Policies & Guidelines
Grading Policies
See below for a description of the current grading system policies that Wake Forest University School of Law uses along with the previous systems used.
For additional information regarding exam policies and procedures, refer to the Exams page.
Current Grading System
The Wake Forest University School of Law uses the grading scales below for evaluating student work in a course. The grade scales below were adopted for use as follows:
- Master of Studies in Law (MSL) – Beginning Fall 2016
- Juris Doctor (JD): Beginning with the Class of 2019
- Master of Laws (LLM) – Beginning Spring 2017
- Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) – Beginning Spring 2017
| Grade | Grade Points |
| A+ | 4.00 |
| A | 4.00 |
| A- | 3.67 |
| B+ | 3.33 |
| B | 3.00 |
| B- | 2.67 |
| C+ | 2.33 |
| C | 2.00 |
| C- | 1.67 |
| D+ | 1.33 |
| D | 1.00 |
| D- | 0.67 |
| F | 0.00 |
| Grade | Description |
| H | Honor Pass |
| P | Pass |
| LP | Low Pass |
| F | Fail |
| Grade | Description |
| AU | Audit |
| CR | Credit |
| I | Incomplete |
| NC | No Credit |
| S | Satisfied |
| TR | Transfer Credit Accepted |
| W | Withdrew from Course |
| WD | Withdrew from School |
| Mark | Description |
| V | Waived |
| X | Course not calculated in GPA |
| * | Grade not calculated in GPA, credit earned only |
Previous Grading Systems
| Time Period | A | B | C | D | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beginning Fall 2005 | 90-100 | 80-89 | 70-79 | 66-69 | Below 66 |
| Beginning with the Class of 2004 | 88-100 | 80-87 | 70-79 | 66-69 | Below 66 |
| Beginning with the Class of 1994 | 91-100 | 81-90 | 71-80 | 66-70 | Below 66 |
| Through the Class of 1993 | 85-94 | 75-84 | 65-74 | 60-64 | Below 60 |
Additional grade include Audit (AU), Incomplete (I), No Credit (NC), Not Pass (NP), Pass (P), Satisfied (S), Transfer Credit Accepted (TR), Withdrew from course (W), and Withdrew from school (WD).
| Time Period | A | B | C | D | F |
| Beginning Fall 2009 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
For the grading system used prior to Fall 2009, refer to the JD table above.
| Time Period | A | B | C | D | F |
| Prior to Spring 2017 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
| Time Period | A+ | A | A- | B+ | B | B- | C+ | C | C- | D+ | D | D- | F |
| Prior to Spring 2016 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 |
Transfer of Credit Policies
Wake Forest Students Visiting Away
The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs may grant a Wake Forest student the right to visit at another law school for one or two semesters if the student can show “special need.” Examples of “special need” include, but are not limited to: engagement or marriage to a person who lives a sufficient distance from Winston-Salem so that continued enrollment at Wake Forest constitutes a hardship; specialized training available at the other school that is not available at Wake Forest. Examples that would not constitute “special need” include, but are not limited to: a desire to study closer to home; lower tuition at another school; greater ease in preparing for another state’s bar exam; placement opportunities.
Grades earned as a visiting student do not transfer to a student’s Wake Forest record, nor are they included in the student’s record for purposes of calculating rank in class. Only course credits earned at the visited law school are transferred to the student’s record. However, in order for course credits earned elsewhere to transfer as course credits for the Wake Forest Law JD degree, a visiting student must earn a grade of “C” or better in the course. Visiting students must obtain approval of all courses taken at the visited school from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
Transfer Students
The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs determines the amount and type of credit given for work done in other law schools. This determination is typically based on an interview with the transfer student, a review of curriculum information from the previous law school, and, in some cases, consultation with faculty members who taught the transfer student at the previous law school.
Specifically, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs will determine the overall number of credits earned, the number of credits to be attributed to each course, and the number of graduation requirements that the transfer student has satisfied. The Associate Dean’s decision is based on the similarity in subject matter and academic rigor between the course as taught at the previous law school and the course as taught at Wake Forest Law. The objective is to grant each transfer student the number of credits and fulfillment of degree requirements that students would receive for completing comparable work at Wake Forest Law.
The transfer of credits usually results in the loss of some credit because of differences in graduation requirements and course credits. Please keep in mind, full credit for Legal Analysis, Research, and Writing from the previous law school is generally not given and, depending on the previous law school’s curriculum, some first-year Wake Forest classes may be required.