Grading and Ranking Policies

Except in courses graded according to Credit/Marginal/Fail, the Faculty of Law uses the University of Calgary 12-band letter system: A+ (Outstanding), A and A- (Excellent), B+, B and B- (Good), C+, C and C- (Satisfactory), D+ and D (Marginal) and F (Fail).

While the Faculty does not employ a grading curve as such, it does require a "B median" in all courses with more than 10 students. This means that the middle grade (in a course of more than 10 students) must be a B. So for example, in a class of 31 students the 16th grade, from the top and from the bottom, must be a B, while in a class of 30 students the 15th grade from either the top or the bottom must be a B. Though the Academic Status Committee sometimes approves de minimis deviations, the B median rule is generally enforced and irregular grade patterns are suitably adjusted.

The Faculty also has an "A range" guideline, which provides that about 10% of grades in a course with more than 10 students should be in the A range. But this is only a guideline, not a rule. In courses with high enrollments, there may be fewer than 10% of grades in the A range, while in courses with low enrollments there may be more than 10%. In first-year courses, grades in the A range can be significantly less than 10%.

Generally speaking, the Faculty of Law does not rank its students, either by course or by year. That said, the top ten students in each year are placed on the Dean's List and notified of this individually. However, there is no specific ranking of students inside the Dean's List and no ranking at all of students outside it. Neither is there any aggregate ranking of the graduating class, except that a Gold Medal is awarded to the graduating student ranking first overall during his or her three years.

The Dean's List is determined as follows:

• The top ten students completing each Year of the JD program, including incoming Letter of Permission students who take a full credit load under our Regulations, shall be on the Dean's List
• The top ten students are determined by weighted grade point average. Where more than one student achieves the same weighted grade point average and that average would make one of those students eligible for the Dean's List, all such students shall be included on the Dean's List.
• Part-time students are eligible in the year in which they complete a Year of the program.
• Students who receive more than four credits in a Year for courses taken outside the Faculty of Law shall not be eligible for the Dean's List in that Year.