ABA-accredited schools, with band edges calibrated against published curve medians.
Law School Grade Calculator Versus Law School GPA Calculator
A law school grade calculator (what an individual course looks like after the curve is applied) is different from a law school GPA calculator (the cumulative figure across courses). Because the curve is enforced at the course level before grades post, a within-course grade predictor is rarely useful; the raw exam percentile matters more than the raw point score. A law school GPA calculator, by contrast, runs on the already-curved posted grades and is fully deterministic. The calculator above is a law school GPA calculator: enter curved grades, get cumulative GPA. For undergraduate students applying to law school, the same tool runs in "Undergrad to LSAC GPA" mode using the LSAC methodology.
Transfer Credits and Community College Coursework in Law School GPA
Most ABA-accredited law schools do not average transfer-credit grades into the receiving school\'s GPA. Transfer courses post as CR on the new transcript, and the new school\'s GPA starts fresh with the 2L and 3L courses taken at the receiving institution. Class rank is typically excluded for transfer students because their GPA sample is smaller. The exact policy varies by school; some receive transfer students into the running rank only after the first full semester at the new institution.
Pre-admission, the LSAC calculation does include community college coursework and any other graded undergraduate work from every institution attended. This is a frequent surprise for students who expected their flagship four-year transcript to be the only source. Community college dual-enrollment grades from high school, summer transfer courses, and any other graded undergraduate row all count toward the LSAC calculated GPA. Switch to the "Undergrad to LSAC GPA" mode in the calculator above to add every institution\'s coursework on the LSAC 4.33 scale.
Tips for Using the Law School GPA Calculator Effectively
- Enter post-curve grades, not raw exam scores. The registrar applies the curve before the grade hits the transcript. Use the posted letter or numeric grade in the calculator above.
- Exclude pass/fail courses. 1L Legal Writing is pass/fail at many schools. Including it inflates the credit denominator without contributing grade points; use the CR / Pass-Fail dropdown entry to record the row without affecting the GPA.
- Match your school\'s published scale. If your school uses 4.0, treat A+ as 4.0 (not 4.33). If 4.33, use 4.33. For H/P/LP/F schools (Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Berkeley), no official numeric GPA is computed; the H/P/LP proxy rows let you compute an unofficial comparable figure.
- Treat transfer courses as CR at most schools. Most law schools post transfer credits as CR without grade points, which means they do not average into the receiving school\'s GPA. Confirm with your registrar before assuming the policy.
- For LSAC mode, count every retake. LSAC does not honor grade replacement, even when the undergraduate institution does. Enter both attempts as separate rows; both contribute to the LSAC GPA calculation\'s numerator and denominator.
- Verify with your registrar before high-stakes decisions. Always confirm with your specific school\'s registrar before using a calculated law school GPA for scholarship retention decisions, bar exam character-and-fitness disclosures, or post-graduate employment reporting. The official transcript and the official CAS report are authoritative.
Sources: The ABA Section of Legal Education publishes Standard 509 and annual school reports covering 25th-75th percentile GPA and LSAT ranges, scholarship retention rates, and published curve medians. The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) publishes the Credential Assembly Service GPA methodology used for pre-admission review on the 4.33 scale. The Harvard Law School Handbook, Yale Law School Policies Handbook, and Berkeley Law Registrar publish the H/P/LP/F grading systems used at those schools. The Columbia Law Registrar publishes the school-specific numeric scale and curve median documented in the Academic Rules. Always verify with your specific school\'s registrar before relying on a calculated figure for scholarship, rank, or admissions decisions.