List of law school GPA curves
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Many, or perhaps most, law schools in the United States grade on a curve. The process generally works within each class, where the instructor grades the work, and then ranks the initial grades, adding to and subtracting from the initial grades so that the overall pattern of grades matches the school's specified curve (usually a bell curve).
The practice has been criticized for contributing to grade inflation among law schools[1] and for contributing to the notoriously competitive atmosphere within law schools.[2]
The following list shows where law schools set the 50% mark.
Contents |
[edit] The List
| law school | median GPA (from highest to lowest) |
|---|---|
| Ohio State University Moritz College of Law | 3.7 [3] |
| University of Texas School of Law | 3.42 [4] |
| Stanford Law School | 3.4 [5] |
| Cornell Law School | 3.35 [6] |
| Washington and Lee University School of Law | 3.335 [7] |
| Northwestern University School of Law | 3.33 [8] |
| Duke University School of Law | 3.3 [9] |
| Georgetown University Law Center | 3.3 [10] |
| University of Michigan Law School | 3.3[11] 1st year mean median unknown |
| University of Virginia Law School | 3.3 [12] |
| University of Minnesota Law School | 3.247-3.311 [13] |
| University of Southern California School of Law | 3.2 [14] |
| Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law | 3.072 [15] |
| Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law | 3.042 [16] |
| University of Wisconsin Law School | 2.85-3.1 [17] |
| University of San Francisco School of Law | 2.731-2.995 [18] |
| Saint Louis University School of Law | 2.644-2.898 [19] [20] [21] |
[edit] Not Ranked
The following law schools have adopted a grading system which does not allow for the calculation of a comparable median GPA, if any GPA is recorded at all:
- Boalt Hall, University of California, Berkeley, Law School — pass/no pass system with 40% of first-year students receiving pass with honors in each class.[22]
- Columbia Law School — no reported GPA, but 30-33% of class qualifies for a distinction awarded to those with "an academic average significantly better than B+".[23]
- Harvard Law School — not reported.[24]
- University of Chicago Law School — uses unusual numeric grade with median of 177.[25]
- Yale Law School — pass/no pass system with honors distinctions with no fixed curve.[26]
[edit] Notes
- ^[citation needed]
- ^ Barbara Glesner Fines, "Competition and the Curve," 65 UMKC L. Rev. (1997); see also "Competition and the Mandatory Curve in Law School," Apr. 18, 2006, CALI's Pre-Law Blog ("The main source of this competition is the mandatory curve you will likely encounter once you enter law school. The curve affects the class rank, affects the chances of making law review, affects the chances of scoring that big job/externship.").
- ^ Moritz Law 2006 rankings Moritz Law Registrar
- ^ UT OCS
- ^ Stanford OCS
- ^ Cornell OCS
- ^ W&L Admissions
- ^ Northwestern Acadmics
- ^ Duke OCS
- ^ Georgetown Faculty
- ^ Michigan Registrar
- ^ Virginia website
- ^ Minnesota Quartiles
- ^ USC Handbook
- ^ Cardozo OCS
- ^ SMU OCS
- ^ Wisconsin Students
- ^[citation needed]
- ^ SLU First Year Rankings
- ^ SLU Second Year Rankings
- ^ SLU Third Year Rankings
- ^ Grading Policy, law.berkeley.edu, access March 22, 2007
- ^ Columbia Law School: Grading, accessed March 22,2007
- ^ HLS Grading System, accessed March 22, 2007
- ^ Memorandum to the faculty, September 2006, accessed March 22, 2007
- ^ Yale Law School | Grades, accessed March 22, 2007
