- Students Transferring to Loyola after Finishing the First Year at Another Law School
- Loyola Students Visiting at Another Law School for One or Two Semesters
- Loyola Students Visiting at Another Law School for a Summer Term
- Special Status for Loyola Students Visiting at Another Law School During the Fall or Spring Semester
- Non-Law Courses
Student transferring after finishing the first year at another law school
In order to apply for admission as a student with advanced standing to the Juris Doctor program, you must have completed at least one full year of study at another ABA- accredited law school and have not previously enrolled at Loyola Law School as a visiting student (with the exception of visiting ONLY for a summer term).
Evaluations for transfer classes taken at the prior institution will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Content and substance of courses will be compared to the equivalent of Loyola Law School’s courses. Applicants may be required to provide the class syllabus. In general, if courses are no more than one unit less than Loyola Law School’s equivalent course, the units will be accepted for transfer. For courses that are more than one unit less than the Loyola equivalent course, an evaluation of the previous course will be done in order to determine if additional course work must be completed. If transfer courses have a greater unit value only the number of units for the Loyola equivalent course will be accepted for transfer credit.
For admitted transfer students, a maximum of 29 units will be accepted. Only classes in which the student has earned a grade of "C" (or its equivalent) or better will transfer. Enrolling transfer students must complete at Loyola Law School at least two-thirds (i.e., 58 units) of the minimum 87 units of academic work required, fulfill all other graduation requirements, including the residence requirement, and follow the rules, policies and procedures contained in the Student Handbook.
Please note that students who transfer to Loyola Law School may not be eligible for Order of the Coif as 75% of the 87 units (i.e., 66 units) required for Loyola’s degree program must be in letter (not pass/fail) graded courses taken at the Law School; unit credit—not grades—is accepted from other institutions.
Loyola Students Visiting at Another Law School for One or Two Semesters
A student must receive approval in advance for all courses for which he/she wishes to enroll. Students will not be granted permission to take required courses at another law school. In addition, credit will not be given for externships, directed or independent research projects, or competition teams conducted by other law schools.
Credit will not be granted for a course taken at another institution that substantially duplicates course work for a course for which the student received credit at Loyola. Conversely, credit will not be granted for a course taken at Loyola that substantially duplicates course work for a course for which the student received credit at another institution.
Full-time students must enroll in and successfully complete a minimum of 12 units and may not enroll in more than 15 units. Part-time students must enroll in and successfully complete a minimum of 8 units and may not enroll in more than 11 units.
As a minimum of 58 units must be completed at Loyola, a maximum of 29 units may be completed at another institution.
Course credit will be transferred to a student's Loyola record only if a grade of C or better (not C-), as defined by the other law school, is received in the course. In some instances, a minimum grade of B or better, as defined by the other law school, will be required for units to transfer. Where the law school has a grading system within which its grades are not clearly defined (e.g., grading range of 70-79 is a C), it will be the responsibility of the student to seek clarification from the Office of the Registrar at Loyola as to what minimum grade he/she must achieve to receive credit for any course undertaken. Units accepted for transfer will be transferred on a "pass" basis. Courses must be taken for a grade; no pass/fail or credit/no credit courses are permitted. The actual grade received in the course, however, will not appear on the Loyola transcript and will not be used in computing the student's weighted cumulative grade point average.
The total number of pass/fail units that a student will be permitted to take at Loyola shall not exceed twenty-three percent of the units which the student completes at Loyola. For example, if a student completes a total of 87 units (29 units at another law school and 58 units at Loyola), he/she may only take a maximum of 13 units of pass/fail courses at Loyola.
Eligibility for Order of the Coif may be affected by visiting at another institution as 75% of the 87 units (i.e., 66 units) required for completion of the degree program must be comprised of letter—not pass/fail--graded courses taken at the Law School; unit credit—not grades—is accepted from the other institution.
Loyola Students Visiting at Another Law School for a Summer Term
Programs that do not have regularly scheduled class meetings for a minimum of at least three weeks will not be approved. (Evening students participating in the 3.5 Program are able to participate in another law school’s summer session, including a study abroad program, only if it is comprised of a minimum of seven weeks of instruction, not including holidays, reading periods and examination periods. See the handbook section on the 3.5 Program for further information.)
Students endeavoring to participate in more than one summer program, including Loyola Law School’s, must be sure that enrollment periods for each program run exclusive of one another – including Orientation, all scheduled class meetings, and the examination period. Any overlapping enrollment periods will not be permitted.
Students in academic good standing who wish to request to participate in another law school's summer session or program abroad must submit a General Petition to the Office of the Registrar describing the program and the courses to be taken, their unit value, and the dates of the program. When possible, students should submit a copy of the other law school's published information materials. A student should not submit registration or application materials, or a deposit to the other law school, until after his/her petition has been granted.
Students may be permitted to take a course at a local area law school but permission is only granted if that course is not ordinarily offered at Loyola.
Students will not be granted permission to take required courses at another law school. In addition, credit will not be given for externships conducted by other law schools.
Credit will not be granted for a course taken at another institution that substantially duplicates course work for a course for which the student received credit at Loyola. Conversely, credit will not be granted for a course taken at Loyola that substantially duplicates course work for a course for which the student received credit at another institution.
Course credit will be transferred to a student's Loyola record only if a grade of C or better (not C-), as defined by the other law school, is received in the course. Where the law school has a grading system within which its grades are not clearly defined (e.g., grading range of 70-79 is a C), it will be the responsibility of the student to seek clarification from the Office of the Registrar at Loyola as to what minimum grade he/she must achieve to receive credit for any course undertaken. Units accepted for transfer will be transferred on a "pass" basis. Courses must be taken for a grade; no pass/fail or credit/no credit courses are permitted. The actual grade received in the course, however, will not appear on the Loyola transcript and will not be used in computing the student's weighted cumulative grade point average. Courses taken at other law schools will count towards the twenty (20) pass/fail unit maximum.
Because there is a twenty-nine (29) unit maximum for transfer credit to Loyola, students who have transferred to Loyola may not be able to count units taken in summer programs at other law schools towards their degree requirements at Loyola. (Reference should be made to the section on Graduation Requirements.)
Special Status for Loyola Students Visiting at Another Law School During the Fall or Spring Semester
Special student status at another law school applies if a student takes only one or two courses at that institution, for a maximum of seven (7) units.
Students may be permitted to take a course at a local area law school but permission is granted only if that course is not ordinarily offered at Loyola.
Students in academic good standing who wish to request to take a course at another law school must submit a General Petition to the Office of the Registrar describing the course and its unit value. When possible, students should submit a copy of the other law school's published information materials. A student should not submit registration or application materials to the other law school until after his/her petition has been granted.
Academic performance will be considered in determining whether a petition will be granted. For example, an academic record not consistently solid with grades at the mean level or academic performance that has significantly declined are factors that might result in the denial of a petition.
Students will not be granted permission to take required courses at another law school. In addition, credit will not be given for externships conducted by other law schools.
Course credit will be transferred to a student's Loyola record only if a grade of C or better (not C-), as defined by the other law school, is received in the course. In some instances, a minimum grade of B or better, as defined by the other law school, will be required for units to transfer. Where the law school has a grading system within which its grades are not clearly defined (e.g., grading range of 70-79 is a C), it will be the responsibility of the student to seek clarification from the Office of the Registrar at Loyola as to what minimum grade he/she must achieve to receive credit for any course undertaken. Units accepted for transfer will be transferred on a "pass" basis. Courses must be taken for a grade; no pass/fail or credit/no credit courses are permitted. The actual grade received in the course, however, will not appear on the Loyola transcript and will not be used in computing the student's weighted cumulative grade point average. Courses taken at other law schools will count towards the twenty (20) pass/fail unit maximum.
An upper division student in academic good standing who, while a student at Loyola Law School, wishes to take a non-law course at another accredited university may request to do so. A student may receive up to six (6) units of academic credit for non-law courses towards the eighty-seven (87) units necessary for graduation. These can be taken during a student's second or third year of law school if a day student and during his/her third or fourth year of law school if an evening student.
The non-law courses must be graduate courses offered in a graduate school on a graduate level, and with the exception of foreign language courses, cannot be undergraduate courses taught at the undergraduate or graduate level. Non-law courses may include study of a foreign language designed to assist a student pursuing comparative or international law research.
Students may only attend an accredited institution that grants baccalaureate and/or advanced degrees. Courses taken through an extension program (even at an accredited four-year institution) are not permitted.
A student who wishes to receive credit for a non-law course must submit a General Petition to the Office of the Registrar requesting permission to take the course chosen at the other university. The petition should indicate the nature of the course and its relevance to the student's legal education. In addition, the petition should include the course's unit value and the dates of the program. A student should not submit registration or application materials to the other institution until after his/her petition has been granted.
Academic performance will be considered in determining whether a petition will be granted. For example, an academic record not consistently solid with grades at the mean level or academic performance that has significantly declined are factors that might result in the denial of a petition.
Course credit will be transferred to a student’s Loyola record only if a grade of B or better, as defined by the other school, is received in the course. Where the school has a grading system within which its grades are not clearly defined, it will be the responsibility of the student to seek clarification from the Office of the Registrar at Loyola as to what minimum grade he/she must achieve to receive credit for any course undertaken. Units accepted for transfer will be transferred on a "pass" basis. Courses must be taken for a grade; no pass/fail or credit/no credit courses are permitted. The actual grade received in the course, however, will not appear on the Loyola transcript and will not be used in computing the student’s weighted cumulative grade point average. Courses taken at other institutions will count towards the twenty (20) pass/fail unit maximum.
The unit value credited by Loyola for non-law courses may, depending upon the amount of work required, be less than that given by the graduate school involved. In most instances, credit ranges from one-half to two-thirds of the unit value assigned by the graduate institution.