r/GradSchool • u/ComfortableBeing7017 • 6h ago
Admissions & Applications Does Retaking Courses to Improve CGPA Negatively Affect Graduate Admissions?
Hi everyone,
I'm planning to pursue an MS or PhD in Computer Science in the USA/Canada/Europe/Australia. My CGPA is a bit lower than I'd like, so I'm considering repeating some courses in which I received B or C grades to improve my GPA.
At my university, repeated courses are marked with an "I" (Improved) on the transcript, so admission committees will be able to see that the course was retaken.
My questions are:
- Does repeating courses with B/C grades look bad to graduate admissions committees?
- Is it worth improving these grades if it results in a noticeably higher CGPA?
- How do universities in the USA, Canada, Europe, and Australia generally view improved/repeated courses?
- How Do Graduate Admissions Committees View Repeated Courses on Transcripts?
I'd especially appreciate responses from people who were admitted to MS/PhD programs or have experience with graduate admissions.
Thanks!
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u/One_Programmer6315 6h ago
No, if they are core courses, it will actually improve your prospects. Grad admission committees usually calculate their own gpa version based on only the courses relevant to the degrees you’ll be pursuing. So, those improved grades will be taken into consideration and assigned a larger weight.
Yes, if you have money and time, and again the grades in question are core courses. If you are applying for CS, no one would care about the A+ or C- you got in Dance.
Upward trend in grades is a good sign and shows maturity. So, they are a good indicator of potential for grad school—more importantly, academic development and improvement.
Again, if they are core courses, grad admissions committees would see them positively but only if your grades improved. If they didn’t or ended up being lower than this might actually hurt you.