Academic Standards

The School of Law has developed and implements academic standards, which comport with the mandate and policies of the State Bar of California and its Committee of Bar Examiners and the School's accrediting agencies. These academic standards are applied uniformly and consistently to all students.

Graduation Requirements

Juris Doctor Degree (JD)

The School of Law awards the Juris Doctor Degree to students who satisfactorily complete a minimum of 85 semester units of law study, including all required courses, with a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 on the 4.00 scale and who have met all other residency and scholastic requirements.

Attendance

Regular and punctual attendance in law school is mandatory. The School of Law follows the attendance requirements for law courses as set forth by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California (CBE).

The CBE requires classroom attendance of a law school’s students for a minimum of 270 hours. Law school attendance is a statutory requirement, therefore absences are never deemed ‘excused’, but either ‘present’ or ‘absent’.

In compliance with the CBE’s policy on regular class attendance, the School of Law allows students to be absent:

One absence only (3 class hours) in a 1 unit course
Up to 2 absences (6 class hours) in a 2 unit course
Up to 3 absences (9 class hours) in a 3 unit course

Students exceeding the allowed number of absences as stated above, will be administratively dismissed from the course(s) involved and required to re-enroll and pay for the course(s) in a later term.

Examinations and Grading

Written final examinations are required at the end of most courses. Additional examinations may be scheduled at mid-semester.

Grading is on the 4.0 scale and the grades and their numerical equivalents are listed below:

A	Outstanding	4.0
A-	Excellent	3.7
B	Very Good	3.3
B	Good	3.0
B-	Fairly Good	2.7
C+	Adequate	2.3
C	Minimally Adequate	2.0
C-	Inadequate	1.7
D	Poor	1.3
D	Very Poor but with Credit	1.0
F	Failing with No Credit	0.0

Honors Upon Graduation

Qualifying students who graduate with the following cumulative grade point averages do so with honors:

GPA	Honor
3.20	Summa Cum Laude
3.00 - 3.19	Magna Cum Laude
2.80 - 2.99	Cum Laude

Dean's Honor List

Qualifying students whose semester average (excluding summer school) places them in the upper 10 percent of their class will be placed upon the Dean's Honor List for the semester. A notation will be made on the student's transcript.

Witkin Award For Academic Excellence

In recognition of academic achievement, the Witkin Legal Institute and West Group present the Witkin Award for Academic Excellence. Each term, certificates are awarded to the highest ranking student in each qualifying course. To qualify, a course must be in one of the designated subject areas, must carry academic credit, and must have an enrollment of 10 or more students. The award is named for Bernard E. Witkin, California's preeminent legal scholar.

Good Standing/Probation

To be in good standing, a student must have a cumulative gpa of 2.00. Good standing is required by the end of the spring semester of the first year. Thereafter, good standing is required at the end of each subsequent semester to continue in the School of Law.

Probation is allowed under the following circumstances:

• Students who enter in the spring:
  • At the end of the first semester, must have earned a "C" in Intro. to Legal Study and a cumulative GPA of 1.85.
  • If student attends the summer term immediately following, a cumulative GPA of 1.85 must be maintained or dismissal will occur.
  • At the end of the next fall term, a cumulative GPA of 1.85 must be maintained to enter the spring term on probation.
  • At the end of the spring term, a cumulative GPA of 2.00 must be achieved or dismissal will occur.
• Students who enter in the summer:
  • At the end of the summer session, a "C" must be achieved in Introduction to Legal Study or dismissal will occur.
  • At the end of the next fall term, a cumulative GPA of 1.85 must be achieved to enter the spring term on probation.
  • At the end of the spring term, a cumulative GPA of 2.00 must be achieved or dismissal will occur.
• Students who enter in the fall:
  • At the end of the fall semester, a "C" must be achieved in Introduction to Legal Study, in addition to a cumulative GPA of 1.85 to enter the spring term on probation.
  • At the end of the spring term, a cumulative GPA of 2.00 must be achieved or dismissal will occur. Students failing any course during the first year will be academically dismissed.

Student Records

The School of Law complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which dictates how and when student records may be made available to third parties. Complete information on FERPA is published in the School of Law Student Information Handbook.