February 2026

Faculty grading policy calls upon each faculty member to grade a course, including problem courses and seminars, so that the mean grade for JD students in the course approximates 3.35 (the acceptable range between 3.2 and 3.5). This policy is subject to limited exceptions.

Class Rank

As a matter of faculty policy, we do not release the academic rankings of our students. Interested individuals, including employers, have access to the top 10% approximate cumulative grade point cut off or the most recent semester of completion. In addition, at the completion of the students’ second semester and every semester thereafter the top 5% approximate cumulative grade point average is also available. In general students are not ranked however the top ten students in each class are ranked and are notified of their rank.

Class	Semesters Considered	Top 5% GPA	Top 10% GPA
Class of 2026	Five semesters	3.8789	3.8076
Class of 2027	Three semesters	3.8740	3.7769
Class of 2028	One semester	—	3.8762

Dean’s List

Each semester all students whose semester grade point average places them in the top 30% of their class are awarded Dean’s List status. Students are notified of this honor by a letter from the Dean and a notation on their official and unofficial transcripts.

Myron Taylor Scholar

This honor recognizes students whose cumulative GPA places them in the top 30 percent of their class at the completion of their second year of law school. Students are notified of this honor by a letter from the Dean of Students.

Academic Honors at Graduation

The faculty awards academic honors at graduation as follows: The faculty awards the J.D. degree summa cum laude by special vote in cases of exceptional performance. The school awards the J.D. degree magna cum laude to students who rank in the top 10% of the graduating class. Students who rank in the top 30% of the class receive the J.D. degree cum laude unless they are receiving another honors degree.

The Order of the Coif invites students who rank in the top 10% of the graduating class. To be eligible for consideration for the Order of the Coif, a graduate must be in the top 10% with 75% of credits taken for a letter grade.

For detailed information about exceptions and other information such as grading policy for exchange students please go to the Exam Information & Grading Policies link at https://community.lawschool.cornell.edu/academics/exams-and-grading/.