Transfer of Credit

The following information can also be found in the Student Handbook (PDF).

3.8 Credit for Courses Taken at Other Law Schools

With advance approval from the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, a student who has earned at least a “C” or comparable grade in a course taken at an approved law school as defined by the American Bar Association may receive credit for this work toward the J.D. degree at NIU. Only the credit hours earned (and not the grade) will be transferred and noted on the student's record. Such credit hours must be supported by an official transcript and certification of good standing signed by a dean or other appropriate official of the school from which the credit is transferred. At least 55 hours of the 90 hours required for graduation under §3.1 must be completed at the College of Law.

Before registration for courses at another law school, students should consult with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and furnish all requested information. Students will also need to complete and submit a Petition for Special Consideration to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs describing the courses for which the student intends to register, specifying if any of the courses are online, and stating the number of credit hours to be received for successful completion of each course. If the student is later unable to register for any of the courses listed in the petition, he or she should promptly notify the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and submit a revised or supplemental petition with an updated list of courses for which the student has actually registered, which must be approved by the associate dean. Course credit will not be given more than once for any courses with substantially similar content taken at the College of Law or another law school. Approval of credits from courses at other law schools will not be granted retroactively.

Requests for permission to take graduate courses in other non-law departments at NIU or elsewhere and receive academic credit toward the J.D. degree should be submitted to the Associate Dean. See § 3.9.

3.9 Credit for Graduate Courses in Other Colleges of the University

In appropriate cases, law students may enroll for credit in law-related graduate course s offered by other colleges of the university. Except in the case of an approved joint degree, no more than six credit hours in such courses may be applied toward the 90 hours required for a law degree. Registration in such courses must be approved in advance by the Associate Dean of the College of Law. Students not admitted to the Graduate School must obtain permission to register as a student -at-large to take classes there. Credit toward the law degree will be granted only if the student receives a grade of “C” or higher (“B” or higher for the joint J.D./M.P.A. degree), and only the credit hours and not the grade will be transferred and noted on the student’s record. Approval of credits from graduate courses in other departments will not be granted retroactively. Information concerning NIU graduate school courses is available online.