Academic Rule 3.06 – applies to the Class of 2010 and before

3.06 Disclosure of Academic Honors Information for Limited Purposes.

[Rule 3.06 shall apply to all graduating classes prior to and including the Class of 2010].
Information about students’ class standing shall be made available solely for the purpose of aiding students applying for judicial clerkships and academic positions. 

  1. Information to be Made Available. By October of each year, the Registrar shall determine the grade point average (GPA) of students in the second-year class after two semesters of study, students in the third-year class after four semesters of study, or members of the last graduating class after six semesters of study. By March of each year, the Registrar shall calculate students’ GPAs after three semesters of study for students in the second-year class and five semesters of study for students in the third-year class. The Registrar shall calculate GPAs using whatever method is used for determining membership in Order of the Coif. 

    These GPAs will be used to determine numerical and percentile rankings for the ten students with the highest GPAs in the class. For the remainder of the class, the GPAs will be converted into information about the following percentile rankings: 95th percentile, 90th percentile, 85th percentile, 80th percentile, 70th percentile, 60th percentile, and 50th percentile. The Registrar will provide this information to the Dean and the Dean of Students.  

  2. Disclosure to Students.  Students who are applying or considering applying for judicial clerkships or academic positions can obtain information about their class standing from the Dean of Students. The ten students with the highest GPAs in the class may choose to receive their numerical ranking, their percentile ranking, or both. The remainder of the class may find out which percentile band they are in based on the Registrar’s calculations as set forth in 3.06(A) All students can then choose to share any of this information with faculty who are recommending them for a judicial clerkship or academic position.

  3. Faculty Access to Information.  Faculty who are recommending a student for a judicial clerkships or an academic position can seek confirmation of that student’s class standing from the Dean of Students if and only if the student has consented to the disclosure.

  4. Other Uses Impermissible.  The Dean, Dean of Students, faculty, and students shall not disclose information about class standing provided by the Registrar under this section for any professional purpose other than obtaining a judicial clerkship or academic position. A student who reveals this information for any other professional purpose is in violation of the Honor Code.