Pass/No Pass

Any elective course may be taken on a pass/no pass basis unless the instructor elects, prior to the beginning of the semester in which the course is offered, not to permit this option. Required courses, clinics, externship classroom components, and practicums are not eligible for pass/no pass grading. A 3L student who elects to take one or more courses on a pass/no pass basis must be enrolled in at least six graded credit hours during that semester. A 2L student who elects to take one or more courses on a pass/no pass basis must be enrolled in at least twelve graded credit hours during that semester.

Students must submit a Pass/No Pass Election Form to the Law School Registrar's Office no later than the end of the third week of the semester for full-semester courses. For courses that are a week in length, students have until noon of the second day of classes to submit a pass/no pass election form.

Once a pass/no pass election has been submitted, it cannot be withdrawn, except as provided in the following paragraph:
A final grade of C or higher will be recorded as P (Pass). A final grade of C- or lower will be recorded as NP (Not Passing) unless, within five business days after the grade is posted, the student files an election with the Law Registrar's Office to accept the letter grade instead. Neither a P nor an NP will affect the student's cumulative grade point average (GPA). Credit hours for any course in which an NP is recorded will not count toward the minimum credit hours required for graduation. If a student who receives a grade of C- or lower elects to accept the letter grade, the course will be treated as a graded course for all purposes.

Beginning with the Class of 2028, students must complete at least 75% of their law studies in graded courses to be eligible for Order of the Coif membership. Credits from courses like Immersion, field placements, study abroad, and any course taken as Pass/No Pass will not be counted toward the 75% graded credit requirement.

Pass/No Pass Election Form

Fall 2026 courses which do not allow the Pass/No Pass option:

  • LAW 6021 Comparative Law Seminar
  • LAW 6022 Law and Geography Seminar
  • LAW 6035 Introduction to European Union Law Seminar
  • LAW 6043 Church and State in American Law Seminar
  • LAW 6505 Law and Economics Workshop
  • LAW 6904 Core Multiple Choice Skills and Concepts
  • LAW 7356 Criminal Procedure: Investigation
  • LAW 7502 Federal White Collar Crime

Fall 2026 - Deadline for submitting a pass/no pass form for full-length semester courses is September 14, 2026.
                  Deadline for submitting a pass/no pass form for one-week courses is August 18, 2026 at noon.

Spring 2026 courses which do not allow the Pass/No Pass option:

  • LAW628 Constitutional Rights Seminar
  • LAW634 Children and the Constitution Seminar
  • LAW683 Mass Atrocities Seminar
  • LAW701 Administrative Law
  • LAW716 Business Associations
  • LAW734 Class Actions and Aggregate Litigation
  • LAW750 Core Writing Skills and Concepts

Spring 2026 - Deadline for submitting a pass/no pass form is February 2, 2026             
                      Deadline for submitting a pass/no pass form for one-week courses is January 13, 2026.

 

Updated 7/7/2026