Examinations

DePaul College of Law students may apply to receive pass/fail grades for all of their Spring 2020 semester courses.  

The application to receive pass/fail grading for your Spring 2020 grades can be found here:

Spring 2020 Pass/Fail Grading Application 

Please read the information carefully before submitting your application.

• Student applications for P/F grades are due no later than Sunday, May 3, 11:59 pm. All timely applications will be granted.
• Students who apply for P/F grading will receive that grading basis for all of their spring term courses. 
• Once an application for P/F grades is approved, it may not be rescinded, and students will not have access to the letter grades they would have received. 
• 1L students who have a Fall 2019 GPA below 2.8 and who apply for and receive P/F status for Spring 2020 will be tracked into the Good Standing Policy interventions normally only applicable to students who have a cumulative GPA between a 2.0 and 2.6. 1L students who have a cum GPA below a 2.6 who do not opt into P/F status will also be tracked into academic interventions per the Good Standing Policy. The College of Law Good Standing Policy can be found here.

Grading Curve:

Grading Curves will remain the same and will apply to all courses subject to a curve. 

The system for implementing optional pass/fail is designed to maintain the integrity of both blind grading (in blind-graded classes) and the curve.  As a result, professors will not know which students have opted for P/F grades.  Professors will apply the relevant curve to all enrolled students, regardless of whether or not a student has opted into P/F. Grades for students who have opted for P/F will be converted administratively before rosters are posted.

Certificates:

Students may still receive a certificate if they elect P/F grading for certificate courses this term.  For graduating students who applied for a certificate, opt for P/F grading, and have a GPA in certificate classwork at or above the required GPA for the certificate as of the end of the Autumn 2019 semester, the certificate will be awarded.  For graduating students who applied for a certificate, opt for P/F grading, and do not meet the required GPA for the certificate, the application will be reviewed by the faculty director of the certificate and the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for possible waiver.  The deadline for applying for a certificate is not being extended.

Completed Classes:

Some students have taken courses that are complete, substantially complete or will be completed before the May 3 deadline to opt in for P/F grades.  Students may opt for P/F grading even if some of their classes are complete or substantially complete.

GPA:

Students who opt for P/F grading will only see an impact upon their GPA if the grade earned is an F.  P grades will have no impact on GPA.

Class Ranks:

Class ranks will be calculated the same way that they always are.

Dean’s List:

Students who opt for P/F grading will not be eligible for Dean’s List for Spring 2020 because they will not have a sufficient number of credits completed with a letter grade this term.  This is not a new policy, and it is applied every term to students who enroll in primarily P/F credits.

CALI Awards:

Students who elect to receive P/F grading will remain eligible for CALI awards if a professor determines that the student received the highest grade in the class. Students who elect to go P/F will still receive a passing grade rather than a quality grade if they receive a CALI award.

Dismissal Policy: The College of Law Dismissal Policy will be paused for the Spring 2020 semester. Students who fall below a 2.0 cumulative GPA at the end of the semester will be permitted to remain enrolled and take classes in the Summer and Autumn 2020 terms. Students whose cumulative GPA is below a 2.0 at the end of the Autumn 2020 term will be subject to the Dismissal Policy. Any student with a GPA below a 2.0 may not be eligible for financial aid for Autumn 2020 classes if, after taking classes in the Summer 2020 semester, their cumulative GPA remains below a 2.0. For more information regarding Financial Aid eligibility, please consult with a financial aid counselor at DePaul Central.

• Dates and times for final exams are listed on the in-class exam schedule on the College of Law webpage located under the Student Resources tab.  Click on Student Affairs/Registrar to locate examination information.  The in-class exam schedule is located under Rescheduled Exams.  At least two months after a semester begins, the final in-class exam schedule is posted on the College of Law website.
• Students are expected to take in-class exams at the scheduled times.
• Final exams will be rescheduled only in extraordinary circumstances such as an emergency, serious illness or crisis, or where an exam conflict exists.
• Documentation of the emergency or serious illness must be provided before the makeup exam will be scheduled.
• Exams will not be rescheduled because of job commitments, weddings, graduations, travel plans, or for other personal reasons.
• Only the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs may approve makeup or reschedule exams.

• If you have two in-class exams scheduled to begin less than 24-hours apart, you can request to reschedule one of the exams.  (For example:  If you have an exam scheduled for Monday, December 12 at 9:30 a.m., and an exam scheduled for Tuesday, December 13 at 9:30 a.m., this does not constitute an exam conflict.
• Rescheduled exams must be taken after the originally scheduled exam date and within the same week.
• The rescheduled exam option does not apply to take-home exams or paper classes, unless the take-home exam is distributed and due on the same day on which you have an in-class exam.
• The rescheduled exam option does not apply to first-year exams.
• The rescheduled exam application must be submitted to the Office of Student Affairs by the deadline date indicated on the form.

• First-year day classes have exams scheduled from 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 
• Upper-level day classes have exams scheduled from 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
• Evening classes have exams scheduled from 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
• Final exams are administered in December, May and July.

• Students with disabilities must register with the Center for Students with Disabilities each academic year.  Students must provide documentation of the disability to the university specialists. That office will confirm the disability and the need for accommodations and notify the College of Law.
• Forms to request accommodated in-class exams will be emailed to all students who are registered with the Center for Students with Disabilities.  Students with disabilities who qualify for accommodations must submit to the Office of Student Affairs the accommodated in-class exam form before the designated deadline each semester.
• Students will receive confirmation of their accommodated exam by email at least two weeks before the exam period begins.