Alternative Examinations

Alternative Examinations

When the associate dean for academic affairs instructs the registrar to enter a grade of incomplete in a course, the student is required to complete a substitute examination or alternate written work as described below:

• If the student is not scheduled to graduate from the Law School at the end of the semester, and if the course (whether or not taught by the same instructor) will be offered within the next twelve months (or before the student's scheduled graduation, whichever is sooner), then the instructor may require that the student remove the incomplete by taking the examination in a designated section of the course. If the instructor does not require the student to wait until the next time the course is offered, then the instructor should offer the student a substitute examination or alternate written requirement to be completed not later than the end of the following semester (not including the summer term). If the student does not remove the incomplete, then the student will receive a failing grade for the course.

• If the student is scheduled to graduate from the Law School at the end of the semester, the instructor shall designate a substitute examination or alternate written requirement for the student to be completed within a designated number of days as determined by the instructor (if the student otherwise has sufficient credits to graduate, the instructor may require that the student be withdrawn from the course). If the student does not complete the work within the allotted time, the student will receive a failing grade for the course. The student has the option of changing his/her graduation date in order to complete the alternate written requirement. The graduation dates are January 31, Commencement Day in mid-May and July 10. There are no additional graduation dates.

• Pass/fail option. If the course is not a required course, the instructor may specify that the substitute work will be graded on a pass/fail basis. Work so graded will not be counted as a part of the student's permitted pass/fail load