UALR WILLIAM H. BOWEN SCHOOL OF LAW
GRADING SCALE AND GRADE NORMALIZATION POLICY
EFFECTIVE FALL 2011
A.
Summary of Grading Scale and Mandatory Curve
4.0 = A
3.9
3.8
3.7 = A3.6
3.5
3.4
3.3 = B+
3.2
3.1
3.0 = B
2.9
2.8
2.7 = B2.6
2.5
2.4
2.3 = C+
2.2
2.1
2.0 = C
1.9
1.8
1.7 = C1.6 = F
1.5 = F
1.4 = F
1.3 = F
1.2 = F
B.
Top of Mandatory Mean Range
Target Mean
Bottom of Mandatory Mean Range
Good Standing GPA
Lowest Credit Grade
Lowest Possible Grade
Detailed Description of Grading Scale and Grade Normalization Policies
Grades to Be Awarded. Professors do not award letter grades. Rather, professors award numerical
grades ranging from 4.0 to 1.2. The following grades shall be used: 4.0, 3.9, 3.8, 3.7, 3.6, 3.5, 3.4,
3.3, 3.2, 3.1, 3.0, 2.9, 2.8, 2.7, 2.6, 2.5, 2.4, 2.3, 2.2, 2.1, 2.0, 1.9, 1.8, 1.7, 1.6, 1.5, 1.4, 1.3, and 1.2.
Letter grades are listed only so that faculty, students, and employers know the approximate letter
value of each numerical grade.
Mandatory Mean in Required Courses with 9 or More Students and Elective Courses with 30 or
More Students. For all required courses with 9 or more students and all elective courses with 30 or
more students, the mean GPA of final grades for the course must fall between 2.9 and 3.1, with a
target GPA of 3.0.
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**Note: The grades of students (i) who receive an incomplete, (ii) who do not take the final
exam or otherwise do not finish the course requirements, or (iii) whose exams or other
course work were not graded for any reason (e.g., academic dishonesty) are not included in
calculating the mean GPA for a course.
**Note: Mean GPA shall be calculated based upon the final grade for the course, including
mid-terms, class participation, and any other graded assignments; it is not calculated using
just the final exam, final paper, or other final project, unless that is the only manner in which
the students are evaluated.
Mandatory Mean in Elective Courses with 9 to 29 Students. For all elective courses with 9 to 29
students, the mean GPA for the course must fall between 2.9 and 3.1, with a target GPA of 3.0,
subject to the following proviso. If the mean GPA of all students enrolled in the course – based on
prior course work at the law school – is lower than 2.9 or higher than 3.1, the permissible grade
range for the course shall expand to encompass the students’ incoming mean GPA average, plus 0.1
GPA points if the incoming mean GPA average is greater than 3.1, and minus 0.1 GPA points if the
incoming mean GPA average is lower than 2.9. For example, if the combined GPA of the students
enrolled in a course is 3.2, then the GPA range for the course is 2.9 to 3.3. If the combined GPA of
the students enrolled in a course is 2.8, then the GPA range for the course is 2.7 to 3.1. The
registrar shall distribute the total mean GPA of each class to the professor teaching the class with
semester grading information.
Recommended Mean in Courses with 1 to 8 Students (Required or Elective) and Clinical Courses
(Including Externships). For all courses with 1 to 8 students (required or elective) and all clinical
courses (including externships), the mean GPA for the course should fall between 2.9 and 3.1, with
a target GPA of 3.0, subject to the same proviso applicable in elective courses with 9 to 29 students.
The registrar shall distribute the total mean GPA of each class to the professor teaching the class
with the semester grading information.
Note: The rules applicable to elective courses with 9 to 29 students also apply to courses
with 1 to 8 students (elective or required) and to clinical courses (including externships).
However, for classes in the latter two categories, the parameters set by the rules are merely
recommended rather than mandatory.
Multiple Sections of the Same Course. When a professor teaches multiple sections of the same
course and administers the same assessment tool (or tools) in each section – e.g., the same final
exam – the professor must apply the mandatory curve across both sections as if the two sections
together constitute a single course. Thus, for example, professors teaching two sections of RWA
are required to treat the two sections as if they are a single class. There are five courses excepted in
part from this policy. If the professor is teaching both the day and night sections of Property I,
Property II, Civil Procedure I, Civil Procedure II, or Legal Profession, the professor need not treat
the day and night sections as if they are a single course.
Minimum Required GPA to Remain in Good Standing. To remain in good standing, a student must
maintain a GPA of at least 2.30 – i.e., the student must maintain a C+ average.
Grades Below 2.3.
All grades below 2.3 reflect performance that falls below minimum
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competency. However, students shall receive credit for the course if they earn a 2.2 to 1.7. Grades
from 1.6 to 1.2 constitute “failing grades.” The student will not receive credit for the course. If the
course is required, the student must retake the class.
Pass/Fail Courses. Courses taught on a pass/fail basis are exempt from the mandatory and
recommended means.
Enforcement Mechanism. If a professor turns in non-complying grades, the grades are returned to
the professor. The professor must then re-curve the class. If the professor chooses not to comply,
the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs shall act in his or her discretion to bring the grades into
compliance, such as by setting the curve based on the professor’s raw scores.
Note: Turning in non-complying grades constitutes failure to turn in grades for purposes of
the Late Grade Policy.
Graduation Honors. The law school shall have the following graduation honors for all students
who began law school after Fall 2010.
Summa Cum Laude – the students ranked in the top 5% of the graduating class
Magna Cum Laude – the students ranked in the top 6% to 15% of the graduating class
Cum Laude – the students ranked in the top 16% to 25% of the graduating class
C.
Transition Mechanisms
Setting GPA and Class Rank. The average grade under the prior grading system was just below 3.1
(3.06). Under the current system, it will be roughly 3.0. Because those numbers are so close
together, no GPA adjustment is necessary for class rank purposes during the transition period.
Good Standing. To determine whether a 2L or 3L remains in good standing when the student has
earned grades under both the prior system and the current system, the student’s grades under the
prior system shall be averaged against the student’s grades under the current system.
Example: The only time the transition will present a problem is if a student is above 2.0
under the prior system and subsequently earns a GPA below 2.3 under the current system.
Suppose a rising 3L in the fall of 2011 – Student M – finished the 20010-2011 school year
with 60 credits and a GPA of 2.1 under the prior system. Then, as a 3L, under the current
system, M earns a 2.1 GPA in 30 credits during the 2011-2012 school year. We average the
grades out as follows. First, under the prior system, M earned “6 GPA points” above the
good standing line (60 credits x 0.1 above the good standing line = 6 GPA points). Second,
under the current system, M earned “6 GPA points” below the good standing line (30 credits
x 0.2 below the good standing line = 6 GPA points). We then subtract the GPA points
below the good standing line from those above. If that total falls below zero, then the
student is no longer in good standing. If the total is at or above zero, then the student
remains in good standing. In this hypothetical, Student M is at zero. Thus, M is in good
standing and may graduate. If M’s GPA under the current system or the prior system were
below 2.1 by even a tiny amount, M’s GPA point total would be less than zero. In that case,
M would not be in good standing, could not graduate, and would be administratively
dismissed from school.
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Graduation Honors. As noted above, the average grade under the prior system was just below 3.1
(3.06). Under the current system, it will be roughly 3.0. Because those numbers are so close
together, no GPA adjustment is necessary for graduation honors purposes.
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