Full and Part-Time Study

A student at the law school may participate in either full- or part-time legal study. The full-time program must be taken during the day; the part-time program during the evening or during the day. The two divisions have fully comparable programs, and all full-time faculty teach in both divisions. Transfer between the two divisions requires permission from the Associate Dean.

Participation in full-time law study is restricted by an American Bar Association limitation on employment to no more than 20 hours per week for upper-class students and 15 hours per week for first year students. Full-time students must certify that they are complying with the Law School's restriction on employment. Any serious deviation from this standard may cause the Associate Dean to reassign a student from the full-time to the part-time division or impose another appropriate remedy.

Student Responsibilities

Regular attendance is required of all students. The Law School's general Class Attendance Policy calls for students to attend a minimum of 75% of class sessions in a course or be administratively withdrawn. Absences beyond the 25% allowed can not be excused, but students may appeal the accuracy of attendance records.

Individual faculty members, however, are free to adopt more or less stringent attendance policies. Each faculty member is to announce, in writing, a decision regarding attendance at the first class session of each semester.

A student's right to continue as a member of the school, to take an examination in a particular course, to be granted course credit, and to graduate are all subject to the Law School's rules and the Code of Student Conduct. Further, the Law School will be asked to certify each graduate's academic performance and his or her character to the bar examiners of every state in which the graduate sits for the bar. Because of the high standards required by the legal profession, conduct outside, as well as within, the school is considered in law school certifications.

Attendance

Students are responsible for maintaining records of their attendance for each class. Once a student has reached the mid-point of allowable absences, the Attendance Monitor, housed in the Registrars Office, issues a warning letter listing the number of days and dates that were missed. This warning letter is the only official record the Law School provides to students documenting their attendance. There are no excused absences. 

On occasion, students request that attendance records be changed to reflect that they were present in class on a given day; they may have missed or forgotten to sign the attendance sheet.  This of course does not become an issue until a student is administratively withdrawn from a course because of absences that exceed the 25% allowable number.  Beginning Fall 2002, students who were present in a class but failed to sign the attendance roster must present evidence supporting their claim from the faculty member to the Attendance Monitor within 24 hours.  Otherwise, the class will continue to be counted as an absence and cannot be used as a basis for appealing an administrative withdrawal.  

If a student is unsure of the number of absences in a course and requests information concerning those absences from the Attendance Monitor, the student will be required to sign a release attesting to:  

(A) the dates and number of absences that were recorded by the Attendance Monitor and  

(B) an understanding that the attendance roster may not be current, and may not be relied upon by the student.

Any student who is contemplating either transferring to another institution, visiting away, studying abroad with another institution, or taking a leave of absence must see the Dean of Students, Cara Foerst, before initiating any formal process relating to these changes.

Permission to visit away at another ABA-approved law school will be granted only in extraordinary circumstances. Specifically, permission will be granted to visit away during the spring or fall semester, or for a summer semester if residency credit is requested, only for reasons of unforeseen hardship, including but not limited to medical emergency, unexpected relocation of a family member or life partner, or financial catastrophe. If a student believes that extraordinary circumstances exist, as defined above, he or she can submit a written petition to the Dean of Students explaining why she should grant the student’s request to study abroad during the school year or during the summer for residency credit. The Dean of Students shall notify any student filing such a petition of her decision in writing.

Students who change division from part-time to full-time after completing their first year at Seton Hall may not receive credit for a summer semester in residence by visiting another school. This includes participating in another institution’s study abroad program. A student will only receive residency credit for summer study if they are completing summer school courses at Seton Hall Law School, or participating in one of Seton Hall Law School’s summer abroad programs. In rare circumstances, where a student cannot achieve a particular academic concentration at Seton Hall Law and where such a student has demonstrated a strong commitment to that area of the law, the Dean of Students may make an exception to this policy and permit summer study at another institution to count for residency purposes.

Any student wishing to participate in another institution’s summer/winter study abroad program or on-campus summer/winter session must receive prior approval from the Dean of Students. This application can be found on the Seton Hall Law School website under on-line forms for current students. Permission to participate in such a program will only be granted if the student is 1) in good standing; and 2) is not requesting residency credit for these courses, and 3) the program is approved by the ABA.

If a student is given permission to visit another institution or to participate in another institution’s study abroad program or summer/winter session, transfer credit will be given for pre-approved courses only. Courses are approved individually. Only academic credits earned at an ABA approved program or an ABA law school may be transferred. Transfer credit is not awarded for courses similar in content to those already completed. No required course may be taken at another institution. Credits will only be accepted if the grade is satisfactory under the grading scheme of the school offering the course. Credit for classes taken at another law school will be applied towards the student’s Seton Hall Law School degree, but grades received will not be reflected on the student’s Seton Hall transcript or factored into the student’s grade point average for any purpose.

Students seeking to change division must submit a written application to the Dean of Students no later than June 1st following the spring semester of their first year of law school. The decision granting or denying the request to change divisions will be based on the student’s academic record at the end of the spring semester. Students can access the “Application for Change of Division” on the Seton Hall Law School website under on-line forms for current students.

Students who transferred into Seton Hall Law School after their first year at another institution are not eligible to visit away during any part of their last two (or three) years of their law school program.

Law students may apply for a leave of absence for up to one year by making a written request stating the reason for such a leave and meeting with the Dean of Students. A leave entitles a student to continue his/her law studies within one year. Further leaves may be sought, but leaves for more than one year are very rarely granted. Students who suspend their legal studies for any reason should keep in mind that credits may be counted towards graduation requirements only if they are earned within six years from the date of graduation.
 

Summer School

The School of Law operates a summer program open to all enrolled students, generally offering courses in the evening. A maximum of six credits may be taken during the Summer Session. Students from other accredited law schools may attend as visiting students.  We offer a program in Ireland, Italy and Cairo.  Please see the following for further information: 

Information on Summer Sessions at other Law Schools

Students who wish to register for courses at other law schools during the summer, including summer abroad programs sponsored by other ABA-accredited law schools, must obtain prior written approval of the Dean of Students. A maximum of six credits will be approved. In addition, for credit to be transferred to Seton Hall, the student must receive a satisfactory grade under the grading scheme of the school offering the course. A grade of Pass/Fail is not acceptable. Grades earned at another law school are not calculated in a student's GPA at Seton Hall.

Summer in Italy and Ireland

The Law School sponsors summer programs for American law students in Italy and Ireland. The programs allow students to study transnational courses such as Business Transactions in the European Community, Comparative Tort Law and The History of the Western Legal Tradition. These courses are taught by Seton Hall Law School faculty in conjunction with an outstanding array of international law professors and practitioners. International students audit the classes and participate with our students in many activities. For more information, contact Maria Polimeni at polimema@shu.edu or 973-642-8839.

Summer in Cairo

The Law in the Middle East Summer Study Program allows law students to enrich their law school experience by studying in Cairo at the American University. These courses are taught by Seton Hall faculty. Students also have the opportunity to participate in discussions with international lawyers, judges and scholars and learn about current issues involving international law practice in the Middle East. The program educates students in Islamic jurisprudence as well as international law. Professor Bernard Freamon directs the program.

Students wishing to change from one division to the other (Full-Time to Part-Time or Part-Time to Full-Time) must obtain a Change of Program form from the Registrar's Office. The completed form must be approved by the Dean of Students.

NOTE: Students seeking to change division should be aware that such a change may affect residency requirements and may therefore delay their anticipated graduation.

Students must, in the ordinary course of events, pursue their studies without interruption. Students who fail to register for either the Fall or Spring semester without obtaining a leave of absence will be treated as having withdrawn from the Law School. JD students may apply for a leave of absence for up to one year by making a written request to the Dean of Students stating the reason for such a leave. A leave entitles a student to continue his/her law studies within one year. Further leaves may be sought, but leaves for more than one year are seldom granted. Regardless of leave, credits may be counted towards graduation requirements only if they are earned within six years from the date of graduation. LLM students must complete their degree requirements within five to six semesters, and MSJ students must complete their degree requirements within five to seven semesters.

Students seeking to transfer to the Seton Hall School of Law must file an application with the Office of Admissions. The completed application (including the most recent semester's law school grades and all other supporting documents) must be received by the Office of Admissions on or before the deadline.  Students applying for transfer status will normally be awarded no more than 30 transfer credits towards their Seton Hall degree and should be in the top 20% of their class.

An individual seeking to attend the Seton Hall School of Law as a visiting student earning credit to be applied toward requirements for a law degree at another ABA approved school, must submit a written request to the Dean of Students together with a letter of approval and good standing from his or her law school. In addition, applicants must also provide a copy of their law school transcripts with their most recent grades, a copy of their LSDAS form, and a check for a $75.00 processing fee.

Members of the bar may audit courses based upon seat availability. Individuals who audit courses are charged the same tuition rate as first year students.

Students must submit to the Registrar written notice of withdrawal from the Law School. The date on which the Registrar receives the written notice governs academic and financial consequences. A student who fails to notify the Registrar's Office in writing of such withdrawal will receive a grade of "F" in each course which he or she is registered.

Transcripts are requested in writing through the Registrar's Office. Official transcripts will not be released to the student directly but only to second parties (e.g., institutions, businesses). Unofficial transcripts (student copies) can be released directly to the student. The first five transcripts per year are free of charge; additional transcripts are $3.00 each. The Registrar's Office requires three business days for processing.

All students changing their address must promptly notify the Registrar's Office by completing a "Change of Address" form.  Any local address changes may be made on-line by using our web services.