HLS Grading and Honors System

New Grading System

Harvard Law School recently adopted a new grading system where students who started at HLS in September 2008 or later will receive Honors, Pass, Low Pass or Fail grades instead of traditional letter grades. Students from the Class of 2010 will be graded under the new system for their third year courses only. Pass/fail classes will now be designated credit/fail.

Under the new grading system, the recommended grade distribution for larger classes (over 30 students) is:
• Honors: 37%
• Pass: 55%
• Low Pass: 8%

In addition, in classes with over 30 students, professors may, at their discretion, award one or two “Dean’s Scholar” prizes for outstanding work. Dean’s Scholar prizes will be noted on the student’s transcript.

The system for awarding Latin Honors to graduates has also been modified.
• summa cum laude: top 1% of the graduating class
• magna cum laude: next 10% of the graduating class
• cum laude: next 30% of the graduating class

Interpretation of Grades

Because the grade distribution described above is not mandatory for all classes, employers should only use this as a general guide for interpreting a student’s grades. Grades are but one part of our students’ profile and qualifications; they should be considered in the context of other information about the student, including their accomplishments during law school, e.g., moot court, student organization leadership, and writing and research projects; their pre-law school academic and work experience; recommendations; and the interviewer’s own impression of the student. By evaluating each of our students in the context of their overall qualifications, employers will increase their chances of successfully recruiting at Harvard Law School. Consequently, we recommend that employers who consider grades in their hiring criteria set standards specific to Harvard Law School.

An LP does not mean that a student’s work was unsatisfactory; rather on a comparative basis that the student’s performance ranked approximately in the bottom 8%. In accordance with law school’s grading scale, unsatisfactory work would receive an F.

Details about Academic and Writing Prizes awarded by the Law School may be found at the Harvard Law School website under Courses and Academic Programs.