What is AADSAS and why does it recalculate my GPA?

AADSAS (Associated American Dental Schools Application Service), administered by ADEA, is the centralised application portal used by most US dental schools. Instead of accepting the GPA on your university transcript, which reflects your school's own grading policies, scale, and grade forgiveness rules, AADSAS recalculates a standardised GPA from every transcript you have ever generated, using a uniform 4.0 scale and a strict all-attempts policy. This allows dental schools to compare thousands of applicants from hundreds of different institutions on equal footing.

What qualifies as a BCP course?

BCP means Biology, Chemistry and Physics courses. Math falls under the broader Science GPA, along with Other Science. Which bucket a course lands in depends on the subject you select in AADSAS, so use the official AADSAS Course Subject Guide for borderline courses such as biochemistry. Miscategorising a course changes your BCP and Science GPAs.

How does the repeat policy affect my dental school application?

AADSAS requires all academic attempts to be reported: there is no grade forgiveness, grade replacement, or academic renewal. If you failed General Chemistry and retook it for an A, both grades are included. Your university transcript may show only the A, but your AADSAS BCP and Overall GPAs will reflect both attempts. This is a common reason an applicant's AADSAS GPA is lower than their university GPA. The best way to address a historical failure is with strong subsequent science grades and a well-written GPA addendum.

Does my Graduate GPA help offset a weak Undergraduate GPA?

Partly. AADSAS shows a cumulative undergraduate GPA, which includes any post-baccalaureate coursework, and an overall GPA, which adds graduate coursework. Strong graduate grades lift your overall GPA, but they do not change your undergraduate GPA, and admissions committees can see both. A strong recent record is useful evidence of improvement.

What is a competitive AADSAS GPA for dental school?

There is no single cutoff. Each dental school publishes its own GPA ranges and ADEA releases yearly applicant and enrollee data, so compare your BCP, Science and Overall GPAs with the class profile of each school on your list. Our dental school GPA calculator page covers typical requirements.

How are quarter credits handled?

AADSAS converts all credits to semester hours before calculating any GPA. If your institution used a quarter-based calendar, each course's quarter credits are multiplied by 0.667 to get semester equivalents. For example, a 4-quarter-credit course becomes 2.67 semester hours. This ensures that a B in a 10-week quarter course carries proportionally less weight than a B in a 15-week semester course, an equitable treatment when comparing applicants across different institutional calendars. Select Quarter (x 0.667) in the credit system dropdown and the calculator applies this conversion automatically.

Do AP credits count in the AADSAS GPA?

AP credit is non-graded, so AADSAS does not include it in any GPA. It neither helps nor hurts your GPA.

Can I explain a low GPA in my dental school application?

Yes, where the application gives you space. Many schools let you add context in a personal statement or a secondary application, so check what each school allows. You cannot change a calculated GPA, but a clear, factual explanation and strong recent grades help a committee read the numbers fairly.

Professional School: Dental

AADSAS GPA Calculator

Calculate your AADSAS GPA for dental school applications, including BCP GPA (Biology, Chemistry, Physics), Science GPA, Non-Science GPA, and Overall GPA. The calculator applies the all-attempts repeat policy, WF and E grades, and quarter-to-semester conversion on the ADEA AADSAS 4.0 scale.

Last reviewed October 2026. Rules checked against the ADEA AADSAS Applicant Help Center: how AADSAS calculates GPAs and grade values chart.

This calculator is an estimate. Your official AADSAS GPAs are calculated by ADEA AADSAS after verification.

Undergraduate Courses

Undergraduate: bachelor's coursework, including repeats and community college

3 courses

Course name (optional)CreditsCredit systemGradeSubject type

Choose the subject AADSAS will assign. Skipped rows count as Non-Science.

Course name

Credits

Credit system

Grade

Subject type

Course name

Credits

Credit system

Grade

Subject type

Course name

Credits

Credit system

Grade

Subject type

Graduate Courses

Graduate: courses in a graduate programme, counted in your overall GPA

0 courses

Course name (optional)CreditsCredit systemGradeSubject type

Choose the subject AADSAS will assign. Skipped rows count as Non-Science.

Post-Baccalaureate Courses

Post-baccalaureate: coursework after your bachelor's, counted in your undergraduate GPA

0 courses

Course name (optional)CreditsCredit systemGradeSubject type

Choose the subject AADSAS will assign. Skipped rows count as Non-Science.

Add your courses, select a subject type for each, then click Calculate to see your BCP, Science, Non-Science, and Overall AADSAS GPAs.

What is the AADSAS GPA?

The ADEA AADSAS GPA is one of the most comprehensive academic metrics in health professions admissions. Rather than accepting the GPA printed on your university transcript, AADSAS (the Associated American Dental Schools Application Service) independently recalculates your academic performance from every transcript you have ever generated, using a uniform 4.0 scale and a strict policy that requires all attempts, including failed courses, to be reported.

AADSAS reports GPAs by year, a cumulative undergraduate GPA, an overall GPA, and GPAs by course subject category such as Biology/Chemistry/Physics and Science. This calculator estimates the four numbers dental applicants check most: BCP, Science, Non-Science (everything outside Science, a number this calculator derives) and Overall.

Because AADSAS ignores your university's grade forgiveness policy and applies its own quarter-credit conversion, your AADSAS GPA may be meaningfully different from the GPA on your diploma, sometimes significantly lower if you retook failed science courses. Calculating it accurately before you apply is essential for setting realistic school targets and preparing a GPA addendum if needed.

For GPA ranges, DAT context and school-by-school expectations, see our dental school GPA calculator.

The Four GPAs This Calculator Estimates

This calculator estimates the four numbers dental applicants check most: BCP, Science, Non-Science (everything outside Science, a number this calculator derives) and Overall. The cards below show what goes into each one.

BCP GPA

Biology, Chemistry, Physics

Biology, Chemistry and Physics courses only. Dental schools look at it closely because those are the core science prerequisites.

Science GPA

BCP + Math + Other Science

BCP plus Math and Other Science. Which of your courses count as Other Science depends on the subject you pick in AADSAS, so follow the AADSAS Course Subject Guide.

Non-Science GPA

Humanities, Business, Arts, Social Sciences

The Non-Science GPA covers every academic discipline outside the Science GPA umbrella: English, History, Psychology, Sociology, Economics, Business, Arts, and Foreign Language courses. A strong Non-Science GPA demonstrates well-roundedness and an ability to communicate clearly, which dental schools value alongside raw science performance.

Overall GPA

All post-secondary courses combined

The Overall GPA is the weighted average of every course you have ever taken at the post-secondary level: science, non-science, all levels. It is the number most quickly referenced in screening, and admissions committees read it alongside your other GPAs.

The AADSAS Formula

Quality Points Formula

Used for BCP, Science, Non-Science and Overall

Quality Points = Grade Points x Semester Credits

AADSAS GPA = Sum of Quality Points / Sum of Semester Credits

The formula is a weighted average: courses with more credit hours contribute more to your GPA than lower-credit courses. A 4-credit General Chemistry course earning a C (2.0) contributes 8.0 quality points, twice the drag of a 2-credit course with the same grade. This is why repeating a 4-credit science course with an F is so damaging to the BCP GPA.

Quarter-hour conversion: credits x 0.667 = semester equivalents. Applied before quality-point calculation.

AADSAS Grade Points

Standard 4.0 scale values, A+ capped at 4.0

Grade	Points	Note
A+ / A	4.0
A-	3.7
AB	3.5
B+	3.3
B	3.0
B-	2.7
BC	2.5
C+	2.3
C	2.0
C-	1.7
CD	1.5
D+	1.3
D	1.0
D-	0.7
F / WF / E	0.0	WF and E are treated as F
W	Excluded	Withdrawal, no grade impact, appears on record
P (Pass)	Excluded	Pass is excluded. Fail in a pass/fail course counts as 0.0
AP credits	Excluded	Non-graded credit, not included in any GPA

Worked Example: The Repeat Effect

This example shows how retaking a Biology course changes the AADSAS Science GPA and BCP GPA compared with a university transcript that replaces the first grade.

Course	Credits	Grade	Numeric	Quality Points
Gen Bio 1 (Attempt 1)	3	D	1.0	3.0
Gen Bio 1 (Attempt 2)	3	A	4.0	12.0
Calculus	4	B	3.0	12.0
Totals	10			27.0

AADSAS Science GPA

2.70

27.0 quality points / 10 semester credits (Gen Bio x2 and Calculus)

Transcript Science GPA (with replacement)

3.43

(12.0 + 12.0) / 7 credits, the D is replaced and removed

BCP GPA in this example: 2.50 on AADSAS (15.0 / 6) versus 4.00 on a transcript that replaces the D.

The 0.73 point gap in Science GPA, and the 1.50 point gap in BCP GPA, come entirely from the all-attempts policy. Calculate your AADSAS GPAs before you decide which schools to target.

How to Use This Calculator

Gather every transcript

Collect transcripts from all post-secondary institutions, including community colleges, dual-enrollment high school courses, transfer institutions, and any international universities. If there is a transcript, AADSAS requires it.

Categorise by academic level

Sort each course into Undergraduate, Graduate, or Post-Baccalaureate. Courses from your bachelor's degree are generally undergraduate. Post-degree coursework (e.g. DIY post-bac or formal post-bac programmes) is post-baccalaureate unless it was part of a graduate programme. Post-baccalaureate work is added to your cumulative undergraduate GPA. Graduate work is added to your overall GPA.

Assign a subject type to each course

This is the step that sets AADSAS apart from other CAS calculators. Assign Biology, Chemistry, or Physics for BCP courses; Math or Other Science for additional science courses; Non-Science for everything else. This determines your BCP GPA and Science GPA.

Note the credit system

Identify whether your institution used semester or quarter credits. Quarter credits are automatically converted by multiplying by 0.667. Select Quarter (x 0.667) in the dropdown and the calculator handles the rest.

Enter every attempt, including repeats

Add both the original attempt and any retakes as separate rows with their respective grades. AADSAS does not recognise grade forgiveness. Include every F, D, and retake regardless of what your transcript currently shows.

Handle special grade types

W (Withdrawal): enter it, no GPA effect. WF (Withdrawal-Failing): enter as WF, counted as 0.0. P (Pass): excluded from calculation. Fail in a P/F course: enter as F. AP credit: leave it out of this calculator, it is not part of any GPA.

Calculate and review all four GPAs

Click Calculate to see your BCP GPA, Science GPA, Non-Science GPA, and Overall GPA. Review the quality points and semester credit totals to verify the math against your own manual calculation.

Common AADSAS Mistakes

The A+ Trap

AADSAS counts A+ as 4.0, the same as A. There is no bonus above 4.0, so do not enter 4.3 anywhere.

Trusting the University Transcript

Your university may show only the retake grade through Grade Forgiveness. AADSAS ignores this and requires all attempts. If you retook Organic Chemistry after a D, both the D and the retake grade must be entered, and both will count in your BCP GPA.

Miscategorising Courses

The subject you assign to each course decides your BCP and Science GPAs. Use the AADSAS Course Subject Guide for borderline courses such as biochemistry, anatomy or nutrition. This calculator only works as well as the subjects you choose.

Entering International Grades Directly

Foreign transcripts must be evaluated by a recognised foreign credential evaluation service (WES, ECE, or similar) before AADSAS can accept them. Do not attempt to manually convert foreign grades. Submit the evaluation and let the converted US-equivalent grades flow through the application.

AP and Pass/Fail Credits

AP credit and pass or satisfactory credit are non-graded, so they are not included in your GPAs. A failed pass/fail course is different: it counts as an F.

Confusing W and WF

A standard Withdrawal (W) is grade-neutral and does not affect any GPA. A Withdrawal-Failing (WF) counts as an F (0.0). It will drag down your BCP GPA if it was a science course, and your Overall GPA regardless. The two designations look similar on a transcript but have very different consequences.

Where Do Dental School GPA Ranges Come From?

Dental schools publish their own GPA ranges, and ADEA releases yearly applicant and enrollee data. Check the latest release and each school's class profile instead of relying on one national number. See ADEA's applicant and enrollee data release, and the dental school GPA calculator for requirements.