Chapter 6:
Academic Eligibility & Changes of Enrollment

Academic Eligibility

Exclusion for Academic Reasons

Students will be academically ineligible to continue in law school if they fail to achieve the following required cumulative grade point averages:

• JD students: a cumulative weighted grade average of 2.33 is required at the end of the 1L year and at the end of every academic semester thereafter; 

• LLM students: a cumulative grade average of 2.0 or above is required at the end of their first year and at the end of every academic semester thereafter;

• SJD students: a cumulative grade average of 2.0 or Pass is required at the end of every academic semester.

• MSL students: a cumulative grade average of 2.5 or above is required at the end of their second academic semester and at the end of every academic semester thereafter; and

Any student ineligible to continue in law school may petition for readmission through the process described later in this Chapter.

Leaves of Absence and Withdrawals

Voluntary Leave of Absence

The Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs may allow students to take a leave of absence for one or two semesters. In extraordinary circumstances, the Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs may grant a leave of more than two semesters. To take a leave of absence, students should notify either the Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs of their request and should complete a Change of Enrollment Request form, which can be found below or on the Registrar's Office website.  A student requesting a leave of absence is responsible for any arrangements needed for financial aid or scholarships.

No more than five years may elapse between the commencement and completion of the requirements for the JD degree. No more than three years may elapse between the commencement and completion of the LLM degree. No more than five years may elapse between the commencement and completion of the SJD degree. No more than six years may lapse between the commencement and completion of the MSL degree. No more than two years may lapse between the commencement and the completion of the MSL certificate. 

The School of Law applies the University tuition refund policy where applicable. Tuition refund information can be found in Chapter 14.

Students, in any School of Law program, who are members of the U.S. Armed Forces – including reserve components and the National Guard – may be required to suspend their studies temporarily to fulfill certain service obligations. Provided that the student was making satisfactory academic progress prior to the suspension of their studies, the School of Law will accommodate short absences of this nature and will provide readmission to those who seek to resume enrollment in their academic program upon fulfillment of such obligations. 

Return from Leaves of Absence

Students who have received a leave of absence and who wish to re-enroll must notify the Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at least one month prior to their projected date of re-enrollment by completing the Re-Enrollment Request Form linked below and available on the Registrar’s Office website. The Dean retains the right to deny re-enrollment to a student granted a leave of absence where re-enrollment will not be in the best interest of the student or the School of Law community.

Return from Second Medical Leave of Absence

A residential law student who voluntarily enters into a first Leave of Absence for medical reasons (all issues pertaining to physical or mental health) and wishes to return to the School of Law should follow the Return from Leaves of Absence procedure as outlined above.

Residential law students who have been granted a second Leave of Absence for medical reasons must complete the Re-Enrollment Request Form linked above and available on the Registrar's Office website, in addition to following the procedures outlined below. These criteria are designed to ensure that the student has overcome the medical condition(s) and is capable of functioning in a demanding, high-stress environment.

1. All residential law students who apply for readmission after a second medical leave must demonstrate the ability to maintain regular, full time employment (generally for at least 9 consecutive months) prior to returning to academic studies. The employment setting must require demands and rigor that would assist in predicting a student’s success in the challenging, high-stress environment of law school. The student must obtain a letter from the student’s employment supervisor stating that the student attended work regularly and adequately performed all assignments. This letter cannot be provided by a parent or relative of the student.

2. The physician(s) or therapist(s) who treated the law student during the second leave period must document appropriate and adequate treatment of the condition(s). In certain cases, the School of Law may also require the same documentation from the physician(s) or therapist(s) who treated the student during the first leave period to ensure that those medical conditions remain stable.

3. The physician(s) or therapist(s) who treat the student during the second leave period must provide a letter giving an opinion concerning whether or not the student should resume academic work at the School of Law and explain why the student is ready to return to the stressful demands associated with legal education. The same information may be required from physician(s) or therapist(s) who treated the student during the first leave period.

4. The Executive Director of the Student Health Service and the Director of the University Counseling Center (when appropriate) will review this information and make an independent recommendation to the Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the Assistant Dean for  Student Affairs. These deans will consult with the Law School Admissions Committee in making the decision regarding readmission. The final readmission decision will be based upon the information provided by the required treating physician(s) and therapist(s), the employer information, as well as the student’s medical and psychological history prior to each withdrawal.

5. All law students who are readmitted following a second leave for medical, psychiatric or psychological reasons will be required to follow the recommendations of the physician or therapist who provides care during the absence as well as the recommendations of the Student Health Service and the University Counseling Center.

6. In addition to the recommendations of the physician or therapist who cared for the student, each returning law student must be re-evaluated by the Student Health Service or the University Counseling Center within three weeks of returning to the School of Law. This will ensure that the transition back to academic life is going well and that no additional resources or additional treatment(s) are necessary. 

The final readmission decision will be made by the Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. If a student previously had a scholarship and is readmitted, the student’s scholarship will be renewed when readmitted. Should the student need to take a third medical leave, generally the scholarship will only be renewed upon return if the student has made adequate academic progress by completing at least one semester prior to the second leave.

All documentation from the treating physician(s) or therapist(s) must be submitted to the Student Health Service at least 2 months prior to the start of classes for the semester in which the student desires to re-enroll. Documentation of the student’s employment progress from the student’s supervisor must be submitted to either the Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at the same time.

Withdrawal

A withdrawal may be granted for students who are not subject to exclusion, dismissal, or suspension and who wish to withdraw permanently from the School of Law. To withdraw, students should notify either the Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or Assistant Dean for Student Affairs of their intention to withdraw. To initiate the withdrawal, the student should complete the Change of Enrollment Request Form found below and available on the Registrar's Office website.   

The School of Law applies the University tuition refund policy where applicable. Tuition refund information can be found in Chapter 14.

Former students who wish to enroll at any time after their withdrawal is processed will be required to re-apply as a new student through the Office of Admissions & Financial Aid. 

Readmission for Academically Ineligible Students

A JD, LLM, or SJD student who becomes academically ineligible may petition the Academic Rules & Discipline Committee ("ARD"), and in extraordinary cases may be readmitted under the conditions determined by the ARD. Academically ineligible JD, LLM, or SJD students must remain ineligible for at least one academic year and may only petition once for readmission.

An MSL student who becomes academically ineligible may petition the ARD and may be readmitted under the conditions determined by the ARD so long as readmission is in the best interests of both the student and the School of Law.

The petition for readmission must clearly explain the reason(s) for academic failure and establish by clear and convincing evidence the causal link between the reason(s) and the failure and why the asserted reason(s) will not constitute a bar to success in the future.

ARD will investigate the petition and will have final decision-making authority. There is no appeal. ARD will notify the faculty regarding each pending petition coming before it and will invite interested faculty to provide pertinent information.

ARD will decide the terms and conditions of any readmission with the presumption that any JD student readmitted must repeat the entire first year of law school.

Students who withdraw from the School of Law before completing one semester of work must apply for readmission through the admissions office.

Students who withdraw from the School of Law after completing one semester of work, with a grade point average of less than that required by their program must apply for readmission through the admissions office.

Academic Eligibility to Participate in Summer Programs

To be eligible to attend any one of the summer programs, a first-year Wake Forest Law student must have a GPA of at least 2.33 as of the end of the first-year fall term. A second-year student must have a GPA of at least 2.33 at the time of applying to the summer program.