First-year students

The provisions of section 1 apply to all first-year students, except that application of these provisions to students in the Accelerated JD Program shall be subject to the modifications set forth in section 1.d.

(All other students are subject to the provisions of section 2 – Upper-class Students.)

a. First-Semester Academic Standing

i. A student who receives final grades that are unsatisfactory in three or more first semester courses or final grades of D+ or lower in two first semester courses is not in good academic standing and will be reviewed by the Academic Standing Committee. Such a student will be dismissed unless the committee finds that the student’s first semester performance does not provide an accurate representation of the student’s ability to succeed in the study of law, and the student has a likelihood of succeeding if permitted to continue. Considerations relevant to the committee’s review include, but are not limited to, the following:

Whether the student experienced extraordinary circumstances during the first semester that affected the student’s academic performance and are no longer an impediment to the student’s success;
The presence of one or more grades of B- or better in the student’s first semester record;
Evidence of demonstrated improvement during the semester in one or more of the courses in which the student received an unsatisfactory grade (such as a final exam grade that was significantly higher than a midterm grade);
Whether the student actively participated in the Academic Support Program;
Statements of support from faculty course instructors familiar with the student’s work;
Statements of support from Academic Support faculty who worked with the student.

If the Committee votes to dismiss the student, that dismissal is final and unappealable.

ii. The Academic Standing Committee will review a student who has unsatisfactory final grades in two courses or who has a grade point average below 2.000 for the first semester but who does not fall under II.C.1.a.i. Such a student is not in good academic standing and may be dismissed. In determining if a student may continue, the Committee will take into account the following:

whether the student experienced extraordinary circumstances during the first semester that affected the student’s academic performance or
whether the student is likely to succeed in the study of law.

If the Committee votes to dismiss the student, that dismissal is final and unappealable.

iii. a. Students who are not in good academic standing after the first semester but are permitted by the Academic Standing Academic Standing Committee to continue will be placed on academic probation and Academic Warning. The Committee may also set other conditions of the student’s continued enrollment, including but not limited to a reduction in course load for the second semester, participation in academic and other student support programs or courses, repeat of certain courses (whether or not required by paragraph II.C.1.c. below), or a leave of absence from the school.

b. For students not in good standing under II.C.1.a.i. who are permitted to continue, the Committee may set conditions which, if satisfied by the student, would result in exclusion of one or more of the student’s first semester unsatisfactory grades from the student’s grade point average for purposes of second semester academic standing and/or from the minimum number of unsatisfactory grades that would otherwise result in dismissal under II.C.1.b.i. below, provided that the committee requires the student to repeat the course in which the grade to be excluded was received.

iv. a. Students who receive one unsatisfactory grade and who have a grade point average under 2.500 in the first semester and who do not otherwise fall under II C.1. a.i. or II C.1. a.ii. will receive a notice from the Academic Standing Committee warning the student of the Academic Standing Requirements and will be required to participate in the Academic Support Program. The terms of a student’s required participation will be determined by the faculty of the Academic Support Program and communicated to the student. A student who fails to satisfy this requirement will be reviewed by the Academic Standing Committee at the end of the year and may be placed on academic probation for the following semester.

b. Students who receive one unsatisfactory grade in the first semester or have a grade point average under 2.500, but not both, and who do not otherwise fall under II C.1. a.i. or II C.1. a.ii., will receive a notice from the Academic Standing Committee warning the student of the Academic Standing Requirements and will be required to meet with a faculty member, advisor or associate dean, to be designated by the Dean, to discuss their difficulty in the course in which they receive an unsatisfactory grade and may be directed to participate in the Academic Support Program, enroll in particular courses in the upper year curriculum, or take other appropriate corrective measures.

v.Students who have a grade point average under 2.500 in the first semester are not eligible to enroll in summer classes. Students who raise their cumulative grade point average to above 2.500 and are in good standing after the second semester, may enroll in summer classes that start after second semester grades are posted.

b. Second-Semester Academic Standing

i. At the end of the second semester of the first-year, a student is not in good academic standing and will be dismissed from the law school if the student does not fall under II.C.1.b.iv. below and either of the following applies:

a. the student has a grade point average of less than 2.000 for that academic year, or

b. the student has unsatisfactory grades in three or more courses for that academic year.

The dismissal is final, and there is no appeal of the dismissal. The academic performance and individual circumstances of students who are dismissed pursuant to this section are not subject to review by the Academic Standing Committee.

ii. The Academic Standing Committee will review a student who does not fall within the above dismissal standard (II. C. 1. b. i.) but has a grade point average for the first academic year ranging from 2.000 to below 2.330 or was reviewed by the Academic Standing Committee after the first semester and failed to meet one or more conditions of continued enrollment set by the Committee. Such a student is not in good academic standing and will be dismissed unless the committee finds by clear and convincing evidence that:

a. the student experienced extraordinary circumstances during the academic year; b. the extraordinary circumstances affected the student’s academic performance, c. those circumstances are no longer an impediment to the student’s academic performance; and d. the student is likely to succeed in the study of law, which includes a likelihood of passing a bar examination.

If the Committee votes to dismiss the student, that dismissal is final and unappealable.

iii. A student who has a grade point average after the second semester of the first year ranging from 2.330 to below 2.500 is not in good academic standing and will be reviewed by the Academic Standing Committee. Such a student will be dismissed unless the Committee finds by clear and convincing evidence that the student is likely to succeed in the study of law, which includes a likelihood of passing a bar examination. Evidence relevant to the Committee’s determination of likely success for purposes of this paragraph may include, but is not limited to, the absence of unsatisfactory grades in the student’s academic record, the presence of grades of B+ or higher, and demonstrated improvement in the student’s academic performance in the second semester relative to the first. If the Committee votes to dismiss the student, that dismissal is final and unappealable.

iv. A student who completes the first semester with no unsatisfactory grades and a grade point average of at least 2.500; and then receives three or more unsatisfactory grades in the second semester or has a grade point average of less than 2.000 for the academic year is not in good academic standing and will be reviewed by the Academic Standing Committee under the standards set forth in section II.C.1.b.ii.

v. Students who are not in good academic standing after the second semester of the first year but are allowed by the Academic Standing Committee to continue will be placed on academic probation and Academic Warning. The Committee may also set other conditions of the student’s continued enrollment, including but not limited to a reduction in course load, participation in academic and other student support programs or courses, repeat of certain courses (whether or not required by paragraph II.C.1.c. below), or a leave of absence from the school.

c. Repeating Courses

Students allowed to continue on academic probation after the first or second semester will be required to repeat any course taken during the first year of law school in which they received a grade of C- or lower. The Academic Standing Committee may, within its discretion, vote to waive this requirement regarding any course for which the student received a grade higher than F.

d. Academic Warning

In addition to those students who are placed on Academic Warning pursuant to the above Second-Semester Academic Standing provision, the following students will also be placed on Academic Warning, but without review by the Academic Standing Committee:

i. Any student with a grade point average for the first year, ranging from 2.500 to below 2.670;

ii. Any student who has at least two unsatisfactory grades for that academic year, regardless of the student’s grade point average.

Students who are placed on Academic Warning must enroll in, and earn a satisfactory grade in, the following courses:

Legal Analysis & Methods (must be taken in fall semester of the student’s second year.
Advanced Legal Analysis (must be taken in spring semester of second year)
Evidence
Trusts and Estates
Business Entity Fundamentals
Commercial Law Survey, Commercial Sales, or Secured Transactions
Criminal Procedure
Family Law
Fundamentals of Law I and II (must be taken in the student’s final year)

With the exception of Legal Analysis & Methods, Advanced Legal Analysis, and Fundamentals of Law I & II, these courses may be taken at any time prior to graduation. Students on Academic Warning remain subject to all other graduation requirements.

Students who receive an unsatisfactory grade in the above courses must participate in the Academic Support Program and are required to repeat the course in which the unsatisfactory grade was received.

Students on Academic Warning may not exceed the normal semester credit load for their division.

The Academic Warning designation is not subject to appeal.

e. Guided Curriculum

Any student who completed their first-year prior to the 2016-2017 academic year with a cumulative GPA of 2.670 or higher but less than 3.000 in the first year must take Advanced Survey of Core Legal Principles in the student’s final year. Any student who completes their first year during the 2016-2017 academic year or later with a cumulative GPA of 2.670 or higher but less than 3.000 must complete all of the following courses in order to be eligible to graduate:

Evidence;
Trusts and Estates;
Business Entity Fundamentals;
Commercial Law Survey; orCommercial Sales and Secured Transactions;*
Criminal Procedure;
Family Law; and
Advanced Survey of Core Civil Procedure, Criminal Law & Property or Advanced Survey of Contracts, Evidence & Torts (must be taken in the student’s final year).

*Students subject to Guided Curriculum who entered the law school prior to May 2022 may satisfy requirement (6) by taking any one of these three courses.

The Guided Curriculum designation and requirements are a result of a student’s first-year GPA. Accordingly, the designation and requirements do not change if a student’s GPA rises above 3.000 in subsequent semesters. The Guided Curriculum designation is not subject to appeal.

f. Special Provisions for Students in the Accelerated JD Program

i. Any student enrolled in the Accelerated JD Program who has completed fewer than three semesters of study is a “first-year” student within the meaning of section 1. Any other student in the Accelerated JD Program is an “upper-class” student within the meaning of section 2.

ii. For students in the Accelerated JD Program:

The “first semester” for purposes of section 1.a. is defined as the period from the beginning of the first required summer term to the end of the first fall semester of study. All courses taken by students in the Accelerated JD Program during this period will be regarded as “first semester courses” for purposes of section 1.a.
The “second semester” for purposes of section 1.b. is defined as the first spring semester of study.
The “first year” for purposes of section 1.d. Academic Warning and 1.e. Guided Curriculum shall comprise the first required summer term, the first fall semester, and the first spring semester of study.

iii. At the end of the first required summer term, a student in the Accelerated JD Program is not in good academic standing and will be dismissed from the law school if either of the following applies:

the student receives final grades that are unsatisfactory in three courses in that term, or
the student receives two or more final grades of D+ or lower in in that term.

iv. A student in the Accelerated JD Program who completes the first required summer term with a grade point average less than 2.000 or receives two unsatisfactory grades in the first required summer term and is not otherwise subject to automatic dismissal is not in good academic standing and will be placed on academic probation for the first fall semester of study without review by the Academic Standing Committee; must participate in the Academic Support Program during the first fall semester; and will be administratively withdrawn from any upper-level courses for which the student may be registered in their first fall semester. Such a student must meet with an Associate Dean no later than two weeks after final grades for the first summer term have been posted in order to discuss the student’s academic performance. The Academic Standing Committee will review the student’s record after the conclusion of the first fall semester, regardless of the student’s academic standing at that time, to determine whether the student should be permitted to continue in the Accelerated JD Program.

v. A student in the Accelerated JD Program who receives one unsatisfactory grade in the first required summer term or completes the first required summer term with a grade point average of less than 2.670 must meet with an Associate Dean no later than two weeks after final grades for that term have been posted in order to discuss the student’s academic performance and whether the student should continue in the Accelerated JD Program.

vi. A student in the Accelerated JD Program who has a grade point average of less than 2.500 after the first fall semester is not eligible under II(C)(1)(v)(a) to register to take classes in the following summer session and will be administratively withdrawn from the Accelerated JD Program, unless permission to remain in the program is granted by an Associate Dean.

vii. Any student in the Accelerated JD Program subject to review by the Academic Standing Committee may be required by the Committee to withdraw from the Accelerated JD Program as a condition of being permitted to continue as a JD student.

g. Special Provisions for Students in the Hybrid JD Program

i.Students enrolled in the Hybrid JD (“HJD”) Program are subject to all of the same academic standing requirements applicable to first-year students in the regular JD program as set forth in section II.C.1., and to the additional requirements below.

ii.A student enrolled in the HJD Program who completes the first year of study with a grade point average less than 3.000 but greater than or equal to 2.500 is in good academic standing but will be reviewed by the HJD Subcommittee of the Academic Standing Committee for a determination of whether the student should be permitted to remain in the HJD Program. The HJD Subcommittee may vote to dismiss the student from the HJD Program or to allow the student to remain in the HJD Program.

If the HJD Subcommittee votes to dismiss the student from the HJD program, the student will be placed on Academic Warning or Guided Curriculum (as applicable) and be permitted to continue as a student in the regular JD program. Such a student will remain subject to the academic standing requirements and all other regulations applicable to all JD students, including but not limited to any generally applicable cap on distance education credits.
Unless otherwise voted by the HJD Subcommittee, a student dismissed from the HJD Program is not disqualified from enrollment in HJD upper-level courses but will be subject to the same registration priority and conditions of enrollment applicable to regular JD students.
If the HJD Subcommittee votes to permit the student to remain in the HJD Program, it may place conditions on the student’s continuation in the program, including but not limited to a cap on distance education credits or a requirement that one or more specific courses be taken in person. A student permitted by the HJD Subcommittee to continue in the HJD Program will remain subject to the requirements of section II.C.2.f. below.

iii.If the Academic Standing Committee reviews a student enrolled in the HJD Program who is not in good academic standing after the first semester or first year of study and votes to permit the student to continue as a JD student, the full Academic Standing Committee will also determine whether the student should be dismissed from the HJD Program or allowed to remain in the program, with or without conditions. Prior or additional review by the HJD Subcommittee is not required for such a student.