AMCAS Course Classification Guide

For AMCAS course classification, you select each course category based on its primary content. Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics courses count toward the BCPM GPA, while other classifications do not. AMCAS then calculates standardized GPAs during application verification and reports them by coursework type and academic status.

These rules apply to AMCAS coursework for U.S. MD applications. Course titles alone may not resolve every classification question, especially for interdisciplinary subjects, so you may need to review the course description before choosing a category.

AMCAS Course Classification at a Glance

• A course’s primary content determines its AMCAS classification.
• Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics classifications count toward BCPM. Other classifications, including Natural and Physical Sciences, do not.
• AMCAS calculates standardized GPAs during verification, so its results will usually differ from the GPA reported by your college.
• Medical schools receive separate BCPM and all other GPAs organized by academic status.

How AMCAS Course Classification Works

The AMCAS Course Classification Guide instructs you to classify a course according to its primary content.

Courses classified as Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Mathematics contribute to your BCPM GPA. Coursework in every other classification falls outside BCPM. That includes Natural and Physical Sciences, even though the classification name contains the word “sciences.”

For a course that combines two or more subjects, review the course description on your school’s website or ask your prehealth advisor which classification best reflects the content. This approach is especially useful when a broad course title does not show which subject received the most emphasis.

Which AMCAS Classifications Count Toward BCPM?

The table below follows the AAMC AMCAS Course Classification Guide in the 2027 AMCAS Applicant Guide. It identifies the AMCAS classifications included in BCPM and provides example subjects for each category.

Commonly Confused AMCAS Course Classifications

Biochemistry falls under Chemistry, so it counts toward BCPM. Statistics and Biostatistics fall under Mathematics and also count. Psychology and Sociology belong to Behavioral and Social Sciences, so they do not contribute to BCPM.

Kinesiology and Nutrition are Health Sciences classifications rather than Biology classifications. Biomedical Engineering falls under Engineering. Neither Health Sciences nor Engineering contributes to BCPM, even when a course includes scientific or medical subject matter.

Environmental Science and Policy falls under Natural and Physical Sciences, which AMCAS excludes from BCPM. In contrast, Neuroscience, Physiology, Genetics and Anatomy appear under Biology and therefore count toward BCPM. For a course that does not match these examples, apply the primary content rule described above.

How AMCAS Calculates GPAs

AMCAS calculates standardized GPAs during application verification. The standardized method helps medical schools compare academic records from institutions with different calendars and grading systems. As a result, an AMCAS GPA almost always differs from the GPA calculated by the applicant’s college.

Any course with credit hours and a letter grade enters the AMCAS GPA calculation, even if the course did not count toward a degree or the school’s own GPA. The table below summarizes how AMCAS treats common grade and credit types.

AMCAS generally uses the grades and credit hours assigned by the school. It counts plus and minus grades, and it gives A+ and A grades the same 4.0 weight. The standard letter-grade weights appear below.

You can use IMA’s AMCAS GPA calculator to estimate your total, BCPM and all other GPAs before verification. Your calculation remains an estimate because the official AMCAS GPAs do not appear until your application is processed.

For a separate look at GPA alongside MCAT scores, see IMA’s MCAT GPA grid.

How AMCAS Reports GPAs to Medical Schools

AMCAS reports GPAs for each academic status: high school, freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, postbaccalaureate and graduate. Within its GPA reporting, AMCAS separates Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics coursework from all other coursework.

Postbaccalaureate coursework appears in a separate Postbaccalaureate GPA and also contributes to the Undergraduate Total GPA. Pass/fail, AP, CLEP and other test credit are generally excluded from GPA calculations, but AMCAS reports their total hours as Supplemental Hours.

Calculated GPAs appear only after the application status becomes Processed. Until then, a self-calculated result can help you review your entries, but it is not the final AMCAS calculation.

How to Prepare Your Coursework Entries

When completing your AMCAS application, enter each course under the school where you originally attempted it. Copy the course information exactly as it appears on that school’s official transcript, even if another institution later accepted the credit.

AMCAS advises that each undergraduate academic status should contain about 24 to 35 semester and supplemental hours. Grades entered in the application but absent from the official transcript do not enter the GPA calculation. If you omit a transcript grade from the application, AMCAS adds it during verification.

AP credit hours must appear on a college transcript before you can claim them in the application. After checking your transcript entries and estimating your GPAs, you can consider whether your GPA is competitive for medical school.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Biochemistry a BCPM Course?

Yes. AMCAS lists Biochemistry under Chemistry, so it contributes to the BCPM calculation.

Does Psychology Count Toward BCPM?

No. AMCAS classifies Psychology under Behavioral and Social Sciences, which is outside the BCPM categories.

Do Statistics Courses Count as Math for BCPM?

Yes. AMCAS lists Statistics and Biostatistics under Mathematics, so courses with that classification contribute to BCPM.

Do AP and Pass/Fail Courses Count in the AMCAS GPA?

Generally, no. AMCAS excludes AP, pass/fail and similar non-letter-graded credit from GPA calculations and reports the hours as Supplemental Hours. AP credit hours must appear on a college transcript for you to claim them in the application.

Does AMCAS Count Retaken Courses?

Yes. AMCAS counts the grades from every attempt at a repeated course, even when your school excludes an earlier attempt from its GPA. If an academic forgiveness policy replaced the original grade, you must still enter the original grade and attempted credits.

Why Is My AMCAS GPA Different From My College GPA?

Your AMCAS GPA differs because AMCAS applies a standardized calculation across applicants and may count coursework or grades differently from your college. For example, AMCAS counts all plus and minus grades and every attempt at a repeated course.