Grading
All grades are available to view on SU Online. Once grades have been received, the Registrar enters them into the database and confirms that they meet any curve requirements. The Registrar then verifies the grades. Once the grades have been verified, they can be viewed via SU Online. The information on SU Online comes directly from Seattle University’s administrative database, is constantly updated, and is available 24 hours a day. We will supply official or unofficial transcripts reflecting your grades only upon request.
See the Student Handbook for more information.
CALI Awards
The Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction sponsors The CALI Excellence for the Future Award. The CALI Award recognizes academic excellence achievement by law students in their studies. The award is given to students who receive the highest grade in a course as determined by the instructor.
All law-related classes, courses and seminars delivered by the law school are eligible. There are no restrictions on the number of students registered in the course. There is no limit to the number of awards any one student can win. More information about The Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction, or the CALI Excellence for the Future Award, can be found at www2.cali.org.
Grade Curves
In all first year courses, with the exception of Legal Writing, the following grade curve is mandatory. In all upper level, multiple section courses taught by more than one professor in the same year, the following grade curve is presumptive.
Range
| Cumulative % | A- and above | 10 to 20% | 15%, plus or minus 5% |
| Cumulative % | B+ and above | 25 to 35% | 30%, plus or minus 5% |
| Cumulative % | B and above | 40 to 50% | 45%, plus or minus 5% |
| Cumulative % | C and below | 15 to 25% | 20%, plus or minus 5% |
| Cumulative % | C- and below | 5 to 15% | 10%, plus or minus 5% |
| Cumulative % | D+ and below | 0 to 10% | 5%, plus or minus 5% |
Grade Changes
If a grade is incorrect due to a mathematical error on the part of the grader, the grade may be corrected at any time by a written statement from the faculty member to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
Grade changes based on substantive re-evaluation may only be made by a faculty member to correct a serious and egregious error or as a result of an official determination of the student’s violation of the Student Conduct Code by the Conduct Review Board. In order to make such a change the faculty member must submit a written petition to be voted on during a faculty meeting by the career faculty. The petition must state that the proposed change is necessary to correct a serious and egregious error. An example of a serious error might be if a professor did not read a part of an exam. Petitions must be approved by a majority of the career faculty voting at the meeting.
Class Rank
Class rank is compiled once each year. First-year class rank is created and published after all first-year classes are completed at the end of summer term. A tentative first-year class rank is available after spring grades are processed in late June. First-year students may contact the Associate Dean for Student Affairs to obtain their tentative ranking. Second-year, third-year, and graduate class ranks are created and published after all spring grades have been processed.
Class rank GPA cut-offs for students who were 1L (first-year) during the 2007 - 2008 school year are as follows:
- Top 10% Cumulative GPA of 3.401 - 3.846
- Top 25% Cumulative GPA of 3.200 - 3.846
- Top 50% Cumulative GPA of 2.890 - 3.846
Class rank GPA cut-offs for students who were 2L (second-year) during 2007 - 2008 are as follows:
- Top 10% Cumulative GPA of 3.436 - 3.887
- Top 25% Cumulative GPA of 3.230 - 3.887
- Top 50% Cumulative GPA of 2.984 - 3.887
Class rank GPA cut-offs for students who were 3L or 4L (third or fourth-year) during 2007 - 2008 are as follows:
- Top 10% Cumulative GPA of 3.476 - 3.900
- Top 25% Cumulative GPA of 3.298 - 3.900
- Top 50% Cumulative GPA of 3.047 - 3.900
Class rank GPA cut-offs for 2007 - 2008 graduates are as follows:
- Top 10% Cumulative GPA of 3.489 - 3.918
- Top 25% Cumulative GPA of 3.298 - 3.918
- Top 50% Cumulative GPA of 3.046 - 3.918
Dean's List
The Dean’s List is comprised of the top ten percent (10%) of the current year students by year according to yearly grade point average.
Graduation Honors
| Cumulative GPA of 3.60 - 4.33 | summa cum laude |
| Cumulative GPA of 3.40 - 3.59 | magna cum laude |
| Cumulative GPA of 3.00 - 3.40 | cum laude |
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