If approved, second- or third-year JD students may take up to twelve (12) credits and LLM students may take up to six (6) credits outside of the Law School and apply these credits to their degrees.
For JD students, a maximum of six (6) out of these 12 may be taken at another ABA approved law school. Generally, credit for non-law courses at the University of Michigan will only be approved if at the graduate level (with an exception for foreign language courses).
All students must obtain approval from the Office of Student Life ([email protected]) PRIOR to enrolling in the class. Grades earned in these classes are not factored into Law School students’ GPAs, and they do not count toward graded units for honors eligibility.
Non-law U-M Classes
How to Enroll
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Step 1: At the Law School
- Check U-M’s Schedule of Classes for available classes.
- Complete an External Enrollment Request for the non-law class. The Office of Student Life will review the form and render its decision by email. The Office’s approval is required to apply law-degree credit.
- JD students in non-law certificate programs must complete an External Enrollment request in order to apply law degree credit for their non-law classes as well.
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Foreign Language Placements
Before requesting law credit, consult with the appropriate foreign language department for placement in the appropriate level course.
IMPORTANT: If the course is approved, WAIT until the start of the Law School’s Drop/Add period (not before). THEN add the class in Wolverine Access.
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Secondary Steps Outside the Law School
If permission to enroll is required, work with the department offering the class to learn their specific procedures. Inform the department that Wolverine Access enrollment appointments for law students begin when the Law School’s Drop/Add period starts.
Specific procedures for the Stephen M. Ross School of Business:
A permission may be required when you are unable to register for a course.
How do I request a Permission?
Complete this eForm to request a course permission. You will need to provide support documentation (transcripts from other institutions, syllabi, etc) if you do not meet the listed prerequisite or corequisite requirements.
- Do not complete the form if you are currently on the waitlist for a course. We will admit waitlist students to courses when/if space becomes available in the order of the waitlist.
- Do not contact the faculty member for approval. The Ross Registrar’s Office will work directly with the faculty member for approval.
You will receive a copy of your permission request via email from “U-M TeamDynamix <[email protected]>.” Please refer to the confirmation email to change or cancel your request.
Following Ross Registrar Office’s review, you will receive an email letting you know if your request was approved or denied. If approved, you must take action to register for the course before the permission expires. See How to Add & Drop Classes for instructions.
NOTE: If you are waitlisted for a different section of the same course, you will need to drop yourself from the waitlist before you can complete your registration. Do not drop yourself from the waitlist until you have received verification via email that the permission has been entered and ensuring that the permission is active.
Grading
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Not-for-degree Credit (NDC)
A default grading basis of NDC is automatically assigned for non-law classes. The NDC will remain on the transcript until the Law School reviews the final grade and removes the NDC flag.
In order to receive Law School credit, non-law class grades must be the equivalent of a B- (minus) or better. Removing the NDC designation is a manual process that occurs on a rolling basis throughout the the grade reporting period for the semester. The Grades Posted to Transcript (Registrar) deadline applies to law and non-law classes and can be found in the Academic Calendar.
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“S” Grade (Mandatory Limited Grade Pass) vs. Non-law Course Grade Earned
Applies to JD students only.
In order to receive Law School credit for an approved non-law course, students must receive a grade of a B- (minus) or higher (or the equivalent). Grades lower than a B- receive no law credit and the grade earned is posted on the transcript. The default grade for a non-law course on the transcript is the grade posted by the non-law department.
Students who would like to “Pass/Fail” a non-law class must request to do so in the External Enrollment system by the Law School’s “Pass/Fail” deadline. That deadline will be posted in MLawLive messages after all Law School grades have been posted for a term.
Once the “Pass/Fail” deadline has passed, no changes to the grading basis can be made. Electing to change an eligible non-law course grade to “S” does not count against a JD student’s allotted two Letter Grade Conversion to “P” elections in law courses.
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Auditing
Law School students can officially audit non-law classes. The grade that appears on the unofficial transcript for a successful non-law course audit is “VI” (for “visit”). Students who wish to take a non-law course with the “AUD” grading option must receive permission from the professor and forward documentation of that to [email protected].
Deadline for electing to audit a non-law class is the University’s Drop/Add deadline for the term of enrollment.
Taking Classes Outside U-M
To take a course outside The University of Michigan, students must complete and submit a Request for Approval of Course Taken at Another University Form in the External Enrollment system. The Office of Student Life will review the form and render its decision by email.
The Office’s approval is required to apply law-degree credit.