List of law school GPA curves

Many, or perhaps most, law schools in the United States grade on a curve. The process generally works within each class, where the instructor grades the work, and then ranks the initial grades, adding to and subtracting from the initial grades so that the overall pattern of grades matches the school's specified curve (usually a bell curve).

Grading on a curve contributes to the notoriously competitive atmosphere within law schools. [Barbara Glesner Fines, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, " [http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/profiles/glesnerfines/competition.htm Competition and the Curve] ," 65 "UMKC L. Rev." (1997); "see also" " [http://calis_pre-law_blog.classcaster.org/blog/archives/2006/04/18 Competition and the Mandatory Curve in Law School] ," Apr. 18, 2006, CALI's Pre-Law Blog ("The main source of this competition is the mandatory curve you will likely encounter once you enter law school. The curve affects the class rank, affects the chances of making law review, affects the chances of scoring that big job/externship.").]

The following list shows where law schools set the 50% mark.

The List

Not ranked

The following law schools have adopted a grading system which does not allow for the calculation of a comparable median GPA, if any GPA is recorded at all:

*Berkeley Law (aka Boalt Hall), University of California, Berkeley, Law School — pass/no pass system with 40% of first-year students receiving pass with honors in each class. [ [http://www.law.berkeley.edu/students/career_services/foremployers/grading.html Grading Policy] , law.berkeley.edu, accessed March 22, 2007]
*Columbia Law School — no reported GPA, but 30-33% of class qualifies for a distinction awarded to those with "an academic average significantly better than B+". [ [http://www.law.columbia.edu/careers/career_services/employers/About_Columbia_/Grading_and_Hon Columbia Law School: Grading] , accessed March 22, 2007]
*Harvard Law School — not reported, but 10% of class graduates magna cum laude with a GPA slightly above an A-minus (roughly the equivalent of a 3.72) or higher; the next 30% graduates cum laude with a GPA between a B+ and an A-minus (roughly the equivalent of a 3.55 or higher). [ [http://law.harvard.edu/academics/registrar/2007-08/honors_cutoffs_2008.php HLS: GPA Cutoffs] , accessed July 12, 2008]
*University of Chicago Law School — uses unusual numeric grade with median of 177. [ [http://www.law.uchicago.edu/files/admin-matters-for-faculty.pdf Memorandum to the faculty] , September 2006, accessed March 22, 2007]
*Yale Law School — pass/no pass system with honors distinctions with no fixed curve. [ [http://www.law.yale.edu/academics/jdgrades.asp Yale Law School | Grades] , accessed March 22, 2007]
*New York University School of Law — not reported. [http://www.law.nyu.edu/depts/studentaffairs/publications/handbook/grades.pdf New York University School of Law | Grades & Academic Standards (J.D. & LL.M.)] , accessed August 19, 2007]
*University of Pennsylvania Law School — not reported.
* Northeastern University School of Law — written evaluations given for each course with "buzz words" used.
* University of Notre Dame Law School — No mandated curve, no class rank. [ [http://law.nd.edu/careers/for-employers/grading-policy | Notre Dame Law School Grading Policy] , accessed June 2, 2008]

Notes

ee also

*Law School
*Law schools in the United States