Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) GPA Calculator

Alongside the letter grades used to calculate GPA, MCPHS transcripts use several notations that carry no quality points and are not counted in the GPA: S (Satisfactory), AUD (Audit), HP (High Pass — excellent performance in clinical courses only), I (Incomplete), NC (No Credit), P (Pass), PC (Pass Credit), TR (transfer credit), W (Withdrawal from course), and an asterisk (*), which denotes removal of a grade from the GPA.

U (Unsatisfactory) is the one exception: it carries an explicit quality-point value of 0.0, the same as F, and counts toward the GPA.

When a course is repeated at MCPHS, the earlier grade is removed from the grade point average and the more recent grade is used in the calculation; both grades remain on the transcript. Courses may be attempted no more than two times before the student faces dismissal from the degree program.

The grade point average is calculated to two decimal points, each semester and cumulatively. In some degree programs a separate professional GPA is also calculated, dividing professional quality points earned by professional credit hours taken — this generally begins only after 12 credits of professional coursework (with exceptions for the Nursing and Dental Hygiene programs).

For most first-year students the minimum overall GPA to remain in good academic standing is 2.0 (rising to 2.5 for PharmD students beginning with the Class of 2024, from spring of year one). A student whose cumulative and/or professional GPA falls below their program's minimum is placed on academic probation; failure to reach the required GPA within two consecutive semesters on probation can result in dismissal.

Minimum GPA requirements vary by program and are set out in the University Catalog's Good Academic Standing chart — for example, the Doctor of Acupuncture program requires a 3.0 overall GPA, and some certificate programs require 3.3. Pharmacy students on the Worcester and Manchester campuses who are on probation cannot progress into the next academic year. Students should confirm their program's specific minimum in the Catalog rather than assume the university-wide default applies.

Students must complete all degree requirements — coursework, experiential education, instructional requirements, and financial clearance — by the published deadline for one of the University's three annual graduation dates (September, December, or May).

Residency requires completing at least half of a degree's required credits, and all professional-course requirements, in residence at MCPHS; a Bachelor of Science degree additionally requires the final 30 credits to be completed at MCPHS or through an MCPHS-approved articulation agreement.

Graduation honors are based on a student's final cumulative GPA: Summa cum laude requires 3.86–4.00, Magna cum laude requires 3.70–3.85, and Cum laude requires 3.50–3.69. Only students earning a bachelor's degree or Doctor of Pharmacy who have completed at least 60 credits at MCPHS are eligible; honors appear on the final transcript but not on the diploma.

The minimum grade required for a course to receive transfer credit is a C (2.0), though this can vary by program per the Good Academic Standing chart. Once a student has matriculated, courses taken outside MCPHS are generally not accepted for transfer credit except by petition (e.g., delay of graduation or extreme hardship). Approved transfer coursework posts to the transcript as a grade of TR and does not affect the GPA.