8.1. Law Courses 8.1.1. [Reserved] 8.1.2. Visiting Student Status at Another Law School for One or Two Semesters After successful completion of the first year, a student in academic good standing who wishes to request to visit for one or two semesters at another law school, fully accredited by the American Bar Association and the American Association of Law Schools, may apply to do so by filing a General Petition with the Office of the Registrar. The petition should include 1) the reasons the student is requesting to spend a semester or two at another institution, 2) the semester or semesters for which the student proposes to visit at another law school, and 3) the institution at which the student is proposing to visit. The law school at which a student wishes to visit must be outside the Southern California area. The student will be expected to maintain Loyola classification as a full-time or part-time student while visiting at another institution. A student who wishes to change classification while at another institution must request this in the petition and state the reasons for the change. The petition must be submitted in ample time for it to be reviewed and a decision made. Students are advised that petitions ordinarily will not be considered until after all grades for the academic year have been recorded. A student should not submit application materials to the other law school(s) until after the petition has been granted. Students are advised that it is likely that petitions will be denied if students have not successfully completed all of the required courses at Loyola (including the Upper Division Writing Requirement and the pro bono requirement; these requirements may not be fulfilled at another institution). Academic performance will be considered in determining whether a petition will be granted. For example, an academic record lacking consistent grades at the mean level or academic performance that has significantly declined are factors that might result in the denial of a petition. If a petition to visit at another institution is approved, the student must receive approval in advance for all courses for which the student wishes to enroll. Students will not be granted permission to take required courses at another law school. In addition, credit will not be given for externships, directed or independent research projects, or competition teams conducted by other law schools. Credit will not be granted for a course taken at another institution that substantially duplicates course work for a course for which the student received credit at Loyola. Conversely, credit will not be granted for a course taken at Loyola that substantially duplicates course work for a course for which the student received credit at another institution. Full-time students must enroll in and successfully complete a minimum of 12 units and may not enroll in more than 15 units. Part-time students must enroll in and successfully complete a minimum of eight units and may not enroll in more than 11 units. As a minimum of 58 units must be completed at Loyola, a maximum of 29 units may be completed at another institution. The total number of pass/fail units that a student will be permitted to take at Loyola shall not exceed 23% of the units which the student completes at Loyola. For example, if a student completes a total of 87 units (29 units at another law school and 58 units at Loyola), the student may only take a maximum of 13 units of pass/fail courses at Loyola. Eligibility for Order of the Coif may be affected by visiting at another institution as 75% of the 87 units (i.e., 66 units) required for completion of the degree program must be comprised of letter—not pass/fail-graded courses taken at the Law School; unit credit—not grades—is accepted from the other institution. Credit will be transferred to a student's Loyola record only if a grade of C or better (not C-), as defined by the other law school, is received in the course. In some instances, a minimum grade of B or better, as defined by the other law school, will be required for units to transfer. Where the other law school has a grading system within which its grades are not clearly defined (e.g., grading range of 70-79 is a C), it will be the responsibility of the student to seek clarification from the Office of the Registrar at Loyola as to what minimum grade the student must achieve to receive credit for any course undertaken. Units accepted for transfer will be transferred on a "pass" basis. Courses must be taken for a grade; no pass/fail or credit/no credit courses are permitted. The actual grade received in the course, however, will not appear on the Loyola transcript and will not be used in computing the student's weighted cumulative grade point average. If a student receives financial aid to visit away at another law school, Student Financial Services will process payment to the host school from the student’s loan proceeds provided the student has completed all the necessary paperwork to receive a loan. If the amount of the loan exceeds the amount owed to the host school, the difference will be refunded to the student. If the amount of the loan is less than the amount owed, Student Financial Services will send the entire amount received to said school and the student is responsible to pay the difference directly to the host school. If a student is in the Academic Success Program, the student may take no more than one of the six required Bar courses while visiting away, provided that 1) the course covers a subject that is on tested on the Bar exam of the state where the visiting school is located; 2) the student presents documentation showing the student will be taking the Bar exam of the state where the visiting school is located immediately after graduating; and 3) the course must be approved in advance by Loyola's Office of the Registrar. If the student meets these conditions, the student will be permitted to take one bar course during their time visiting away that will count towards the Bar-courses requirement of the Academic Success Program and prepare the student for the Bar exam of the state where the visiting school is located. 8.1.3. Special Student Status at Another Law School for a Summer Term A number of other law schools operate summer sessions, including programs abroad. Students are advised that many summer programs are short in duration and that those programs that do not have regularly scheduled class meetings for a minimum of at least three weeks will not be approved. (Evening students participating in the 3.5 Program are able to participate in another law school’s summer session, including a study abroad program, only if it is comprised of a minimum of seven weeks of instruction, not including orientation, holidays, reading periods, and examination periods. Reference should be made to the section on the 3.5 Program.) Students endeavoring to participate in more than one summer program, including Loyola Law School’s, must be sure that enrollment periods for each program run exclusive of one another – including orientation, all scheduled class meetings, and the examination period. Any overlapping enrollment periods will not be permitted. Students in academic good standing who wish to request to participate in another law school's summer session or program abroad must submit a General Petition to the Office of the Registrar describing the program and the courses to be taken, their unit value, and the dates of the program. When possible, students should submit a copy of the other law school's published information materials. A student should not submit registration or application materials, or a deposit to the other law school, until after the petition has been granted. The law school and/or program at which a student wishes to visit must be outside the Southern California area. Students may be permitted to take a course at a local area law school but permission is only granted if that course is not ordinarily offered at Loyola. Academic performance will be considered in determining whether a petition will be granted. For example, an academic record lacking consistent grades at the mean level or academic performance that has significantly declined are factors that might result in the denial of a petition. Students will not be granted permission to take required courses at another law school. In addition, credit will not be given for externships, directed or independent research projects, or competition teams conducted by other law schools. Credit will not be granted for a course taken at another institution that substantially duplicates course work for a course for which the student received credit at Loyola. Conversely, credit will not be granted for a course taken at Loyola that substantially duplicates course work for a course for which the student received credit at another institution. If permission is granted to attend another law school's summer session, course credit will be transferred to a student's Loyola record only if a grade of C or better (not C-), as defined by the other law school, is received in the course. Where the law school has a grading system within which its grades are not clearly defined (e.g., grading range of 70-79 is a C), it will be the responsibility of the student to seek clarification from the Office of the Registrar at Loyola as to what minimum grade the student must achieve to receive credit for any course undertaken. Units accepted for transfer will be transferred on a "pass" basis. Courses must be taken for a grade; no pass/fail or credit/no credit courses are permitted. The actual grade received in the course, however, will not appear on the Loyola transcript and will not be used in computing the student's weighted cumulative grade point average. Courses taken at other law schools will count towards the 20 pass/fail unit maximum. Because there is a 29-unit maximum for transfer credit to Loyola, students who have transferred to Loyola may not be able to count units taken in summer programs at other law schools towards their degree requirements at Loyola. (Reference should be made to the section on Graduation Requirements.) If a student receives financial aid to participate in another law school's summer session or summer abroad program, Student Financial Services will process payment to the host school from the student’s loan proceeds provided the student has completed all the necessary paperwork and the loan is approved. If the amount of the loan exceeds the amount owed to the host school, the difference will be refunded to the student. If the amount of the loan is less than the amount owed, Student Financial Services will send the entire amount received to said school and the student is responsible to pay the difference directly to the host school. 8.1.4. Special Student Status at Another Law School During the Fall or Spring Semester Special student status at another law school applies if a student takes only one or two courses at that institution, for a maximum of seven units. Students may be permitted to take a course at a local area law school, but permission is granted only if that course is not ordinarily offered at Loyola. Students in academic good standing who wish to request to take a course at another law school must submit a General Petition to the Office of the Registrar describing the course and its unit value. When possible, students should submit a copy of the other law school's published information materials. A student should not submit registration or application materials to the other law school until after the petition has been granted. Academic performance will be considered in determining whether a petition will be granted. For example, an academic record lacking consistent grades at the mean level or academic performance that has significantly declined are factors that might result in the denial of a petition. Students will not be granted permission to take required courses at another law school. In addition, credit will not be given for field placements, directed or independent research projects, or competition teams conducted by other law schools. If permission is granted to take a course at another law school, course credit will be transferred to a student's Loyola record only if a grade of C or better (not C-), as defined by the other law school, is received in the course. In some instances, a minimum grade of B or better, as defined by the other law school, will be required for units to transfer. Where the law school has a grading system within which its grades are not clearly defined (e.g., grading range of 70-79 is a C), it will be the responsibility of the student to seek clarification from the Office of the Registrar at Loyola Law School as to what minimum grade the student must achieve to receive credit for any course undertaken. Units accepted for transfer will be transferred on a "pass" basis. Courses must be taken for a grade; no pass/fail or credit/no credit courses are permitted. The actual grade received in the course, however, will not appear on the Loyola transcript and will not be used in computing the student's weighted cumulative grade point average. Courses taken at other law schools will count towards the 20 pass/fail unit maximum. If a student receives financial aid to visit at another institution, the Student Accounts Office will process payment to the host school from the student’s loan proceeds provided the student has completed all the necessary paperwork and the loan is approved. If the amount of the loan exceeds the amount owed to the host school, the difference will be refunded to the student. If the amount of the loan is less than the amount owed, Student Accounts will send the entire amount received to said school and the student is responsible to pay the difference directly to the host school. 8.2. Non-Law Courses An upper division student in academic good standing who, while a student at Loyola Law School, wishes to take a non-law course at another accredited university may request to do so. A student may receive up to six units of academic credit for non-law courses towards the 87 units necessary for graduation. These courses can be taken during a student's second or third year of law school if a day student and during a student’s third or fourth year of law school if an evening student. The non-law courses must be courses offered by a graduate school on a graduate level and cannot be undergraduate courses taught at the undergraduate or graduate level with the exception of foreign language courses. Non-law courses may include study of a foreign language designed to assist a student pursuing comparative or international law research. Students may only attend an accredited institution that grants baccalaureate and/or advanced degrees. Courses taken through an extension program (even at an accredited four-year institution) are not permitted. A student who wishes to receive credit for a non-law course must submit a General Petition to the Office of the Registrar requesting permission to take the course chosen at the other university. The petition should indicate the nature of the course and its relevance to the student's legal education. In addition, the petition should include the course's unit value and the dates of the program. A student should not submit registration or application materials to the other institution until after the petition has been granted. Academic performance will be considered in determining whether a petition will be granted. For example, an academic record lacking consistent grades at the mean level or academic performance that has significantly declined are factors that might result in the denial of a petition. Course credit will be transferred to a student’s Loyola record only if a grade of B or better, as defined by the other school, is received in the course. Where the school has a grading system within which its grades are not clearly defined, it will be the responsibility of the student to seek clarification from the Office of the Registrar at Loyola as to what minimum grade the student must achieve to receive credit for any course undertaken before enrolling in the course. Units accepted for transfer will be transferred on a "pass" basis. Courses must be taken for a letter grade; no pass/fail or credit/no credit courses are permitted. The actual grade received in the course, however, will not appear on the Loyola transcript and will not be used in computing the student’s weighted cumulative grade point average. Courses taken at other institutions will count towards the 20 pass/fail unit maximum. The unit value credited by Loyola for non-law courses may, depending upon the amount of work required, be less than the unit value given by the graduate school involved. In most instances, credit ranges from one-half to two-thirds of the unit value assigned by the graduate institution. If a student receives financial aid to visit at another institution, Student Financial Services will process payment to the host school from the student’s loan proceeds provided the student has completed all the necessary paperwork and the loan is approved. If the amount of the loan exceeds the amount owed to the host school, the difference will be refunded to the student. If the amount of the loan is less than the amount owed, Student Accounts will send the entire amount received to said school and the student is responsible to pay the difference directly to the host school.