2024-2025 Law School Catalog > Academic Rules and Regulations > Academic Standards > Academic Standing Requirements > Upper-class Students

Upper-class Students

a. An upper-class student is not in good academic standing if the student receives final grades below C in more than one course in any semester.

b. An upper-class student who is not in good academic standing after a semester, but who does not fall within paragraph (2)(c), shall be placed on probation for the following semester.

c. An upper-class student whose average for the semester is no greater than 2.000, who receives final grades below C in three or more courses, or who receives final grades below C in more than one course while on probation, is not in good academic standing and may be dismissed. The Academic Standing Committee may vote to allow the student to continue on probation. The Committee will not allow the student to continue unless it finds by clear and convincing evidence that:

1. the student experienced extraordinary circumstances during the semester,
2. the extraordinary circumstances affected the student’s academic performance,
3. those circumstances are no longer an impediment to the student’s academic performance, and
4. the student is likely to succeed in the study of law, including a likelihood of passing a bar examination.

d. If a student who is not on probation but has been on probation previously is not in good academic standing at the conclusion of a semester, the student shall come before the Academic Standing Committee, which shall determine, based on the student’s overall academic record and the student’s reasons for failure to maintain good academic standing, whether or not the student shall be dismissed or be permitted to continue on probation.

e. Any student who fails to achieve good academic standing for the relevant year or semester three times will be dismissed, unless at least five members of the Academic Standing Committee vote that the student be allowed to continue on probation. (For example, a student would fall into this category if the student’s grades for the first year were below the standards for good standing, the student’s grades for the second semester of the second year were below the standards for good standing, and the student’s grades for the first semester of the third year were below the standards for good standing.) In the event the student is allowed to continue on probation, the Academic Standing Committee shall set the conditions of such probation.

f. Any upper-level student enrolled in the HJD Program who completes a semester in good academic standing but with a cumulative grade point average less than 3.000 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, with or without conditions.

1. Unless otherwise voted by the HJD Subcommittee, an upper-level student dismissed from the HJD Program is not disqualified from further enrollment in HJD upper-level courses but will be subject to the same registration priority and conditions of enrollment applicable to regular JD students.
2. If the HJD Subcommittee votes to permit the upper-level 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.