Information for:


Seattle University School of Law

Class Rank

First Year Class Rank
Second Year Class Rank
Third/Fourth Year Class Rank
Graduate Class Rank
Grade Changes and Class Rank
2008-2009 Official Class Rank Ranges

First Year Class Rank

Official class rank for first year students is calculated in August, after the grades for summer Torts are posted.

Students meeting one or both of the following criteria are included in the first year class rank:

  • The student has attempted at least 20 credits of first year coursework (not including withdrawals).
  • The student has the permission of the Dean of Student Affairs to register for upper division courses during the upcoming academic year.

The first year class rank GPA includes only first year course work. Students who take upper division courses during the summer following their 1L year will not see those courses included in the first year class rank.

For the 2008 - 2009 academic year, students who completed the Pilot Legal Writing I Program will have only three of their six Legal Writing I credits counted toward their first year class rank GPA.

Second Year Class Rank

Official class rank for second year students is calculated after spring semester grades have been posted.

All second year students who have completed at least one regular (fall or spring) semester are included in second year class rank. Second year class rank is based on cumulative GPA.

Third/Fourth Year Class Rank

Official class rank for third and fourth year students is calculated after spring semester grades have been posted.

Third/fourth year rank includes all upper division students who meet the following criteria:

  • The student is in their 3L, or greater, year.
  • The student completed at least one regular (fall or spring) semester.
  • The student graduated, or is scheduled to graduate after December of the academic year.

Third/fourth year class rank is based on cumulative GPA.

Graduate Class Rank

Official class rank for graduates is calculated after spring semester grades have been posted.

Graduate class rank includes all students who graduated during the academic year. For example, the 2008-2009 graduate rank includes August 2008, December 2008 and May 2009 graduates. Graduate year class rank is based on cumulative GPA.

May graduates will receive both a third/fourth year class rank and a graduate class rank. While both of these ranks are official, the graduate class rank is the rank generally requested by employers and admissions departments.

Grade Changes and Class Rank

Occasionally a grading error is discovered after class rank is released. If an approved grade change is received by the Office of The Registrar after class rank has been released, rank will be recalculated for the individual(s) affected by the grade change. Rank will not be recalculated for students unaffected by the grade change and the official cutoffs for top 10, 25, 50 and 75 percent will not recalculated.

Class rank will not be recalculated if a grade change is the result of work completed after the class rank grading deadline. In the case of ‘I' (incomplete) grades, the Office of the Registrar will inform the professor of the last date a grade may be received to be included in the official class rank.

Students who must complete first-year courses in their second or third years will not have their first year rank re-calculated upon completion of the courses.

2008-2009 Official Class Rank Ranges

2008 - 2009 First Year Class Rank

To be announced in August 2009.

2008 - 2009 Second Year Class Rank

Top 10% includes students with a GPA at or above 3.412*
Top 25% includes students with a GPA at or above 3.234*
Top 50% includes students with a GPA at or above 2.946*
Top 75% includes students with a GPA at or above 2.683*

*Cumulative GPA as of June 29, 2009.

2008 - 2009 Third/Fourth Year Class Rank

Top 10% includes students with a GPA at or above 3.483*
Top 25% includes students with a GPA at or above 3.294*
Top 50% includes students with a GPA at or above 3.066*
Top 75% includes students with a GPA at or above 2.760*

*Cumulative GPA as of June 29, 2009.

2008 - 2009 Graduate Class Rank

Top 10% includes students with a GPA at or above 3.489*
Top 25% includes students with a GPA at or above 3.301*
Top 50% includes students with a GPA at or above 3.078*
Top 75% includes students with a GPA at or above 2.781*

*Cumulative GPA as of June 29, 2009.