Juris Doctor (October, 2019)

1. Academic Probation
   1. Academic Enhancement
      Students with a grade point average of 2.4 or lower at the end of the third quarter of law school are required to take five (5) of the following seven (7) courses prior to graduation. For students who matriculated in a summer quarter, this determination will be made following the fourth quarter of study (after LARC 3 grades have been recorded):

      Course List

      Code	Title	Hours
      LAW 9235	Administration of Estates	2
      LAW 9350	Advanced Criminal Procedure	3
      LAW 9342	Commercial Law: Secured Transactions	3
      LAW 9383	Conflict of Laws	3
      LAW 9360	Constitutional Law: Freedom of Speech	3
      LAW 9370	Family Law	3
      LAW 9332	Wealth Transfers	3

   2. Academic Deficiency Resulting in Probation
      A student in Baylor Law School will be placed on probation for academic reasons when, after all final grades for a quarter have been reported, the student's overall grade point average falls below a 1.90 on the 4.0 scale. At that time, a student may continue in school on probation, or may elect to withdraw immediately from school and return on the same probationary basis within three years.
   3. Computation of Grade Point Average
      In computing the grade point average of a student for the purpose of determining academic deficiency in a particular quarter:
      1. All final letter grades earned in law school courses will be considered. Grade points are awarded for courses at the rate of A = 4.0, A- = 3.67, B+ = 3.33, B = 3, B- = 2.67, C+ = 2.33, C = 2, and D = 1 per credit hour. No credit is received for an F. A grade of Pass (P) is a neutral grade and does not affect the grade point total. While credit hours received in a course for which a P is recorded are counted toward the graduation total, they are not included in computing the grade point average.
      2. The final grades received in the first two quarters will form the basis of the initial evaluation of a first-year student's academic sufficiency. Tentative grades received in Legal Analysis, Research & Communication (LARC): Introduction to Legal Writing will not be used in determining academic sufficiency until the grade is final.
      3. No bonus grade points will be considered in determining academic sufficiency.
      4. Grades received in repeated courses will be counted at the repeated letter grade value in determining compliance with the "C" average requirement for students on probation (see Section D below); however, for purposes of calculating a cumulative grade point average, the repeated grade cannot be counted at a level higher than a "C".
   4. Terms of Probation
      The terms of probation are:
      1. enrollment in a course of study of at least 12 credit hours approved by the Chair of the Academic Standards Committee;
      2. maintenance of a "C" average (2.0 on the 4.0 scale) in courses taken in each probationary quarter until a graduation average of 2.0 for all work taken is attained; and
      3. attainment of a graduation average within three quarters.
2. Dismissal by Reason of Breach of Probation
   A probationary student notified of a failure to fulfill the terms of academic probation during a quarter will be immediately dismissed from school unless the student elects to stay the dismissal until that quarter's final examinations are completed. A student may wish to stay the dismissal until final examinations are completed as a demonstration of an ability to perform satisfactory law school work to assist any later petition for readmission. This option must be exercised within a reasonable time, normally three days. A tuition refund will be made only if the student is otherwise entitled to a tuition refund under the regular tuition refund policy of the Law School. In either case, whether effective immediately, or stayed until the end of the quarter, a dismissal for failure to fulfill the terms of academic probation is a permanent dismissal from the Law School.
3. Deficiency in English Resulting in Probation
   If a student after admission to the Law School demonstrates an inadequate command of English, including a deficiency in spelling and grammar, the student may be placed on academic probation under the terms to be prescribed by the Faculty Academic Standards Committee.
4. Petition to Review Dismissal
   A student dismissed for academic deficiency may, within one year, petition the Dean and faculty of the law school for readmission on probation. The decision to grant a petition for readmission is solely within the discretion of the Dean and faculty and may contain such conditions and/or qualifications as are deemed appropriate. The student may not be readmitted to the Law School unless two full quarters have elapsed while the dismissal was in effect. If the student elects, however, to stay dismissal until finals are completed and when grades are announced, the student's overall grade point average is raised to a graduation average, the student may be readmitted to the next beginning quarter. The petition should be submitted at least four weeks prior to the end of the quarter preceding the quarter to which readmission is sought to give the Dean and faculty sufficient time to consider the petition. For example, to illustrate the timing of a petition for readmission, a student who is dismissed after receiving grades on the winter quarter, who does not elect to complete the spring quarter, may petition for readmission beginning with the fall quarter and not later than the next spring quarter.
   
   The petitioner has the burden of establishing to the satisfaction of the Dean and faculty that there is a significant probability that the petitioner will achieve and thereafter maintain a graduation average if readmitted on probation. A petition for readmission should be directed to the Chair of the Academic Standards Committee. The petition should set forth, in letter form, the following information:
   1. an explanation of the perceived reasons for the applicant's academic dismissal;
   2. an explanation of the applicant's activities during the period of dismissal; and
   3. an explanation of why the applicant expects to be able to correct prior academic deficiencies if readmitted on probation.
5. Student's Responsibility to Monitor Status
   These rules of academic probation and dismissal are automatically applicable whether or not the student receives any form of notice. It is the student's responsibility to determine his or her status based upon this policy and the grades earned by the student. An attempt will be made to notify a student of the his or her status under the rules, but the notification is given only as a courtesy and a student is not entitled to receive any such notice. Receipt of any notice does not assure that any further notices be sent. Grades for a particular quarter may not be available until a substantial time after the beginning of the following quarter. Thus, any courtesy notice of academic deficiency and probation or dismissal, if sent at all, will usually not be sent until later in the quarter in which this status is determined. Therefore, each student is solely responsible for continuously updating his or her grade point average as individual grades become available and is solely responsible for determining his or her status under these rules. When it appears that an academic deficiency either exists or might exist, the student should immediately contact the Chair of the Academic Standards Committee. The fact that grades may not be available for a substantial time poses a particular difficulty for the student who is on probation, in that the student will not know whether the terms of probation have been met until well into the following quarter.

Note: The Chair of the Academic Standards Committee is Associate Dean Cordon (Room 222 (Dean's Suite); 710-4913.)