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For lectures with fewer than 20 students enrolled (where capacity is upwards of 60-70 students, but hardly anyone signed up), do law schools still enforce the same mandatory curve? This question pertains to 2L/3L classes only of course, specifically at Duke.

I'm curious if, for example, 10 people enrolled, would there be just 1 A, 2 A-, 3 B+....and so on.

The student handbook at Duke will have this information. At Tulane, the class must have 12 or fewer students to be under the curve (or a few other certain circumstances).

In fact, this information should be available on Duke's law school website.

poprox wrote:For lectures with fewer than 20 students enrolled (where capacity is upwards of 60-70 students, but hardly anyone signed up), do law schools still enforce the same mandatory curve? This question pertains to 2L/3L classes only of course, specifically at Duke.

I'm curious if, for example, 10 people enrolled, would there be just 1 A, 2 A-, 3 B+....and so on.

http://www.law.duke.edu/about/community/rules/sec3.html


"For large classes (40 or more students) and all first-year classes:
the grade distribution is expected to approximate the following. These percentages are guidelines designed to reflect general community expectations.

For smaller-sized classes (10-39 students) other than first-year classes (see 3-1(1)(b)), the median grade shall not exceed 3.5. In special circumstances, the faculty member grading the course may exceed the median with the approval of the Senior Associate Dean (e.g., when the incoming cumulative GPA of the class is significantly above the median). It is expected that for classes in which the grading is based upon an exam, the median would ordinarily approach the typical median defined above for larger classes."

I'm in a class this fall that fits under my school's 25+ rule. I spoke with a student who took the class last year and he said the prof "curved" it but didn't follow the strict mandatory guidelines. Dude was kind of an oaf and didnt tell me much else. Just muttered that he got a B and changed the subject. hth.