To graduate, students must meet these law degree qualification requirements:
- Pass all required courses. The first year required courses include Law 200 Introduction to Law, Law 203 Civil Procedure, Law 205 Constitutional Law I, Law 202 Contracts, Law 206 Criminal Law, Law 207 Legal Research & Writing I, Law 208 Legal Research & Writing II, Law 200S Lawyering Process, Law 201 Property, and Law 204 Torts.
- Earn 88 semester units. This must be completed in no more than six semesters unless a student is approved for an extended program by the Senior Assistant Dean for Student Affairs.
- Earn at least 68 classroom-based law units. Courses that do not count towards the 68 classroom-based law units include independent study units (Law 419, 419A, 499, or 499A), co-curricular units (law review, law journals, and competitions), externship placement units (may not exceed 14 units), and non-law units taken in other UC Davis departments. If a student graduates with exactly 88 units, they may have a maximum of 20 non-classroom-based units.
- Complete six semesters in residence. "In residence" means that the student has earned at least 10 units during that semester. A "semester-away" through an approved exchange program or an approved semester-long visit at another ABA accredited law school, count as a semester in residence. (Students may not take more than 17 units per semester).
- Complete Law 258 Professional Responsibility or 258A Legal Ethics and Organizational Practice.
- Satisfy the skills requirement of regulation 1.4B. In either the second or third year, students must take one or more course(s), totaling at least six credits, designated as satisfying instruction in professional skills.
- Satisfy the writing requirement of regulation 1.4C. In either the second or third year, students must write an individually authored work of rigorous intellectual effort of at least 20 typewritten, double spaced pages, excluding footnotes. At least one draft of the paper is required to be exchanged between student and professor and feedback should be incorporated before the final submission of the paper. Each semester, a number of courses are offered which can satisfy the writing requirement. This is generally noted in the course's description.
- Have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.3 at the end of the final semester.
- Adhere to the 14-credit limit on externships. Of the semester credits required for graduation, a total of not more than 14 total units may be earned in externship placement units.
- Satisfy the Bias, Antiracism and Cultural Competency requirement. (Beginning with the Class of 2026). Students must successfully complete one course designated by the law school as meeting the standards of significant instruction in Bias, Antiracism and Cross-cultural competencies. The list of qualifying courses is here.
- Please note that a student may not use the same course to satisfy more than one of the following academic requirements: 1) Advanced Writing, 2) Bias, Antiracism, and Cultural-Competency, and 3) Professional Skills. For example, a course that is used to satisfy the writing requirement cannot also be used to satisfy the professional skills requirement.
The full Law School Regulations are available online here.
Graduation Checklist (for Current Students)
Click here to be directed to your personalized Graduation Checklist of degree requirements completed and pending. The Checklist is located on the Law School Intranet under the Course Tools tab. This Checklist is for informational purposes; it is each student’s responsibility to verify their graduation requirements with their advising transcript on MyUCDavis. Please contact the Registrar’s Office if you have any questions about your transcript or law degree qualification requirements.