IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law
Policies & Procedures
Campus Policies
Attendance
Regular and punctual class attendance, class preparation, and participation are expected of all students. The professor will usually advise students early in the semester of the attendance and punctuality requirements and will usually issue a warning if a student is having excessive absences or is excessively late in attending class. The professor will also advise students early in the semester if attendance, tardiness or class participation affects the student's grade in the course.
The general law school attendance policy provides that a student who is absent from more than 10 percent of classes or class meetings in any course may be dropped from the course at the discretion of the instructor. A student who is dropped for non-attendance in one of the required Basic Level Courses (I.C.1.) will receive a grade of F unless a grade of W is authorized upon petition to the law school's Student Affairs Committee.
Dean's List
Students who are enrolled in at least 8 hours of graded course work during a fall or spring semester, and who earn a grade point average of at least 3.5 in at least 8 hours of graded course work, earn their spot on the Dean's List, which acknowledges their superior academic performance for that term. The Dean’s List is not posted for summer classes.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Any student requesting accommodation because of a disability must meet with the Office of Accessible Educational Services (AES) to request the accommodation. Reasonable accommodation will be made available for students who are registered with the IU Indianapolis Office of Accessible Educational Services.
Accommodations for Students for Whom English is a Second Language
Students for whom English is a second language may apply to the Office of Student Affairs for special accommodations on their final examinations. This request must be made within the first two weeks of the semester.
Academic Probation
Statement of Policy: In accordance with the American Bar Association Standard 308, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law has sound academic standards, including clearly defined standards for good standing and graduation. The law school shall monitor students’ academic progress and achievement from the beginning of and periodically throughout their studies. Furthermore, the law school shall not continue the enrollment of a student whose inability to do satisfactory work is sufficiently manifest that the student’s continuation in school would inculcate false hopes, constitute economic exploitation, or detrimentally affect the education of other students.
Students whose cumulative GPA at the end of their first two semesters or any subsequent session is less than 2.30 but more than 2.00 shall be placed on academic probation. See "Standards for Academic Probation and Dismissal."
Once placed on academic probation, a student has twenty (20) credit hours to achieve a cumulative GPA of at least 2.3. A student will remain on academic probation for the full twenty (20) credit hours, even if the student achieves a cumulative GPA of at least 2.3 prior to that time. This is to ensure that students have developed the foundational study and exam skills necessary to continue achieving academic success. As such, the “probation period” is defined as the session within which the student is notified of the academic probation placement until the session within which the student reaches twenty (20) credit hours on academic probation. The Assistant Dean for Academic and Bar Success may, individually or in consultation with the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, any Vice Dean, or any faculty member, impose or recommend any educationally reasonable conditions on the student.
A student who achieves a 2.30 cumulative GPA at the end of the probation period has successfully completed academic probation. The Assistant Dean of Academic and Bar Success shall give written notice of successful completion to the student.
Academic Dismissal
Students with a cumulative GPA of less than 2.0 at the end of their first two semesters or any subsequent session shall be dismissed from law school. The Assistant Dean for Student Affairs shall give written notice of dismissal to each such student. See "Standards for Academic Probation and Dismissal."
Grade Replacement
A student required to repeat a course must repeat it the next semester it is offered in their division. If a student’s schedule permits, the student may take the course in the other division. Where the course is offered in a division by more than one professor, the student must take the course with a professor other than the one with which the student took the course the first time. A student may not repeat courses except as provided in this section.
Students who retake courses under this provision will receive fee remission equivalent to the cost of the courses.
Incomplete Grades
An Incomplete will be allowed only in exceptional circumstances and requires the approval of a Vice Dean.
The grade of I (Incomplete) is used on final grade reports to indicate that a student's work is satisfactory as of the end of the semester or summer session, but has not been completed. The grade of I may be given only when (i) the completed portion of the student's work in the course is of passing quality, and (ii) in a course requiring an examination, upon a showing of impossibility, such hardship to a student as would render it unjust to hold the student to the time limits previously fixed for completion of the work, or other good cause.
A student who fails to complete the work in any non-examination course in the semester or summer session enrolled, if required by the instructor, must submit a written explanation to the instructor not later than five days after the end of classes, stating the reason the work was not completed. If the reason is acceptable to the instructor, the instructor has discretion to assign the grade of I. If the reason is not acceptable to the instructor, the instructor has discretion to assign a grade of W or F.
Withdrawals
Except during the first week of classes, withdrawals during the first ten weeks of a regular semester or summer session are automatically marked W. After this time, the instructor in the course must approve the withdrawal. A withdrawal at any time from a required first-year course (first two years for part-time students) must be approved by both the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and the Student Affairs Committee upon petition, although the Student Affairs Committee may delegate to the Assistant Dean its authority to approve. To withdraw from Legal Communication and Analysis I & II, a student must petition and receive the approval of the supervising faculty member of the Legal Communication and Analysis program and the Student Affairs Committee.
Withdrawal from a course (other than a required first-year curriculum course) can be done online via One.IU. A withdrawal becomes effective the date the request is approved via One.IU. Be advised that there is a limited time in which to withdraw from a course and receive a refund.
Any student withdrawing from a course or courses within ten days of the end of the last scheduled day of classes (including Saturdays and Sundays), must obtain permission from the Instructor and the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. If the student has taken the examination, then withdrawal from the course is not allowed.
Residency Requirement for Degree Purposes (Criteria for Approving the Transfer of Credit Hours from a J.D. Program)
Prior to registration, a student admitted with advanced standing must consult with the law school’s Assistant Dean for Student Affairs regarding credits to be transferred. Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law accepts transfer credits earned at an ABA- approved law school or a non-ABA-approved law school pursuant to ABA standard 505. The number of credits transferred depends on the quality of the student’s academic record and the relationship of the coursework to the program at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. A maximum of 30 hours of course credit may be transferred. Within the transfer credit maximum, no more than 6 of the 30 credits may be earned from non- Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law foreign study abroad programs. (See Section J-(4) of the Student Handbook “Limits on Credits Earned in Programs Abroad” for more details.). Grades from transferred course credit will not be used to compute the student’s cumulative grade point average at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. Only courses in which the student received a grade of “C” or above are eligible for transfer. Courses taken on a pass/fail basis generally will not transfer.
However, if the applicant can show that the pass/fail course is equivalent to a “C” or above, credit will be considered. If credit is not given and the courses are required for graduation, the courses must be re-taken at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. The student must maintain a grade point average of at least 2.3 or be subject to academic probation or dismissal. For more information, see the Academic Probation and Dismissal Policy.
Once an official transcript has been evaluated by the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, the courses which have been accepted for transfer along with the number of hours for each are listed on an Audit Sheet for Transfer of Credit Courses. Note that only credits, not grades, transfer. The maximum number which may transfer to this school is 30 credit hours. If a student has deficiency of more than one (1) credit hour in a required course, that deficiency is noted on the audit sheet along with courses which may be taken to satisfy that requirement. Unless otherwise noted, any deficiency of more than one (1) credit hour may be satisfied by taking any course(s) listed on the audit sheet as satisfying that deficiency, so long as the credit hours for the course(s) equal or exceed the credit hours of deficiency. Only in extraordinary circumstance will the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs waive more than a one (1) credit deficiency. This waiver shall not reduce the total credit hours required for graduation.
Graduation Requirements
Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) Degree Requirements
To be eligible for the J.D. degree, students must meet all of the following requirements within 84 months of matriculation.
To assist students in tracking graduation requirements, students should reference the law school’s graduation checklist throughout their law school enrollment. The graduation checklist will help students ensure all graduation requirements are satisfied in a timely manner. Please note that graduation checklists are updated as curricular requirements change. Students should consult the checklist that maps to their matriculation date. The graduation checklists are available on the law school’s website here.
Complete 90 credit hours of course work, which must include the following required courses.
*Constitutional Law (D/N 620) (4 cr.)
*Contracts and Sales I & II (D/N 512 -D/N 513) (6 cr.)
*Criminal Law (D/N 533) (3 cr.)
*Evidence (D/N 632) (4 cr.)
*Legal Communication and Analysis I & II (D/N 520- D/N 521) (4 cr.)
*Professional Responsibility (D/N 861) (2-3 cr.)
*Property (D/N 509) (4 cr.)
*Torts (D/N 541) (4 cr.)
**Legal Research (D/N 528) (1 cr.)
Administrative Law (students matriculating in or after 2021)
*Courses must be completed in the first year by full-time and hybrid students and in the first two years by part-time students.
**Legal Research is required for students matriculating during or after the fall 2010 semester. For all J.D. students entering law school Fall 2016 and after, the course is to be completed in the fall and spring semesters of the first year for full-time and part-time students.
Subject to the exceptions below, students matriculating in 2017 and beyond and who graduate in August 2021 or later and have earned a GPA below 3.0 after finishing the courses that must be completed in the first year by full-time students and in the first two years by part-time students must also complete the following five courses. Each of these courses covers topics on the Uniform Bar Examination.
- Closely Held Business Organizations (D/N 645) (3 cr.)
- Criminal Procedure: Investigations (D/N 702) (3 cr.)
- Family Law (D/N 610) (3 cr.)
- Secured Transactions (D/N 618) (2-3 cr.)
- Trusts and Estates (D/N 722) (3-4 cr.)
Students who have earned a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater after finishing the courses that must be completed in the first year by full-time students and in the first two years by part-time students are not required to take any of the courses listed immediately above.
Students pursuing joint degrees may omit two or more of the italicized courses, with the written approval of their law school program advisors.
The faculty has determined that the following courses, most of which cover principal topics tested on the Uniform Bar Exam and not on the list of courses required for all JD students, are, subject to the qualification in the following sentence, highly recommended for all students at the McKinney School of Law. Indiana Constitutional Law is highly recommended for students who plan to practice law in Indiana.- Closely Held Business Organizations (D/N 645) (3 cr.)
- Conflicts of Laws (D/N 804) (2-3 cr.)
- Criminal Procedure: Investigations (D/N 702) (3 cr.)
- Family Law (D/N 610) (3 cr.)
- Indiana Constitutional Law (D/N 757; formerly State Constitutional Law) (2 cr.) for students who plan to practice in Indiana.
- Secured Transactions (D/N 618) (2-3 cr.)
- Trusts and Estates (D/N 722) (3-4 cr.)
- First Amendment Law (D/N 622) (3-4 cr.)
“Credit hour” means law school work for which one hour of credit toward graduation is assigned and includes work that is graded on a Satisfactory/Fail (S/F) basis (if the grade of S is earned).
Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) Degree Requirements
S.J.D. candidates who have successfully defended and submitted their final dissertation shall be entitled to participate at the next subsequent commencement proceedings of the Law School and take part in a hooding ceremony at that event. Successful graduates will receive their diplomas as soon as practicable after the commencement proceedings.
Master of Laws (LL.M.) Degree Requirements
All students admitted to the LL.M. Program must complete 24 credit hours with the minimum GPA for their LL.M. track and satisfy IU Indianapolis Graduate School requirements which may include additional English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses as determined by IU Indianapolis student entrance exams.
All students enrolled in the LL.M. Program who have not completed a J.D. or LL.M. degree at an ABA-accredited law school must complete the following courses:
- Introduction to the American Legal System (2 cr.)
- Contract Law for LL.M. Students (2 cr.) or Tort Law for LL.M. Students (2 cr.)
- LL.M. Legal Writing and Analysis I (1 cr.)
- Legal Research for LL.M. Students (1 cr.)
for a total of 6 required credits. Additional course requirements are needed to complete each LL.M. track.
Master of Jurisprudence (M.J.) Degree Requirements
To receive an M.J. degree, M.J. students must:
- Complete 30 credit hours (taken full or part-time)
- Maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.3 on a 4.0 scale
- Complete all curricular requirements
- Complete all of these degree requirements within 48 months of matriculation
The course Legal Process for M.J. Students is required in the summer semester and M.J. students will then take one first-year J.D. course in their first fall semester. Options include Contracts, Torts, Property, Criminal Law, or Constitutional Law. See more here.
Additional Resources
Please refer to the IU McKinney website for the most up to date information and the IU McKinney student handbook for additional Robert H. McKinney School of Law student policies.
Last updated: March, 2024
