Academic Policies & Procedures

This section offers a brief overview of academic policies and procedures intended for prospective students. Enrolled students will find complete information about Vanderbilt Law School’s academic and other policies and procedures in the Student Handbook, which is available to students through the law school’s intranet site and in print.

Registration

All students must register for each semester on the specified date. If you register after that date, you may incur a late registration charge. If you fail to register until after the first five days of classes, you may be denied permission to register for that semester.

Adding or Dropping Courses

During the first week of classes each semester, you may add or drop most courses without obtaining permission. You should direct all requests for course changes to the Registrar.After this period, you are not normally permitted to add courses to your schedules, and withdrawal from any course requires the approval of the Associate Dean. Any courses dropped after the first week of classes are recorded on your transcript as a withdrawal. This policy applies to individual courses as well as withdrawals or leaves of absence that occur after the first week of class.

You may be denied permission to withdraw from a class for a good reason, for example, if you have already accepted responsibility for a seminar presentation. No student may withdraw from a class after the examination period begins.

Auditing Courses

You may audit courses with the consent of the instructor. As long as you are enrolled for a degree program at the law school, you may audit law courses without charge. The same rules that govern adding and dropping courses apply to requests relating to courses you audit.

Grading Scale

Vanderbilt Law School’s grading scale is as follows:

A+ 4.3	A 4.0	A- 3.7
B+ 3.3	B 3.0	B- 2.7
C+ 2.3	C 2.0	C- 1.7
D+ 1.3	D 1.0	D- 0.7
F 0.0

A student must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above to graduate.

Class Ranking

Vanderbilt Law School does not rank students. Each semester, the top-scoring 20% of students in each class are listed on Dean's List. The top 10% of the graduating class receive Order of the Coif honors.

Planning for Your Second- and Third-Years of Study

After your first year of legal study at Vanderbilt, you have the privilege and the responsibility of planning for your own legal education.

The law school offers a number of academic centers designed to allow you to pursue specific areas of interest, and you are invited to consult the faculty with any questions about the courses offered each semester.

However, the responsibility for fulfilling the requirements for your degree rests solely on you. You are free to consult members of the faculty, deans, the registrar or administrative personnel about your options, but the law school requires no formal conferences or official approvals after your first year.

Leaves of Absence

If you wish to suspend temporarily the normal six-semester program without withdrawing from the school, you must submit a written statement explaining the reasons for the request and obtain administrative approval. If you fail to do this, you may be subject to automatic withdrawal. Leaves of absence will be identified by a notation on the student's transcript.

Part-time Study

If you wish to register for fewer than 10 credit hours in a semester, you must submit a written statement explaining the reasons for your request and obtain administrative approval. If you fail to do this, you may be subject to automatic withdrawal.

Transfer Credit

Students may transfer up to six course credits from other law schools toward their J.D. degree program if approved by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Credit limits also apply to transfer and joint-degree students.

Equal Opportunity Policy

In compliance with federal law, including the provisions of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Vanderbilt University does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, or military service in its administration of educational policies, programs, or activities; its admissions policies; scholarship and loan programs; athletic or other University-administered programs; or employment. In addition, the University does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation consistent with University non-discrimination policy. Inquiries or complaints should be directed to:

Opportunity Development Officer
Baker Building
Box 1809 Station B
Nashville, Tennessee 37235

Telephone 615-322-4705 V/TDD
Fax 615-343-4969

Vanderbilt University Law School