Graduation Policies

Graduation Requirements.  To be eligible to graduate, students must complete successfully the following requirements. 

Course Credits Required.  Students must earn at least 90 course credits 56 from required courses and comply with the required academic standard for the cumulative grade point average. 

Required Curriculum.  A student must complete successfully all courses designated in the curriculum as required. A student who fails a required course must retake and pass that course when it is next offered. A student who fails a first-year or advanced required course may only retake the course one time. If another section is available, the student must not enroll with the same professor from the failed class. If a student fails the course a second time, he or she typically will be dismissed for academic deficiency regardless of the student's cumulative GPA. Any exception to this rule for a required course must be approved by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and only for a compelling reason. 

If a student has taken a required course for a grade before matriculation in law school and received a grade of B or better, the student will not receive law school credit for the course but may not be required to repeat the course if approved by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs when another course is available in the same subject area which may be taken in substitution for equivalent credit hours and then be a part of such student's required first year curriculum. 

The first-year required courses are: 

The advanced required courses are:

For select first-year students who could benefit from additional instruction in legal analysis, a Legal Analysis course will be required in the second year. For these students, the three credit hours for Legal Analysis will replace three elective credit hours (59 required hours and 31 elective hours). 

Upper-Level Writing Requirement.  A student must complete a writing assignment that complies with the Upper-Level Writing Requirement policy. 

Experiential Course Requirement.  A student must complete at least six credits of experiential courses comply with the Experiential Course Requirement policy. 

Single Course Satisfaction Prohibited.  Student cannot use a single course to satisfy both the Upper- Level Writing Requirement and the Experiential Course Requirement. If an instructor has certified that a particular course can satisfy both requirements, students must select which requirement the course will satisfy for their graduation requirements. 

Required Academic Standards.  A student must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.250 or better. 

Pro Bono Service Requirement.  Students must complete at least 30 hours of public service. The Pro Bono Service policy contains details for completing this requirement. 

Dual-Degree Programs.  A student enrolled in a dual-degree program will not receive the J.D. degree until the requirements for both degrees have been fulfilled. 

Time Limits.  The American Bar Association requires that students in accredited law schools complete their law degrees no sooner than 24 months and no later than 84 months after enrolling in law school. 

Statement of Intention to Graduate.  Students must file their Statements of Intention to Graduate by the following deadlines: October 15 for May or August graduation and April 1 for December graduation. Students in dual-degree programs should check with the Dean's Office in the Graduate School for requirements on filing for graduation. 

Related Policies.  Please see these other policies for additional information that relates to this policy: Academic Standards, Upper-Level Writing Requirement, Experiential Course Requirement, Hooding Ceremony, and Pro Bono Service Requirement.