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Law School

V. Grades

  1. Transcript to show all grades received. A student's transcript will show the letter and non-letter grades received in all courses for which credit is granted toward completion of the J.D. degree from the Law School. In accordance with V.I., a student's transcript will also indicate any course from which a student withdraws. 
  2. Grading norms for required courses. All required courses under I.C except Bar Exam Strategies and Fundamentals are subject to grading norms adopted by the Law School faculty and attached as Appendix B. The Law School's grading norms may be adjusted from time to time by the faculty in its discretion. An instructor may vary from the applicable grading norms only with written approval from the Dean or the Dean's designee; a variance may be granted only upon a showing of good cause by the instructor and taking into account equity across other required courses.
  3. Letter grades. In letter-graded courses, students will be assigned grades from "F" through "A+" in accordance with the following:
    1. "F" (Failing) is a failing grade for which no credit will be given. An "F" will be entered for failing performance, as well as for (a) failing  to take or complete an examination, (b) failing to submit required written coursework within the  period specified for the course by  the instructor, (c) failing  to complete coursework (including taking any required examination) within 12 calendar months of the date for which the grade was originally due for a course with respect to which an "I" was entered, or (d) failing to withdraw officially from a course following notification pursuant to III.E. that the  failure to withdraw will result in a failing grade.
    2. "NC" (No Credit) is a failing grade for which no credit will be given.
    3. The Law School does not assign letter grades in the "E" range or "D-" grades.
    4. Letter grades of "D", "D+", or "C-" are passing but unsatisfactory grades.
    5. Letter grades of "C" or higher are satisfactory grades.
    6. For purposes of calculating a student's GPA, the number of points assigned for letter grades is specified in V.H.2.a.
  4. Non-letter grades.
    1. Certain courses designated for non-letter grades. The Law School may designate certain courses to be graded on an Honors-Pass-Low Pass-No Credit basis instead of on a letter-graded basis. Such courses shall be clearly identified in the Law School's registration materials. As specified in V.H.2.b., grades in non-letter-graded courses will not be used in determining a student's cumulative GPA.
    2. Meaning of non-letter grades.
      1. "H" (Honors) will be entered if a student's work is significantly superior to the average level of performance in the Law School.
      2. "P" (Pass) will be entered if a student's work is at or above the level of performance that on the average is required for the award of a J.D. degree at the Law School, but not significantly superior to the average level of performance in the Law School.
      3. "LP" (Low Pass) will be entered if a student's work is below the level of performance that on the average is required for the award of a J.D. degree at the Law School, but the instructor determines that the work is still deserving of credit.
      4. The non-letter grades of "H", "P" and "LP" are satisfactory grades.
      5. "NC" (No Credit) is a failing grade for which no credit will be awarded.
  5. Grades for co-curricular activities and courses taken outside Law School.
    1. Grades in co-curricular activities and non-Law School courses. For co-curricular activities and courses taken outside the Law School, grades will be assigned as follows:
      1. "CR" (Credit) will be assigned for (I) satisfactory participation in co-curricular activities for which the faculty has approved credit (e.g., Law Review, Journal of Law in Society, Journal of Business Law, Mock Trial, and Moot Court), (II) courses satisfactorily completed at other law schools for which transfer credit is given in accordance with I.D.4., and (III) courses satisfactorily completed in another college, school or department of the University for which credit is given in accordance with I.D.3.
      2. "NC" (No Credit) will be assigned if a student's participation in an approved co-curricular activity is determined unsatisfactory by the faculty advisor for such co-curricular activity.
    2. Calculation in GPA.  As specified in V.H.2., grades in co-curricular activities and in courses taken outside the Law School will not be taken into account in determining a student's cumulative GPA.
  6. Pass-No Credit grading.
    1. Courses ineligible for Pass-No Credit grading.
      1. Seminars, directed studies, clinics, and externship colloquia and practica. Seminars, directed studies, clinics, and externship colloquia and practica may not be taken on a Pass-No Credit basis.
      2. Required courses.  All required courses under I.C. are letter-graded courses. Under no circumstances may a required course be taken on a Pass-No Credit basis.
    2. Election of Pass-No Credit grading.
      1. Students permitted to elect Pass-No Credit grading. In any semester, including a spring/summer semester, in which a student is eligible to enroll in non-required courses, a student may elect to take on a Pass-No Credit basis one non-required letter-graded course in the Law School.
      2. Procedure to elect Pass-No Credit grading. A student electing to take a course in the Law School on a Pass-No Credit basis must so inform the Law School Records Office by the end of the sixth week of classes in a course offered during the fall or winter semester, or by the end of the second week of classes in a course offered during the spring/summer semester. For year-long courses offered for both the fall and winter semesters, a Pass-No Credit election must be made by the end of the sixth week of classes of the fall semester; a student who elects to take a year-long course on a Pass-No Credit basis will be treated as making a Pass-No Credit election for each semester, a total of two Pass-No Credit elections.
      3. Limitations on Pass-No Credit grading.
        1. Under no circumstances will a student be permitted more than one Pass-No Credit election in any semester, and under no circumstances will a student be permitted more than a total of four Pass-No Credit elections.
        2. If a student enrolls in a course in another school, college or department of the University, and if credit under V.E. will be granted, no Law School course may be elected on a Pass-No Credit basis for the same semester.
    3. Rescinding election of Pass-No Credit grading. If a student has elected to take a course on a Pass-No Credit basis, the student may rescind that election within 72 hours after the Law School Records Office posts to Canvas (or similar platform used by the University) the letter grades for the course's students who elected Pass-No Credit.  A student must notify the Records Office of the decision to rescind the Pass-No Credit election in such manner as the Records Office specifies for a semester.  If a student rescinds the student's Pass-No Credit election for a course, the student will receive the letter grade assigned.  A rescinded Pass-No Credit election will be counted as one of the four permitted Pass-No Credit elections under V.F.2.c.I. 
    4. Conversion of letter grades to Pass-No Credit. If a student has elected to take a letter-graded course on a Pass-No Credit basis, a "P" (Pass) will be entered on the student's transcript if the student earns a "C" or higher final grade in such course unless the student rescinds the Pass-No Credit basis in accordance with V.F.3.  If a student earns a "C-" or lower final grade in a course, a "NC" (No Credit) will be entered on the student's transcript unless the student rescinds the Pass-No Credit election in accordance with V.F.3. A "NC" is a failing grade for which no credit will be given.
    5. Instructors not informed of Pass-No Credit election. No instructor will be informed as to whether a student elected to take that instructor's course on a Pass-No Credit basis until after the final grade for the student has been entered.
    6. Effect of Pass-No Credit grading on GPA. As specified in V.H.2.b., no course for which a "P" (Pass) or "NC" (No Credit) is assigned will be included in determining a student's cumulative GPA.
  7. Procedures and restrictions on instructor grade changes. An instructor may not change a final grade except for technical errors (e.g., computational errors or errors in transposing a grade). An instructor who submits a grade change to the Law School Records Office must also submit in writing the reason for such a change, which shall be retained by the Law School Records Office as part of the student's grade records.
  8. Calculation of GPA.
    1. GPA to determine academic standing. A student's academic standing in the Law School will be determined by the student's cumulative GPA, as determined by the Law School Records Office in accordance with its normal procedures, for all courses completed at the Law School for which the student received grades on the A+ through F grading system specified in V.C.
    2. Rules for calculating GPA.
      1. Points assigned for letter grades. For purposes of computing a student's cumulative GPA, points will be assigned to letter grades in accordance with the following: Grade: A+, Points: 4.0; Grade: A, Points: 4.0; Grade: A-, Points, 3.67; Grade: B+, Points: 3.33; Grade: B, Points, 3.0; Grade: B-, Points: 2.67; Grade: C+, Points: 2.33; Grade: C, Points, 2.0; Grade: C-, Points: 1.67; Grade: D+, Points: 1.33; Grade: D, Points: 1.0; Grade: F, Points: 0.0
      2. Pass-No Credit and non-letter grades not included. Courses completed at the Law School for which a Pass-No Credit or other non-letter grade is assigned will not be included in determining a student's cumulative GPA.
      3. Non-Law School grades not included. Courses completed in another ABA-approved law school or another school, college or department of the University for which credit is given toward the J.D. degree under I.D.3. or I.D.4. will have no effect in determining a student's cumulative GPA.
      4. Grades earned for repeated courses and re-examinations not included. A student's cumulative GPA will be determined under IV.F.2.e. or IV.F.3.c. with regard to any course for which a student receives a second grade for the same course as the result of repeating a course or re-examining in such course.
  9. Withdrawal.
    1. Withdrawal noted on transcript. When a student timely withdraws from a course under II.B.2.a., the student's transcript will include a notation of "W". This section does not apply when a student drops a course during the applicable drop period for that course.
    2. University policy applies. Assigning a withdrawal grade is subject to applicable University policy.
  10. Special rules regarding grade of Incomplete.
    1. Incomplete not assigned if additional course attendance necessary. An "I" (Incomplete) will not be assigned for any course if, in the instructor's judgment, the student must attend some number of sessions of the course during a subsequent semester in order to complete the course.
    2. Converting Incomplete to withdrawal. If an "I" (Incomplete) is assigned, but the instructor and the student subsequently determine that the student needs to attend some number of sessions of the course during a later semester in order for the student to complete the course, the student must register for the course for the semester during which the additional attendance is expected.  In the event of a second registration for a section of a course for which an "I" was originally assigned, the "I" for the original section of the course will be changed to a "W", and the student will be assessed tuition and applicable fees for the second registration.
    3. Deadline for completion of coursework. An "I" grade for a course will be converted to an "F" (Failing) if the instructor does not submit a letter grade within 12 calendar months of the date by which the original grade for the course was due. An instructor may specify an earlier deadline by which a student must complete all required coursework, including completing a final examination that was missed or not completed, with the approval of the Dean or the Dean's designee and in accordance with applicable University policy.
  11. Grade review and appeal.
    1. Records Office to notify students of grades. As soon as administratively feasible after each semester, the Law School Records Office will officially notify each student in writing or electronically of the grades the student earned in courses completed during the semester.
    2. Informal grade review with instructor. A student may ask an instructor for informal review of any grade assigned to that student by that instructor.
    3. Appeal to Dean or Dean's designee.
      1. Requirements for appeal. A grade dispute may be appealed to the Dean or the Dean's designee if and only if (i) the dispute cannot be resolved through informal review by the instructor with the student, and (ii) the dispute involves an allegation that the grade was based on one or more of the following:
        1. improper discriminatory criteria, including without limitation the following: race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity), sexual orientation, sexual harassment or discrimination, marital status, familial status, age, height, weight, veteran status, or disability;
        2. other invidious or arbitrary criteria; or
        3. the instructor's failure to comply with these Regulations.
      2. Procedure for grade appeal. Any grade appeal must be submitted in writing to the Dean's Office within 30 days following official notification from the Law School Records Office of the grade for the semester for which the disputed grade was assigned. The Dean or the Dean's designee will review the complaint and invite the instructor to reply in writing to the objections of the student. If there are reasonable grounds to believe that the student's complaint is valid, the Dean or the Dean's designee will afford the parties the opportunity for a hearing. Within 60 days following receipt of the appeal, the Dean or the Dean's designee will render a final written decision that will, if the grade is changed, be retained by the Law School Records Office as part of the student's grade records.
  12. Determination of honors.
    1. Honors reserved to faculty discretion. Academic honors as described in this V.L. are awarded in the sole discretion of the Law School faculty.
    2. Summa and magna cum laude. A student who at the time of graduating from the Law School is ranked academically in the top 5 percent of all students graduating at that time on all work taken in the Law School may be awarded the special distinction of Magna Cum Laude. The faculty may grant the award of Summa Cum Laude to one or more students achieving the highest grades in the applicable graduating class.
    3. Cum laude. A student who at the time of graduating from the Law School is ranked academically in the top 20 percent of all students graduating at that time immediately below the Magna Cum Laude group on all work taken in the Law School may be awarded the special distinction of Cum Laude.
    4. Transfer students. The percentages specified in V.L.2. and V.L.3. may, in the sole discretion of the Law School faculty, be increased if the faculty deems it appropriate to award honors to particular transfer students who may be designated by the faculty.