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Straight A's equal a 4.0 GPA on the standard unweighted scale, where each A is worth 4.0 points. If your school awards A+ grades, some scales count them as 4.33, producing a GPA above 4.0. For law school, LSAC converts grades to its own scale. see the linked source (see the linked source).
By Ali Unar, JD candidate at Georgetown Law and founder of Lovare Institut. Last updated August 2026. Figures on this page were verified in August 2026 or point readers to the current source.
Straight A's equal a 4.0 GPA on the standard unweighted 4.0 scale, because each A is worth exactly 4.0 grade points. A transcript of nothing but A grades therefore averages to a perfect 4.0. On a weighted high-school scale, straight A's in honors or AP courses can produce a figure above 4.0, but the unweighted answer is 4.0.
An A+ can push a GPA above 4.0 only where a school assigns it more than 4.0 grade points, commonly 4.33. Many schools cap the A+ at 4.0, treating it the same as an A, in which case straight A grades stay at 4.0. Whether your A+ grades count above 4.0 depends entirely on your institution's grading policy.
For law school, LSAC recalculates your GPA through the Credential Assembly Service using its own standard conversion. It converts each grade, including pluses and minuses, and combines all attempts across your undergraduate record. Because LSAC applies fixed conversion values, a straight-A transcript reads at or near the top of its scale. see the linked source (see the linked source).
A 4.0 GPA is not required for law school, and most admitted students, even at top schools, have GPAs below a perfect 4.0. Admissions weighs GPA together with the LSAT, so a strong but imperfect GPA paired with a high LSAT is highly competitive. Aim to meet or beat your target schools' medians rather than chasing a flawless 4.0.
A pass/fail grade usually does not change your GPA, because a Pass carries no grade points, so it cannot lower a straight-A average. The course still appears on your transcript, and LSAC generally excludes a plain Pass when it recalculates your undergraduate GPA for law school admissions.
LSAC recalculates your GPA through the Credential Assembly Service, converting each undergraduate grade to a standard 4.0 scale and including failed and repeated courses. Because it applies fixed conversions and may cap the A+, the LSAC figure for a top transcript can differ slightly from a weighted or A+-boosted school GPA.
There is no universal minimum, and a perfect 4.0 is not required. Competitiveness depends on each school's medians, which run near the top of the scale at the most selective schools and lower elsewhere. Aim to meet or beat your target schools' median GPA and pair it with a strong LSAT.
Verified August 2026.
August 21, 2026
August 21, 2026