Calculating Science GPA for the CASPA Application

The Physician Assistant (PA) application, CASPA, will calculate all applicants science GPA separately from applicants overall (cumulative) GPA. While both are reviewed and considered in each application, PA programs look at science GPA separately because it serves as a direct indicator of an applicant’s ability to handle the rigorous, science-heavy curriculum of PA school.

Science GPA is generally weighted more heavily than the overall GPA because it demonstrates proficiency in foundational subjects like biology, chemistry, and anatomy, which are essential for clinical success.

In order to calculate your science GPA for CASPA, Liaison (the software organization that hosts the CASPA application) has a list of all courses that are used when calculating the science GPA.

Important Notes:

1. CASPA classifications override school department names; classification is based on subject content, not course prefixes.
2. All attempts count (meaning, if you retook Anatomy and Physiology, they will see both grades from both times you took the course).
3. If a course fits any subject below, it will count toward the CASPA Science GPA.
4. CASPA may reclassify courses during verification, and applicants can dispute the subject, not the GPA calculation.
5. There are courses below that URI does not offer, but are listed in case they were courses taken elsewhere (other Universities or programs).

Step 1:

• Review the course list below
• Highlight those courses that you’ve taken with the grade you received
• If you repeated a course, you’ll include both times you took the course and both grades received
• If you’ve taken these courses at other Universities and transferred them to URI, you’ll need the transcript from where you took the course

Step 2:

• Use the PA Platforms free CASPA science GPA calculator (by clicking the button at the bottom of this page) and input all of the grades you highlighted from your transcript

Courses used to calculate your CASPA Science GPA are listed below: