Readmission following Exclusion

Right to Petition for Readmission

A student who has been academically excluded but has a cumulative GPA of 1.80 or higher as of the end of the Spring Trimester for first-year students or applicable semester for upper-level students may petition for readmission. The faculty’s Academic Standards Committee shall serve as the committee to review student readmission petitions. The Academic Standards Committee (the “Committee”) has full authority to review and evaluate student petitions for readmission.

All petitions for readmission shall be in writing and addressed to the Committee. The petition must be received by the Law School Registrar within seven (7) days of the date of the letter notifying the student that s/he has been academically excluded. The petition shall set forth in detail the relief sought and the reasons that relief should be granted. While there is no fixed page limit, the suggested page limit for a readmission petition is no more than 10 pages. There is no specific format for a student petition for readmission. The Committee will meet to consider the student’s petition as soon as practicable after its receipt. A student may request in the petition that he or she be allowed to appear before the Committee prior to its decision on the petition. At this appearance, the petitioner may orally present information that is not contained in the original petition concerning the merits of the petition. The Chair of the Committee will conduct the meeting and may regulate the conduct of the meeting, including but not limited to the length and allowable scope of the petitioner’s presentation. Because no transcript or recording of any proceedings or meetings on the petition will be made, the petitioner may submit any additional information raised in his or her oral presentation in a supplemental written statement.

The petition process and the meetings and other proceedings therein, including any appearance by the petitioner before the Committee, is restricted to the Elon Law student and faculty directly involved in the petition proceeding. Recognizing that the petition process is an in-house procedure, attorneys, other legal counsel, and other individuals are not permitted to participate in the petition process or to appear at any meeting, hearing or any other proceeding. Other than the appearance by the petitioner allowed in the preceding paragraph, all meetings, proceedings and deliberations of the Committee will be closed and attendance limited to members of the Committee.

There will be no transcript or recording of any meetings or proceedings regarding the petition. Rather, the record of the petition process and hearing will consist of the written statements submitted by the petitioner and the written decision on this petition prepared by the Committee.

Standard for Readmission through the Petition Process

A student who has been academically excluded has the burden of persuading the Committee that he or she should be readmitted. In determining whether the petitioning student should be readmitted, the Committee will apply the following standard:

The petitioning student must establish by clear and convincing proof that: (1)he or she has identified the problems or issues that led to his or her exclusion; (2) he or she has taken sufficient steps, or has made sufficient plans, to prevent those or similar problems or issues from interfering with his or her performance in subsequent semesters; and (3) he or she is capable of satisfactory academic performance in each subsequent semester and is capable of satisfactorily completing his or her law studies.

Requirements for Readmission; Conditions

When a petition for readmission is granted, the Committee may impose any conditions on readmission including, but not limited to, requiring the petitioner to retake a particular course or courses, prescribing the level of academic performance which will again result in exclusion for academic deficiency, limiting the student’s outside employment and involvement in co- and extra-curricular activities, or any other conditions or restrictions the Committee may deem appropriate.

Upon reaching its decision, the Committee will prepare a written decision and provide a copy of this decision to the petitioning student and the Dean.

Appeal Process

After a student’s petition for readmission has been considered on its merits and a decision reached by the Committee, the petitioning student may appeal this decision to the Dean. Any such appeal of the Committee’s decision shall be made by the student, in writing, within seven (7) days of the date of the Committee’s decision. Unless otherwise determined by the Dean, this appeal will be decided based on a review of the information considered by the Committee, without further submissions or appearances. Upon reaching a decision on the appeal, the Dean will notify the petitioning student and the Committee of this decision. There is no right to petition or appeal beyond the Law School Dean.

Denial of a readmission petition shall be without prejudice to the right to apply for readmission as an entering first year student, as described below.

Right to Apply for Readmission

A student who has been excluded for academic deficiency after the first year of law school may apply for readmission de novo to join a first year class entering the Law School one or more years after the student is notified of his or her exclusion. The Admissions Committee may readmit the reapplying student if the members of the Admissions Committee believe there is a substantial likelihood that the applicant is presently able to complete law school successfully. In making this decision, the Admissions Committee shall consider the applicant’s post-exclusion course work, work activity, or study, and the applicant’s GPA and LSAT score.

If the Admissions Committee decides to readmit the student, the Admissions Committee Chairperson shall sign and place in the student’s file a statement of the considerations that led to the decision to readmit the student.

If the Admissions Committee denies an application for readmission after academic exclusion, the decision of the Admissions Committee shall be final.