When you retake a course, most schools replace the original grade in the GPA calculation while keeping both attempts on the transcript. This calculator shows exactly how a retake will change your cumulative GPA and lets you explore the impact of every possible new grade before you even register.
Current GPA — your cumulative GPA before the retake is processed.
Total Credits Completed — all credit hours currently counting toward your GPA.
Original Grade — the grade you earned the first time.
Course Credits — the number of credit hours for this specific course.
New Grade (Retake) — the grade you expect to earn (or already earned) on the retake.
Switch to Impact Analysis to see a full table of how each possible grade would change your GPA.
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.
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.