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GPA6 min read·Updated April 12, 2026

Grade Replacement: What AACOMAS Used to Do (and Why It Matters Now)

AACOMAS discontinued grade replacement in 2019. Here is what the policy was, what changed, and how it affects DO applicants with retaken courses today.

ByElias Woodbury·
Key Takeaways
  • AACOMAS used grade replacement until the 2019–2020 cycle. Beginning with the 2019–2020 application cycle, all grades for repeated courses are counted in AACOMAS GPA — just like AMCAS, AADSAS, and TMDSAS.
  • Today, no major US primary application replaces grades. Every attempt counts in your verified GPA.
  • Old advice you may read online still references grade replacement — verify the year before you trust any guidance about retaking courses.

The Old AACOMAS Policy (Pre-2019)

Before the 2019–2020 application cycle, AACOMAS — the centralized application service for osteopathic (DO) medical schools — applied a grade replacement policy. When an applicant retook a course, AACOMAS would replace the lower grade with the higher grade when calculating verified GPA. This meant a C retaken for an A would show only the A in your AACOMAS GPA — substantially different from AMCAS, which has always counted every attempt.

This made DO applications particularly forgiving for applicants with a few weak grades early in college, and it was a routinely cited reason for choosing the DO path for applicants rebuilding from a low GPA.

What Changed in 2019

Beginning with the 2019–2020 application cycle, AACOMAS removed the grade replacement policy. From that cycle forward, AACOMAS calculates GPA using every attempt of every course — exactly like AMCAS, AADSAS, TMDSAS, and CASPA.

AACOMAS made this change to align with other primary application services and to standardize how GPA is reported across programs. The change applies to all cycles going forward — it is not retroactive in the sense that previous cycles' verified GPAs were not recalculated, but any applicant submitting after the change is subject to the new policy.

How Repeats Are Counted Today (All Services)

As of the current cycle, the major primary applications all count repeated courses the same way:

  • AMCAS: Every attempt counts.
  • AACOMAS: Every attempt counts (since 2019–2020).
  • AADSAS: Every attempt counts.
  • TMDSAS: Every attempt counts.
  • CASPA: Every attempt counts.

Some individual programs (including a handful of DO programs) may internally apply their own weighting for retakes during file review, but this is policy-by-policy and not reflected in your verified GPA.

Should You Retake a Course Now?

Retaking is still useful, but for different reasons than before:

  • Prerequisite requirement: Some programs require a minimum grade (typically C or better) in each prerequisite. A grade below that may need to be retaken to be eligible.
  • Pattern of improvement: Retaking a course and earning a substantially higher grade shows trajectory — even though both grades count, the higher grade still raises your overall GPA.
  • Signal for adcoms: A C retaken for an A in organic chemistry suggests you grew. A C left on the transcript suggests you did not.

The math is straightforward: each new credit hour at a higher grade pulls your overall GPA up, but only marginally. Retaking 12 credits of weak coursework can move your verified GPA meaningfully — taking one retake of a 4-credit course will not.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Beginning with the 2019–2020 application cycle, AACOMAS counts all attempts of a repeated course in your verified GPA — the same as AMCAS, AADSAS, and TMDSAS.

You benefit if you replace a C or below with an A or B — both grades count, but adding a higher grade still raises your overall GPA and demonstrates improvement. The benefit is smaller than it was under grade replacement.

AACOMAS aligned its policy with the other primary applications to standardize how GPA is reported across programs. It also reduced the gaming incentive (taking the same intro course three times) that the old policy created.

Your university transcript may show only the higher grade, but the primary application service still calculates GPA from every course you ever attempted. The number on your transcript and the number on your verified application can differ significantly.

Some non-AOA dental and graduate programs may use replacement policies for internal review, but the major primary applications (AMCAS, AACOMAS, AADSAS, TMDSAS, CASPA) all count every attempt.

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About the Author

Elias Woodbury
Elias Woodbury

Co-Founder · Dental School Applicant

B.S. BiochemistryAADSAS Applicant 2026Co-Founder, White Coat World

Elias went through the AADSAS process in 2026 and built White Coat World to give every pre-health student the guidance he had to piece together himself. He writes about the tactical side of applications: hours, GPA, and what schools actually care about.

Educational Disclaimer: White Coat World provides educational resources for pre-health students. Admissions requirements vary by institution and change each cycle. Always verify shadowing hour requirements, GPA cutoffs, and application deadlines directly with your target schools. This content is not licensed advising.