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Academic Policy Manual section II-4: Scholarship Policy

The School of Law awards both full and partial tuition scholarships to students admitted to the J.D. program. Unless the dean or his/her designee agrees for good cause to extend the time or credits covered, J.D. scholarship awards are effective for enrollment in the School of Law for up to 89 credits (except joint degree students) and for as long as a student is continuously enrolled or on approved Leave of Absence. Scholarship status is not contingent upon Good Academic Standing.

Full J.D. Tuition Scholarships apply to all School of Law tuition in all periods of enrollment (i.e. Fall, J-Term, Spring, Summer) up to 89 credits or, in cases of joint degrees, the maximum needed for the J.D. degree program (i.e. 76 credits).

Partial J.D. Tuition Scholarships are awarded as a percentage of law tuition and apply to all School of Law tuition at the awarded percentage in all periods of enrollment (i.e. Fall, J-Term, Spring, Summer); up to 89 credits or, in cases of joint degrees, the maximum needed for the J.D. degree program (i.e. 76 credits).

Special Situations

Non-Law Electives
J.D. scholarships apply to up to 6 credits of approved electives taken in other St. Thomas academic units (e.g. Opus College of Business). J.D. scholarships may apply to up to 8 credits in situations where the first non-law course taken is a 4 credit course (such as languages). The second course may be 2, 3, or 4 credits and the scholarship will be applied. See Policy III-B-6

J.D. scholarships do not apply to tuition for courses taken in other St. Thomas academic units (i.e. Opus College of Business) when the student is admitted as a joint degree candidate. See section below for more information on how scholarships apply for students enrolled in joint degree programs.

Consortium Courses
Courses taken at the other local law schools under the consortium agreement are treated as St. Thomas Law courses for purposes of tuition and scholarship. Per the consortium agreement, students are limited to no more than six credits total in such courses.

Joint Degree Programs

1. J.D. students will be charged tuition under flat rate rules unless they declare a joint degree. Once a joint degree is declared, students will be charged tuition per credit hour for all law credits.
2. J.D. scholarships are only applied to law tuition with the same limitations described above. Full tuition J.D. scholarships will apply to all St. Thomas law tuition up to the maximum of 76 credit law hours needed for the degree. Partial J.D. scholarships awarded as a percentage of law tuition will be applied to St. Thomas law tuition at the awarded percentage in all periods which include law enrollment up to a maximum of 76 law credit hours.

Revised November 25, 2013
Revised November 3, 2014
Revised January 13, 2015
Revised October 28, 2016
Revised November 18, 2024

Academic Policy Manual section II-5: Refunds Upon Withdrawal

If a student intends to withdraw, or does withdraw, from all courses at the School of Law before the completion of an academic term they need to be aware of the financial aid consequences. Different policies exist depending on the type of aid (federal, state or institutional) received. The following information will help the student understand the different policies in effect.

A. Return of Title IV (Federal) Aid
Withdrawal from all courses at St. Thomas during any given term results in a calculation of “earned” versus “unearned” federal financial aid. This policy assumes aid is earned based on the number of days enrolled in a particular term. The date of withdrawal, not institutional costs, will determine how much aid must be returned to the federal programs.

B. Withdrawal Procedure
The student must withdraw officially in one of three ways: through MURPHY telephone registration, MURPHY On-line, or by permission of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. The withdrawal date is the date the withdrawal process is begun. If the student fails to withdraw officially, the withdrawal date will become the midpoint of the term, unless the University can document a later date. In certain circumstances if an earlier date of last academic activity is determined, this date may be used in the calculation of “earned” federal aid.

C. Calculation of “Earned” Federal Aid
Once the withdrawal date is known, the University divides the total number of calendar days in the term for which the student was enrolled, including weekends and excluding breaks that are 5 days or longer, by the total number of calendar days in the term. This figure is the percentage of federal aid that has been “earned” and the student is allowed to keep. If the student withdraws after completing 60% of the term, they have earned all of the federal financial aid for that period.

St. Thomas and the student share the responsibility of repaying unearned federal aid. Before a student’s portion is determined, St. Thomas’ share is calculated. Federal funds will be returned to the programs in the following order:

1. Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan
2. Federal Direct Subsidized Loan
3. Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan
4. Other Federal Assistance

St. Thomas’ share may be enough to cover all unearned aid that must be returned to the federal programs. If this is the case, no further payment is required from the student. However, should the student be required to repay a portion of their loan through the student’s share calculation, they will NOT be expected to return the loan funds immediately, but rather when repayment begins according to the terms and conditions of the promissory note.

D. Institutional and State Refund Policy
The return of Title IV Aid calculation, as cited above, only takes into consideration federal funds. It does not include institutional, state or outside funding sources that may be included in a student’s financial aid package. This section explains the institutional refund policy and how these other sources of aid may be affected by a withdrawal from the University of St. Thomas.

The University of St. Thomas offers tuition refunds if a student withdraws from the University, or drops an individual course, according to the following schedule for fall and spring semesters:

1. Through the first 14 calendar days of the semester 100%
2. From the 15th through 21st calendar days 80%
3. From the 22nd through 28th calendar days 60%
4. From the 29th through 35th calendar days 40%
5. From the 36th through 42nd calendar days 20%
6. After the 42nd calendar day 0%

If a student withdraws during a period of time that allows for a tuition refund, a portion or all, of the institutional, state, and/or outside funding may be reduced or cancelled. If the student received a 100% tuition refund on all courses for a particular term, all institutional, state and outside funding must be returned to the appropriate aid program(s). If the tuition refund was not used to fully repay the Return of Title IV Aid, then a proportional share of the remaining tuition refund must be returned to the appropriate aid program(s).

It is very likely that St. Thomas would be required to return more federal money to the various programs than the student received in institutional refund. If this happens, the student will be responsible for paying the balance. However, if this causes undue hardship, a satisfactory payment arrangement can be made with the St. Thomas Student Accounts Office. The office can be reached at 651-962-6609.

Academic Policy Manual section III-B-7: Courses from other ABA-accredited law schools

A. Semester Visits at Other ABA-Accredited Law Schools.

Students who will complete at least four semesters of at least 12 credit hours at the University of St. Thomas School of Law may petition the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for permission to visit for one or two semesters at an ABA-accredited law school, including programs offered in a location outside of the United States that satisfy the ABA’s Criteria for Programs Offered by ABA-Approved Law Schools in a Location Outside the United States. The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs will not grant permission absent good cause. For requests to visit at another ABA-accredited law school, good cause includes, for example, the petitioning student’s need to relocate in order to provide care to a family member of to accompany his or her spouse to a new job. For requests to visit at a program offered by an ABA-accredited law school in a location outside of the United States, good cause includes a showing that the proposed foreign study will enhance a student’s specific plans for the practice of law. Good cause requires circumstances beyond personal convenience or financial considerations.

B. Other Courses Taken at Other ABA-Accredited Law Schools.

Students not falling within III.B.7.A may count up to 10 credits for courses offered by an ABA-accredited law school including (1) courses offered in a location outside the United states that satisfy the ABA’s Criteria for Programs Offered by ABA-Approved Law Schools in a Location Outside the United States, and (2) courses taken pursuant to the Minnesota Law School Consortium Agreement (APM III-B-10). However, students may not be allowed to take up to the full 10 credits to the extent that they are seeking to count up to 6 credits toward their 88 credit hours required for graduation associated with classes from other departments at the University of St. Thomas (APM III-B-6). Students seeking to receive credit for such courses must petition the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, prior to enrolling in such course, for permission to have such course count toward the 88 credit hours of courses recognized by the School of Law.

C. Conditions on Credit for Courses Taken at Other ABA-Accredited Law Schools.

1. No more than 32 credit hours of courses taken at other ABA-Accredited Law Schools can be counted toward a student’s 88 credit hours required for graduation.
2. Students (other than transfer students or advanced standing students) must take all required courses at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, though if the student receives permission to visit full-time for one or two semesters at another law school, a course required by the School of Law may be taken at the host institution with the advance approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs [APM III-A-1.F].
3. UST will accept the credits from the above-described schools and programs as long as the student achieves a grade of “C” or better, or “Pass” or better if the grading scale is Pass/Fail in each course for which he or she seeks credit.
4. Grades achieved in such courses will appear on the student’s transcript, but will not be used in the computation of a law student’s GPA.

Revised by the Law Faculty, November 18, 2024

Academic Policy Manual section III-B-6: Courses in Other St. Thomas Academic Units

1. With the permission of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, non-joint degree School of Law students may apply toward the requirements for the Juris Doctor degree as many as but no more than 6 credit-hours from courses of suitable academic rigor offered in other University of St. Thomas Schools or departments. For purposes of interpreting the phrase “suitable academic rigor,” courses offered for credit toward any University of St. Thomas graduate degree shall presumptively be deemed to be suitably rigorous, unless disapproved by the Curriculum Committee. Likewise, courses in foreign languages shall be deemed sufficiently rigorous regardless of their level, subject also to disapproval by the Curriculum Committee. Grades achieved in such courses will not be used in computing a law student’s GPA.
2. A candidate for any approved joint degree may commence studies in either the School of Law or the School of Law partner program; however, the candidate must participate in and complete an integral first-year School of Law course of studies.
3. A candidate for a joint degree in an approved program may apply 12 hours of credit and one full semester of residency successfully completed in the second discipline toward the requirements of the J.D. degree, provided the student satisfactorily completes the requirements set out for the joint program by the faculty conferring the second degree.

Adopted by the Law Faculty, November 7, 2001 Amended January 23, 2002, December 5, 2005, September 26, 2011, and November 18, 2024

Academic Policy Manual section III-B-12: Courses at Other Non-Law, Non-UST Graduate Institutions

Classes taken at non-law school graduate institutions other than the University are presumed not to count toward satisfaction of the School of Law degree requirements. However, with prior approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, up to six credits taken at such non-UST graduate schools may be counted toward the School of Law degree provided that the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs determines that 1) a substantially similar course is unavailable at the School of Law, other University graduate programs, or one of the other three law schools in the Twin Cities; 2) the course is of sufficient academic rigor to warrant credit toward the School of Law degree; and 3) there exists a sufficient nexus between the subject matter of the course and the student’s professional aspirations for using the School of Law degree.

Adopted by the Law Faculty, November 29, 2004