Juris Doctor Honors

The Juris Doctor degree is conferred by the University upon students who are recommended by the Dean and faculty of the College of Law after they successfully complete all requirements. All JD students who earn the degree in an academic year (July, December, and May) are placed in a pool by cumulative grade point average. Summa Cum Laude is awarded to the top 5% of the pool; Magna Cum Laude is awarded to the next 5%; Cum Laude is awarded to the next 10%. The awards are announced in the summer after the end of the academic year. Once the awards are announced and posted by the College of Law and the University Academic Resource Center, the awards are not affected by any subsequent grade changes.

Students who transfer to the College of Law after they complete coursework at another law school are eligible for honors awards. Ordinarily, non-DePaul credits do not factor into the student's DePaul grade point average, class rank, or eligibility for the Dean's List. However, for purposes of determining honors awards at graduation, the student's prior grades at any other law school are factored in with the DePaul grades to compute the final GPA for honors awards.

Order of the Coif

JD graduates who rank in the top 10% of the pool all of students who graduate in July, December and May of an academic year may be elected by the faculty to the Order of the Coif. The awards are announced in the summer after the end of the academic year. Once announced and posted by the University Academic Resource Center, the awards are not affected by any subsequent grade changes. The rules that apply for honors awards for transfer students also apply to Order of the Coif.