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ACADEMIC STANDARDS & REGULATIONS
Academic Probation, Dismissal, and Triggering of Additional Requirements
Certification of Bar Examination
Changes in Courses or Class Schedule; Drop/Add
Full-Time and Part-Time Students Defined
Limitations on Credit for Certain Categories of Courses
All students are in good standing during their first semester. Subsequently, a cumulative grade point average of 4.5 is required for good standing. (See also “Academic Probation and Dismissal,” below).
After the fall semester of their second year, full-time students must take at least ten (10) credit hours per semester, except for the summer term or when the Associate Dean has granted permission to take fewer hours. After the spring semester of their second year, part-time students must take at least eight (8) credit hours, except for the summer term or when the Associate Dean has granted permission to take fewer hours.
The maximum course load for summer sessions for full-time students is eight (8) hours and for part-time students is five (5) hours. There are no minimum course loads for summer sessions except as necessary to qualify for financial aid. For financial aid purposes, the School of Law will certify that students enrolled for at least two hours in the summer are enrolled as half-time students.
A full-time student will normally carry 14 to 16 credit hours per semester. A part-time student will normally carry 9 to 10 credit hours per semester. To graduate in 4 years, a part-time student must carry 10 hours for 8 semesters and 5 hours during each of two summer terms.
Course overloads (enrollment in more than 16 credit hours per semester for a full-time student and more than 10 credit hours per semester for a part-time student) may be granted by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs upon written petition. Relevant factors in determining whether to grant an overload include the student’s level of outside work (or other activities), the student’s prior academic performance, a need to coordinate the student=s academic calendar, and whether the overload would result in an over-accelerated course of study conflicting with accreditation standards. A student may not petition for a course overload for a semester in which he or she is enrolled in the Immigration Law Clinic.
The accreditation standards of the American Bar Association do not permit a student to be enrolled at any time in more than 18 credit hours. Nor do ABA standards permit a student to be employed more than 20 hours per week in any week in which the student is enrolled in more than 12 credit hours. OCU LAW has additional limits on students’ outside employment (see “Outside Employment,” below). Workloads exceeding the law school’s standards, but not exceeding the ABA standards, may be granted by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs upon written petition. A student may not petition for a work overload for a semester in which he or she is enrolled in the Immigration Law Clinic.
Academic Probation, Dismissal, and Triggering of Additional Requirments
Any first-year student, whether full-time or part-time, with a grade point average of 3.0 or lower upon completion of his or her first semester will automatically be dismissed from the School of Law.
Upon completion of the student's second semester and thereafter, the student will be subject to the following academic standards:
1. A student is in good standing if he or she has a cumulative grade point average of 4.5 or above.
2. A student will be placed on probation for the next ensuing regular semester, either fall or spring, if he or she has a cumulative grade point average of 4.25 or above but lower than 4.5 and if subsection (4) does not apply. However, a student placed on probation for fall, but who is enrolled in summer school and earns lower than 4.0 for the summer semester will be dismissed, with right of appeal.
3. A student will be automatically dismissed from the School of Law if he or she has a cumulative grade point average lower than 4.25.
4. Any student who has been placed on probation and subsequently achieves good standing, but whose cumulative grade point average again drops below 4.5, will be automatically dismissed.
5. Any student who has a cumulative grade point average of 4.25 or above but lower than 5.0 (a “C”) after the completion of his or her second, third, or fourth semester, and any student who is automatically dismissed but then allowed to continue his or her studies by the Petitions and Retention Committee, must complete before graduation six (rather than three) of the courses in Group A (Administrative Law, Agency and Unincorporated Business Associations, Commercial Paper, Consumer Bankruptcy, Income Tax Law, Sales and Leases, Secured Transactions, and Wills, Trusts, and Estates I). The student’s obligation to complete six of the Group A courses before graduation continues throughout his or her law school studies regardless of whether the student’s cumulative GPA later increases to 5.0 (a “C”) or above. The Petitions and Retention Committee may not grant exceptions to this paragraph 5. The requirements of this paragraph 5 apply only to students who entered law school in Fall 2007 or later.
A student on probation may continue his or her law school studies. A student on probation may not participate in law review, competitive moot court teams, or externships, and may not enroll in or complete a Supervised Paper or Directed Research. Students who are placed on probation after fall semester grades, and first-year students who earn less than a 4.5 grade point average in the fall semester, will not be permitted to enroll in the next summer session.
Any student who receives notice that he or she is being placed on academic probation, is issued a written academic warning, or achieves a cumulative grade point average of at least 4.5 but lower than 5.0 shall contact the Director of Academic Achievement within 10 calendar days to schedule a meeting. The Director will evaluate the student’s circumstances and make recommendations for improvement, including, where appropriate, additional follow-up and participation in the Academic Achievement Program.
A student is removed from probation when he or she attains good standing. At the end of the first term on probation, a student either is removed from probation (if the student attains academic good standing) or is dismissed.
Right of Appeal After Dismissal. A student who is automatically dismissed from the School of Law has the right of written appeal to the faculty Petitions and Retention Committee. The letter dismissing the student will inform the student of the deadline for filing an appeal; normally, it is within approximately ten days of the receipt of the letter.
On appeal from academic dismissal, the Petitions and Retention Committee may affirm the dismissal, continue the student on probation for one semester, or suspend the student for up to one year. Dismissal will be affirmed unless the student can demonstrate exceptional circumstances that in the opinion of the Committee contributed significantly to the unsatisfactory performance and that have been, or will be, corrected, and the Committee further determines from the student’s law school academic record that there is a strong probability of success if those circumstances are corrected. In the event that such exceptional circumstances may be corrected over a period of time not to exceed one year, the Committee may, in its discretion, suspend the student for that period. In applying this rule, the Committee exercises its discretion in determining whether the alleged circumstances are truly exceptional, whether those circumstances have been or can be timely corrected, and the probability of future academic success. If the student is continued on academic probation, or suspended, the Committee may impose additional requirements or conditions on the student’s continued enrollment.
Pending the Committee's decision, the student may continue to attend classes during the fall or spring semester. Dismissals based on spring semester grades relate back to the end of that semester. Accordingly, students who are enrolled in summer school who are academically dismissed based on spring semester grades may not continue to attend summer classes or to take summer exams, even if the student has appealed his or her dismissal to the Committee. This rule also applies if the student is studying abroad during the summer. Grades that may have been earned in summer courses completed prior to the meeting of the Committee do not affect the dismissal and may be considered by the Committee, in its discretion, only as some evidence of probability of future success.
Decisions of the Petitions and Retention Committee are final and will not be reviewed further. The University President reviews dismissals for procedural errors only. The student must submit his or her request for review by the University President, if any, within 10 calendar days from the date of the decision of the Petitions and Retention Committee.
Failure to Re-enroll During Probation. Any student who does not enroll in, or who withdraws from, the term during which he or she is placed on academic probation (the fall semester for those placed on probation during the summer session), must apply for readmission before any subsequent enrollment will be permitted. The semester during which a student is placed on probation is the one in which the student is notified of probation based upon the academic work in prior semesters or summer terms. Any student who fails to return the first regular semester following academic suspension is automatically dismissed.
Readmission After Dismissal. Readmission after dismissal shall be considered by the Faculty Admissions Committee according to the rules and regulations governing admission with advanced standing. A student will not be considered for readmission until at least two years have elapsed following the academic dismissal. These rules also apply to students academically dismissed from law schools other than OCU.
Because most law school classes are based on questioning and discussion, regular attendance is essential. Each student contributes to the learning process and provides a viewpoint for classroom dialogue. The common law tradition is based on advocacy, and each student sharpens his or her skills by analysis and articulation. A large part of legal education can be achieved only in the classroom.
Even if a student could pass the examination, it is impossible to certify that he or she has satisfactorily completed the course if there have been too many absences. Accordingly, regular and punctual attendance is required for the student to pass any course in the curriculum. The definition of what constitutes "regular attendance," and the penalty for failure to attend, is left to the discretion of each faculty member. Each professor should announce his or her attendance policy on the first day of class or in the syllabus. A professor may lower a grade, drop a student from the class, or award an F for the student's failure to attend regularly.
A faculty member may take attendance by passing a roll sheet at each class meeting or the faculty member may take attendance from a seating chart, or by some other method. It is the responsibility of each student to make certain that he or she signs the roll sheet before leaving the class, or to make certain that he or she is sitting in the correct seat. A professor has the discretion whether to allow a tardy student to either sign the roll sheet or to otherwise be marked present. Signing the roll sheet for any other student, or requesting that another student sign for one, is a violation of the OCU School of Law Student Conduct Code.
It is each student's responsibility to keep track of his or her absences in each course. As a courtesy, some faculty members will attempt to notify a student if he or she is approaching the maximum permissible absences in a course. However, the student has no entitlement to any such notice, and failure to receive notice will not affect the application of announced sanctions.
A current student may audit a course with permission of the Associate Dean for Students and the course instructor. For the audit to appear on the student’s transcript, the same class attendance requirements apply as that for the course taken for credit. Required courses may not be audited, and courses that have been audited may not subsequently be taken for credit. Students initially enrolled in a course for credit may change to an audit only with permission of the Associate Dean for Students and the course instructor.
A person who is not currently enrolled at the School of Law may be permitted to audit a course, but permission ordinarily will be granted only to attorneys. Interested persons must obtain permission from the Associate Dean for Students and the course instructor teaching the course before registering and paying the audit tuition (which is slightly lower than regular tuition) and university fees. Should a non-degree student subsequently be admitted to the School of Law, no credit will be given for courses taken as a non-degree student.
Only in rare circumstances will anyone be granted permission to audit a skills-based or limited-enrollment course.
At the student’s request, the Student Services Office completes all forms necessary to certify the student to take his or her state bar examination.
The School of Law will not certify any student who is taking summer classes towards his or her J.D. to take the bar examination in July of that summer, even if the summer class is a concentrated course. If a student must take summer school classes to complete all credit hours towards the J.D., the earliest bar examination that the School of Law will certify the student for is the February bar of the following year. Students are urged to plan their schedules accordingly. The School of Law is not responsible for any fees the student may pay the state bar agency to take the July bar in violation of this policy.
Changes in Courses or Class Schedule; Drop/Add
Required courses. The first year curriculum is fixed and must be completed before other courses are taken.
Students may withdraw from a required course only with the permission of the Associate Dean for Students after the Associate Dean consults with the instructor in the course. (See “Schedule of Required Courses,” page A-1, for further restrictions). Students who have not completed the writing requirement may withdraw from a seminar, directed research paper, or supervised research paper only with the permission of the Associate Dean for Students after the Associate Dean consults with the instructor. Except in extreme circumstances, permission will not be granted.
Unless granted an exception by the Associate Dean for Students, students must take all their required courses in the division in which they originally enrolled (except for the courses in Group A or Group B as listed in the schedule of required courses above, subject to enrollment priorities). They may select other classes from other divisions, subject to enrollment priorities and class size limitations.
Transfers between sections of fixed, required courses are not permitted in the absence of extraordinary and compelling circumstances, the existence of which shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Associate Dean for Students.
Elective courses. A student wishing to change his or her class schedule after completing enrollment may obtain a Change in Class Schedule form from the School of Law Student Services Office. The change in class schedule becomes effective on the day the form is processed by the Registrar. (Refer to the Academic Calendar in regard to Add/Drop fees).
All courses. For information on withdrawing from a course or from the School of Law, please see “Withdrawals” below.
Students enrolled in a course for credit may change their enrollment to "audit" only with the permission of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the professor and subject to the academic requirements governing audited courses.
Courses may not be added after the last day to register, which is the last day to receive 100% refunds. Students who add courses after classes begin should be aware that professors may count classes missed prior to enrollment against permitted absences. It is the student’s responsibility to determine the professor's policy in this regard.
Students are ranked by class at the end of each of the fall and spring semesters. For purposes of graduation, the spring semester and summer session graduates constitute one class and fall semester graduates constitute another class. Transfer students will be ranked by decile only (i.e., top 10%, top 20%, etc.). This will be determined according to where the student’s G.P.A. would place the student in the class if the transfer student were ranked with other students, but the G.P.A.'s of transfer students shall have no effect on the class ranks of the other students.
First-year students are ranked by division (full-time or part-time) and sometimes, if appropriate, by section. After the first year, the number of hours completed will determine classification. For class rank purposes only, a second-year student is one who has completed no less than 30 hours (28 hours for part time students) or more than 60. For class rank purposes, third-year students will have completed between 61 and 90 hours.
Class rankings will be available in the Student Services Office no more than fourteen calendar days after grades are distributed.
No course may be repeated for credit unless the student has received the grade of F, or unless the Petitions and Retention Committee has required it as a condition of probation. If a course that the student fails is subsequently repeated, or if the Petitions and Retention Committee requires, as a condition of probation, the repeating of a course for which a passing grade has been given, the two grades for the course will be averaged, unless the Petitions and Retention Committee directs otherwise in advance. This policy does not apply if a student is re-admitted to the School of Law on condition that the student start over.
A student who has not been required to repeat a course may do so only with the permission of the Associate Dean of Students. In such cases the second grade will not be taken into account in determining the cumulative grade point average.
A student may not take more than four credit hours in any term of distance learning courses nor may a student take more than a total of 12 credit hours of distance learning courses. No student may enroll for credit in a distance learning course until that student has completed 28 credit hours toward the J.D. degree. These rules shall be interpreted in accordance with ABA Standard 306 and its interpretations.
A student must enroll every semester to maintain his or her status as a current law student. If a student fails to enroll or seek a leave of absence before the beginning of the semester in question, the student must re-apply as a new student, in the absence of extraordinary circumstances.
Except as provided below, examinations must be taken on the date scheduled by the School of Law. No examination shall be given to a student prior to the scheduled date for that examination in any circumstances.
Permissions to take an examination late shall be granted only for reasons of physical impossibility or extreme personal emergency. Such permission shall only be granted by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and only on the basis of such documentation as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs may require. Except in an unusual emergency, the student must obtain this permission prior to the examination. If the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs refuses to grant such permission, the failure to take an examination when scheduled will result in a grade of F.
If the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs grants such permission, the student must ordinarily take an examination for the course at the time of the next regularly scheduled examination for that course (regardless of whether the instructor is the same as the instructor the student had). The Registrar shall enter an I (incomplete) for the course on the student’s transcript until the examination is graded. If the examination is not taken at the next regularly scheduled time, the Registrar shall change the grade to an F.
If the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the instructor agree, the student may instead take the original examination but only in such manner as preserves the integrity of the examination process and the anonymity of grading and at such time subsequent to its scheduled date that permits the instructor to grade the examination before grades are due. The instructor in his or her sole discretion may require the student to take a substitute examination in lieu of the original examination. If either the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or the instructor refuses his or her consent, the Examination Integrity Monitor, who shall be a tenured faculty member elected at the September faculty meeting of each academic year by all faculty members eligible to vote, shall decide. The decision of the Examination Integrity Monitor shall be made in accordance with the foregoing standard and shall be final.
A student wishing to type an in-class final examination must use a laptop computer that will support the exam-taking software provided by the School of Law and must use that software. Subject to the decisions of the school’s Accommodations Committee, individual instructors may deny students in their classes permission to type an in-class final examination.
Full-Time and Part-Time Students Defined
A full-time student is one who devotes substantially all working hours to the study of law. Unless the student has chosen the “Sunset” scheduling option, full-time students are expected to be able to attend classes at any time from Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. A student qualifies as a full-time student in any semester only if he or she does not work more than 15 hours per week while attending school (see the specific limits on outside employment set forth in the section “Outside Employment” below) during that semester.
A part-time student includes any student working in excess of 20 hours per week during the semester. After completion of the first two semesters, a part-time student may petition the Associate Dean for Students, on a space-available basis, for transfer to the full-time division if the student works no more than 15 hours a week. If permission is granted, the student may still be required to take certain required courses in the evening.
Grading Scale. Grades generally are awarded, and academic standing determined, on a 12-point scale:
A+ 12
A 11
A- 10
B+ 9
B 8
B- 7
C+ 6
C 5
C- 4
D+ 3
D 2
D- 1
F 0
A professor, with the approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, may designate a course as using a system of CrH (credit with honors), Cr (credit), and NC (no credit). If the professor does so, that fact will be announced at the beginning of the course. The faculty may also designate certain courses to be graded on a Cr (credit)/NC (no credit) basis.
In compelling circumstances, with the permission of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, a course instructor may give a student an “I” (Incomplete). The student must satisfactorily complete the course within a reasonable time (and no more than one year), or the “I” will be changed to F, W, WF, or WU (see below).
Grading Requirements for First-Year Required Courses (Excluding Legal Research and Writing). Effective with the Fall 2006 entering class, grades in first-year required courses must comply with the following policy:
1. All first-year required courses, excluding Legal Research and Writing, with more than 25 students, shall have a class average between 5.50 and 6.49.
2. Between 10% and 35% of all students in first-year required courses, excluding Legal Research and Writing, with more than 25 students, shall receive a letter grade of C- or below.
3. The term “first-year required courses” is defined as those courses ordinarily taken by full-time day division students in their first year.
4. Arithmetical remainders shall be rounded where necessary to produce a whole number of students. For example, in a class of 54 students, there must be a minimum of five grades of C- or below. In a class of 55 students, there must be a minimum of six grades of C- or below.
5. When more than one section of the same course are taught by the same faculty member, the faculty member shall have the option to decide whether the curve should be applied to each of the sections separately or to all the sections combined into a single group.
6. Individual faculty may only deviate from the above requirement upon permission from the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for good cause shown. At the end of each academic year, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs shall report to the faculty the requests she received from faculty for variances from this policy, the reasons given by the faculty member for the requested variance, the action taken by her, and the reasons for her decisions.
7. A faculty member’s grades are not considered officially submitted unless they conform to the requirements above.
Grade appeals are rare and should only be pursued in the unusual circumstances given below. A grade appeal is permitted only if a student has reasonable grounds to believe that his or her final grade or a final academic judgment made with respect to him or her was based on a violation of established university or law school policy, procedure, or regulation; substantial error; bias; or a miscarriage of justice. The student bears the burden of proof in establishing the violation, substantial error, bias, or a miscarriage of justice.
No grade appeal is permitted in a course that uses anonymous grading and has an enrollment of ten or more students. Courses that use anonymous grading include (without limitation): (i) any course the final examination of which is graded anonymously, regardless of whether the course syllabus permits grade adjustments for class preparation, class participation, or other course requirements and regardless of whether the clerical entries for those adjustments are made by the instructor as long as those adjustments meet the requirements given in the course syllabus as it may be amended from time to time in writing; and (ii) any Legal Research and Writing course that uses anonymous grading for each assignment worth at least twenty percent of the course grade.
In all time periods below, the date of the student’s receipt of the grade in question is presumptively the date on which the Registrar’s office has completed entering all final grades for the semester in question and made such grades generally accessible to students over the internet, whether or not the student in question was able to access the internet on that particular day. (This frequently is four school days after the faculty is required to submit their grades to the Registrar.) “School” days are defined as Monday through Friday when classes are in session, excluding breaks, final exam periods, and University holidays. All time periods apply equally to students temporarily attending programs outside the United States.
Within five school days after receipt of the grade in the course, the student shall notify the course instructor that he or she wishes to discuss the grade. If reasonably possible, within 10 school days after this notification by the student, the instructor shall either meet with or confer with the student by telephone or e-mail in an attempt to resolve the issue.
If the student cannot resolve the issue with the course instructor within 15 school days after receipt of the grade in the course (either because the student was not satisfied with the communications with the instructor or because the instructor was unavailable despite the student’s notification), the student may file a written grade appeal with the Dean of the School of Law. (If the Dean taught the course in question, the student may file the written grade appeal with the university’s Provost, in which case all references below to the Dean shall refer to the Provost instead). The grade appeal must be filed with the Dean within 30 school days after receipt of the grade in the course.
The written grade appeal to the Dean shall be in as much detail as possible, stating all aspects of the issue that the student feels pertinent. Grounds for review by the Dean are limited to a showing by the student of a violation of established university or law school policy, procedure, or regulation, substantial error, bias, or a miscarriage of justice. Copies of pertinent material in the student’s possession or access should be included in the written appeal as appropriate.
The Dean shall, within 15 school days after receipt of the written appeal, determine if the student has established a prima facie case of a violation of established university or law school policy, procedure, or regulation; substantial error; bias; or miscarriage of justice. In making that determination, the Dean may take into account his or her administrative and teaching experience and may discount assertions for which the student has failed to furnish either documentary evidence or corroboration from third persons.
If the Dean determines that the student has not established a prima facie case, the Dean shall notify the student that he or she is dismissing the grade appeal. The Dean’s decision is final and not subject to further review by any University official.
If the Dean determines that the student has established a prima facie case, then the Dean shall, within five school days of this determination, provide a copy of the written appeal to the instructor and shall request a written response that details as completely as possible the position or opinion of the instructor on all issues pertaining to matters for which the Dean has determined that the student has established a prima facie case. The instructor shall respond within 10 school days after receipt of the Dean’s request.
The Dean shall promptly forward a copy of the instructor’s response to the student. If the student so desires, the student may provide additional written comments to the Dean within five school days of receipt of the instructor’s response.
The Dean shall render a final decision on the appeal within 15 school days after receiving all materials and responses (or within ten school days after the expiration of the time periods within which such materials and responses should have been filed). The Dean must determine that the student has established a violation of established university or law school policy, procedure, or regulation, substantial error, bias, or a miscarriage of justice, or the Dean shall deny the appeal. The Dean’s decision is final and not subject to further review by any University official.
Grade Changes for Mechanical or Clerical Error. The course instructor’s grades are presumptively correct and generally final. Once a grade has been awarded, the course instructor cannot change it except in the case of mechanical or clerical error, and then only with the consent of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
Grades Upon Withdrawal. Students withdrawing from courses (see “Withdrawals,” below) are assigned a grade of F, W, WF, or WU. The grade of W denotes satisfactory performance prior to the date of withdrawal. The grade of WF (withdrawal when failing) may be given in a course graded on the 12-point scale under the following circumstances:
1. The student has exceeded the limit on absences established by the professor on the first class day of the semester; or
2. The student has performed in the classroom in a failing manner by being unprepared, failing to complete assignments, failing quizzes, or failing to satisfy, in any manner, the specific and articulated academic requirements set by the professor that ordinarily would be considered in determining the student's grade in the course.
The grade of WU (withdrawal while performing unsatisfactorily) may be given in any course that is not graded on the 12-point scale, under the same circumstances that would authorize a WF grade if the course were graded under the 12-point scale.
Grade Deadlines. Grades are due at 9:00 a.m. on the first business day thirty (30) days after the last day of the examination period. Summer grades are due at 9:00 a.m. on the fourth Monday following the last day of the examination period. Grades will be made available no later than the Friday following the grade deadline if all grades are received by the deadline.
Grade Deadlines for Seminar Papers, Directed Research, and Supervised Papers.
Grades are due for these courses no later than the regular deadline for turning in semester grades. However, at the discretion of the professor, if additional time is needed for timely rewrites of papers, a grade of Incomplete (I) may be awarded. A final grade must be submitted no later than the end of the next regular semester (excluding summer) following the semester in which the student enrolled in the course; except that the professor may, in writing submitted to the School of Law Registrar, further extend the completion time to a date certain. If no final grade is submitted within these time periods, the "I" will be converted automatically to an "F" (graded course) or "NC" (credit/no-credit course). Prior to the removal of the "I", the professor shall be notified of the "I" and the upcoming deadline.
Grades in Summer Abroad Courses Co-Sponsored With Stetson University College of Law (“Stetson”). The rules governing transfer credits will apply to credit-hours earned in the summer abroad programs co-sponsored with Stetson University College of Law. For the purposes of determining whether a student will receive credit for the course in accordance with those rules, the grades in the Stetson summer programs will be translated into Oklahoma City University School of Law’s letter-grade system according to the following scale (Stetson grades on a numerical 4.0 scale):
Stetson grade OCU grade
4.0 A
3.75 A
3.5 A-
3.25 B+
3.0 B
2.75 B-
2.5 C+
2.25 C
2.0 C
1.75 C-
1.5 D+
1.25 D
1.0 D-
Below 1.0 F
In other words, if the student receives a 2.0 or higher from Stetson, the student will receive credit for the course, but no grade for the course will be included in the student’s G.P.A. If the student receives a 1.75 or lower from Stetson, the student will not receive credit for the course, but the grade for the course will still not be included in the student’s G.P.A.
No transfer credit fees apply to summer abroad courses jointly sponsored by the School of Law and Stetson.
To be eligible for conferral of the Juris Doctor degree, a student must:
a. Satisfactorily complete all required courses, including the upper-class writing requirement, set forth in this Handbook;
b. Be in good standing upon the satisfactory completion of not less than 90 credit hours;
c. Complete the prescribed course of study no earlier than 24 months (and no later than the maximum time for completion set forth below) after a student has commenced law study at OCU School of Law or any law school from which OCU School of Law has accepted transfer credit; and
d. If a transfer student, complete the last academic year at OCU School of Law.
If a student needs to finish his or her degree requirements in the summer term, he or she may choose to participate in the commencement ceremony in either May or December of that year. However, the student will not be included in the official list of graduates until December of that year.
Maximum Time for Completion of Degree Requirements. A full-time student must complete the requirements for the Juris Doctor degree within the four years following commencement of his or her legal studies. A student who qualifies as a part-time student during any semester must complete the requirements for the Juris Doctor degree within a period of five years following commencement of his or her legal studies. Extensions of these time periods may be granted in the discretion of the Petitions and Retentions Committee, subject to ABA standards
Upper-class students in good standing may be granted leaves of absence upon notice to the Associate Dean for Students before or during the session to which the leave is applicable. Requirements regarding maximum time in which to complete a degree still apply. A student not in good standing is not entitled to a leave of absence, but one may be granted by the Petitions and Retention Committee upon petition by the student and recommendation by the Associate Dean for Students for compelling circumstances.
First-year students will be granted leaves of absence only for extraordinary circumstances. If the leave is granted for the spring semester by the Petitions and Retention Committee, it will be conditional on the first year student having a GPA of at least 4.5 and being in good standing after the first semester, unless the Petitions and Retention Committee expressly waives that requirement.
A student is not in good standing if he or she is not in academic good standing. In addition, for purposes of this section, a student is not in good standing if he or she receives a notice of disciplinary probation, suspension, or dismissal, or if the student withdraws during a pending disciplinary action.
Limitations on Credit for Certain Categories of Courses
A student may earn no more than seven credit hours from individualized writing and advocacy courses. For purposes of this rule, the “individualized writing and advocacy" courses are:
(1) Directed Research
(2) Supervised Paper
(3) Law Review
(4) Competitive Advocacy
(5) Interscholastic Competition.
A student may earn no more than six credit hours toward graduation requirements from externships and clinical courses. For purposes of this rule, the “externship and clinical courses" are:
(1) Government Practice Externship
(2) Judicial Externship
(3) Litigation Practice Externship
(4) Native American Legal Externship
(5) Immigration Law Clinic (but only the 3 credit hours for field work)
A student may earn no more than ten credit hours toward graduation requirements from individualized writing and advocacy courses and externship and clinical courses combined.
Student course loads must be consistent with the following schedule:
Maximum hours of employment (paid or unpaid) per week |
Maximum course load |
15 hours |
13 to 16 credit hours |
20 hours |
11 to 12 credit hours |
40 hours |
8 to 10 credit hours |
Over 40 hours |
By petition |
ABA standards do not permit a student to be employed more than 20 hours per week in any week in which the student is enrolled in more than 12 credit hours.
Workloads exceeding the law school’s standards, but not exceeding the ABA standards, may be granted by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs upon written petition. A student may not petition for a work overload for a semester in which he or she is enrolled in the Immigration Law Clinic.
At registration, each student must furnish the Office of Student Services with a Work Statement/Employment Verification form, signed by both the student and the student=s employer (if the student has outside employment). “Outside employment” includes paid and unpaid legal work or other volunteer work. The form includes the type of work done and the number of hours worked per week. The student must resubmit the form for each semester that he or she registers, and may not register until he or she has done so. The student must also resubmit the form any time his or her work load changes in any way. The student violates the OCU School of Law Student Conduct Code if he or she fails to provide accurate information or fails to update the information required should the work load change.
Based upon the experience of this and other law schools, the OCU School of Law recommends that a full-time student not have any outside employment during the first year.
Ineligibility to enroll. A first-year student whose grade point average is lower than 4.5 at the end of his or her first semester is not eligible to enroll in the next summer session. Any student who is placed on probation after fall semester grades is not eligible to enroll in the next summer session.
First-year part-time students. Part-time students who have completed their first two semesters, and who are eligible to enroll in summer law classes, may enroll only in those summer classes designated by the Curriculum Committee.
Academic dismissal during summer term. See “Academic Probation, Dismissal, and Triggering of Additional Requirements,” above.
Summer classes at another law school. See “Transfers and Visiting Students” and “Special Programs” (International Programs) sections of this Handbook.
Tape recording of classes is prohibited unless special permission has been granted by the professor or the Special Accommodations Committee.
Withdrawal from a class. In all courses, consent of the professor is required for withdrawals after the seventh week of classes (or the third week for the summer session), unless the professor has established an earlier deadline. In granting the required consent, the professor shall determine whether a W, WF, or WU will be recorded on the student's transcript (see rules regarding such grades under "Requirements for Academic Standing"). The professor has discretion not to allow withdrawal after the date established, because of excessive absences, tardiness, or unsatisfactory performance. In cases of required withdrawal, the professor shall determine whether a W, WF, or WU will be recorded on the student’s transcript. In the absence of extenuating circumstances, and approval of the Associate Dean for Students, a student may not withdraw from a course once classes have ended. Except as provided above, any withdrawals will result in an F grade entered on the student's transcript.
Withdrawal from the School of Law. Non-attendance of classes does not constitute an official withdrawal. Failure to comply with the procedures for withdrawal stated below will result in “F”’s being entered for all courses. These grades will severely hinder the student's chances of re-admission to OCU or admission to any other law school in the future.
A student withdrawing from the School of Law must obtain a Withdrawal Form from the Student Services Office. The withdrawal becomes effective on the date the action is validated in the Cashier's Office. Refunds are calculated according to the University's schedule, and are based on the official date of registration and the date of withdrawal. In no event is the tuition deposit for a first year student refunded. Unless the withdrawal is pursuant to an authorized leave of absence, a student who voluntarily withdraws from the School of Law must apply for readmission. Readmission shall be considered by the faculty Admissions Committee according to the rules governing admission with advanced standing.
(See also “Grades upon Withdrawal” and “Leave of Absence,” above)