Juris Doctor (JD) Degree

To be an effective advocate, a lawyer must have a broad range of knowledge of the law. He or she must also have excellent analytical, research, writing and advocacy skills. GW Law’s curriculum and diverse academic opportunities are designed to give students the skills they need to perform at their best in any setting be it a large or small firm, public interest organization, government agency, academia or the judiciary and in every capacity as counselor, litigator, mediator, negotiator, legislator or lobbyist.

After the completion of the required curriculum, JD students have a vast domain of courses from which to choose in their remaining years of study. The extensive curriculum is intended to offer students substantial freedom to tailor their programs to their own interests and goals. In addition, some students choose to pursue a particular one of the many offered Areas of Study of the law in special depth.

To broaden students’ experience beyond the traditional classroom setting, the law school offers a wide variety of clinical courses, simulation courses and outside placement options in which students have the opportunity to learn lawyering and other advocacy skills in several contexts. These courses permit students to complement the theoretical study of law with experience in interviewing clients, investigating facts, dealing with adverse parties, contacting government agencies, negotiating on behalf of clients and participating in real or hypothetical court and administrative proceedings.

Entrance Requirements

To be considered for admission as a candidate for the Juris Doctor degree, an applicant must have a bachelor’s degree awarded by a regionally accredited US college or university or equivalent degree from a recognized non-US institution and must have taken the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), Graduate Record Examination (GRE), or other graduate-level test within the past five years unless they are eligible for test-optional admission as described below. There are no inflexible standards for admission, nor are there minimum undergraduate grade-point averages or test scores. However, applicants whose undergraduate records and test scores indicate a high probability of success in law study are more likely to be admitted. Other factors in the admission decision include the applicant’s personal statement, undergraduate school attended, major and trend in grades, personal achievements and letters of recommendation. GW Law seeks academic, social, cultural, and geographical diversity in its student body.

Information concerning the LSAT may be obtained from the law school’s Admissions Office or from the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). Applicants applying through the Junior Early Action Program (GW undergraduate juniors) may submit SAT or ACT scores in lieu of a graduate-level test.

In 2024, GW Law received a variance from the American Bar Association which allows test-optional admission for certain JD candidates. Test-optional applicants must have significant experience through either 1) employment (at least 5 years), 2) military service, 3) patent bar passage, 4) doctoral programs, or 5) social entrepreneurship. Test-optional candidates must not have a reportable LSAT score. Candidates should contact the Admissions Office if they have questions about eligibility.

Admissions Process

An applicant to the JD degree program may apply to attend as either a full-time or part-time student. Beginning JD degree students may matriculate only in the fall semester. Since admission decisions are made on a rolling basis, applicants are urged to submit application forms and complete credentials well in advance of the March 1 deadline.

Applicants should register with the Credential Assembly Service (CAS). A transcript from each college or university attended should then be sent directly to LSAC. Transcripts from U.S. institutions must be sent to LSAC, 662 Penn Street, Box 2000-M, Newtown, PA 18940. Transcripts from foreign institutions must be sent to LSAC, 662 Penn Street, Box 8502, Newtown, PA 18940. The CAS will analyze the transcript(s) and send a copy to all law schools to which an applicant has applied. Prior to enrollment, students must submit via LSAC a final official transcript showing evidence of the receipt of a bachelor’s degree.

Advanced Standing (Transfer Students)

Students may transfer to the law school after completing one year of legal studies at a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). The primary factor considered in an admission decision is the student’s first-year performance. No applicant will be accepted for transfer who is ineligible to return in good standing to a previously attended law school. Transfer students may apply for admission to the law school for either the fall or spring semester. The deadlines for submission of transfer applications are June 15 for the fall semester and November 15 for the spring semester.

Students may transfer a maximum of 31 credit hours from prior studies at an ABA-accredited law school; in order for a course to be eligible for transfer credit, a grade of C- or better (under the previous school’s grading system) must have been earned. Students who seek to transfer credits from an ABA-accredited law school are prohibited from seeking advanced standing for law studies outside the United States. All courses for which credit hours are transferred will be reflected on the law school transcript with grades of Transfer (TR). Transferred credit hours will have no effect on the law school grade-point average. Transfer students are eligible for all academic honors and awards conferred by GW Law.

All students are required to complete the required first-year curriculum. A transfer student who, upon matriculation, has not completed one or more of these courses at their prior law school must complete any required course the first time the class is offered for the student’s program. Transfer students must earn at least 45 graded credits at GW Law and can count no more than 8 Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) towards the 84-credit requirement.

GW Law publishes information to supplement the Bulletin that summarizes academic rules and regulations that apply to transfer students; all students who transfer to the law school are responsible for conforming to its requirements. The supplement is provided to students upon their admission.

Transfer Early Action

Applicants who apply for fall transfer admission by March 1 will automatically be considered through the law school’s Early Action Program and will be notified of a decision by early April.

An applicant must have three reported grades from the first semester on their official law school transcript. Second semester grades are not needed to apply through Early Action, though admission is contingent upon maintaining a B average for the remaining first-year courses. Admission through Early Action is non-binding.

Non-U.S. Law School Graduates

A limited number of graduates of non-U.S. law schools who wish to prepare for law practice in the United States may be admitted to the JD program. A student in this program who completes 28 credit hours of coursework at the law school with a grade-point average of 2.0 or above may petition the Academic Scholarship Committee to be granted up to 28 hours of advanced standing for law studies outside the U.S. and thereby earn the JD degree in two years.

Students who seek advanced standing for law studies outside the U.S. are prohibited from transferring credits from an ABA-accredited law school. Students granted advanced standing must earn at least 48 graded credits and can count no more than 8 Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) towards the 84-credit requirement.

The deadline for seeking advanced standing is June 1 after the student’s 1L year or within one month of completing the first-year curriculum.

Master of Laws–Juris Doctor Transfer Program

Non-U.S. law school graduates enrolled in the law school’s LLM program may apply for admission to the JD program for the year following completion of their LLM degree. A limited number of outstanding students will be offered admission each year. Students admitted through this program may begin JD studies in the fall semester of the year of their admission only.

To be considered for transfer admission applicants must do the following:

  1. notify the JD Admissions Office ( [email protected] ) in writing of their interest by February 1 of their second semester of LLM enrollment;
  2. successfully complete at least one course from the required JD curriculum during their first semester of LLM enrollment.

In addition, applicants must request that copies of all official records from prior academic institutions attended and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores be sent from the Graduate and International Programs Office to the JD Admissions Office; these documents and a completed JD transfer application with GW Law transcript, submitted via LSAC, are due in the JD Admissions Office by May 15. Please note that LLM-JD applicants are not required to submit an LSAT or other graduate-level test for transfer admission.​

Students admitted to the JD program will be treated as transfer students. Upon beginning the JD program, they will receive 28 credits of advanced standing for legal studies completed outside of the United States. Students can thus complete the LLM degree in one year and the JD degree in an additional two years. The law school is committed to providing administrative and other similar logistical support for LLM-JD transfer students.

Visiting (Unclassified) Students

A law student who is in good academic standing as a degree candidate at an ABA-approved law school may be admitted to GW Law as an unclassified student and earn credit for transfer to their law school. Students may apply for visiting student status during the fall, spring or summer semesters. Admission will be based on the availability of space.

The deadlines for application materials are June 15 for the fall semester, November 15 for the spring semester and May 1 for the summer session.

This Bulletin provides academic rules and regulations that apply to all students; all visiting students are responsible for conforming to its requirements.

Degree Requirements

To earn the Juris Doctor degree, students must satisfactorily meet the following academic requirements:

  1. completion of 84 credit hours, 67 (45 for transfer students) of which must have been taken for a letter grade;
  2. fulfillment of the enrollment unit requirement;
  3. completion of each course in the required curriculum with a passing grade; and maintenance of the minimum grade-point average of 2.00.

A student may complete coursework in excess of these requirements during their final semester of enrollment, but may not register for additional credits in a subsequent semester as a Juris Doctor candidate without the prior approval of the Academic Scholarship Committee.

Timing for Completion of Degree

A student is permitted to complete the JD degree no earlier than 24 months and, except in extraordinary circumstances, no later than 84 months after a student has commenced law study at GW Law or at a law school from which GW Law has accepted transfer credit. Students seeking to demonstrate extraordinary circumstances under this rule will be required to petition the Academic Scholarship Committee.

Transfer Between the Full-Time and Part-Time (Evening) Programs

After the first semester, students may, with the permission of the Dean of Students Office, transfer from one program to another, but should be aware that there may be enrollment requirement consequences (see below). Transferring between programs will affect a student’s financial aid including automatic forfeiture of merit scholarships.

Students initially enrolled in the part-time (evening) program may, with the permission of the Dean of Students Office, transfer to the full-time program as early as their second semester. Students who are permitted to pursue this option after completion of the first semester must take all required first-year curriculum courses in the evening. In addition, such students must make up 3 or more credit hours during summer sessions in order to fulfill enrollment and other degree requirements and be eligible to graduate in three years.

See Enrollment Requirement, Required Curriculum and Academic Workload, below, for regulations governing the full-time and part-time (evening) programs and the full- time/part-time option. Additional information is available from the Dean of Students Office.

Candidates for the Juris Doctor degree must complete 6 enrollment units in order to graduate.

A student who is enrolled full-time during the entire course of their program of study will accumulate 6 enrollment units in 6 semesters. A student who is enrolled part-time during the entire course of their program of study and who has paid the equivalent of 84 or more credit hours of tuition will be deemed to have satisfied the enrollment requirement for graduation. Students who switch between full- and part-time status will accumulate enrollment units based on the number of credit hours taken each semester or summer session.

Students should seek the advice of the Dean of Students Office concerning fulfillment of this requirement, especially if they plan to participate in an exchange program or enroll as a visiting student at another law school.

Credit hours are equivalent to enrollment units as follows:

Full-Time Status

12+ credits = 1 unit

Part-Time Status

11 credits = .8 units

10 credits = .7 units

9 credits = .65 units

8 credits = .6 units

7 credits = .5 units

6 credits = .4 units

5 credits = .35 units

4 credits = .3 units

3 credits = .2 units

2 credits = .15 units

1 credit = .075 units

Required Curriculum

Full-Time Day Program

Full-time students in the day program must take the following schedule in their first year:

During the second or third year of study, all full-time program students must take Law 6218, Professional Responsibility and Ethics and fulfill the legal writing requirement and the experiential learning requirement. Students must enroll in coursework to fulfill these three requirements for a letter grade, except when journal participation is used to satisfy the legal writing requirement or a clinical course offered only on a non-letter grade basis is used to satisfy the experiential learning requirement.

Part-Time (Evening) Program

Part-time (evening) program students must take the following schedule in their first and second years:

Some required and elective courses may meet on Friday evenings or on weekend days in the fall and spring semesters.

During their second, third or fourth year of study, all part-time (evening) program students are required to take Law 6218, Professional Responsibility and Ethics, and fulfill the legal writing requirement and the experiential learning requirement. Students must enroll in coursework to fulfill these three requirements for a letter grade, except when journal participation is used to satisfy the legal writing requirement or a clinical course offered only on a non-letter grade basis is used to satisfy the experiential requirement. In no case may a student fulfill both the legal writing requirement and the experiential learning requirement through the same course.

Legal Writing Requirement

Completion of a 2-credit course that is graded on the basis of a research paper (not examination) is required for the Juris Doctor degree. To satisfy the legal writing requirement, the written work must be based on sound legal research, consist of a single paper of no less than 8,000 words including footnotes, conform to the legal citation rules recognized and adopted by the law school and receive a grade of B- or better. All drafts and the final paper must conform to legal citation rules and all rules outlined in the law school publication Citing Responsibly (PDF). Failure to adhere to such rules may result in a violation of the Academic Integrity Code.

Subject to the foregoing rules and the rules that follow, the legal writing requirement may be met by:

  1. satisfactory completion of Law 6656, Independent Legal Writing;
  2. satisfactory completion of a qualifying 2-credit seminar or other 2-credit course that requires or permits a research paper; or
  3. satisfactory service on the Law Review, International Law Review, American Intellectual Property Law Association Quarterly Journal, Journal of Energy and Environmental Law, Federal Circuit Bar Journal, Public Contract Law Journal, International Law in Domestic Courts, Federal Communications Law Journal or Business and Finance Law Review.

To meet the legal writing requirement through Law 6656, Independent Legal Writing, the following additional rules apply. The course must be taken for 2 credits, work in the course must be supervised by a full-time or part-time member of the faculty and the student must submit the following for approval by the instructor by specified dates:

  1. the intended topic, the intended length of the paper and an outline and
  2. one or more drafts of the paper.

The draft requirement is meant to provide the student an opportunity to improve the paper. The faculty member may require or permit a revised draft.

To meet the legal writing requirement through a 2-credit seminar or other 2-credit course that requires or permits a research paper, the following additional rules apply:

  1. If the instructor of the course requires fewer than 8,000 words for completion of course requirements, the instructor may choose to allow the student to write a longer paper that meets the 8,000-word requirement;
  2. submission of two or more shorter papers does not meet the requirement, nor is the requirement satisfied if the student earns more than 2 credits for the course even if there are course requirements in addition to the research paper.

Law 6656 or a 2-credit seminar or other 2-credit course intended to fulfill the legal writing requirement may be graded on a Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) basis only if the student, under extraordinary circumstances, is granted permission by the Dean of Students Office to take the course under the CR/NC option or if the student is granted an extension beyond the deadline by the instructor. In either case, the student must receive a grade of B- or better for the work product in order to fulfill the legal writing requirement. The letter grade of B- or better will then be recorded as CR on the transcript.

To meet the legal writing requirement through journal participation, the work must be completed in coordination with the satisfactory completion of Law 6657, Scholarly Writing. The student must receive a grade of Honors (H) or Pass (P) for the work to fulfill the requirement.

Experiential Learning Requirement

All Juris Doctor degree students are required to complete 6 credits in courses that require students to learn and develop practical legal skills and strategic thinking through actual legal work or simulated lawyering exercises. The requirement has been established to ensure that all students develop and refine practical legal skills that include one or more of the following: problem solving, factual investigation, communication, counseling, negotiation, litigation, non-litigation advocacy, alternative dispute resolution and drafting of legal documents such as contracts, estate plans and briefs.

The requirement may be met by satisfactory completion of any course identified by the designation “Experiential” or “(E)” following the course description; should the chosen course not be devoted entirely to the skill or skills concerned, the student also must satisfactorily complete any assignments that are outside the experiential component of the course. These courses include Clinics, Field Placement, and other courses that have a significant practical component in courses designated "Experiential" or "(E)." These courses must be taken for a letter grade unless the course or courses are offered only on a Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) basis.

Bias, Cross-Cultural Competency, and Racism Education Requirement (added 4-11-2024)

For students entering law school in 2023 or later, ABA Standard 303(c) requires that all Juris Doctor degree students:

“complete education on bias, cross-cultural competency, and racism (1) at the start of the program of legal education, and (2) at least once again before graduation. For students engaged in law clinics or field placements, the second educational occasion will take place before, concurrently with, or as part of their enrollment in clinical or field placement courses.”

The requirement has been established to reinforce the skill of cultural competency and your obligation as future lawyers to work to eliminate racism in the legal profession.

The first requirement is completed as part of JD orientation. To fulfill the second requirement, all Juris Doctor degree students who have not enrolled in a clinic or field placement course must complete at least one course designated “(BCR).” These courses may be taken for a letter grade or on a Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) basis.

Academic Regulations

Academic Workload

Juris Doctor candidates must maintain a schedule of at least 12 credit hours per semester to be considered full-time. Candidates without substantial outside employment (no more than 20 hours per week) may take a program of study of 16 credit hours per semester.

The Dean of Students Office is authorized to approve programs of study of more than 15 credit hours in exceptional cases; however, no program will be approved that would permit the student to complete requirements for the degree in less than 28 months after beginning the first year of law study. Students with more than 20 total hours per week of outside employment take a limited program of study not exceeding 11 credit hours; the minimum load is 8 credit hours, except in special cases when fewer hours may be approved by the Dean of Students Office for a limited time.

Juris Doctor students may take a maximum of 9 credit hours in a summer session. Of those credit hours, no more than a total of 6 may be earned at other law schools’ summer programs. See Summer School Credit from Other Law Schools. In exceptional cases, the Dean of Students Office is authorized to approve summer programs of study of more than 9 credit hours.

Credit Hour Definition

A “credit hour” is an amount of work that reasonably approximates at least fifty-five (55) minutes of classroom or direct faculty instruction and one hundred thirty-eight and a half (138.5) minutes of out-of-class student work per week for thirteen (13) weeks or the equivalent amount of work over a shorter period of time. A course also must have an examination at least thirty-five (35) minutes in duration (or require equivalent work) per credit hour.

Out-of-class student work may include reading and preparation for class, work on class-related exercises, observations, assignments and projects and preparation for quizzes or examinations. In addition to the out-of-class student work while classes are in session, a significant amount of additional out-of-class student work may be required to prepare for a final examination, or for the research, writing and editing associated with the preparation of a substantial paper.

Although there is no minimum amount of in-class instruction required for simulation, field placement, clinical courses, journals and co-curricular activities, independent writing and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours, at least an equivalent amount of work as that described in the definition above is required for those activities per credit hour.

A student taking more than 11 hours of course work must limit outside employment to not more than 20 total hours per week. All full-time students are urged to refrain from engaging in outside employment during their first year, and the law school will not employ first-year students.

Although work may contribute to the learning and experience of the student, as a general rule it will compete with the time needed for adequate study and preparation, which are at the heart of a good legal education.

Grades

Letter Grades are given with numerical equivalents as follows.

Credit toward the JD degree is given for all grades between D and A+ (inclusive). A JD candidate who receives a grade of F or No Credit (NC) in a required course must retake that course from the same or a different instructor. Any student who retakes a required course and receives a grade of F or NC will be excluded from further study and may not graduate unless the student petitions for and receives the permission of the Academic Scholarship Committee. A JD candidate who receives a grade of F or NC in a non-required course may retake the course once, from the same or a different instructor. All failing and NC grades remain on the record. The cumulative average of a student includes all grades earned in courses evaluated on a letter-grade basis and taken at the law school while a candidate for the degree.

The majority of courses are graded on a letter-grade basis, but for some courses (primarily those that are clinical or skills-oriented), the grade of Credit (CR) or No Credit (NC) is given or the following grading scale is used: Honors (H), Pass (P), Low Pass (LP) and No Credit (NC). For Honors, a student must do work of excellent quality, and no more than 25 percent of the class may earn this grade. For courses graded on a Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) or Honors, Pass, Low Pass or No Credit (H/P/LP/NC) basis, NC is given for work that would receive a grade below C- were evaluation to be made using the letter grade scale.

In the event of any inconsistency between statements by a course instructor or in an individual course syllabus, the deadlines, rules and statements set forth in this Bulletin will govern.

No grade may be changed by an instructor after it has been posted or disclosed to a student unless there has been an arithmetic or administrative error that has been certified in writing as such by the instructor.

A student has the right of faculty peer review of complaints of “prejudiced or capricious academic evaluation” under the regulations outlined in The George Washington University Guide to Students’ Rights and Responsibilities. To be considered for review, the student has the burden of making a prima facie case that the grade was a result of prejudiced or capricious evaluation. The student must demonstrate (with appropriate evidence) that there is no plausible relation between the grade given and the student’s performance in the class and that a reasonable person could not find that the grade was deserved. Mere disagreement with the grade is not a sufficient basis for initiating a faculty peer review. To request such a review, the student must submit a letter and supporting documentation to the Dean of Students Office by the last day of classes of the semester following the semester or summer session in which the grade for an examination, paper or other work product was awarded.

Method of Evaluation

The method of evaluation is indicated at the end of each course description in this Bulletin, and a student’s grade in the course will be determined in large part on that basis. In most courses, a final examination is held during the examination period. These courses are marked “examination.” Additional written work requirements are indicated by notations such as “drafting assignments” or “problem assignments.” Some courses are marked “take-home examination,” indicating that the instructor will determine the method by which the examination is administered outside of the classroom.

Courses that require the preparation of a major research paper in lieu of an examination are marked “research paper.” The satisfactory completion of such a paper by a student individually may satisfy the legal writing requirement for the JD degree, if the student obtains the permission of the instructor to utilize the paper for this purpose, and the paper complies in all respects with the requirements set forth by the instructor and under the Legal Writing Requirement section of this Bulletin.

Experiential Learning courses are usually graded on the basis of simulation, role-playing and/or some form of written assignment and may be marked, for example, “drafting assignments” or “simulation and paper.” In clinical courses, no method of evaluation is indicated. In such courses it is the student’s performance in both fulfilling the requirements of the academic component of the clinic and in carrying out their case work responsibilities that forms the basis for the grade.

Participation

Once a student has been evaluated in a course using the method indicated in the course description, the instructor may raise or lower the student’s grade on the basis of class participation. For courses in which the sole method of evaluation listed in this Bulletin is an examination (whether in-class or take-home), a student’s grade may be raised or lowered for class participation by only one grade step, e.g., from B to B+, or B to B-, provided that the instructor so notifies the students in the syllabus. For other courses, instructors intending to consider class participation in the final grade determination should state in the syllabus the weight it will be accorded.

Academic Recognition

The distinction of “George Washington Scholar” is indicated for those students whose cumulative grade-point average at the end of any semester places them among the top 15 percent of their class. The distinction of “Thurgood Marshall Scholar” is indicated for those students whose cumulative grade-point average at the end of the semester places them between the top 15 and 35 percent of their class. A notation of these distinctions is entered onto students’ transcripts each semester after all grades have been reported in all courses.

JD Concentrations

JD students may earn a concentration in certain substantive fields. Recognition requires students to complete a minimum number of credit hours in the concentration area, after completion of the required first-year curriculum. Specific requirements are administered by the concentration directors and coordinators. Students who wish to receive a concentration are required to declare that intention with the concentration director prior to their final semester in law school, but preferably by the end of their second year.

The concentration directors will advise interested students on the concentration area, program requirements and course options. When a student completes the required concentration courses, the student will submit to the concentration director a form that lists the concentration courses and semester taken, with a copy of their transcript. A student may earn only one concentration and that will be noted on their transcript upon successful completion of requirements. See the Practice Areas section of the Programs of Instruction page for information on requirements.

The Concentration Directors and Coordinators are as follow for the academic year:

Honors

The degree of Juris Doctor “With Highest Honors” is awarded to those students, not exceeding three percent of the graduating class, who have obtained the highest cumulative averages of at least 3.67.

The degree of Juris Doctor “With High Honors” is awarded to those students with the highest cumulative averages of 3.33 or better. The number of students receiving degrees “With High Honors,” when added to the total number of students receiving degrees “With Highest Honors,” may not exceed 10 percent of the graduating class.

The degree of Juris Doctor “With Honors” is awarded to those students with the highest cumulative averages of 3.0 or better. The number of students receiving degrees “With Honors,” when added to the total number of students receiving degrees “With High Honors” and “With Highest Honors,” may not exceed 40 percent of the graduating class.

For students who receive their degrees in September and January, eligibility for honors will be determined based upon the student’s grade-point average in comparison with those students who graduated the previous May.

Order of the Coif

The Order of the Coif, a national legal honor society, aims “to foster a spirit of careful study and to mark in a fitting manner those who have attained a high grade of scholarship.” The George Washington University chapter was established in 1926. Members are elected each year from the highest-ranking 10 percent of the graduating Juris Doctor candidates.

Credit/No Credit Limit and Credit/No Credit Option

A number of the law school’s elective courses are graded on a Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) basis or an Honors/Pass/Low Pass/No Credit (H/P/LP/NC) basis. After the first year of study, students may take up to a total of 17 credit hours of courses graded on a CR/NC or H/P/LP/NC basis. See below for information on transfer student use of CR/NC.

The CR/NC option allows JD candidates who are not transfer students to convert up to 6 credit hours of non-required law courses that are regularly graded on a letter-grade basis on a CR/NC basis. Course credit earned under the CR/NC option counts toward the 17-hour limit. In courses where the CR/NC option has been elected, the following rules apply:

  1. the option may be elected for only one course during a semester or summer session;
  2. the final day for an election of CR/NC in a regularly graded course will be the Monday of the third week of a semester or second week of a summer session;
  3. the decision to exercise the CR/NC option is irrevocable after the final day of the CR/NC election period;
  4. a student must earn a grade of C- or better to earn a grade of CR; if a student earns less than a C- in a course in which the option is exercised, a grade of NC will appear on the student’s transcript;
  5. an unexcused failure to take an examination or submit a required research paper in a course taken on a CR/ NC basis will result in a grade of F. No conversion is permitted after a letter grade has been received.

The CR/NC option is intended to facilitate course experimentation. It is not a license for inadequate class preparation or participation. The faculty advises students to consider carefully whether to elect to take courses on a CR/NC basis. In addition, students should exercise great caution when electing the CR/NC option during their final semester. Students who receive the otherwise passing grade of D in a course in which the CR/NC option is exercised in the final semester will receive no credit. Such students may not have sufficient credits to graduate in a timely fashion.

Transfer students (and Non-U.S. law school graduates admitted to the JD program) enrolling at the law school may not register on a CR/NC basis in any course regularly graded on a letter-graded basis; however, such students may take up to a total of 8 credits in courses regularly graded on a CR/NC or H/P/LP/NC basis. In exceptional circumstances, the Dean of Students Office may authorize a transfer student to exceed the 8-credit maximum, if a minimum of 45 letter-graded credits at GW Law are taken. Such authorization shall be made in writing, in advance of the semester or session in which the registration is planned.