Grades and Course Units
University Policy
School of Law Policy
Excerpt from Article IX of Academic Regulations
Grading Scale and Procedures
a. Letter Grades with Numerical Equivalents. The Faculty has established the following scale of numerical equivalents for letter grades:
| A+ = 4.3 | B+ = 3.3 | C+ = 2.3 | D = 1.0 |
| A = 4.0 | B = 3.0 | C = 2.0 | F = 0 |
| A– = 3.7 | B– = 2.7 | C– = 1.7 |
(i) First-Year Courses.
For all first-year doctrinal courses, the following grade distribution is mandatory:
| Grades | Grade Distribution | |
| A+ | 2–5% | |
| A+, A | 15–25% (A+ subject to 5% limitation above) | |
| A+, A, A– | 30–40% (A+, A subject to limitations above) | |
| B+ and above | 50–70% (subject to limitations on A range above) | |
| B | 15–50% (subject to limitations above and below) | |
| B– and below | 0–15% (subject to limitations below on ranges C+ and below) | |
| C+ and below | 0–10% | |
| D, F | 0–5% |
For the first-year Lawyering Program, the above distributions are not mandatory.
(ii) Second- and Third-Year Courses.
For second- and third-year courses and seminars with enrollment of 26 or more students receiving grades, a mandatory B+ median applies, subject to the following additional requirements:
| Grades | Grade Distribution |
| A+ | Maximum 5% |
| A+, A, A– | Minimum 30% |
| B and below | Minimum 10% |
| B– and below | Maximum 15% |
| C+ and below | Maximum 10% |
| D, F | Maximum 5% |
For seminars and courses with a graded (including CR/NC) enrollment of 25 or fewer Boston University JD students, the above distributions are not mandatory, but a median of B+ is recommended.
(iii) In coursework for which a letter grade is assigned, the minimum passing grade is D.
b. Grades without a Numerical Equivalent—The Faculty has authorized the award of the following grades for courses satisfying JD degree requirements but not incorporated into the grade point average:
| AUD = Audit | P = Pass | F = Fail | |
| CR = Units | NC = No Units | H = Honors | |
| W/D = Withdrawal from Course | * = Indicates Currently Enrolled |
c. Units/No Units/Honors. Second- and third-year students may elect to register for up to 8 units of non-required coursework on a Units/No Units/Honors basis after first year, if the coursework qualifies. If a graded seminar or course is taken by a student on a Units/No Units/Honors basis, the student must earn a “C” or better on the graded work in the course or seminar to pass. A student who does not satisfy that standard will not receive units for the course, and the course will not appear on the student’s transcript except as provided under (c(ii)).
(i) The result of any course or seminar taken on a Units/No Units/Honors basis is not reflected in a student’s grade point average except as provided under (e).
(ii) If a student receives a grade of C– or D in a course taken on a Units/No Units/Honors basis in the final term before the student’s anticipated graduation and the student requires units in the course to be eligible for graduation, the grade shall be included in the student’s grade point average and on the student’s transcript and the student shall receive units for the course.
(iii) A student must make any election to take a course on a Units/No Units/Honors basis by the end of the add/drop period. A student, however, can elect to reverse this decision and take the course on a graded basis for an additional two-week period after the end of the add/drop period.
(iv) Faculty may prohibit students from taking a course for a CR/NC/H grade. Should a faculty member elect to restrict the grading for a course, the course description will note the grading structure.
(v) Students may have no more than 8 units of “Units/No Units/Honors” graded courses applied to their JD degree requirements (85 units).
d. Pass/Fail—The required 1L Lawyering Lab, moot court, and certain clinical courses are graded solely as pass (“P”) or fail (“F”). A “P” grade signifies successful completion of the course requirement(s); an “F” grade signifies failure to complete the course requirements. P and F grades earned in these courses do not have a numerical value that affects the calculation of a student’s grade point average.
e. The Registrar will release final grades to students as soon as possible after the examination period. Instructors may not release final grades directly to students.
f. Instructors may change final grades to correct clerical or mathematical error. Final grades may not otherwise be changed except by vote of the Faculty.
Excerpt from Article XIII of Academic Regulations: Assigning Units to Academic Offerings
A. Minimum Requirements for Assigning Units to Academic Offerings
1. All academic offerings that confer units must meet or exceed 42.5 hours total work on the part of the typical student per unit awarded. As per ABA guidelines, in satisfying this requirement, each 50 minutes spent in class or in an exam counts as one hour toward the 42.5 hour requirement. (For time spent in an in-class exam, a maximum of one 50-minute hour for each course unit can be counted toward the 42.5 hour requirement.) Each 60 minutes of out-of-class work counts as one hour toward this requirement. Examples of out-of-class work include, but are not limited to, preparation for class or for an exam, outside writing, meetings with the instructor, take-home exams, simulations, and fieldwork.
2. Except for courses covered in Part B, all courses must meet at least 55 minutes per week for 13 weeks (or at least 715 minutes per term) per unit and must have an exam of at least 35 minutes (or require equivalent work) per unit. (Note: Courses are defined as requiring regular meetings with the instructor and other students in a classroom or similar setting. Thus this provision does not cover non-course academic offerings, such as moot court, journals, practicums, and Supervised Research and Writing. However, non-course offerings still must conform to Part A, Section 1.)
3. The fieldwork components of externships and clinical courses require at least 42.5 hours of fieldwork per term for each unit of fieldwork.
B. Exceptions to Part A, Section 2:
1. 3-unit seminars with a writing requirement must meet at least once weekly for 110 minutes per week for 13 weeks (or at least 1,430 minutes per term).
2. 3-unit simulation courses must meet at least once weekly for 110 minutes per week for 13 weeks (or at least 1,430 minutes per term).
(Note: Offerings covered by Part B still must conform to Part A, Section 1.)
Work requirements for approved academic offerings may exceed these minimum requirements and are determined in the usual approval process. The instructor is expected to assign sufficient work to satisfy these requirements.
