The University of Alabama School of Law uses a letter grading system for evaluating classroom performance. Grades range from A+ to F. Receiving credit for a course requires a grade of D-. If a student takes a class graded on a Pass/D/Fail basis, receiving Pass requires work at the level of at least C-. A student must maintain a 2.33 (C+) average to graduate.
In February 2010, the Alabama Law School faculty adopted a new ranking policy. The policy took effect for the Classes of 2011 and 2012 after the Spring 2010 semester. Under the new policy, Alabama Law will provide individual rankings to students in the Top 15% of each class at the end of the Fall and Spring semesters. At the end of the Fall and Spring semester, the Registrar will publish the GPA for the Top 10%, Top 20%, Top 25%, Top 33%, and Top 50% of each class. Students will know where their GPA places them within these bands. Students outside of the Top 15% will not receive individual ranks.
| Class Rank | Class of 2018 | Class of 2019 | Class of 2020 | Class of 2021 | Class of 2022 | Class of 2023 | Class of 2024 | Class of 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 10% | 3.702 | 3.765 | 3.784 | 3.702 | 3.850 | 3.746 | 3.766 | 3.756 |
| Top 20% | 3.542 | 3.616 | 3.684 | 3.599 | 3.705 | 3.615 | 3.630 | 3.622 |
| Top 25% | 3.506 | 3.565 | 3.597 | 3.549 | 3.682 | 3.586 | 3.566 | 3.487 |
| Top 33% | 3.449 | 3.503 | 3.492 | 3.471 | 3.623 | 3.535 | 3.505 | 3.355 |
| Top 50% | 3.355 | 3.328 | 3.262 | 3.257 | 3.477 | 3.332 | 3.378 | 3.265 |
Updated July 2023
Important Note Regarding Spring 2020 Grading
This letter describes the grading policy that was enacted by the University of Alabama School of Law in light of changes to instruction and examinations during the Spring 2020 semester. These changes were instituted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that forced many schools, including ours, to implement distance learning in the middle of the semester. Because the Law School building remained closed during the exam period, all exams were conducted remotely on a self-scheduled basis. As a result of these unanticipated changes to both the classroom experience and to the structure of exams, the following grading system was adopted for the Spring 2020 semester only.
All students enrolled in the JD program at the Law School were graded on a Pass/D/Fail basis for all courses taken within the JD program. JD Students taking courses outside the JD program (including in the Tax or Business LLM programs) were allowed (and in some cases required) to receive letter grades in those courses under guidelines set by those programs. Grades received in classes taken outside the Law School are not factored into a student’s Law School GPA.
Any questions regarding this grading policy should be directed to Grace Lee, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, who can be reached via e-mail at glee@law.ua.edu or via phone at (205) 348-7190.