I. The Academic Program

B. General Rules

1. Class Attendance

Regular and punctual class attendance is required. Faculty members have discretion to enforce this policy as each determines best serves its purpose. Faculty members taking attendance into account in the grading of the course shall indicate the policy and its method of enforcement in the course syllabus. At the request of the faculty member, excess absences from class may result in the student being administratively withdrawn from the course by the Dean.

2. Employment Outside the Law School

A student may not engage in employment for more than 20 hours per week in any semester in which the student is enrolled in 12 or more class credits. Any student employment is strongly discouraged during the first year of law school.

Administratively updated October 15, 2010

3. Retaking of Courses.

As a general matter, students are not permitted to retake law school courses, except when required to do so under another policy of the School of Law in order to successfully complete a course that is required for graduation. In exceptional circumstances, students may request permission to retake other courses not successfully completed, but any student who makes such a request must obtain the prior approval of the Office of the Dean, which may be granted in the sole discretion of the Dean or the Dean’s designee. If any student makes such a request, then, when reasonably possible, the Dean or the Dean’s designee will consult with the professor of the course that the student did not successfully complete regarding the student’s request to retake the course. Such consultation should occur before determining whether or not to grant the request. In no event will a student be permitted to retake a course the student has successfully completed.

If a student is required or permitted to retake a course, the student will receive credit for the original course, if a passing grade is received in the original course, and for the retaken course, if a passing grade is received in the retaken course. If credit is received for both courses, the number of credits required for graduation will be increased by the number of credits received for the retaken course. The grade for each course, whether satisfactory or unsatisfactory, will be recorded on the student’s official transcript in the semester in which the applicable course is taken. Both grades will be used to compute the student’s cumulative grade point average.

This policy does not apply to a student who is admitted or readmitted as a first year student, without advanced standing, after academic disqualification or withdrawal.

By administrative action of the Dean August 10, 1988.  Section (I.B.3.) as amended by the Faculty Committee April 26, 2011, and effective August 15, 2011.

4. Grades of “Incomplete”

It is expected that students will complete all requirements for a course during the time frame of the course. For reasons beyond a student’s control, and upon request by the student or on behalf of the student, an incomplete grade may be assigned by the instructor when there is reasonable certainty the student will successfully complete the course without retaking it. The mark “I,” Incomplete, will be assigned only to the student who has been in attendance and has done satisfactory work up to a time within four weeks of the close of the semester, including the examination period, and whose work is incomplete for reasons satisfactory to his or her instructor.

Incompletes are entered on the final grade roster, and instructors must submit by a “Report of Incomplete Grade” form to the Office of Student Life, which will in turn submit the form to the University’s Office of the Registrar. The instructor may choose any one of the following options for the deadline to complete the course:

1. The default date as stated in the “UND Schedule of Courses.”

2. An extension to 12 calendar months after the end of the course (requires approval of the Dean).

3. An extension to a date of the instructor’s choosing no later than 12 months after the end of the course (requires approval of the Dean).

Incomplete grades will convert to a grade of “F” if a grade or incomplete extension is not submitted by the instructor to the Office of Student Life on or before the deadline written on the “Report of Incomplete Grade” form. An incomplete grade must be changed by 12 calendar months from the ending date of the class. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor about an incomplete grade posted on the final grade report.

An “I” may be converted as indicated above but cannot be expunged from the record. Students may not register in courses in which they currently hold grades of incomplete, except for courses that allow repeated enrollment. A student will not be allowed to graduate with an unconverted incomplete grade on the academic record.

Modified version of UND policy administratively adopted August 6, 2010

5. Dropping and Adding Courses and Course Withdrawals

After registration, a student may drop or add courses. This should be done prior to the University Office of the Registrar’s deadline for dropping or adding of courses as stated in the “UND Schedule of Courses.” No course in the School of Law may be dropped or added after the deadline without the written approval of the Dean and approval of the instructor in each course.

A student wishing to drop or add a course after registration should obtain a Registration Action Form from the Office of Student Life. The form is to be completed by the student and returned to the Office of Student Life. Faculty signatures will be required for all course changes after general or course-specific deadlines. The Office of Student Life will forward the form to the University Office of the Registrar. Withdrawal from a course will be indicated on a student’s transcript by a “W.”

This procedure also applies to changing registration in a course from credit to audit, or vice versa; and from graded to ungraded, or vice versa.

Administratively updated October 15, 2010

6. Auditing a Course

A law student may audit a law school class. No credit is given or received for audited classes. The audit will be reflected on the student’s transcript. Any student who wishes to audit a class and have his or her transcript reflect the audit must complete an audit request form. The completed form must contain the reasons for the request and must be approved by the instructor. The approval of the Dean is also required and such approval will not be granted as a matter of course.

Attendance will be required of auditors who wish their transcript to reflect the audit. Auditors and Faculty must certify to the Dean's office compliance with the attendance and other class requirements sometime subsequent to the last day of class but no later than the last day of finals week. Failure to do so will result in a withdrawal of the audit indication on the transcript.

Administratively adopted August 26, 1982
Revised by Faculty Committee March 31, 1995
Updated September 5, 2002

7. Credit for Courses Outside the Law School

Unless otherwise provided in the requirements of a joint degree or certificate program, students may take up to six credits of undergraduate or graduate courses in other departments or colleges of the University of North Dakota, with the approval of the Assistant Dean. The student’s petition must indicate how the requested course(s) will contribute to the student’s professional education. Courses approved under this section will be graded on a basis of S/U.

Administratively updated October 15, 2010

8. Continuing Duty to Disclose Information After Admission and Through Graduation or Withdrawal

Once admitted to the School of Law, every student has a duty to update and supplement the information included in his or her application for admission. This includes a duty to disclose any and all omissions from the application for admission, and it includes a duty to disclose any and all conduct and events that occur after submission of the application, if such conduct or events would have required disclosure in the application for admission. In either case, this duty of disclosure continues until the student has graduated or formally withdrawn from the School of Law. All such information must be provided to the Office of Student Life regardless of when the event occurred, whether an event requiring disclosure occurs inside or outside the State of North Dakota ,and whether the School of Law is in session at the time of the event triggering the need for disclosure. Every student's application must be updated as soon as is reasonably possible, by reporting the relevant information to the Office of Student Life, upon the occurrence of any event requiring disclosure. Students must disclose upon the occurrence of the event (e.g., an arrest) and cannot wait for resolution of the matter before reporting the matter to Office of Student Life.

Adopted by Faculty Committee, and effective, April 12, 2012.