» Registering for Classes

In addition the required core courses, Chapman offers a wide range of electives as well as seminars, clinical opportunities, advocacy skills training and advanced drafting courses. View complete course descriptions here.

2-Ls (Full Time): Students are required to register for Federal Income Taxation in their second year, either in the fall or spring semester. Constitutional Law I and II, Evidence, Corporations, and Professional Responsibility are required for graduation and students may complete these courses in any semester of their second or third years. However, it is recommended that all required courses are completed in a student's second year.
Evidence must be completed to become a Certified Law Student.

2-Ls (Part Time): Students are required to register for Property I, Civil Procedure I, and electives for a total of 10-11 credits. Constitutional Law I, Corporations, Evidence, and Professional Responsibility are required for graduation.

2-Ls (All): Any students required to take the Legal Writing Skills course based on their LRW I or II grades must take it in their second year.

3-Ls (Part-Time): Part-time students are required to register for Federal Income Taxation in their third year.

The examination schedule is sent to students with the Registration Packet materials. It is the student's responsibility to register for courses that do not have conflicting final examination times.

The Student Handbook states: "Students should check the final exam schedule before registering for courses.  Students may not register for courses which meet at conflicting times or with conflicting final examination times.  All students are expected to take their final examinations at the scheduled time. Rescheduling will not be permitted if a student has two exams on the same day or on successive days."

If severe illness, family emergency or other catastrophic event prevents students from taking an examination at the scheduled time, they must notify the Associate Dean of Students and Administration immediately and in advance, if possible. Verification of illness or emergency should be obtained by the student and presented to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. A student may only be granted a departure from the examination schedule by the Associate Dean of Students and Administration. A student should not contact any professor directly to reschedule an examination. For the complete text of the examination policies, please consult the Student Handbook [§4.1.9].

Students with a disability that requires accommodation during examinations must notify the Associate Dean of Students as soon as possible.

The faculty has enacted a strict policy regarding competition credits. Registration for any competition credit must be submitted to the Registrar's Office within the first 30 days of the academic semester in which the student will be competing. Students are not allowed to retroactively receive credit for a competition of which they competed in an earlier semester.

Directed Research credit is available to 2-4Ls who have received a cumulative GPA of 2.6 or higher at the conclusion of their first year of law school. Directed Research is available only to study and research topics which are not provided for by regular curricular offerings.

To register for Directed Research, students must complete a Directed Research Form and obtain the appropriate signatures of the supervising full-time faculty member and the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. The Directed Research Form must be submitted no later than the designated Add/Drop date for that semester. Students are limited to two Directed Research courses during their course of study at Chapman. Each can be taken for 1 to 3 credits.

Download a Directed Research form (PDF.)

Students wishing to drop a class during the Add/Drop period may do so through their course schedule on studentcenter.chapman.edu. Courses dropped within the designated Add/Drop period will not appear on the student's transcript.

Students who withdraw from classes between the third and eighth Friday of the semester will receive a 'W' on their transcripts. Students wishing to withdraw from classes between the third and eighth weeks of the semester must obtain the approval of the instructor and submit a signed Registration Change Form to the Registrar’s Office.

Students may withdraw after the eighth Friday of the semester upon showing good cause and obtaining the approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

It is the student's responsibility to officially withdraw from a class. Failure to attend a class does not constitute withdrawal. Students who stop attending a class or classes or who have been absent for more than 20% of class sessions will be held academically and financially liable and will receive grades of 'FW' (Failure to Withdraw) equivalent to a grade of “F” or 0.0.

Students wishing to withdraw or request a Leave of Absence from The School of Law must receive the approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and complete an exit interview with the Financial Aid office.

The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and provisions of the California Education Code set out requirements designed to govern the access to and release of education records, to establish the right of students to inspect and review their records, and to provide guidelines for the correction of inaccurate or misleading data through formal and informal review processes.

In accordance with FERPA, as amended, Chapman University adopted the following policies and procedures concerning the implementation of FERPA on campus. Student information qualifying as Directory Information can be disclosed without the consent or knowledge of the student, unless the student notifies Chapman University in advance that such information is not to be released.

The student's name, photo, date and place of birth, dates of attendance, major field of study, class rank, degree and awards received, official recognition of activities and sports, height and weight if an athletic team member, and the student's most previously attended educational agency or institution, were designated by Chapman University as Directory Information.

To prevent the disclosure of this information, students must submit a written and signed request to the Registrar's Office during either the fall or the spring registration periods. Requests to have confidentiality either added to or taken off the student's records will be accepted during registration only and no changes to student confidentiality flags will be processed at any other time during the year.

Students who request confidentiality should be aware that NO INFORMATION will be given to anyone, including immediate family members and potential employers, regarding any information about them unless they request to release their information in writing to the Registrar.

The Request for Confidentiality form is included in the registration packet and may be obtained from the Registrar's Office.

For information about tuition and fees, visit our Tuition and Fees section.

Required course supplemental material is available at the Registrar's office for each semester. The student's account will be billed for the appropriate course supplement fee(s). Course supplement fees can be refunded up through the Add/Drop period only. After a student has picked up their course supplement from the Registrar's Office, the course supplement fees are non-returnable. In some circumstances, the amount charged may have to be adjusted.

Chapman University's Refund Policy meets the minimum standards required by federal law governing the awarding and disbursement of Title IV Student Financial Assistance.

The date of withdrawal for purposes of tuition credit shall be the date on which the official Registration and Change Form is received by the Registrar. Tuition credits will only be granted for students who officially drop or withdraw in writing. Students who register, but do not attend classes, will not receive a tuition credit unless they officially withdraw by the posted deadlines. Tuition deposits are not refundable.

Pro-rata Refund Policy for Students Enrolling for the First Time and Receiving Title IV Funds:

This pro-rata refund policy applies only to students attending Chapman University Fowler School of Law for the first time who are Title IV recipients. Chapman University shall refund Title IV recipients who are first time enrollees according to the following guidelines:

• 100% refund to students who withdraw during the first week of classes
• 50% to those who drop in the second week of classes
• 20% refund in the third week of classes
• No refund after the third week of classes

Completion of the term is based proportionately on the number of weeks remaining at the time the student withdraws from school or ceases to be enrolled.

Refund Schedule

Please refer to the refund schedule posted with the Tuition and Fees information.