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- 1000-Level Course Grades
For Law 1011 (Civil Procedure I), 1021 (Contracts I), 1052 (Legal Communication I), 1051 (Legal Research I), 1041 (Torts I), and 1061 (Criminal Law) (i.e., courses ordinarily required for 1Ls in the first semester of the full-time J.D. program), the cumulative average grade shall fall between 2.600 and 2.800 (mean curve). Grades of A and A- shall be awarded to no more than 20% of the class, and the total grades of A, A-, B+, B, and B- shall be awarded to no more than 55% of the class (distribution curve).
For Law 1012 (Civil Procedure II), 1054 (Legal Communication II), 1053 (Legal Research II), 1031 (Property I), and 1042 (Torts II) (i.e., courses ordinarily required for 1Ls in the second semester of the full-time J.D. program), the cumulative average grade shall fall between 2.700 and 2.900 (mean curve). Grades of A and A- shall be awarded to no more than 20% of the class, and the total grades of A, A-, B+, and B shall be awarded to no more than 55% of the class (distribution curve).
The mandatory distribution curve shall not apply to any 1000-level course with fewer than twenty (20) students enrolled. The applicable mean curve will apply.
- 2000-Level Course Grades: For each class, the cumulative average grade shall fall between 2.800 and 3.000 (mean curve). A mandatory distribution curve shall not apply.
- Mid-term examination and final examination grades for 1000-level shall comply with the distribution and mean curves listed in paragraph 1 above. Mid-term examination and final examination grades for 2000-level courses shall comply with the mean curve listed in paragraph 2 above.
- A faculty member shall submit final course grades to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs within the time designated by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. If the grades do not comply with the curve, they shall be returned to the faculty member for adjustment in conformity with the curve and resubmission to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. The Registrar shall not process any grades for a course until all grades for the course conform to the grading curves, unless a waiver has been obtained from the Dean or Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
- In extraordinary circumstances, the Dean or Associate Dean for Academic Affairs may grant a waiver for a faculty member not conforming to the grading curves for a particular course for a particular semester. It is not considered “extraordinary circumstances” that a faculty member simply considers the curve too strict or too generous, in whole or in part, or the class too strong or too weak for the curve to be applicable. Any such waiver shall be reported to the Academic Standards Committee in writing, together with the reasons for the waiver.
