Enrollment of "Audit/Guest" Students

Akron Law is a Legal Education Center. As such, opportunities to enrich the classroom and a diverse student body with accomplished individuals who can provide great insight and gain much from this educational experience can be of great benefit to the community.

Individuals who have received at least a Bachelor's degree may apply to enroll in 9200 School of Law course(s) as an "Audit/Guest" with approval of the admissions committee and the law faculty member who teaches the course(s) in which the prospective audit/guest student wishes to enroll.

Enrollment is carefully monitored and limited so as not to dilute the Juris Doctor and LL.M. degree program classroom learning environment or detract from the quality of legal instruction or class participation. The admissions office, in consultation with the admissions committee, will consider each candidate's potential for academic success, meaningful contributions, and enhanced learning as result of that individual's background and ability to learn and develop intellectually and in ways which can be of benefit to them professionally and in their community.

Approved audit students should be aware of the following:

Admission:

Click here to download the application form. Audit students may enroll in fall, spring, and/or summer semesters. Note that we no longer charge an application fee.

Schedule of classes:

Click here to view the schedule of classes. Please note on your application cover letter which class(es) you wish to take for a particular semester. And even if you only wish to take one class, please list your first, second, and third choice classes in the event a class is closed or we need to make another selection for any reason.

Enrollment:

Traditionally, it would be expected that an audit student might enroll in one or two classes per semester. There is no limit on the number of courses an audit student may take.

Administrative withdrawal:

If in the very unlikely event an audit student creates a disruption to the class and the faculty member considers the student to negatively impact the integrity of the academic program, an audit student will be withdrawn administratively.

Tuition & fees:

Audit students pay regular law school tuition and fees based on Ohio residency or non-Ohio residency. Click here for the current schedule of tuition and fees.

Attendance & participation:

An audit student would be expected to attend class, stay current with the reading assignments, and participate in class. However, the faculty member can decide to reduce attendance and participation upon request from the audit student.

Exams, papers & presentations:

An audit student is not obligated to sit for the mid-term and/or final exam, submit papers, or deliver any assigned presentations. However, if the audit student wishes to participate fully in this regard, the student may receive approval from the faculty member to do so. The audit student may also request that the faculty member grade this work in an effort to gain perspective on academic performance. Again, the grades would not count and not be reported on the audit student's transcript.

Grading:

Audit students will not receive a letter grade. Rather, the transcript would likely read "Aud" in the grade column which stands for "Audit" status. As a result, the course(s) taken as an audit may not subsequently be applied toward another academic program or toward a future Juris Doctor degree.

The Akron Law community appreciates the opportunity to expand the knowledge base of those who wish to learn more about the law and the legal profession. In the meantime, please contact our Admissions Office if we may be of further assistance.