STUDENT HANDBOOK - Cumberland School of Law - Samford ...

14
Academic Policies
Students are graded in academic achievements according to a system of letter grades with quality points assigned as
follows:
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
INC Incomplete
IP In Progress (limited to M.C.L. students)
P Pass
W Withdrew
An incomplete grade may be assigned at the discretion of the instructor as an interim grade. Instructors are not
required to assign incomplete grades. Before an instructor may record an incomplete grade, an Incomplete Grade
Request Form must be completed, signed by the instructor and the student, and delivered to the Office of Law Student
Records. It is the responsibility of the student receiving an incomplete grade to complete the work and facilitate the
INC being changed to the earned grade. An INC becomes an F if the student does not complete and submit all course
work to the professor by the last day of classes of the next regular semester (fall or spring).
Grading and Examinations (See Academic Standard 206.)
Except for seminars and skills courses, the primary basis for a grade in a course is a final
written examination. The faculty member may take into consideration interim
examinations, research papers, class participation, class attendance and other factors
deemed relevant, including conduct related to the class or the examination.
Each student entering Cumberland is assigned an anonymous test number to be
used on exams and some written papers. The same number is used throughout the
student's law school career. The Office of Law Student Records will distribute numbers
in the fall. All numbers are kept on file in the records office for confirmation purposes.
Degree with Honors (See Academic Standard 205.)
The juris doctor degree may be awarded with honors:
summa cum laude if the student's final cumulative GPA at the law school ranks
the student in the top one percent of the graduating class
magna cum laude if the student's final cumulative GPA at the law school ranks
the student in the top five percent of the graduating class
cum laude if the student's final cumulative GPA at the law school ranks the student in the top 15 percent of the
graduating class
Delay in Taking Examinations (See Academic Standard 206.)
Students are expected to take an examination at the scheduled time and to submit research papers on due dates.
Students may be excused from taking an examination or meeting a due date relating to a research paper only for good cause
as determined by the faculty member teaching the course or, if the faculty member is unavailable, the associate dean for
academic affairs. Unless a failure to notify is beyond the reasonable control of the student, a student must provide
notice prior to the scheduled examination date or research paper due date that the student cannot take the examination at
the scheduled time or submit the paper at the established due date. The student will receive a grade of F in the course if
the student fails to have a good cause for the delay or fails to give the required notification. If the student has good
cause and has notified the appropriate faculty member of failure to take an examination or to complete a research paper
on time, the student shall be responsible for contacting the professor to reschedule the examination or set a new due
date for the paper. Such student shall receive an Incomplete [INC] grade until the work is completed. An INC grade
becomes an F if not cleared prior to the last day of classes of the following regular semester.