Inspiring Excellence in Law

Explore Cal Northern School of Law’s
Academic Programs!

Located at 1395 Ridgewood Drive, Ste. 100, (530) 891-6900 in Chico, CA our faculty is comprised of judges, commissioners, and practicing attorneys who bring real-world experience to the classroom.  We offer in-person and online synchronous instruction that is livestreamed via interactive Zoom sessions.  Our in-person classes are held at our Chico location.   Continue reading to learn more about our academic calendar, programs, and more.

Academic Calendar

Fall Semester 2024/2025

Registration July 22, 2024- August 5, 2024
Orientation for Beginning Students August 6, 2024
1st Year Instruction Begins August 7, 2024
2nd, 3rd, & 4th Year Instruction Begins August 20, 2024
Labor Day (Holiday) September 2, 2024
Midterm Examinations October 8- October 10, 2024
Law School Information Day – Join us and meet students, faculty and alumni. Inquire about admission requirements, course offerings, internships and career opportunities. Our informational forum will help prospective students learn about law school from current and former students. You will learn what law school is like and the amount of work involved. The first half hour is a presentation by our Dean and faculty followed by an informal question and answer period. October 21, 2024 6:30 PM-8:00 PM
Veterans Day (Holiday) November 11, 2024
Thanksgiving (Holiday) November 26-December 1, 2024
Instruction Ends December 5, 2024
Final Examinations December 14, 2024
Winter Recess December 16, 2024-January 6, 2025

 

Spring Semester 2024/2025

Registration December 16, 2024-January 6, 2025
Instruction Begins January 7, 2025
Martin Luther King Day (Holiday) January 20, 2025
Presidents Day (Holiday) February 17, 2025
Midterm Examinations February 25, 2025- February 27, 2025
Spring Break March 17, 2025- March 21, 2025
Law School Information Day – Join us and meet students, faculty and alumni. Inquire about admission requirements, course offerings, internships and career opportunities. Our informational forum will help prospective students learn about law school from current and former students. You will learn what law school is like and the amount of work involved. The first half hour is a presentation by our Dean and faculty followed by an informal question and answer period. March 31, 2025 from 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Instruction Ends April 24, 2025
Final Examinations May 3, 2025
Commencement May 17, 2025

Summer Semester 2024/2025

Registration April 28, 2025- May 12, 2025
Instruction Begins May 13, 2025
Memorial Day (Holiday) May 26, 2025
Application deadline for Fall 2025 Admission June 1, 2025
Midterm Examinations June 10-11, 2025
4th of July (Holiday) July 4, 2025
Instruction Ends July 16, 2025
Final Examinations July 26, 2025
Summer Recess July 28, 2025-August 18, 2025

Academic Information

Grades

All grades will be given as a numerical percentage from 0 – 100%. Numerical percentages will not be converted into an alphabetical grading system. Transcripts will reflect the numerical percentage given in a course at the end of the semester.

Courses taken for credit without a grade (“Pass/Fail”) will be reflected on the transcript as either Pass or Fail and will not factor into the cumulative numerical percentage.

A total numerical percentage will be given for courses taken each semester and a cumulative numerical percentage will be given for all courses taken at Cal Northern.

Academic Standards

Attendance: Cal Northern School of Law is for those students who want to become lawyers. Attendance is not only required but is a measure of desire and motivation. Students are required to attend eighty percent (80%) of scheduled classes. A student who fails to attend the required 80% is considered to have an unsatisfactory attendance record and may be asked to withdraw from school. A student who misses three class periods of a course in one semester without permission of academic-standards Dean is subject to automatic withdrawal from school. The policy of the school allows the Dean to approve absences in case of illness or emergency.

Examinations: Final examinations are given at the end of each semester. Mid-terms are given in all bar courses. Instructors of non-bar courses may, at their discretion, give mid-term examinations. Each instructor will announce his/her grading policy at the beginning of the semester.

Probation: A numerical percentage of 2.00 is required for good standing and graduation. A student who earns a semester grade point average below 2.00 will be placed on academic warning. A student who has a cumulative numerical percentage below 2.00 at the end of an academic year may be advanced to the next year of study on probation under the following circumstances:

The student must petition the Dean for advancement on probation.
Advancement on probation will be granted for only one year, and once granted the student must thereafter maintain at least a 2.00 average.
The minimum numerical percentage for advancement on probation is:
From first year to second year… 1.80
From second year to third year… 1.90

A student who fails to maintain the average requirement will be academically disqualified. Upon approval of a timely petition to the Faculty Senate a student may be permitted to repeat coursework and continue their studies at Cal Northern.

Student Services – Tutoring Program: At the end of the Fall semester any 1st Year student in the J.D. program with a course grade of less than 70, and any 1st Year student in the M.L.S. program with a course grade of less than 65, will be required to participate in a minimum of three (3) tutoring sessions as part of Cal Northern’s Student Services-Tutoring Program.

Any student in the J.D. program with a cumulative semester grade point average of less than 2.00 and any student in the M.L.S. program with a cumulative semester grade point average of less than 1.50 will be placed on Academic Warning and will be required to participate in a minimum of three (3) tutoring sessions as part of Cal Northern’s Student Services-Tutoring Program.

The Tutoring Program is designed to best serve students’ academic needs by carefully developing individualized curriculum designed to meet students’ expectations for successful completion of law school. While required for the above referenced students the Tutoring Program is available to all students.

Eligibility to advance to the next year of study may be contingent upon a student’s participation in the tutoring program (absent extenuating circumstances which will be reviewed by the Dean on a case by case basis). These workshops are designed to help develop essay exam skills such as issue spotting, outlining, organization and factual analysis and are open to all students.

First Year Law Students Examinations – “Baby Bar”

All “Special Students” are required to take the First Year Law Students Examination (FYLSX). A “Special Student” who is required to take the FYLSX shall not receive credit for any law study until the applicant has passed the examination. A “Special Student” who passes the examination within three consecutive administrations of first becoming eligible to take the examination upon completion of one year of law study, shall receive credit for all law study completed to the date of the administration of the examination passed. A “Special Student” who does not pass the examination within three consecutive administrations of first becoming eligible to take the examination but who subsequently passes the examination shall receive credit for his or her first year of law study only.

Cal Northern School of Law policy requires that all first year “Regular Students” who do not have cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or better after the Fall semester of study at Cal Northern, must register to take the FYLSX.

If the cumulative grade point average is less than 2.00 at the end of the Spring semester, the student is required to take the FYLSX. If the cumulative grade point average increases to 2.00 or better by the end of the Spring semester, the student is not required to take the FYLSX.

A “Regular Student” who is required by school policy to take the FYLSX and who does not pass on the first attempt, may be permitted to advance to the second year of study at Cal Northern on academic probation. The student is required to register and take the next scheduled FYLSX.

Any student who fails to pass on the third attempt will be academically disqualified from further attendance at Cal Northern School of Law.

The fees paid to the Committee of Bar Examiners to register for the FYLSX may not be refundable. Any student who is required by Cal Northern policy to register for the FYLSX but is not required by Cal Northern policy to take the examination, may lose the registration fee. This fee is not reimbursable by Cal Northern School of Law.

First year students must check with Admissions no later than February 1 of their first year of study to determine whether they are required under this policy to register for the FYLSX.

Degree

Students are eligible for the degree of Juris Doctor (J.D.) when they have completed a minimum of 84 semester units in accordance with the prescribed curriculum; maintained a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or better throughout their study at the law school and attended the Kaplan PMBR 7-Day Foundation Multistate Bar Review program prior to graduation.

Honor System

All examinations given at Cal Northern School of Law shall be conducted under the Honor System. The Honor System is hereby defined as follows:

  1. Each student participating in any mid-term, final, or other examination given by any of the instructors at the law school shall be on his or her honor not to bring outlines, notes, or other materials into the examination room during the time in which the student takes the examination.
  2. No student shall protect other students seeking assistance, either oral or written, during the examination.

Ethical Standards & Disciplinary Procedures

Standards have been developed which define expectations Cal Northern School of Law has of its students; other policies have been implemented which address student rights and the procedures students may use to exercise those rights.

Student Handbook 2024-2025

Academic Integrity Policy Statement 2021-2022 Virtual Classroom Policies & Expectations

Program Learning Outcomes

Cal Northern School of Law (CNSL) has adopted specific program learning outcomes for the JD and MLS Programs which are mission-based, providing both academic and practical instruction, to best prepare students for careers in the legal profession.

To assess achievement of course and program objectives, CNSL has developed various strategies to measure student success. Through direct review of students’ work, CNSL is able to measure individual proficiency and mastery of the course objectives and to gather information on the effectiveness of its program. Through indirect evidence, CNSL is able to measure the student’s self-perceptions of their learning and experience of the program and curriculum.  The latest analysis of assessment results can be found below @ Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes. 

Law School in Chico, CA

Curriculum Maps

CNSL’s curriculum aligns with program mission and program learning outcomes (PLOs). Curriculum Maps for the JD and the MLS Programs have been developed by the faculty and can be found here:

Faculty determined which PLO was addressed in which courses and at what level (Introduced = I; Developed = D; Mastered = M). From that data, faculty evaluated whether students had a systematic opportunity to achieve success in each PLO.

Student Course Evaluations

2023-2024 Student Course Evaluations show students expressed 90% satisfaction with their instructor’s overall performance; 60% of the faculty received 100% satisfaction ratings. The data for students surveyed in the 2022-2023 academic year show that 95% of students are generally to very satisfied with their law school education.

Graduate Survey

According to the law school’s Graduate Survey sent to graduates in June 2024, 100% reported they were extremely satisfied with their law school education.