LSAC GPA calculation Forum

[john5354]

Hi, this is my first post, so please forgive me if the same question has been asked. I believe my situation is slightly different than most...

I have read the rules regarding what grades are counted or not counted toward LSAC GPA on its website and other websites multiple times, but I haven't been able to find a definite answer.

They all say that both grades earned in repeated courses are counted, but some say that courses where you didn't earn credits are not counted. I am wondering how that would work out in my case.

Here's a quote from LSAC on grades excluded from conversion, "The original grade for a repeated course when the transcript does not show both the grade and the units for the original attempt. The total number of credits assigned to these grades will appear on the applicant’s academic summary, but will not be included in the GPA calculation."

https://www.lsac.org/applying-law-schoo ... conversion

Can someone elaborate on this statement? I find it quite confusing.

I currently have 6 Fs, all of which are from freshmen year when I was I a complete moron who treated college like high school. None of those Fs earned any credits. I took a year off from school and returned in Fall 2018 semester. I earned a 3.9 last semester and I am on track to earn a similar GPA this semester. I have repeated 3 of those courses where I earned an F and received As in all of them. Since my college replaces grades lower than a D if you repeat the course (for a maximum of once per course), three of those Fs are no longer counted toward my GPA. I will repeat the rest next year.

Anyway, here's my question: Will the Fs actually be counted toward my LSAC GPA even though I didn't earn any credits on them? How will courses with no credits earned be factored into the calculation? (Grades divided by the number of credits earned)

I am just really worried. My freshmen year GPA is around 1.0; I am not even joking. I am afraid that will reflect badly even if my GPA is 3.8-3.9 excluding freshmen year. 6 Fs will really drag down my overall LSAC GPA since F counts as 0.00.

And if the Fs do in fact count even if the courses are repeated, is there any way I can have them removed from my transcript...? Is it even possible to do that?

Thank you

[The Lsat Airbender]

Yeah, Fs count as 0. Whether you can remove them from your transcript is a matter of school policy but it's highly unlikely at this point without serious extenuating circumstances. Yes, this does screw you over substantially.

[nixy]

^ this is correct. Pretty sure the number of credits for the Fs will be based on the number of credits attempted (how many the class has), even though you didn't earn any.

The language you cite states that if your official UG transcript doesn't include information about the original attempt - grade and number of credits for the course - that attempt will be excluded from the calculation (basically if that info isn't on the transcript they won't have it to include it in the calculation, I assume). I'm also assuming that your UG transcript indicates that you took course X in semester Y, got an F, then retook course X in semester X, and got an A. Your UG only uses the A to calculate your GPA, but LSAC will include both.

[Npret]

The course with no credit language applies to classes that don’t give credit - like maybe some meditation seminar or something. It doesn’t mean that if you fail and get 0 credits, then your failing grades don’t count.

What does your transcript show?

If you just scroll down on your link you can see this:
Failing Grades

Any grade notation that signifies failure (such as No Credit, No Credit/Fail, Not Passing, Incomplete, Incomplete/Fail, Withdraw/Fail, Unsatisfactory, Fail, etc.) is converted to zero on the 4.0 scale and is included in the calculation of the GPA, even if the issuing school considers the grade to be nonpunitive. Failure is defined as credit attempted but not earned. If a transcript is not clear about credit attempted, LSAC staff will contact the registrar at the issuing school to confirm whether course credit was attempted. Incomplete and Withdraw grades considered punitive by the issuing school will be included in the conversion. The only exception to this policy is for No Credit, Withdraw/Fail, repeated courses, and incomplete grades specifically explained in Grades Excluded from Conversion.

[CLS2020]

Hey!
How did it go? Did you figure it out eventually?
What law school did you end up going to?