Class Ranks
JD students who have completed at least one semester at the College of Law are ranked by cumulative GPA in percentage increments. LLM students are not ranked. Students who transfer to DePaul are ranked once they receive DePaul grades. Transfer credits are not used to determine class ranks but are used to determine honors at graduation. Class ranks are posted in February and July on the College of Law website.
Ranks are listed by percentile, in five percent increments, through the 50th percentile. The lower half of the class is ranked by quartile. Full-time and part-time students are ranked separately. Once released, class ranks are not affected by any subsequent grade changes or withdrawals. Numeric class ranks are not available.
In communicating with prospective employers or otherwise, a student must report their class rank precisely as listed on the College of Law website. Students may not round off grade point averages to achieve a higher rank.
To verify a class rank, a student should order an unofficial transcript or official transcript from Campus Connect or through the Office of the University Registrar. Students then should compare their cumulative GPA to the percentage class ranks on the College of Law website. If an employer requests verification of class rank, the student should give the employer the unofficial or official transcript and a copy of the ranks from the College of Law website or refer the employer to the website.
Dean's List
Students who rank in the upper 25 percent of their class based on one semester’s grades qualify for the Dean’s List. Dean’s List notes appear on unofficial and official transcripts, available on Campus Connect. Total credits—both graded and pass/fail—count toward earned credit hours.
To qualify for the Dean’s List, a full-time student must be registered for at least 12 credits for which a letter grade is awarded (not a pass/fail or audit grade). A part-time student must be registered for at least nine credits for which a letter grade is awarded (not a pass/fail or audit grade). Once released, the Dean’s List is not affected by any subsequent grade changes or withdrawals.
JD Classifications for Class Ranks and the Dean's List
For purposes of determining class ranks and the Dean’s list, JD students are classified by the number of credit hours they have earned:
Full-Time
- First-Year = 30 or fewer earned credit hours
- Second-Year = 31 to 69 earned credit hours
- Third-Year = 70 or more earned credit hours
Part-Time
- First-Year = 23 or fewer earned credit hours
- Second-Year = 24 to 45 earned credit hours
- Third-Year = 46 to 73 earned credit hours
- Fourth-Year = 74 or more earned credit hours