7
Academic Policies
Altering the Academic Program
Leave of absence
Registered students in good academic standing may petition for a leave of absence for up to one year. The General Petition form should be submitted to the senior assistant dean for student services. A registration cancellation fee of $250 and/or full or partial tuition will be assessed, depending on the requested date of the leave. Students on leave of absence are expected to register for the term immediately following the expiration of the leave. Returning students should contact the Law Records Office prior to the registration period to ensure that they have a registration appointment.
First-year students who begin a leave of absence after receiving a grade for semester-long courses but before receiving final grades for other courses must retake the semester-long course if the student received a grade of C or below. The new grade will replace the original grade on the student’s transcript.
After a leave of absence has been granted, if a student does not return by the date specified, the law school may permanently withdraw the student. A student will not be readmitted without submission of an application for admission that will be reviewed by the appropriate faculty committee.
Withdrawal
Students who wish to withdraw from the law school must submit a written request to the senior assistant dean for student services. A student’s account balance must be cleared of all charges before grade transcripts, financial aid transcripts, or other documents will be released to the student or other outside agencies. A $250 registration cancellation fee is assessed to students enrolled in courses at the time of withdrawal.
Students who do not register for classes and meet the financial clearance deadline for any regular academic period will be administratively withdrawn from the law school.
After withdrawal from the law school, a student will not be readmitted without submission of an application for admission; a student must reapply through the Office of Admissions and complete the formal competitive admissions process.
The Law Records Office advises the appropriate campus offices regarding student withdrawals. Withdrawing students should contact the ACCESS Card Office for information regarding the process of canceling their card. Their office phone number is 408-551-1647.
Bay Area consortium
After satisfactory completion of one year of law study, subject to the limits stated below, students may enroll in not to exceed one course each semester offered by the following schools which have joined the SCU School of Law in a Bay Area consortium: University of San Francisco School of Law, Golden Gate University School of Law, and University of California, Davis, School of Law.
Student may enroll in a course offered by a consortium school only if the same course is not offered by the SCU School of Law during the same semester and only if the course is not comparable to internship or externship courses offered by SCU School of Law. In addition, absent prior approval by the senior assistant dean for student services based on good cause shown, students may not enroll in a course covering substantially the same subject matter as a course designated as “required” by the School of Law. Students pay tuition to SCU for courses taken at a consortium school.
Students receive credit toward the 86 units needed for graduation for courses completed at consortium schools only if the School of Law receives an official transcript from the consortium school reflecting a grade of C or better in a graded course or “credit” in a course graded “credit/no credit.” Consortium course grades of C or better or a grade of “credit” will be reflected as “credit” on the SCU transcript.
Transfer units
1. Admission to Advanced Standing
Typically 75 to 100 applicants apply to transfer to SCU annually. Applicants who have completed one year of law school study may be considered for advanced standing. Transfer students may apply to begin their studies at SCU in either the fall or spring semester; however, all students must complete a minimum of 56 units at the SCU School of Law. Applications should be submitted several months before the beginning of the term. Admissions decisions will not be made before an official transcript showing the final semester grades at the prior school has been received.
Each applicant must complete the Application for Admission and return it with the nonrefundable application fee. The candidate must also supply:
- A copy of the applicant’s LSDAS report;
- Official transcripts from any other law schools attended;
- A letter from the dean of the law school attended stating that the applicant is in good standing and eligible to return; and
- An official transcript from the applicant’s undergraduate degree granting school.
The Admission Committee will consider the quality of work for which credit is sought and whether the applicant’s qualifications are such that the applicant would have been permitted to enter the School of Law as a first-year student. Letters of recommendation from law school professors are often helpful.
2. Credit
Upon acceptance to SCU, a student’s law school record is evaluated. An SCU required course is considered satisfactorily completed if the student has received a grade of C or above for a course with similar content and unit value. To meet residency requirements, students must complete 56 semester units at the School of Law. For graduation, 86 units are required.
Transfer students must have completed courses totaling 50 graded units at SCU School of Law to be eligible for honors at graduation. Transfer students are eligible to participate on the Santa Clara Law Review, the Santa Clara Journal of International Law, and the Santa Clara Computer and High Technology Journal.
For more information, contact the Law Admissions Office at lawadmissions@scu.edu or 408-554-5048.
Summer Courses and programs
Students may enroll in law courses offered by SCU School of Law during the summer, either at the University or in a Summer Abroad program. Units successfully completed count toward the 86 units needed to graduate.
Subject to exceptions stated in the next sentence, a student may count toward the 86 units needed to graduate no more than a cumulative total of 4 units successfully completed during one or more summers in summer law courses, either domestic or foreign, offered by another ABA-accredited law school.
The School of Law will not recognize credit for any summer course taken elsewhere covering substantially the same subject matter as a course designated as “required” by the School of Law, and will not recognize credit for any summer course taken elsewhere if that course is comparable to the internship or externship courses offered by SCU School of Law. The dean may lower the number of units permitted to transfer under this rule based upon fiscal or operational concerns of the law school.
Students pay tuition charged by the ABA-accredited law school that they attend to that school. In addition, in order to transfer credits to SCU for units taken during the summer from another ABA-accredited law school, students may be required to pay SCU a per-unit transfer fee set by the administration. The transfer fee may vary.
Students must check with the senior assistant dean for student services prior to registering for another school’s summer class or program to ascertain the fee and must obtain that dean’s approval prior to registering for another school’s summer class or program. Units earned in such a class or program will not be counted toward the 86 units needed to graduate absent such prior approval.
Units completed in a summer program offered by another ABA-accredited law school will be counted toward the 86 units needed for graduation provided that the School of Law receives an official transcript from the school at which units were taken that reflects a grade for the units of C or better in a graded course or “credit” in a course graded “credit/no credit.” Either a letter grade of C or better or a grade of “credit” will be reflected as “credit” on the SCU transcript.
Non-Law courses
Law students may audit courses in other SCU departments with prior approval from the senior assistant dean for student services; however, most outside courses do not contribute toward the minimum number of units needed for graduation. To request approval, students should submit a General Petition form to the senior assistant dean for student services and to the course professor. Tuition is charged for all non-law courses. Students should consult the Bursar’s Office for current fees.
With prior approval from the senior assistant dean for student services, law students may enroll for credit in selected counseling courses offered through the School of Education, Counseling, Psychology, and Pastoral Ministries. These courses include
- CP 200. Psychology of Interpersonal Communication
- CP 215. Psychology of Childhood
- CP 266. Counseling the Adolescent
- CP 275. Ethical and Legal Issues in Counseling
- CP 312. Counseling for Contemporary Problems
To receive credit, students must earn a grade of C or better. These units transfer as CR/NC grades. A 3-unit quarter-long course counts toward 2 semester units of credit when the grade is transferred. These units count toward a maximum of 6 allowable field units. See Limitation on Cumulative Units in Chapter 5.
Visiting at other law schools
With prior approval from the senior assistant dean for student services, a limited number of students who have successfully completed the first year of study at the School of Law may visit away for no more than two semesters at another ABA-accredited law school, including in semester-abroad programs offered by such schools. The course of study during such a visit may not include any course comparable to the internship or externship courses offered by the School of Law. Notwithstanding such a visit, students must still successfully complete 56 units of credit toward the J.D. degree in courses offered at the School of Law.
Priority for approval of such a visit is given to students demonstrating serious and unforeseen hardship, including but not limited to medical emergency, unexpected relocation of a family member or life partner, or severe financial difficulty. The dean may deny any other request for a visit based upon educational, fiscal, or operational concerns of the School of Law.
To obtain approval, students must submit a petition to the senior assistant dean for student services identifying the school at which the student desires to visit, the student’s proposed course of study, the unit value of the course of study, the dates of the visit, the student’s reason for seeking approval, and any other information the dean deems necessary or appropriate. In deciding whether to grant or deny a petition, the senior assistant dean for student services may also consider the student’s academic record. The senior assistant dean may also impose appropriate conditions on the visit (e.g., a “required” course may not be taken, or certain courses must be taken at the School of Law upon completion of the visit).
Students will receive credit toward the 86 units needed for graduation for courses completed during a visit elsewhere only if the School of Law receives an official transcript from the other law school reflecting a grade of C or better in a graded course or “credit” in a course graded “credit/no credit.” A letter grade of C or better or a grade of “credit” will be reflected as “credit” on the Santa Clara University transcript. Students visiting away during their last semester must ensure that official transcripts are submitted to the Law Records Office as soon as possible to ensure that the J.D. degree is posted in time to certify the student for the bar exam.
Students must pay the tuition charged by the other law school to that school. A $250 registration cancellation fee will be assessed to students who withdraw from courses at the School of Law in order to visit at another law school.
