PWCL 80% ATTENDANCE POLICY

A student at Pacific West College of Law is required and MUST attend at least 80% of the regularly scheduled class hours in each course in order to satisfy the Residency Requirement set forth under Guidelines 5.3(A)(1) of the Guideline for Unaccredited Law School Rules.

Each three (3) unit class is required to have 45 hours of classroom instruction. Eighty percent of that would be 36 hours. Student are only allowed 3 maximum absences in each course or class otherwise he or she will be dropped.

A student is not allowed to make up a class that the student was deemed absent as define below.

Absence

A student who is not present for a period of time during a class session, without consent of the Professor should be deemed “absent” for the entire class session.

Note: Since law school 80% attendance is a statutory requirement in California, absence is never considered to be “excused”; the student is either “present” or “absent”.

Consequences of Failure to attend 80% attendance

The consequence of not being present for 80% of class time is that the student will be “dropped” from the class and the student will:

(1) Have to retake the class to earn credit for that course of the students’ academic degree;

(2) The student may lose “Bar Residency” for that semester so that the student will have to take another ENTIRE semester to complete the students four years of law school:

(3) The time limit for the student to take and pass the FYLSX shall not change:

(4) The student may petition to receive a pro-rata tuition refund.

STUDENT ATTENDANCE

Bar Residency Requirements

The California Committee of Bar Examiners that regulates Pacific West College of Law requires a satisfactory completion of a course of classroom study requiring a minimum of 270 hours of classroom attendance year for four (4) years. Meaning, Pacific West College of Law MUST provide a minimum of 270 hours of instruction per calendar year for a four year period to our students in order to meet the CBE residency requirements.

A year is defined as any consecutive twelve 12 month period. 270 hours is equivalent to 18 semester units. Classroom hours for exams do not count for the 270 hours pursuant to Guidelines for Unaccredited Law Schools Sections 5.3(A), and 5.9.

Guideline 5.3(A)(1) of the Guidelines for Unaccredited Law School Rules

Minimum Requirements for Award of Juris Doctor (J.D.) Degree

A law school may issue a JD degree to a student who has met the following requirements:

(A) For fixed facility law schools

Satisfactory completion of a course of classroom study requiring a minimum of 270 hours of classroom attendance a year for four (4) years. A year is defined as any consecutive twelve 12 month period. Final examination time must not be counted as classroom study. The law school must have a written attendance policy requiring regular and punctual attendance of not less than eighty (80) percent of the regularly scheduled class hours in each course. The policy may also include requirements about the quality and degree of preparation and participation. The law school shall keep accurate attendance records;

Guideline 5.9 of the Guidelines for Unaccredited Law School Rules

Quantitative Academic Requirements.

(A) Fixed-Facility Law Schools

A fixed-facility law school’s curriculum must be offered in semester units or quarter units.

(1) One semester unit is defined as fifteen (15) hours of classroom instruction. Generally, one hour of instruction per week for fifteen (15) weeks equals one semester unit of credit.

(2) One quarter unit is defined as ten (10) hours of classroom instruction. Generally, one hour of instruction per week for ten (10) weeks equals one quarter unit of credit.

(3) One classroom or contact hour of instruction is defined as fifty (50) minutes of instruction.

(4) Whether in semester or quarter units, the law school must provide a minimum of 270 hours of classroom attendance a year for four years. A year is defined as any consecutive twelve (12) month period.

Student Attendance

Students are not allowed to miss more than 3 classes in a 15 week semester (16th week is Final Exam). If a student misses more than 3 times then the student is dropped and withdrawn from the class and receives no academic credit or “Bar residency”.

No make-up classes. If a student leaves class early without the Professors’ consent then the student is to be marked “absent” for that class.

Class Sign in Sheet

Sign in sheet is provided for attendance. Each student MUST affix their name and signature in the sign in sheet for a particular class in each given class session. Failure to sign the sign in sheet may result in the student being marked absent. College records may not be changed to accommodate a student who attended a class but neglected to sign in. If the student however is present, the professor may vouch for that student’s presence throughout the entire class session.

By signing such attendance sheets, each student certifies that he/she has in fact attended the entire, particular class meeting and that he/she has not affixed the “signature” of any other student enrolled in that class, and that he/she has otherwise complied with the CBE’s attendance rules. Any action contrary to such certification will render the offending student subject to formal disciplinary action.

Student Academic Dishonesty in relation to attendance signature

Student’s academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, and falsification/fabrication. Any such conduct shall be reported to the Dean of the College and the Dean of Academics. A Professor may remove a student from class for such behavior.