Access Restricted to Northwestern Law CommunityGrading Policy
Authorized Grades
Beginning fall semester 2000, all course work at Northwestern University School of Law will be graded on a 4.33 grading scale. The authorized letter grades and their assigned numerical values are:
| A+ | 4.33 |
| A | 4.00 |
| A- | 3.67 |
| B+ | 3.33 |
| B | 3.00 |
| B- | 2.67 |
| C+ | 2.33 |
| C | 2.00 |
| D | 1.00 |
| F | 0.00 |
Authorized grade entries also include:
- W - Withdrawal
- CR - Credit
- NC - No credit
- I - Incomplete (Exam not yet taken or research paper not yet submitted)
- IP - In progress (Grade not yet received. Delay approved by faculty and Dean of Students)
Mandatory Curve Policy
A mandatory curve is applied to all courses with more than 40 students enrolled. A professor in such a course must distribute the grades as follows:
| Grade | Maximum % |
Minimum % |
| A+ | 7 |
3 |
| A | 15 |
12 |
| A- | 15 |
10 |
| B+ | 30 |
15 |
| B | 35 |
20 |
| B- | 15 |
10 |
| C+ | 7.5 |
0 |
| C | 7.5 |
0 |
| D/F | 7 |
0 |
Note that compliance includes both the high and low range.
To maintain good academic standing and to graduate, a student's grade point average must meet or exceed 2.25.
Reporting of Class Rank
Class rank is not computed, nor is any entry concerning class rank recorded on the official record of any student.
Honors - Classes of 2001 and 2002
Honors are conferred under a transition rule during the 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 academic years as follows:
Summa cum laude
(at the discretion of the faculty)
Magna cum laude
4.00 GPA but at least the top 3%
Cum laude
3.63 GPA but at least the top 30%
Honors - Class of 2003 and subsequent
Summa cum laude
4.20 GPA
Magna cum laude
3.97 GPA
Cum laude
3.65 GPA
Order of the Coif
The Northwestern University School of Law Order of the Coif dates from 1907 and consists of those faculty members elected to the Order.
Consistent with National rules, the Northwestern Chapter may elect to membership any graduating senior who has completed at least 75% of his or her law studies in graded courses and whose grade record ranks in the top 10% of all graduating seniors of the school.
The Northwestern Chapter need not select the maximum eligible and elects only those eligible who, in the opinion of the voting members of the Chapter, are deemed truly worthy of the honor. The Chapter takes into consideration law school activities contributing to the total legal education of the candidate.
