Mar 28, 2024  
Graduate Record 2011-2012 
    
Graduate Record 2011-2012 [ARCHIVED RECORD]

Juris Doctor (J.D.) Program


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The Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree is the first professional degree in law. Each year, thousands of highly qualified college graduates apply for the necessarily limited number of places in the first-year class. The admissions process aims to select from the applicant pool an entering class of students who will contribute to the Law School, to the Commonwealth of Virginia, and to the nation. These contributions, both before and after graduation, require exceptional academic ability. For program and admission details, contact the Admissions Office, University of Virginia School of Law, 580 Massie Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903, or visit www.law.virginia.edu/admissions.

Residency


All degree candidates must complete six full semesters in residence, except in the case of transfer students who receive credit for work completed at other law schools and enter with advanced standing. A semester in residence is one in which a student enrolls in a minimum of 12 credits towards the J.D. degree, receives grades of D or better for at least nine of those 12 credits, and satisfies the Law School’s attendance requirement.

Grading System


Degree candidates must meet two standards during each academic year (August-May) of enrollment to remain in good academic standing: they must earn a minimum grade point average (GPA) of C+ (2.3) and accumulate fewer than three exclusion points. A grade of D carries one exclusion point and a grade of F carries two exclusion points. Under the current grading system, there are ten possible grades that can be used by the faculty in evaluating performance in courses and seminars: A+, A, A-, B+, B, B- C+, C, D, F. It is the intent of the faculty that, for the purpose of allocating grades in a course or seminar and to assist in achieving grade uniformity, the mean grade for each course and seminar will be a 3.3 (B+). However, there is no particular grading curve to which a faculty member must adhere.

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