I need cheap classes to boost GPA

[introsequence]

Here's my situation:

I'm a non-traditional med school aspirant. Currently taking prerequisite classes. 

I'm also in need of significant GPA repair due to a bad undergraduate record. What is the best source of very cheap, accredited, online, asynchronous classes that I can start at anytime? Preferably "easy" classes.

[bjcheung77]

Welcome to the board, good question to start the process, but it's much better to give a bigger overview of your scenario by filling in the additional information asked for in the addendum and template here: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Area-works

[BSCS]

UMPI and UoPeople

[Duneranger]

None of it matters unless you ace your med school pre reqs and the MCAT

You are not going to fool med school committees with fluff joke classes. They look at all of your credit sources and the timelines as well

[bjcheung77]

That's correct, I created a post/thread in regards to Med School because I saw this thread and thought it may help others seeking Med School. I would focus on three main things, GPA, MCAT, exceeding minimum entry requirements. The easiest way to boost up your GPA is to retake the failed classes or classes you have a C on from the institution you took it, that's why I asked for more info on the addendum and template. Link: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...ting-Lists

[Jonathan Whatley]

None of it matters unless you ace your med school pre reqs and the MCAT

You are not going to full med school committees with fluff joke classes. They look at all of your credit sources and the timelines as well

Duneranger is correct and on point. Let me just fill out the picture a little.

I know majors in dance performance and percussion music performance (drumming) who applied as moderately older than average non-trads, got into US MD and are now physicians.

They had both taken their prerequisite sciences afterwards in-person at Harvard Extension, aced them and become teaching assistants there. They then completed their MDs respectively at Dartmouth and Penn.

There are also plenty of veterans with transcripts full of oddball Joint Services Transcript ACE Credit. And even the most traditional applicants are often loaded with not perfectly traditional credit sources like Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, semesters abroad, co-op placements, etc.

• Med school adcoms will look at every credit.
  
• They will not recoil in horror from some alt-credit being present on a transcript. Other things being impressive, they might even accept a lot of alt-credit filling out sections of your bachelor's degree outside of the courses discussed next.
  
• Expect them all to require the core med school prerequisites like Bio I & II, Gen Chem I & II, etc. to be non-alt-credit earned directly from colleges.
  
• And often they'll require these to be in-person, or put a premium on most of them being in person.
  
• Your application will benefit from additional rigorous science and math courses, especially upper-level biology electives, also earned directly from colleges.
  

My General Chemistry I lab partner at Harvard Extension had originally bypassed that course by having taken Advanced Placement Chemistry in high school. She then completed her degree, and at HES every other med school prerequisite including Gen Chem II and Organic Chem I & II.

She was applying and conditionally getting in to US MD schools at the time we were taking Gen Chem I.

Yet – like the attorney in the sitcom Community having to go back to community college – she had to circle back and take this trivially easy course for her because her original credit hadn't been traditional. She then completed her MD at U Mich.

[Ares]

No Med school is going to take UoPeople seriously.

[Hotdogman1]

That's correct, I created a post/thread in regards to Med School because I saw this thread and thought it may help others seeking Med School.  I would focus on three main things, GPA, MCAT, exceeding minimum entry requirements.  The easiest way to boost up your GPA is to retake the failed classes or classes you have a C on from the institution you took it, that's why I asked for more info on the addendum and template. Link: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...ting-Lists

Does retaking courses replace worse grades for Med schools? When I was applying for optometry schools, they looked at all grades regardless of whether they were retaken.

[Jonathan Whatley]

US medical schools don't grade replace, basically. MD schools never did. DO schools used to but stopped circa 2017. You can improve your GPA and in particular your science GPA slowly by taking additional courses.

[Captainrekt000]

I am going to have to disagree with a lot of the information listed above this post, as I used to be in your shoes about 4 years ago. I graduated with my BS Chem with a 2.2 GPA (and that's 2.2 with a lot of retakes) and spent the past 8 years just clawing my GPA up to get it up to a reasonable level (above 3.0)  . I took over 150 postbacc undergrad credits and 33 credit masters bio, ALL ONLINE at a 4.0 with many courses self-paced and non-proctored.

I got an acceptance to a bunch of MS to DO bridge programs and I start the one I chose this Fall. With my resume, clinical hours, personal statement, mid MCAT, and GPA reinvention, many medical schools were "highly confident" I would get a DO spot without their MS but I'm doing one anyway to make sure I have a guaranteed spot without waiting a whole cycle to start school. 

DO schools are more forgiving to people who didn't do well in college and reinvented themselves. For a lot of schools such as DO and a few MD, online = in-person courses. After covid there was a shift and a lot of med schools started accepting online science/non science courses and BEYOND to today in 2025. Most transcripts, even mine, don't even show "online" and schools wouldn't know if it was. 

Check out Johns Hopkins University's stance on online coures. 

You have to use the DO Explorer Tool to figure out which ones say "We don't care if its online as long as you did well" 

Not every single one accepts it online but I'm filling out a list of which ones don't show any negative bias towards online. For example, look at Kansas City University DO and open up the "admissions tab". They are one of the schools that also offered me admissions based off my online GPA. None of the schools even cared that they were self-paced. 

[b]Virtual Shadowing Options?[/b] Will accept EITHER virtual or in-person shadowing
[b]Accepts online coursework to fulfill prerequisite requirements?[/b] Yes
[b]Accepts online lab coursework?[/b] Yes

I am currently building a step by step guide and a list of all the easiest courses and how I would have done it today if I knew everyhting I know now. But for now this is a very quick guide on how I did it 

Step 1: Read the SDN Goro "How to Reinvent Yourself Post" . I have been lurking here since 2018. 


Step 2: Take as many ANY regionally accredited classes as possible. Science or non-science? Take it IF its easy and will guarantee you an A. It doesn't matter what school you take it  from as long as its regionally accredited and in the US.  Doesn't matter how many schools you get courses from either. 

If your overall GPA (every single college course you've ever taken) is below 3.0, you're going to have a tough time. Enter all your grades into an Excel sheet and figure out your OVERALL GPA with everything including retakes (the F you retook and got an A still gets factored)

DO cGPA = UG+Grad cumulative GPA (every UG and Grad credit) - DO GPA includes all grad courses 
DO sGPA = UG + Grad GPA (every science course - science courses are defined differently by DO)
DO UG sGPA = UG only science 
DO Grad GPA = Grad only GPA 

MD cGPA = UG cumulative GPA (every UG credit) 
MD sGPA = UG science only 

UG Postacc cGPA = GPA of all  your courses taken after the FIRST BA/BS 
UG Postbacc sGPA = science GPA of all courses 

I mainly focus on the DO cGPA = UG + Grad = every single regionally accredited courses as possible 

Step 3: What specific colleges/course do I recommend? 

I have a bunch of credit sources (I have so many transcripts getting easy courses in). But this is my favorite. 

Gold Tier - ASU UL - You pay $25, take the course, when you get your grade, you either pay $400 to add it to your transcript OR drop it (No W or grade) then retake it until you get an A and THEN pay the 400. Guaranteed 4.0. I have over 100 ASU credits. Mostly non-proctored with a lot of self-paced (they give you 12 months to finish). Also some semester based 8-16 week courses too. The self-paced courses can be finished in a few days but you have to be enrolled for at least 6 weeks for MOST of them. 

A quick list of the easiest non-proctored courses that can be done fast that I can think off the top of my head:

1. Human Origins (3) - Easy, no proctor, only quizzes and tests 

2. The Living World (4) - Biology 100 (before gen bio 1) - easy, no proctor, no exams or quizzes, but pain in the ass modules

3. Intro Environmental Sci (4) - Easy, no proctor, only quizzes and tests - Self-paced can be done in a few days 

4. Intro Marine Bio (4) - Easy, no proctor, Test+quiz only,  discussions that can be done in 5min 

5. Intro A+P (4) - Easy, no proctor, only Test+quiz only and tests, discussions that can be done in 5min, Self-paced can be done in a few days 

6. Career Pathways (3) - Easy, no proctor, no quiz or tests - Only a handful of discussions 


7. Business Tech Fund (1), Computer Networking (2), Operating Systems (3), Sys Admin (3), Intro IT Sec (3)- SUPER SUPER easy IT courses with no proctor, tests quizzes, and a paper or 2 for each that only need 50-60% to get an A overall - Easiest 12 credits ever 

8. Business Process Manage (3) -  Easy, no proctor, Test+quiz only 

9. Intro Human Commuication (3) -  Easy, no proctor, Test+quiz, a handful of easy discussions - self paced done in a week 

10. Healthcare ethics - (3), Intro Health Professions (3), Culture and Health (3), Intro Health Wellness (3) -  easy, no proctor, Test+quiz, a handful of easy discussions- self paced done in a week - (Health Sciences courses are considered science by DO standards - easiest 12 "science" courses) 

11. Intro sociology (3), Intro Psych (3) - Easy, no proctor, Test+quiz, maybe a few discussions? - they are both prereqs too for med school 

12. sooo many more 

Step 4 - Now we have a good level of confidence taking college courses! Now for the prereqs 

Check out the ASU courses on the website and you'll find some sciences already (I dont recommend their chem courses though)

Be careful, some of them make you do an at home physical lab. I recommend labs with Labster (online video game platform). Check the syllabi of every course. 

Upper Iowa U - $350/credit - 6 months max self paced - no proctors for exams + quizzes - has EVERY SINGLE PREREQ 

APUS - $350/credit - not self paced - 8 week courses - no proctors for exams/quizzes, has a handful of upper level sciences (300-400) - SCIN course # - has many many gen ed prereqs 


I'm going to write up a proper report will each prereq and MY PERSONAL recommendation on where to take each one 

Step 5 (optional) - THE MED Masters to MD / DO 

Many medical schools have a Masters to MD or DO route. If you get into the masters, you just need to get a 3.0-3.5 and a minimum MCAT (495-505) depending on the school to get a guaranteed interview. They even ignore your undergrad GPA (especially if its above 3.0). But these guaranteed interview metrics are going up every year and my numbers are probably off by a few points. But some of them will let you into the MS program WITHOUT an MCAT score. Its recommended you have one BEFORE you apply to these. 

Some of the ones at the top of my head are. DO schools are more forgiving of your low UG GPA if you do well in their MS programs. Use the AAMC Postbacc Tool 

1. PCOM MS Bio - 1 year masters - Get 3.0 and 497 guaranteed interview 
2. Nova MS Bio - 1 year masters - Get 3.5 and 505 guaranteed interview 
3. LECOM MS Bio - 1 year masters - Get 3.0 and 502 guaranteed interview 
4. Lincoln Memorial MS anatomy - 1 year masters - Get 3.0 and 495(?) guaranteed interview 
5. NYIT MS Bio- 1 year masters - Get 3.0 and 495(?) guaranteed interview 
6. ACHE Arkansas COM MS Bio - 1 year masters - Get 3.0 and 500(?)  guaranteed interview