INFORMATION ON LAW SCHOOL GRADES

In the spirit of seeking the "best and the brightest", employers often seek students who rank at the top of their law school class. We encourage employers to look at additional qualifications when considering our students - Penn Law students are admitted to the Law School under very competitive standards. These students are among the nation's top 5% of JD matriculants (or a similarly select group of foreign-trained graduate students). Our students' grades reflect only their achievement in relation to this group of very talented law students.

The grading system used at Penn Law since the fall 1995 semester awards grades of: A+; A; B+; B; B-; C; and F. In the fall of 2002, the Law School also adopted the grade A-.

The A+ grade is only rarely awarded. Grades are awarded mandatorily in first year courses, so in each course some students will receive B- and C grades.

More information is contained in our Discussion of the University of Pennsylvania Law School Grading System (pdf) .

NON-NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS: GRADUATE PROGRAMS

Individual Penn faculty may allow up to one extra hour on exams to all graduate students who are non-native English speakers, except those:

• who have lived in a country for at least three years in which the primary means of communication is English, or in a multi-lingual country in which English was the student's primary means of communication; or
• for whom the primary language of instruction was English for at least three years of the student's college or professional education; or
• who, in any event, have considered her/himself fluent in English (there is a rebuttable presumption that requesting an exemption from the TOEFL requirement constitutes a representation of such).

We welcome your questions about our students' accomplishments. Please feel free to call the Career Planning Office at 215.898.6746