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Academic Standards and Related Procedures - LLM

URL: https://libguides.law.ucla.edu/academicstandardsllm

A. Applicability of UCLA Student Conduct Code

Students enrolled in the School of Law are subject to the provisions regarding student conduct and procedures governing student discipline contained in the separate publication entitled “UCLA Student Conduct Code.” Copies of this document are available at the main campus Office of the Dean for Students, 1206 Murphy Hall, or online.

B. Cheating, Plagiarism, Multiple Submissions, and Other Forms of Academic Dishonesty

Students caught cheating on examinations or papers, committing plagiarism or submitting work which is a “multiple submission” [i.e., the resubmission of any work which has been previously or simultaneously submitted for credit in identical or similar form in one course to fulfill any of the requirements of another course without the prior consent of the current instructor(s)], or submitting written work drafted or edited in any way by an artificial intelligence (AI) content generator (including but not limited to OpenAI's ChatGPT, Microsoft's Bing AI Chatbot, and Google's Bard), without the prior and explicit approval by the instructor, are subject to University disciplinary proceedings pursuant to the UCLA Student Conduct Code. In the event that the instructor grants approval to use AI content generators in drafting or editing submitted written work, unless the instructor explicitly states otherwise, the student must disclose the name of the AI content generator used and the prompts given to the AI that produced the draft or edited content. Documentation of any resulting proceedings and/or disciplinary action will remain contained in the student's admissions file for the period of time the file is retained. The occurrence of such disciplinary proceedings will be communicated to the Bar Examiners to whom the law school must certify candidates for bar admission.

C. Report of Disciplinary Proceedings

The School of Law will report to the University for appropriate disciplinary proceedings any misrepresentation by a student of the student's academic record. Should disciplinary proceedings result in a finding that a student has made a willful misrepresentation that finding will be reported to the governing Bar Association or Committee of Bar Examiners of any state in which the student seeks admission to the Bar.

D. Rule Regarding Student Reporting of GPAs

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.

E. Disclosure of Student Records

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.

F. Sexual and Other Forms of Harassment

  1. UCLA School of Law is committed to creating and maintaining a community free of all forms of exploitation, intimidation, and harassment. 
  2. The law school does not tolerate sexual harassment, which is prohibited both by law and by University policy. It is the intention of the law school to take whatever action may be needed to prevent, correct, and, if necessary, discipline behavior which violates this policy. Additional information on sexual harassment and assistance for students and other law community members can be obtained through the UCLA Sexual Harassment Prevention Office which provides information about campus policies and procedures to any interested person.  Individual consultations can be arranged for persons who need detailed information about possible sexual harassment and options for resolving concerns on campus. 
  3. The University strives to create an environment which fosters the values of mutual respect and tolerance and is free from discrimination based on race, ethnicity, sex, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, and other personal characteristics. Certainly harassment, in its many forms, works against those values and often corrodes a person's sense of worth and interferes with one's ability to participate in University programs or activities. While the University is committed to the free exchange of ideas and the full protection of free expression, the University also recognizes that words can be used in such a way that they no longer express an idea, but rather injure and intimidate, thus undermining the ability of individuals to participate in the University community (President Gardner, September 21, 1989).
    1. The UCLA Student Conduct Code prohibits a variety of conduct by students which, in certain contexts, may be regarded as harassment or intimidation.
    2. The Law School Office for Student Affairs (Law Building) as well as the UCLA Dean of Students Office (Murphy Hall) can assist students who believe that they have been affected by the harassing conduct of a UCLA community member.  Other options for reporting harassing behavior are available through the Ombuds office, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and the Sexual Harassment Prevention Office indicated above.
    3. In addition to providing support for those who believe they have been victims of harassment, the resources listed above offer students the opportunity to understand the formal and informal mechanisms employed by the campus to address these claims and to consider which of the available options are the most useful for the particular circumstances.
    4. With regard to University-wide student conduct policies, complainants should be aware that not all conduct which is offensive may be regarded as a violation of these policies and may, in fact, be protected expression. Thus, the application of formal institutional discipline to such protected expression may not be legally permissible. Nevertheless, the University is committed to reviewing any complaint of harassing or intimidating conduct by a student and intervening on behalf of the complainant to the extent possible.

G. Continuing Duty to Report

Once admitted to the School of Law, a student has a continuing duty to update the information included in the student’s application for admission. This includes a duty to disclose any and all omissions from the application for admission, and it includes a duty to disclose any and all conduct and events that occur after submission of the application, if such conduct or events would have required disclosure in the application for admission. This duty of disclosure continues until the student has graduated or formally withdraws from the School of Law. Students must disclose upon the occurrence of the event (e.g., an arrest) and cannot wait for resolution of the matter before disclosing.  Failing to make the necessary disclosures described herein, or disclosure of conduct in violation of university policy or federal, state or local laws, may result in disciplinary action up to and including revocation of an offer of admission or dismissal from the university. Disclosure should be made to the Dean of Students.