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Administration » Student Affairs & Records » Attendance Requirements


Attendance Requirements

Full-Time Study of Law

All students are expected to be full-time students. A full-time student is one who devotes substantially all of his or her working hours to the study of law. A student may not work in excess of 20 hours per week while attending school on a full-time basis.

Residence Requirement

To be eligible to receive the J.D. degree, candidates must earn at least 58 hours in residence at the College of Law. The course of study for the J.D. degree must be completed no earlier than 24 months and no later than 60 months after a student has commenced law study at the College of Law or a law school from which the College has accepted transfer credit. EFFECTIVE: Fall 2009

Class Attendance

Regular and punctual class attendance is an important part of the learning process and is expected. Students should be aware that an instructor may bar a student from taking an examination or may lower a student's grade because of excessive absences.

First-Year Course Load

Full-time study and the regular sequence of required courses are ordinarily expected. The curriculum of the first three semesters of law school is designed to provide students with an integrated academic experience and a relatively uniform background for upper-class courses. Accordingly, all first-year students, except those participating in the first-year tutorial program, are required to take the prescribed full course load.

Upper Class Course Load

Third and fourth semester students must take the required courses in those semesters or a previous summer term. In order to complete the JD degree in six semesters the normal upper-class load is 14 or 15 hours per semester. To be eligible to receive College of Law scholarships students must carry at least 9 hours. To receive residence credit for an academic term a student must carry at least 10 hours and successfully complete at least nine hours. Hour requirements for veterans and other benefits may vary. Students should check with individual agencies.

Maximum Course Load

The maximum course load for a law student is seventeen (17) hours in any one semester. During the summer term, the maximum course load is eight (8) hours.

Variances from Course Load

Variances from the requirements will only be granted in unusual circumstances, as specified under the standards and procedures set forth below.

  1. Prior to commencement of legal education, a variance from the first-year course load will be granted to an entering law student: by the Dean or the Dean's designee (a) upon determining that the student suffers from a handicap that makes full-time study impracticable, or (b) upon determining that a denial of a variance would result in substantial hardship to the student or his or her family.
  2. After commencement of legal education, the Dean or the Dean's designee may grant a variance of the required course load or sequence to a student who has already matriculated at the College of Law if emergency, substantial hardship, or other unusual circumstances make a variance appropriate.
  3. Hardship Factors -- Factors relevant to a determination of substantial hardship include (but are not limited to) the need to care for children or other family members, the effect that being a full-time student will have on family income and indebtedness, and the impact that being a full-time student will have on the student's long-term career objectives.