Academic Policies

Credit Hours

Ordinarily, no student shall be permitted to carry more than the regular number of hours scheduled for the first-year class, nor more than 16 hours in any fall or spring semester as an upper-class student, nor more than 6 hours in any summer session. Students may petition the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for special permission to enroll in excess hours during a fall or spring semester.

See also Request to Enroll in Excess Hours.

Class Attendance

Regular class attendance is required in accordance with the American Bar Association's Standards for Approval of Law Schools. In compliance with this rule, faculty members adopt and enforce their own regular attendance policies for each course and announce those policies at the beginning of each semester. Among other sanctions, students may be dropped from any graded course if unexcused absences exceed twice the number of credit hours of the course. A faculty member intending to impose this sanction will give notice to the student that further absences will result in being dropped from the course.

Employment

Although part-time employment in law-related fields can substantially assist law students both financially and professionally, such employment can also impose time pressures that detract significantly from law studies. Students enrolled in 10 or more hours may not engage in outside employment in excess of 20 hours per week. If a student chooses to be employed more than 20 hours per week, the student must enroll in fewer than 10 hours and lengthen the period of law study.

Examinations

Examinations will be given at the end of each term. Students who fail to take an examination or turn in a paper at the regularly appointed time will receive a grade of F, except where the absence is unavoidable, in which case upon advance consent of the professor a grade of I (incomplete) will be granted. Incompletes must be completed when the professor reschedules the examination or the due date of the paper, which may be no later than at the next regular examination of the course or within one year, whichever comes first. Grades of I not completed when rescheduled become grades of F. Students who fail to complete the requirements in a credit, no-credit course may, at the discretion of the professor, be given a grade of I (incomplete). Grades of I in these courses will become grades of NCR (no credit) if the I is not removed prior to the last day of final examinations of the semester the course is next offered. Students will not be permitted to retake any course, except a course previously failed, unless they first receive special permission from the faculty to do so. When a student is permitted to retake a course, both grades will be counted in determining the student's cumulative average, but credit hours will be counted only once toward the hours that are required for graduation.

Withdrawal From Courses

Students may not withdraw from any course later than noon on the business day before the final exam, or if the course has no final exam, noon on the business day before the final paper or other class-related activity must be completed. Students may not withdraw from a course if that withdrawal would leave the student with fewer than 9 credit hours for the semester. Students may not withdraw from LARW I or LARW II. For information about the availability of tuition refunds, see "Tuition Refunds."

Grades

The standing of students in each course will be indicated by the letters, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D and F. In designated courses, a grade of outstanding, credit and no-credit may be recorded in place of letter grades.

Grade points will be awarded to each student on the following basis for each credit hour of work:

Hours of F grade are included in the computation of the grade point average but not included in the hours credited for graduation. Courses in which a letter grade is not given are not included in the computation.

See also Grading Guidelines for Average Grades and Grade Distribution

Grade Review Procedure: To challenge a grade, students may petition the Dean within 30 days after the posting of the grade to appoint a faculty member as a grade review officer. Copies of the grade review procedure are available from the Office of the Dean.

Academic Good Standing Policy

Good Standing and Academic Dismissal: Any student whose cumulative grade point average is below 2.00 at the end of any spring semester shall not be permitted to continue in law school unless readmitted upon written petition to the law school Admission Committee. A student denied readmission by the Admission Committee may appeal that decision to the full faculty. The decision of the full faculty is final and no further appeal may be taken, except a student who feels the decision was based upon discrimination may utilize the University Student Grievance Procedure set forth in the University Affirmative Action Plan. Students with a cumulative grade point average below 2.00 may not participate in activities requiring good standing, such as obtaining a Student License to Practice from the Kansas Supreme Court.

Eligibility to Enroll in Summer School: A student may not enroll in summer school if the student's cumulative grade point average is below a 2.00 based on all grades through the previous fall semester for the first six-week summer session or the 12-week summer session. If a student's spring semester grades are posted before the beginning of the second session of summer school, and those grades bring the student's cumulative GPA above a 2.00, the student may enroll in the second summer session.

See also Grading Guidelines.

Honors at Graduation

Degrees with honors are granted to students as follows:

Honor Code

The law school expects conduct of all students which is consistent with the law and with generally accepted principles of academic behavior. Disciplinary action against students will be taken according to the provisions of the law school Honor Code and Procedure. Findings of misconduct and recommendations of disciplinary action are made by a student Honor Code Committee and are referred to the Dean of the law school.

Revised: June 20, 2007