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Stanford Law School Grades

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Grading Systems

Effective Autumn Quarter 2009-10, units earned in the Stanford Law School are quarter units. Units earned in the Stanford Law School prior to 2009-10 were semester units. The following grading system became effective in Autumn Semester 2008-09. J.D. students who graduated in 2009 remained on the prior grading system but all other students shifted to the new grading system. For more information, see http://law.stanford.edu/experience/studentlife/SLS_Student_Handbook.pdf.

H

Honors (exceptional work, significantly superior to the average performance at the school)

P

Pass (representing successful mastery of the course material)

R

Restricted credit (representing work that is unsatisfactory)

F

Fail (representing work that does not show minimally adequate mastery of the material)

MP

Mandatory pass (representing P or better work)

N

Continuing course

I

Incomplete

*

No grade reported

GNR

Grade not reported (effective Autumn Quarter 2009-10).

The grading systems employed at the Stanford Law School September 2001 through Spring 2009 were as follows. Under the numerical system (with letter equivalents), the range of satisfactory grades ran from 4.3 to 2.5 as outlined in the following distribution. Below the grade of 2.5 was one level of restricted credit (2.2) and one level of failure (2.1). The number grades with letter equivalents were as follows:

4.3–4.2

A+

3.4–3.2

B+

2.2

Restricted Credit

4.1–3.9

A

3.1–2.9

B

2.1

Failure

3.8–3.5

A-

2.8–2.5

B-

 

 

On this old system, students could elect to take a limited number of courses on a credit/restricted credit/no credit system (K/RK/NK). 'K' was awarded for work that was comparable to numerical grades 4.3 to 2.5, 'RK' for Restricted Credit-level work (2.2), and 'NK' for Failure-level work (2.1). A limited number of courses were offered on a mandatory credit (KM)/no credit (NK) basis.

'N' is a temporary notation used in a continuing course; it is replaced with a final grade upon completion of the course series.

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