LSAC GPA scale and grading policy
Quick answer: Law School Admission Council (CAS GPA) uses the lsac uses the cas (credential assembly service) gpa on a standardized 4.33 scale. a+ = 4.33, a = 4.0, a- = 3.67, etc. every grade you ever received in undergrad is included, even retakes — repeated courses are not replaced. LSAC recalculates every applicant's undergraduate GPA from their transcripts using the standard 4.33 scale. Pass/fail grades, withdrawals, and grade replacements are normalized to LSAC's conventions. The resulting CAS GPA — not your school's reported GPA — is what law schools see.
| Metric | LSAC Standard |
|---|---|
| Typical admit GPA | Top 14 law schools: 3.7 - 3.9 CAS GPA |
| Good standing minimum | 2.0 (varies by law school) |
| Dean's List threshold | 3.5+ for most law school merit scholarships |
| Scale type | LSAC uses the CAS (Credential Assembly Service) GPA on a standardized 4.33 scale. A+ = 4.33, A = 4.0, A- = 3.67, etc. Every grade you ever received in undergrad is included, even retakes — repeated courses are NOT replaced. |
How LSAC recalculates GPA for admission
LSAC recalculates every applicant's undergraduate GPA from their transcripts using the standard 4.33 scale. Pass/fail grades, withdrawals, and grade replacements are normalized to LSAC's conventions. The resulting CAS GPA — not your school's reported GPA — is what law schools see. The number you submit on your transcript and the number LSAC uses in its admission decision may differ. Use the calculator above to model both — switch the preset to match LSAC's policy.
Maintaining a good LSAC GPA
- Track cumulative GPA, not just semester GPA. Law School Admission Council (CAS GPA) reports both. Most academic warnings trigger on the cumulative number.
- Use the credit-weighted scoring above.A 4-credit course's grade affects your GPA 33% more than a 3-credit course's grade.
- Plan for honors. 3.5+ for most law school merit scholarships. Use the GPA Goal Calculator to see what grade average you need next semester to qualify.
- Check the grade replacement policy. LSAC, like most universities, has a grade-replacement policy for retaken courses. Removing a low grade from the cumulative is the single biggest GPA lift.