Auditing Courses

Class-Auditing Policy

1. General. Permission to audit a course conveys the privilege of listening and observing, but not of submitting papers or assignments, participating in discussion, or receiving evaluations. An auditor does not receive Law School credit for the course, nor is the course recorded on a transcript. Instructors or the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs may refuse any request to audit a course.
2. Who May Audit a Course.
   1. Degree-Seeking Students.
      1. Except as noted below, Texas Tech law students, graduate, and undergraduate students enrolled in a Texas Tech University degree program may audit those courses described in paragraph 3, subject to the advanced, written consent of the course professor and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. A student enrolled in the law school's J.D. program, but who has not yet completed the required first-year curriculum, may not audit a course. A student in another TTU degree program must also obtain the written consent of the appropriate Dean, Associate Dean, or other appropriate official in that degree program.
      2. A law student will not earn academic credit for an audited course, and an audited course will not count toward the minimum hours needed to earn residency credit in the J.D. program. In addition, a law student may not fulfill any degree requirement by auditing a course.
      3. A law student who audits a course may generally not later enroll in the course for credit; however, if the student withdraws from the audited course before the end of the “official class day” (12th class day in the fall and spring semesters; the 4th class day in the summer semesters), the student may later enroll in the course for credit. If the course is taken for credit with the same faculty member who taught the class the student audited, the faculty member must consent to the student's enrollment for credit.
      4. No law student on academic probation may audit a class. No individual who has been expelled from the law school or University, is on suspension from the law school or University, or who has had his or her admission revoked from the law school or University may audit a course.
   2. Nonstudents. A nonstudent who wishes to audit a law course must obtain the consent of the Instructor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and pay a $10 per semester-hour fee for the course audited. Texas residents aged sixty-five or older are exempt from paying this fee. No individual who has been expelled from any law school or university, is on suspension from any other law school or university, or who has had his or her admission revoked from any other law school or university, may audit a course.
   3. Alumni. Alumni may audit a law course, with the consent of the Instructor and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the payment of a $10 per semester-hour fee for the course audited.
   4. Visiting Scholars and Visiting Semester Abroad Students. Visiting Scholars and visiting Semester Abroad Students may audit a law course, with the consent of the Instructor and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. No fee is charged to Visiting Scholars or visiting Semester Abroad Students for auditing a course.
3. Which Courses May Be Audited. While any law school class may be audited on a space-available basis, requests to audit experiential courses and courses with a wait list will seldom be granted. As a general rule, no individual may audit more than one course per semester, and no individual may audit more than four courses over a two-year period.
4. Application for Auditing Courses. An individual who wishes to audit a course must complete the application at Attachment A. No class may be audited except with the permission of the Instructor and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Instructors and the Associate Dean may, in their discretion, refuse any request to audit a course, and do not have to provide a reason for that denial. If either the Instructor or the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs does not approve, the request to audit is denied.
5. Removal of Class Auditor. Auditing a Law School class is a privilege, not a right. An instructor may remove a class auditor if, in the instructor's judgment, the presence of the auditor is not in the best interests of the Law School or the class. The instructor will notify the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs of the removal of the class auditor, who will make a record of the removal for future use.
6. Guests and Visitors. Nothing in these rules prohibits an instructor from permitting guests and visitors in a particular class session. Others desiring to bring a visitor to a class (e.g., students, Admissions Office) should seek advance approval from the instructor.