Georgetown University Law Center does not rank its students.
Diplomas with honors and Dean's List honors were first awarded in
the Spring of 1978. Minimum credit-hour requirements must
be met in order to earn Dean's List honors and graduation honors,
and these requirements are specified in the Law Center Bulletin.
For Juris Doctor students
Graduation Honors (based upon the overall cumulative grade point average of the student):
- Cum Laude - top third of the graduating class
- Magna Cum Laude - top ten percent of the graduating class
- Summa Cum Laude - there is no cumulative grade point average
that automatically entitles a student to this honor.
Instead, the J.D. degree summa cum laude is granted at the
sole discretion of the faculty. To be eligible for
consideration for the award of summa cum laude, a graduate
must have completed at least 71 academic credits at the
Law Center and have a minimum cumulative grade point average
of 3.70.
Dean's List:
- The Dean's List
is awarded to those Juris Doctor degree students who place in the top third based upon their annual grade-point average. First-year students must place in the top third of their first-year section. Upperclass students meet different top-third cutoffs depending upon whether or not they are in the graduating class.
For Master of Laws students
Graduating with Distinction
- LL.M. Candidates who are interested in being considered for the possibility of graduating with distinction must attain a cumulative grade point average in the top third of the entire graduating LL.M. class.
Dean's List
- An LL.M. student who graduates in the top one-third of the graduating students in his or her specific LL.M. degree program will be designated as a Dean’s List graduate for that specific LL.M. degree program. Dean’s List designation will be granted for the following LL.M. degree programs: Individualized, International Legal Studies, General Studies, Securities & Financial Regulation and Taxation.
Note: The difference between graduation with distinction and Dean’s List is that graduation with distinction is calculated based upon the entire graduating LL.M. class and then printed on the diploma and the student’s transcript, whereas Dean’s List is calculated based upon the graduating class within each respective LL.M. degree program and then printed on the student’s transcript only.
