Academic Standards and Related Procedures - J.D.

When students report their GPAs either verbally or in writing, the GPA may be rounded up only to the second numeral behind the decimal point (nearest hundredth) (i.e., 3.765 may be rounded up to 3.77, but not to 3.8 or 3.9; or 3.699 may be rounded up to a 3.70). As an alternative, students may state the entire GPA or drop one or more of the three numerals behind the decimal (i.e., 3.763 may be reported as 3.76 or 3.7).  “Rounding up” means that the third numeral behind the decimal point (nearest thousandth) is a 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 which, when “rounded” and then dropped from the GPA, makes the second numeral behind the decimal point one number higher than originally calculated.  Students may not use numbers beyond the third numeral behind the decimal point of their GPA for rounding or any other purpose.

1. Numerical Rankings. The top 12 ranked students in each class each year as well as graduates in the Order of the Coif, will be notified of these rankings on official and unofficial transcripts. 
2. Limited Disclosure. Additional information about students’ academic ranking will be made available solely for the purpose of aiding students who are applying for judicial clerkships and academic positions.
   1. Percentile Rankings. In addition to the students who are ranked numerically, as described above, students and alumni who are interested in applying for clerkships or academic positions can obtain from the Records Office whether they fall within the following percentile rankings “Rankings”:
      1. Top 5%
      2. Top 10%
      3. Top 15%
      4. Top 20%
      5. Top 25%
   2. In order to be eligible to be ranked as described above, a student must have completed a total of 27 or more units. Twenty-four of the 27 units must have been completed at UCLA School of Law, 22 of which must be graded units, prior to their 3L or final year of law school.​
3. Disclosure to Students. Students who have expressed an intent to apply for judicial clerkships or academic positions can obtain information about the Rankings, described above, from the Records Office:
   1. By September of each year the Records Office will determine which students fall within the Rankings described above following the students’ 1L, 2L and 3L year.  
   2. By February of each year the Records Office will determine which students fall within the Rankings described above following the fall semester of the students’ 3L year.
      1. Disclosure in Resumes and Correspondence. Students may list their Rankings only on their resumes and correspondence used for applications for clerkships and academic positions. No Ranking information, except for the top 12 ranked students and graduates in the Order of the Coif, will be on official and unofficial transcripts. Alumni may use ranking information included on official and unofficial transcripts for any purpose.
4. Faculty Access to Information. Students can choose to share Ranking information with faculty who are recommending them for a judicial clerkship or academic position. Additionally, faculty who are recommending a student for judicial clerkships or academic positions can seek confirmation of that student’s Rankings from the Records Office or the Office of Career Services if the student has consented to the disclosure by completing the Judicial Clerkship Waiver or otherwise.
5. Other Uses Impermissible. The Dean, Dean of Students, faculty, Office of Career Services, students, and alumni shall not disclose information about the Rankings for any professional purpose other than aiding a student in obtaining a judicial clerkship or academic position. A student who reveals this information prior to graduation for any other professional purpose is in violation of the UCLA School of Law policies and is subject to disciplinary action.

The School of Law, in accordance with Federal, State and campus rules concerning the privacy of student records, will not disclose information concerning a student's record to a prospective employer unless the student first makes such disclosure. However, the School of Law will respond to requests from prospective employers of students concerning a student's academic record provided the prospective employer first discloses to the Records Office the information given by the student to the prospective employer. For the purposes of this policy, it is immaterial whether the information given by the student to the prospective employer was written, as on a resume, or oral, as during an interview. Similarly, it is immaterial whether the prospective employer's request for information concerning a student's academic record is made orally or in writing, as long as the request specifies what information was given by the student to the prospective employer.

Upon receipt of a request from a prospective employer which complies with this policy, the Records Office will make a reasonable effort to contact a student whose academic record is the subject of a request in order to determine whether the student disclosed the information included in the prospective employer's request. A “reasonable effort” is an email message, a letter or phone call to a student currently on a clerkship or externship, which gives the student one calendar week to contact the Records Office. Depending on a student's response, the Records Office will take one of the following steps:

1. If the student informs the Records Office that he/she has disclosed the information to the prospective employer, the Records Office may release to the prospective employer, either orally or in writing, that portion of the student's academic record which specifically pertains to the information requested.
2. If the student informs the Records Office that the student has not disclosed the information to the prospective employer, the Records Office may not release any portion of the student's academic record which pertains to that information. Instead, the Records Office shall inform the prospective employer, either orally or in writing that the Record's Office cannot respond to the request because, according to the student, the student did not first disclose the information to the prospective employer.
3. If, after a reasonable effort to contact a student the Records Office has been unable to do so, the Records Office shall inform the prospective employer that it cannot respond to the request because it has been unable to contact the student.

The Records Office will assist student efforts to disclose accurate information to prospective employers by releasing to students, on request, non-confidential information contained in their own academic file. Information in a student's academic record which is subject to disclosure under this policy includes, but is not limited to, a student's: Score on a Law School Aptitude Test; cumulative law school GPA; grade in one or more specific courses; academic standing and class rank (if any); and honors or awards given in connection with a law school course program.