Transfer of Course Credits

Transfer of Course Credits from another Law School.

1. Eligible Law Schools. Students may receive transfer credit for courses completed at a law school approved by the American Bar Association.
2. Eligibility for Transfer of Course Credits. Students who matriculate initially at law schools described in paragraph (1) above may receive transfer credit for courses com­pleted at the other law schools in two ways: First, students who matriculate initially at an eligible law school may become degree-program students at the Texas Tech University School of Law and receive transfer credits for courses taken at the other school. Second, degree-program students here may receive credit for courses taken as a visiting student at an eligible law school. The following policies govern both situations.
   1. Students cannot transfer more than 30 credits for courses taken at eligible law schools to be counted toward the requirements of the J.D. degree from the Texas Tech Uni­versity School of Law.
   2. Only the credits for courses taken at another law school will be recorded on a student's Texas Tech University transcript. The grades for these courses will not be recorded on the student's transcript and will not be used to compute the student's cumulative grade point average at the Texas Tech University School of Law.
   3. The credit for a course taken at another law school will not transfer unless the student receives a grade for the course at or above that law school's grade point average required for graduation. If the other law school requires a “C” cumulative grade point average for graduation, for example, and the student receives a passing grade lower than a “C” (e.g., “D+”), credit for that course will not transfer.
   4. The credit for a course at another law school graded on a pass-fail basis typically will not trans­fer. The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs may authorize the transfer of credit for a course graded on a pass-fail basis if the instructor for that course certifies that the student would have received a grade at or above the school's grade point average required for graduation had the course been graded on a basis other than pass-fail.
   5. Students cannot receive credit for courses taken at another law school and at the Texas Tech University School of Law in the same subject. The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs will determine whether a particular course violates this rule.
   6. If a student has completed a course at another law school in a subject required for graduation at the Texas Tech University School of Law but the credit is less than the amount required for graduation here, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs may designate another course in the subject area that the student can take to satisfy the graduation requirement if the credits for the original course and the additional course meet or exceed the credits required. A transfer student must register for substitute courses in his or her first year at the Texas Tech University School of Law which, if completed successfully, will meet graduation requirements in that subject. If the Associate Dean is not able to designate a substitute course from the curriculum in the transfer student's first year here, that student must take the Texas Tech University course in that subject.
   7. A degree-program student at Texas Tech wishing to transfer credit for courses at another law school must obtain permission from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs before enrolling in the courses. The student must file a “Request to Transfer Credit for Courses from Another Law School” form before enrolling at the other law school. If the student is unable to register for the courses for which he or she has permission, the student must file an amended “Request to Transfer Credit” form to reflect the new course selections.
3. Distance Education Courses. Students may transfer up to 12 credits for courses taken by distance education from another ABA-approved law school.  Transferring credit for distance education courses is subject to the 30-credit limit for all transfer credits, as well as the enrollment limit of 18 credits in a fall or spring semester and the limit of 7 credits in a summer semester.
4. Semester Abroad Programs. See Academic Standards Policy for GPA requirements.
5. Other University Departments. Students not in a dual-degree program may earn up to six hours credit toward the 90-credit hour requirement for the J.D. degree for graduate courses offered by Texas Tech University provided that such courses have been approved by (i) the faculty as part of a dual-degree or Concentration program, or (ii) the Dean or the Dean's designee, which designee may be an Associate Dean or a faculty committee.  Grades earned in such graduate courses are not calculated as part of the law school GPA nor do they factor into class ranking.