First-year grades for Torts, Contracts, Civil Procedure, and Legal Methods II will all be posted at the same time. Once the grades are posted, first-year students can go online to learn their grades.
Spring 2024 course grades are due May 28th and should be posted either by late afternoon the 28th or by the morning of May 29th. First-year students who fail to achieve good standing may petition the Faculty Committee for probation or to repeat the first year. Petitions must be received by the Faculty Chair, Jeffrey G. Purvis, by May 31st at 9am to be considered at the June Faculty Committee meeting (jpurvis@sjcl.edu or psmith@sjcl.edu). The Faculty Committee will meet June 5th to consider all timely petitions. Results of those decisions will be available the afternoon of June 5th.
Good Standing
At the end of each Spring semester, all students must achieve or maintain a cumulative GPA of 65 or better to be in good academic standing. Good standing permits a student to advance to the next year of law school and to graduate upon completion of the program. A student’s cumulative GPA is calculated annually, at the end of each Spring semester. Academic disqualifications are determined at that time. Except under extraordinary circumstances, a student must complete the program within five (5) years of initial enrollment. See the sections on “Academic Disqualification-Probation Status” and “Juris Doctor Degree Requirements” for additional information.
Probationary Status Policies and Petition Procedures
In order to be granted probation:
- A student must timely petition the Faculty Committee in writing setting forth both the reasons for the student's inability to attain or maintain a cumulative GPA of 65 and what remedial measures the student intends to take.
- A petition for probationary status will be regarded as timely if it is received by the Faculty Committee Chair by the date announced for such petitions at the time first year grades are posted.
- Except under extraordinary circumstances, a student will not be granted probationary status more than once in his or her studies at SJCL. A second probationary period may be granted only upon the affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the entire membership of the Faculty Committee, regardless of the actual number of members present at the time of the vote. A student who has been permitted by the Faculty Committee to repeat the first year is not eligible for probationary status at the end of the repeated year.
Petition to Repeat First Year
A student who fails to achieve a cumulative GPA of 65 or better at the end of his or her first year of study at SJCL may also timely petition the Faculty Committee in writing to repeat his or her first year of study at SJCL. Such petition should set forth the compelling reasons why the student believes he or she failed to attain a cumulative GPA of 65 and what remedial measures will allow the student to be successful if allowed to repeat the first year. Such petitions are granted sparingly. A student may not repeat the first year of study at SJCL more than once.
Faculty Committee Consideration of Petitions
The Faculty Committee will consider timely petitions for probation and for repetition at its meeting following the final date for the timely delivery of petitions announced with the posting of first year grades.
The decision of the Faculty Committee is final. Each petitioning student will be notified as promptly as possible of the Faculty Committee's decision.