How we grade
In the first year, faculty may grade solely on examinations or may also consider class participation when assigning the final grade.
In upper-level elective and seminar courses, your academic work may be graded entirely by an exam or paper; or the professor may factor with the exam or paper grade, any of the following or combination of the following:
- in-course assignments
- quizzes
- classroom participation
If a professor bases the final grade in a course in whole or in part on written assignments other than “traditional” exams, these written assignments should be graded anonymously except where the assignment involves student-faculty interchange that in the faculty member’s judgment makes anonymity for all students impossible. Professors must announce their grading practices during the add/drop period.
In clinical, externship and skills courses, how your grade is determined will be announced by the instructor prior to the end of add/drop. In most of these types of courses, your grade predominantly will be a matter of your participation and may include written work or an exam. Naturally, these courses will have an attendance requirement. If unable to meet the attendance requirement, you should consider dropping the course before the end of add/drop.
Since 2004, law faculty are required to adhere to a mandatory grade curve and in 2012, the law faculty modified the grading policy. You can find the new policy here . Only the Vice Dean can grant an exception to the policy and only then for good cause shown by the faculty member.
Once a student’s degree has been conferred, the academic record is closed and it cannot be changed or amended.
What types of grades are given
Law grades in courses graded by standard letter grade have quality points from which your grade point average is determined:
“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” (1.0) and
“F” (fail – 0 quality points that will factor into your grade point average, no credit is earned).
As an alternative to these standard letter grades, pass/fail grades may be used in certain Law School courses as approved by the Vice Dean or Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development. The following four grades are available: “H” (honors), “P” (pass), “LP” (low pass), and “F” (fail). A grade of honors, pass, or low pass will not affect a student’s grade point average but will count toward the total number of credits required for graduation. A grade of “fail” will affect a student’s grade point average. With the exception of courses in the Lawyering Skills courses, the number of honors grades cannot exceed 10.0% of enrolled students under any circumstance.
Absent a controlling language in a course description, instructors may select which grading system they use in a given course. If the course description does not specify a grading system and the instructor does not specify a grading system before the end of the add/drop period, Standard Letter grading will be used. If a course description or an instructor indicates that some form of pass-fail grading will be used, but does not use the exact phrase “Standard Pass-Fail” or “Extended Pass-Fail” or is otherwise ambiguous, Extended Pass-Fail grading will be used.
Other grades that have no effect on your grade point average may be on your transcript:
“T” (transfer credit from another institution – students must request permission to “visit” another institution or an institution’s abroad program and must seek approval to register in specific courses. To transfer, grades in approved credits must be a “C” or better and will come to the W&M transcript as a “P”)
“NG” (no grade or credit earned - when a faculty member has not yet submitted your grade)
“I” (incomplete-can only be given with permission of the Associate Dean for Administration and is never given to a graduating student in the semester they are graduating)
“O” (audit-no credit earned)
You have the option to convert a non-required grade to a pass
You may not elect to take a regularly graded course pass/fail. You may only convert a grade earned (subject to the policy) to a “pass.”
You may, if in good standing, elect to convert to a “pass” one course grade that was graded by a letter grade. This option is governed by the Grade Conversion Policy below.
You can request a faculty member to explain how you were graded
We do not have a means to appeal a grade.
We do encourage grade review.
LL.M. students may elect, in any semester, to be graded on an Honors/Pass/Fail scale, rather than on a letter-grade scale, for all coursework in that semester other than Legal Research and Writing. Students wishing to make this election must communicate that intention by submitting a Grade Election Form to the Law School Registrar, by the end of the Add/Drop week in that semester. If the form is not submitted by the deadline, the student will be subject to the standard grading scale in all courses that semester. Such an election, once made, is irrevocable and it must be exercised with respect to all coursework in a semester. Courses offered to all students only on a Pass/Fail basis will not award Honors grades.
Grade Conversion Policy
Grading Policy
1. A law student may not choose to take a regularly graded course pass/fail. The Law School permits only a grade conversion of an earned grade.
2. A law student may not convert a grade earned in any required class, including a course taken to meet the writing requirement.
3. The option to convert a grade must be exercised in the final semester of study (for JD seeking, typically the spring semester of the third year, for LL.M. seeking typically the second semester, or for third semester students their final semester.)
JD seeking, the request for conversion should be submitted by the third week of the final semester to have the conversion included in the new semester class rank. If not submitted by the third week, the form must be submitted by either Nov 01 or Apr 01 of the final semester to cause a grade conversion.
LL.M. seeking, the request for conversion must be submitted by Nov 01 if student’s final semester is fall, or by Apr 01 if student’s final semester is spring.
4. The grade must have been earned:
JD seeking, after the first year and before the final semester of law school.
LL.M. seeking, during any semester at the Law School except the final semester of study. Note, for third semester LL.M. students, deadlines listed above in policy number 3 apply.
5. Once exercised, the conversion is irrevocable.
6. The option can only be exercised by submission of the Grade Conversion survey, made available to students in their final semester.
7. A “pass” is defined as a grade of “C” or higher.
8. In exercising this option, a student must adhere to any other restriction governing eligibility for earning pass-fail credits.
LL.M. students considering these grading options should be aware that eligibility for admission to a state bar, to a J.D. or other educational program, for third-party funding, or for other programs may be affected by the number of courses taken for any basis other than a letter grade.
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