CASPA GPA Calculator - Physician Assistant Admissions GPA
This CASPA GPA calculator converts each course grade and credit hour into CASPA quality points, then reports the Overall, Science, and Non-Science GPAs that physician assistant programs review.
CASPA GPA Calculator
Results
What Is the CASPA GPA Calculator?
The CASPA GPA calculator converts the letter grades and credit hours from your college transcript into the three GPAs that the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) reports to PA programs: Overall, Science, and Non-Science.
- • Preview your PA application numbers: See your CASPA Overall, Science, and Non-Science GPAs before you submit, so there are no surprises after the service recalculates your transcript.
- • Compare a retake scenario: Model what happens to all three GPAs when you repeat a course, since CASPA keeps the original grade in the average.
- • Check science versus non-science strength: Understand how your Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Math coursework pulls the Science GPA relative to the Non-Science GPA.
- • Plan remaining coursework: Estimate how future terms would shift the CASPA numbers you will report to programs.
CASPA does not accept your school's GPA at face value. It maps each course grade to a fixed quality-point value on a 4.0 scale, multiplies by credit hours, and rebuilds the average with its own rules. This calculator reproduces that recalculation so you can plan your application with the same numbers an admissions committee will see.
The three outputs matter for different reasons. The Overall GPA reflects your entire academic record, the Science GPA isolates the Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Math courses that predict readiness for the PA curriculum, and the Non-Science GPA tracks everything else. PA programs review all three, so applicants track them just as closely.
If you are also applying to medical school, the AMCAS GPA Calculator shows how the AMCAS GPA model and its separate BCPM and AO GPAs differ from the CASPA set.
How the CASPA GPA Calculator Works
The calculator applies the official CASPA 4.0 quality-point scale, weights each grade by its credit hours, and computes an Overall GPA over every course, a Science GPA over Biology/Chemistry/Physics/Math courses, and a Non-Science GPA over the rest.
- Quality points: The CASPA value for each letter grade: A+ and A are 4.0, A- is 3.7, B+ 3.3, B 3.0, B- 2.7, C+ 2.3, C 2.0, C- 1.7, D+ 1.3, D 1.0, D- 0.7, F 0.0.
- Credit hours: The weight of each course. A 4-credit class moves the GPA twice as much as a 2-credit class with the same grade.
- Course type: Science (Biology/Chemistry/Physics/Math) courses feed the Science GPA; everything else feeds the Non-Science GPA; both feed the Overall GPA.
For each course, the grade is converted to quality points and multiplied by its credit hours. Those products are summed and divided by the summed credit hours to give the Overall GPA. The same sum-and-divide runs a second time restricted to science courses for the Science GPA, and a third time over the remaining courses for the Non-Science GPA. Both repeats of a retaken class are included, each with its own grade and credit hours.
Worked example: one science and one non-science course
Course 1: A (4.0) in a 4-credit Biology class, classified Science. Course 2: B (3.0) in a 3-credit English class, classified Non-Science.
Overall quality points = (4.0 x 4) + (3.0 x 3) = 16 + 9 = 25. Overall credit hours = 4 + 3 = 7. Overall GPA = 25 / 7 = 3.57. Science quality points = 16, science hours = 4, so Science GPA = 16 / 4 = 4.00. Non-Science quality points = 9, hours = 3, so Non-Science GPA = 9 / 3 = 3.00.
CASPA Overall GPA = 3.57, CASPA Science GPA = 4.00, CASPA Non-Science GPA = 3.00.
The same two courses produce three different GPAs because only Biology counts toward Science, only English counts toward Non-Science, and both count toward the Overall.
According to CASPA, the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants publishes the course-subject classifications and GPA calculation rules that determine the Overall, Science, and Non-Science GPAs reported to PA programs.
The credit-hour weighting used here is the same idea behind a standard College GPA Calculator, which averages every graded course without the CASPA science split.
Key Concepts Explained
Four ideas explain why your CASPA numbers can look different from the GPA on your transcript.
Quality points
Every letter grade maps to a fixed CASPA value on the 4.0 scale. Because A+ and A both equal 4.0, an A+ never beats a straight A in the CASPA math, unlike at schools that bonus the plus.
Overall GPA
The average of every graded course you attempt, science and non-science together, weighted by credit hours. This is the broad academic record CASPA reports first.
Science GPA
The average restricted to Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Math/Statistics courses. It isolates how you perform in the subjects most tied to PA coursework and is watched closely by admissions.
Repeated courses
CASPA includes both the original and the repeat grade with their credit hours. Retaking a course adds more quality points but does not erase the earlier attempt, so the first grade still weighs on the average.
The CASPA GPA calculator applies these rules automatically, so you only need to understand which direction each one pulls. A strong non-science term can lift the Overall and Non-Science GPAs without moving the Science GPA at all, while a tough chemistry semester moves the Science GPA the most.
Because CASPA and AACOMAS both split science from the rest, the AACOMAS GPA Calculator is the closest peer for applicants weighing DO and PA paths side by side.
How to Use This Calculator
Enter up to six courses below to see your CASPA Overall, Science, and Non-Science GPAs. Add more rows by repeating the pattern if your transcript is longer, then compare terms.
- 1 Pick the letter grade: For each course, choose the exact grade from the dropdown, from A+ down to F, matching what appears on your transcript.
- 2 Enter credit hours: Type the credit hours the course was worth. Leave the field at 0 or blank for rows you are not using so they do not affect the average.
- 3 Classify the course: Mark each course as Science (Biology/Chemistry/Physics/Math) or Non-Science so the calculator can split the Science and Non-Science GPAs correctly.
- 4 Read the three results: The Overall GPA appears first, followed by the Science and Non-Science GPAs. All three update as you change any input.
- 5 Model a retake: To see a repeat's effect, enter both the old and new grade as separate rows; CASPA counts each attempt.
A student with an A in 4-credit Organic Chemistry (Science), a B in 3-credit English (Non-Science), and a B+ in 4-credit Physics (Science) gets an Overall GPA of about 3.31, a Science GPA of 3.71, and a Non-Science GPA of 3.00, because the two science courses carry the science average.
Before combining terms, the Semester GPA Calculator helps you see the GPA each semester contributes to the CASPA Overall.
Benefits of Using This Calculator
Running your transcript through the CASPA rules before you apply turns guesswork into planning.
- • No surprises at submission: You see the recalculated Overall, Science, and Non-Science GPAs exactly as CASPA will report them, so your application strategy rests on real numbers.
- • Smarter retake decisions: Because both attempts count, you can weigh whether repeating a course is worth the extra credit hours before you register.
- • Clearer science standing: Separating the Science GPA shows where your strength lies, which helps you target programs whose ranges fit your numbers.
- • Faster transcript entry: Converting grades to quality points yourself makes filling the CASPA coursework section quicker and less error-prone.
- • Better advising conversations: Walking in with all three GPAs lets your pre-health advisor give specific, useful guidance instead of rough estimates.
Because CASPA folds every attempt into one number, the Cumulative GPA Calculator is the closest non-service-specific way to track your running average across terms.
Factors That Affect Your Results
Several choices and policies change what the calculator reports, and a few limits are worth knowing before you rely on the number.
Credit-hour weight
Heavier courses move the GPA more. A 4-credit class with a given grade shifts the average twice as far as a 2-credit class with the same grade.
Science classification
Marking a course Science pulls it into the Science GPA; marking it Non-Science keeps it out. Mislabeling a Biology or Chemistry course changes the Science number directly.
Repeat counting
Both the original and repeated grade count. A retake adds quality points but also adds the earlier grade's drag, so the net gain is smaller than a first-time grade suggests.
Grade scale differences
CASPA treats D+ as 1.3 and D as 1.0, while some schools merge them or use plus-minus steps differently, so a D+ may look different here than on your transcript.
- • This calculator covers graded courses only. Pass/fail, satisfactory, and withdrawn entries carry no quality points in CASPA and are left out of the averages.
- • CASPA may reclassify a course's subject or combine terms differently than you expect; always confirm the official application preview before final submission.
Treat the output as a close planning estimate built from the official 4.0 scale. The final, binding numbers come from CASPA after you enter coursework in the application, and they should match what this tool shows for the same grades and credits.
According to PAEA, the Physician Assistant Education Association represents PA programs and frames how competitively CASPA GPAs, including the Science GPA, are viewed in admissions.
Once you know your CASPA numbers, the GPA to Letter Grade Calculator reverses the scale so you can read them back as letter grades for advising conversations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What quality-point value does CASPA assign to an A+?
A: CASPA assigns 4.0 to both A+ and A, so there is no bonus above a straight A. The top of the CASPA scale is 4.0 whether your school distinguishes A+ from A. A- is worth 3.7, and the scale steps down by 0.3 for B grades and 0.7 for C grades before the D range.
Q: Which courses count toward the CASPA Science GPA?
A: CASPA counts Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Math/Statistics courses as science coursework. Everything else, including English, psychology, and communications, falls into the Non-Science GPA. This calculator asks you to classify each course so the Science and Non-Science GPAs split the way CASPA splits them.
Q: How does CASPA treat a course you retake?
A: CASPA counts both the original attempt and the retake in your GPAs; it does not replace the old grade the way many schools do. Both grades appear with their credit hours and both pull on the average. If you repeat a Biology or Chemistry course, both the earlier and the improved grade count toward the Science GPA as well as the Overall GPA.
Q: What is the difference between CASPA Overall, Science, and Non-Science GPAs?
A: The Overall GPA averages every course you have taken. The Science GPA averages only Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Math/Statistics courses, and the Non-Science GPA averages everything else. PA programs receive all three numbers, and a strong Science GPA can matter as much as the Overall because it reflects your preparation for the PA curriculum.
Q: Does CASPA differ from AMCAS or AACOMAS?
A: All three use a 4.0 scale, but the GPA sets differ. CASPA reports Overall, Science, and Non-Science. AMCAS reports Overall, BCPM, and AO, and gives D+ a 1.3 versus the 1.0 CASPA uses. AACOMAS reports a Total and a Science (BCPM) GPA without a separate non-science figure. Entering your grades here applies the CASPA rules specifically.
Q: Are pass/fail or withdrawal grades included in CASPA GPA?
A: CASPA excludes pass/fail, satisfactory/no-credit, and withdrawn courses that carry no grade points from the GPA calculation. Only graded courses with quality points and credit hours move the number. This calculator focuses on those graded courses; leave blank any row you would not enter on the CASPA application.