Rule II: Registration, Enrollment, Withdrawal, and Attendance

A. Course Descriptions and Requirements

Contents of Course Descriptions. Every instructor shall provide to the Registrar a detailed description of each curriculum offering for which the instructor is responsible. The description shall state the semester(s) or other term(s) in which the offering is held as well as include any limitation on enrolling in the offering or on dropping or adding it after the beginning of the semester or other term. If enrollment is limited, the course description must fully state all criteria for reducing registration to the enrollment limit. The description must so state if the instructor determines that, pursuant to Rule IV-B(5), a student’s work in the offering will be graded only as Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U).
Publication of Course Descriptions. The Registrar shall make available to students at least twenty-one (21) calendar days prior to the first day of classes in a semester, a publication containing the descriptions of curriculum offerings for the semester. Descriptions of offerings outside the academic year shall be similarly published and made available at least twenty-one (21) days before the day when the offering begins. In the case of an offering modified or added to the curriculum too late for such timely publication, a description shall be made available to students as early as practicable.
Disclosure of Course Requirements. During the first or second scheduled meeting of a curriculum offering, but no later than two (2) days prior to the expiration of the time for withdrawing from or enrolling in the offering, the instructor shall make available to students a detailed explanation of the requirements for successful completion of the offering and the factors considered in determining the final grade. The explanation shall cover such items as the weight, coverage, and methodology of the final examination in the course; the due date, scope, and requirements of any interim examination, paper or oral presentation; the special rules about attendance and tardiness; and the inclusion of class discussion or other participation in the determination of the course grade.
Educational Experimentation. The requirements set forth in subdivision (3) of this section shall not prohibit or discourage experimentation with educational methods or examination techniques. In such circumstances, it shall be sufficient for the instructor to explain, within the time period indicated in subdivision (3), the experimentation and, in relation to it, the process or procedure for determining the basis for the final grade in the offering.
Syllabuses; Class Make Ups; Class Cancellations; Provision of Course Materials
1. Syllabus to be Issued. For each course offering, an instructor shall publish a syllabus no later than the first meeting of the class. In all courses the syllabus must include:
  1. Specific, measurable, student learning outcomes, including knowledge, skills and values — to be learned during the term and an articulation of the relationship between in-class learning and materials assigned outside of class;
  2. A brief description of how the course fulfills the law school’s information literacy policy.
  3. If the course includes any online learning, the following: “Students are responsible for reviewing the state bar rules in their intended practice jurisdiction to insure that they have adequate contact hours for licensure.”
  4. A clear description of the course attendance policy and how the professor will determine attendance.
  5. A description of how students will earn their grades in a course, including a description of whether a professor may modify the grading system and under what circumstances.
  6. TA sections and other activities assigned outside of scheduled class meetings;
  7. Preparation assigned for each class meeting, or at least the assignments and schedule for the first month, with the remaining assignments and schedule to be provided by the professor sufficiently in advance of scheduled classes so that students can adequately prepare;
  8. Irregularities in the class meeting schedule known when the syllabus is published; and
  9. Known dates of examinations, exercises, paper submissions, and the like, or, if unknown, when the students will be informed of the dates. (Amended by faculty 5/1/14)
2. Syllabus to be Followed. The instructor shall make all reasonable efforts to follow the syllabus as issued. Should the instructor desire or need to materially deviate from the previously issued syllabus, the instructor shall issue a revised syllabus.
3. Making up Canceled Classes. As necessary to carry out subdivision (ii) above, an instructor shall make up a scheduled class that is canceled for any reason. As practicable, a class canceled in advance shall be made up in advance, and a class canceled with short notice shall be made up quickly thereafter. If it is impracticable to make up a class canceled without advance notice late in the term, and if the instructor can fulfill the syllabus for a course without making it up, then making up the class is excused.
4. Notice of Canceled Classes. An instructor shall give the earliest feasible and most effective notice of a canceled class. Means of notice include emailing students, posting on the appropriate UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law (UNH Law) bulletin board, broadcasting on television or radio, and (for a class canceled well in advance) listing in the syllabus for the course. Upon reasonably believing that a cancellation may be necessary in the future, an instructor should explain to the class how notice will be given. In all cases of class cancellation, an instructor must notify the Registrar by telephone or email message.
5. Monitoring Class Cancellations. The Registrar shall keep a record of class cancellations to the extent of available information. Upon the second cancellation of any kind in a course, the Dean shall meet with the course instructor to discuss the reasons for the cancellations and the likelihood of additional cancellations.
6. Provision of Course Materials. The instructor shall endeavor to assure that assigned and recommended course materials are available to students in time for responsible class preparation.
Upper Level Writing and Experiential Learning Requirements. Courses that meet the Upper-Level Writing and Experiential Learning requirements vary by semester depending on the professor’s approach and class size. A list of approved courses will be made available each semester. The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, or the Associate Dean’s designee, in consultation with the Curriculum Committee and specific professors, will approve specific courses offering experiential learning and writing experiences. (Amended by faculty 5/1/14; revised by faculty 5/4/17)
1. Upper Level Writing requirement- content. Courses that satisfy the Upper Level Legal Writing requirement require students to:
  1. Satisfactorily complete a substantial amount of written work. For example, a unitary writing project such as a scholarly article, a directed research paper, or an appellate brief normally should consist of at least 20 pages or 5,000 words (excluding footnotes). A substantial amount of written work could also consist of a series of documents that consist of at least 20 pages or 5,000 words (excluding footnotes).
  2. Receive and respond to individual, detailed, written feedback from a professor, including an adjunct professor supervised by a full-time professor or program director.
  3. Complete more than one draft of the substantial writing project.
  4. Meet individually with the professor during the semester to review students’ writing product and process.
2. Upper Level Writing requirement- faculty. The upper-level writing requirement may be met only in a course or activity supervised by a full-time member of the faculty, including an adjunct professor supervised by a full-time professor or program director, or an adjunct professor teaching Appellate Advocacy or an advanced writing course approved, in exceptional circumstances, by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, or the Associate Dean’s designee.
3. Upper Level Experiential Learning requirement- content (adopted by faculty 5/4/2017). To satisfy the Experiential Learning requirement, a course must be a simulation course, a law clinic, or a field placement. To satisfy this requirement, a course must be primarily experiential in nature and must:
  1. integrate doctrine, theory, skills, and legal ethics, and engage students in individually performing professional skills related to the various responsibilities which lawyers are called upon to meet, such as interviewing, counseling, negotiation, fact development and analysis, trial practice, document drafting, conflict resolution, organization and management of legal work, collaboration, cultural competency, and self-evaluation;
  2. develop the concepts underlying the professional skills being taught;
  3. provide students with multiple opportunities for performance;
  4. provide meaningful evaluation and feedback of such performance by the professor; and
  5. provide opportunities for self-evaluation and reflection.

Additionally, a simulation course meeting the Experiential Learning requirement must provide substantial experiences that are reasonably similar to those a lawyer advising, representing a client, or engaging in other tasks would face. A simulation course must involve realistic facts and circumstances, provide direct supervision of the student's performance by the faculty member; feedback from the faculty member; and a classroom instructional component.

Credit hour determination. A “credit hour” is defined to be consistent with Interpretation 310-1 as set forth in Standard 310 from the ABA Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools and the accompanying ABA Guidance Memo on Standard 310.

B. Registration

Authority of Registrar Over Registration. The Registrar is authorized to prescribe the times and ways, consistent with these rules, to register for enrollment in, withdrawal from, or auditing of a curriculum offering. Only the Registrar or the Registrar’s designee shall conduct registration or assign students to multiple sections of an offering.
Registration Required for Enrollment, Withdrawal, or Audit. For enrollment in, withdrawal from, or audit by a nonmatriculated student of a course offering to be effective, a person must complete the registration procedure for it.
Good Financial Standing. In order to register to enroll in or audit a curriculum offering, a person must be in satisfactory financial standing with UNH Law as determined by the Vice President for Business.
Auditing Courses. Matriculated students enrolled for study in UNH Law may audit any nonrequired course. Auditing smaller enrollment courses may require the approval of the instructor. There is no limit to the number of courses which may be audited. Auditors do not take exams or submit assignments that are graded and the student’s transcript does not reflect in any way that the course has been taken.
Registration as a Degree Candidate, Visiting Student, Auditor, or Visiting Attorney. A person must register as either:
1. A degree candidate;
2. A visiting student intending to transfer credit earned in UNH School of Law to a degree program of another school. Permission of the Assistant Dean of Students is required to enroll as a visiting student;
3. An auditor. For non-matriculated students, permission of the Assistant Dean for Registration and Records and of the instructor is required to register as an auditor. Prior to registration the instructor shall communicate to the Registrar permission for a person to enroll as an auditor of a curriculum offering. Such permission shall not prejudice the opportunity of a UNH Law student to enroll in the offering. The instructor will communicate the requirements for attendance, participation, and any written work to the auditor. Audited courses for non degree-seeking students appear on the academic transcript with a notation of "AU". No credits are earned for audited courses. Tuition for auditing by non-matriculated and/or non-degree seeking auditors is set by the Business Services Center. Auditors are responsible for paying all related tuition and fee; or
4. A visiting attorney. Attorneys with law degrees from non-United States law schools who are required to take course offerings at an approved law school to satisfy bar requirements may register as a visiting attorney. Permission of the Assistant Dean of Students is required for enrollment. A visiting attorney must demonstrate facility with the English language in addition to the ability to successfully complete the course enrollment.
JD For Life at UNH Law (repealed by faculty 5/3/2017)

C. Enrollment and Withdrawal

The following provisions shall apply to UNH School of Law degree candidates and, as appropriate, to visiting students.

Nonelective First-Year Curriculum. Except as authorized by the Assistant Dean of Students pursuant to the criteria specified in subdivision D(3)(d) of Rule I, a first semester or second-semester student shall enroll in all offerings prescribed by the faculty for the semester. No student may enroll for courses beyond thirty credit hours without having already completed or being then enrolled in a designated first year perspective course. (adopted 2/9/06)
Nonelective Courses in the Third through Sixth Semesters. The Registrar may, consistent with the faculty’s exercise of authority and responsibility for the curriculum, prescribe the semester in which a degree candidate shall enroll in a nonelective offering.
Maximum Enrollment.
1. Maximum enrollment for a semester is seventeen (17) credits. (adopted 8/16/07)
2. Maximum enrollment for the summer term is fourteen (14) credits. The summer term includes any curricular offering by UNH Law or for which UNH Law accepts credits offered after the end of one academic year and before the beginning of the next academic year. (adopted by faculty 4/26/07)
Withdrawing From or Enrolling in an Elective Offering After the Semester or Term Has Begun.
1. Within ten (10) days after the first day of a semester or, for an offering in a term other than a semester, within a comparable time (the so-called “drop/add period”), a student may, consistent with meeting residency requirements, withdraw from or enroll in an offering. No add/drop changes will be permitted during the first week of the semester. Add/drop will be held the first three (3) days of the second week of the semester. If a student withdraws from a course before the add/drop date, the course enrollment will not appear on the student’s transcript.
2. The time within a semester or term for withdrawal or enrollment may be shortened or eliminated to accommodate limited-enrollment offerings, offerings extending over two semesters, offerings the conduct of which requires a reliable enrollment at the beginning of the term, and other, similar offerings.
3. The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or their designee may allow for a student to withdraw from an offering after the add/drop period each semester. Such permission shall be given only in exceptional circumstances in which the reasons for withdrawal are compelling and beyond the control and anticipation of the student. Withdrawal with permission results in the entry of “W” following the course. Withdrawal under this subdivision without such permission results in the entry of an F or U grade for the student’s enrollment in the offering.
Preferable Options for Reducing Registration in Limited-Enrollment Electives. An instructor may choose any criteria for reducing registration, including for example, the merit/effort criteria used in clinical and interschool competition offerings. However, the following are preferable options:
1. A lottery conducted by the Registrar in which third-year students are given preference if the elective is offered annually, unless the course is designated in the Course Descriptions pamphlet as a primarily a second-year course.
2. The selection of a few registrants for enrollment on the basis of anonymous statements of compelling need or interest for enrolling in the offering and the selection of the rest by lottery.
Involuntary Disenrollment. Each instructor has the authority to disenroll a student from an offering whenever that student has accumulated an unreasonable number of absences, has been unprepared on more than one occasion without reasonable excuse, or has failed to satisfy a significant portion of specific requirements in the course. Normally the instructor will warn a student that the student is accumulating an unreasonable number of absences or failures to satisfy requirements before the instructor decides to disenroll the student. However, failure to warn shall not bar involuntary disenrollment. A student disenrolled under this subdivision shall receive a grade of F or U in the offering.
LL.M Students in J.D. Classes. LL.M students, in compliance with LL.M degree requirements, may enroll in any upper level J.D. course. Reasonable numerical limits on LL.M enrollment in upper level required courses may be imposed. LL.M students may not enroll in first-year J.D. required courses.

It is the understanding of the faculty accompanying the rule that the “reasonable limit” in upper level required courses is five. It is further the understanding of the faculty that the primary rationale for the rule is that in the first year required courses the benefit to J.D. students of having LL.M student in classes with them is offset by the need for first year JD students to concentrate on the fundamentals of law found in the first year required courses rather than the more sophisticated and/or international perspectives with which the LL.M students so amply enrich other courses.

D. Attendance

Consistent with ABA standards, students are expected to maintain regular and punctual class attendance and otherwise meet all requirements for the offering as the instructor indicates by timely notice. Students are not allowed to receive academic credit for courses that are scheduled to meet at conflicting times, no matter how brief the conflict. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that such scheduling conflicts do not occur. If a student allows conflicting courses to remain on their schedule beyond the add/drop period, they will receive credit for only one of the conflicting courses.

Students who miss more than 20% of classes in any course will be in violation of the UNH Law policy. Each instructor may supplement this requirement by announcing a more stringent attendance requirement for a particular class. It is the responsibility of each instructor to ensure compliance with the attendance policy in whatever manner they consider appropriate under the circumstances of each course. Instructors will inform students in the syllabus of the manner of ensuring attendance at the beginning of each course.

E. Employment while enrolled as a Full-time Student

Residential students

For full-time, first-year residential students, employment is not recommended. For all residential students, where employment is necessary, it is recommended that the hours not exceed twenty (20) hours, whether paid or unpaid, per week during an academic term so that sufficient time is available for academic pursuits.

Hybrid JD students

For hybrid JD students, the law school assumes that the student may be employed full-or part-time while completing the program. Consequently, the law school makes no recommendation regarding hours of employment during an academic term but does recommend that hybrid JD students be mindful of the hybrid program course requirements as they establish their professional commitments.