Academic Status Policies for the School of Law
Academic Requirements for Good Standing
Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.000 and a semester average of at least 2.000 for each fall and spring semester in order to remain in good standing.
Scholastic Probation
If a student's cumulative grade point average or semester average or both fall below the required level (2.000), he or she will be placed on scholastic probation. To be removed from probation, a student must attain cumulative and semester grade point averages of 2.000 or better in the next long semester. Students on scholastic probation will be required to take no fewer than 14 credits and no more than 16 credits during the semester of probation, unless they lack 13 or fewer to graduate. Students on probation who do not attain the required cumulative and semester grade point averages will be dismissed for academic deficiency.
Students on probation are prohibited from participating in Board of Barristers activities and other advocacy competitions. They are prohibited also from serving on the staff of any publication for which students provide services and are ineligible to serve as an officer in any student organizations. Further, they may not be employed outside of the School of Law for compensation, except by permission of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Diversity, and may not serve as mentors to first-year students. Students whose cumulative grade point averages are below 1.70 at the end of the fall semester are not allowed to register for classes in the first summer session, including the Summer Law Institute in Guanajuato, Mexico, before their grades for the spring semester have been reported. The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs may grant exceptions only in rare circumstances. Students on scholastic probation are not considered to be in good standing and thus will not be given permission to be visiting students at other law schools.
Student must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.500 or higher to be eligible to participate in a Semester Abroad program other than one approved by the ABA.
Summer Term and Scholastic Probation
A student placed on scholastic probation following the spring term may attend class in summer term, but removal from probation shall be determined by academic performance in the following fall semester, as though the student had not attended summer term. If probation is satisfied after considering only the grades for the spring and fall semesters, any grades and credits earned in the summer term will then be added to the cumulative grade average. If inclusion of summer grades then lowers the cumulative grade average below the prescribed minimum, the student has not satisfied probation and will be dismissed.
Scholastic Deficiency in the Graduating Term
A student whose grade point average is less than 2.00 for the semester or summer term in which the hour requirements for graduation are satisfied shall be permitted to graduate if the student=s cumulative grade average is 2.00 or better and the student was not on scholastic probation during that semester or summer term. A student who is on probation and fails to be removed from probation shall be excluded from the law school and shall not graduate.
Academic Disqualification
Any student who is on scholastic probation and does not meet the requirements for good standing at the end of the next regular semester will be notified by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs that he or she is academically disqualified and not eligible to continue in school.
Readmission and Re-entry to Law School
A student who is academically disqualified may, depending on credit hours attempted and overall GPA, petition the Academic Standards Committee for readmission to the law school to continue with his/her studies or for re-entry to the law school as a 1L student.
A student wishing to seek readmission to continue legal studies must begin the process by meeting with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, who shall inform the student that readmission is not automatic but is discretionary with the Committee. A petition for readmission should include (1) reasons why the student was not successful in meeting the requirements for good standing and (2) measures the student has taken to correct any problems that contributed to that status. In this regard the Committee should consider the student's conduct while on probation including the extent to which the petitioning student has worked with the Assistant Dean for Academic Success Programs. A student who is readmitted must consult with the Assistant Dean for Academic Success Programs and develop a plan for addressing the student's academic problems. A student's petition for readmission may be granted only if all three of the following criteria are satisfied:
- the student's failure to maintain good academic standing was due to extraordinary circumstances ("extraordinary circumstances" will seldom include events for which there was reasonable opportunity for the student either to recover or obtain administrative relief prior to completing a significant portion of the work on which course grades were based); and
- those extraordinary circumstances either no longer exist or will no longer substantially interfere with academic performance; and
- the student's admission and academic record, together with any other relevant information, demonstrate a convincing likelihood that the student is capable of achieving and maintaining academic good standing in all future semesters. No student may be readmitted by the Committee if the student's cumulative grade point average is below 1.70.
In evaluating the petition for readmission or reentry, the Committee may consider, as part of its decision-making, the responsibility of the law school to ensure that its graduates meet minimum, basic standards for fitness to practice law.
If a student has a grade point average of 1.70 or higher but lower than 1.90 at the end of the first year of law school, the student may petition for readmission or for re-entry to law school to retake all courses. If a student has a grade point average below a 1.70 at the end of the first year of law school, the student may petition for re-entry to law school to retake all courses (readmission is not permitted). A petition to re-enter may be granted only if the Committee concludes that the three readmission criteria are satisfied. Absent compelling circumstances, a student who has attempted more than 32 credits cannot petition for reentry. When considering a petition for readmission, the Committee, at its discretion, may transform the petition into one for re-entry.
If a student is readmitted or permitted to re-enter, the Dean=s office shall place a statement of the considerations that led to the decision in the student's file. Readmission or re-entry may be conditional or subject to stipulations imposed by the Committee. Students who re-enter law school may be subject to conditions such as the following:
- prohibited from participating in Board of Barristers activities and other advocacy competitions; and
- prohibited from serving on the staff of any publication for which students provide services and as an officer in any student organizations.
The Committee's decision on any petition is final.