Explanation of Grading System
Beginning September 2015 to date
| HONORS | Performance in the course demonstrates superior mastery of the subject. |
| PASS | Successful performance in the course. |
| LOW PASS | Performance in the course is below the level that on average is required for the award of a degree. |
| CREDIT | The course has been completed satisfactorily without further specification of level of performance. All first-term required courses are offered only on a credit-fail basis. Certain advanced courses are offered only on a credit-fail basis. |
| FAILURE | No credit is given for the course. |
| CRG | Credit for work completed at another school as part of an approved joint-degree program; counts toward the graded unit requirement. |
| RC | Requirement completed; indicates J.D. participation in Moot Court or Barrister’s Union. |
| T | Ungraded transfer credit for work done at another law school. |
| TG | Transfer credit for work completed at another law school; counts toward graded unit requirement. |
| EXT | In-progress work for which an extension has been approved. |
| INC | Late work for which no extension has been approved. |
| NCR | No credit given because of late withdrawal from course or other reason noted in term comments. |
Our current grading system does not allow the computation of grade point averages. Individual class rank is not computed.
Classes matriculating September 2005 to date must have successfully completed 83 credits for the J.D. degree. A student must have completed 24 semester hours for the LL.M. (Master of Laws) degree and 27 semester hours for the M.S.L. (Master of Studies in Law) degree. The J.S.D. (Doctor of the Science of Law) degree is awarded upon approval of a thesis that is a substantial contribution to legal scholarship.
Explanation of Yale Law School Grading System Fall 2025 to date
Explanation of Yale Law School Grading System 2015 to Spring 2025
Explanation of Yale Law School Grading System Prior to 2015
Current Grading Policies
Effective fall 2025, courses with more than fifteen students are limited to 40 percent Honors grades. Courses with fifteen or fewer students may be exempt from this limit at the instructor’s discretion. If an instructor elects exemption and the course has fifteen or fewer students, the course will be exempt from the limit and marked with an asterisk on transcripts. Grades given in satisfaction of the Supervised Analytic Writing requirement are exempt from the limit in all classes.
Fall 2024 - Spring 2025
Classes in which 25 or more law students take an examination are subject to a faculty-endorsed grading norm concerning the share of Honors grades. Honors grades are to be given to approximately one third of students who took the examination.
Classes designated with ^ were subject to this grading norm and conformed.
Classes designated with + were subject to this grading norm but exceeded the approved share of Honors grades.
| Course Number | Course Title | Instructor(s) | Designation |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAW 20012 | Professional Responsibility | Atkins, D. | ^ |
| LAW 20013 | Property | Priest, C. | + |
| LAW 20066 | Legislation | Gluck, A. | + |
| LAW 20170 | Administrative Law | Jolls, C. | ^ |
| LAW 20219 | Business Organizations | Macey, J. | ^ |
| LAW 20222 | Federal Income Taxation | Liscow, Z. | + |
| LAW 20270 | Criminal Procedure: Adjudication | Shechtman, P. | ^ |
| LAW 20344 | Advanced Administrative Law | Parrillo, N. | + |
| LAW 20366 | Federal Courts | Smith, F. | ^ |
| LAW 20547 | Immigration Law | Guttentag, L. | ^ |
| LAW 20557 | Torts and Regulation | Kysar, D. | ^ |
| LAW 20629 | Antitrust | Posner, E. | ^ |
Last updated: February 27, 2025
Classes designated with ^ were subject to this grading norm and conformed.
Classes designated with + were subject to this grading norm but exceeded the approved share of Honors grades.
| Course Number | Course Title | Instructor(s) | Designation |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAW 21018 | Property and Regulations | Schleicher, D. | ^ |
| LAW 21050 | Federal Income Taxation | Alstott, A. | + |
| LAW 21276 | Wills, Trusts and Estates | Morley, J. | ^ |
| LAW 21277 | Evidence | Carter, S. | ^ |
| LAW 21285 | Law in Western History | Whitman, J. | + |
| LAW 21351 | Intellectual Property | Kapczynski, A. | ^ |
| LAW 21382 | Professional Responsibility | NeJaime, D. | ^ |
| LAW 21418 | Business Organizations | Sanga, S. | + |
| LAW 21421 | First Amendment | Post, R. | + |
| LAW 21531 | History of Common Law | Langbein, J. | + |
| LAW 21601 | Administrative Law | Parrillo, N. | ^ |
| LAW 21610 | Torts and Regulation | Ramakrishnan, K. | + |
| LAW 21667 | Criminal Procedure: Investigations | Rubenfeld, J. | + |
| LAW 21678 | Military Justice | Fidell, E. | ^ |
Last updated: June 4, 2025