Standard 509 of the American Bar Association Standards and Rules of Procedure for the Approval of Law Schools requires all law schools to disclose a variety of consumer information on its website. This page provides convenient access to that information.
The ABA Standard 509 Information Report contains basic information about LMU Law for proscribed periods regarding admissions data, tuition and fees, living costs, and financial aid; scholarships and grants; enrollment data, including academic, transfer, and other attrition; numbers of full-time and part-time faculty, professional librarians, and administrators; class sizes for first-year and upper-class courses; number of seminar, clinical and co-curricular offerings; and bar passage outcomes as well as other required areas in an ABA-approved format.
Information on employment outcomes for the Class of 2020 may not reflect a particular law school’s typical results in this area. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, bar admission exams were canceled or delayed in many jurisdictions, thus making it more challenging for graduates to secure employment by the annual Graduate Employment Status Date of March 15. Please reference the 3 years of employment outcome data posted on the ABA Required Disclosures webpage of each ABA-Approved Law School or at www.abarequireddisclosures.org.
The law school does not award scholarships that may be reduced or eliminated based on law school academic performance other than failure to maintain good academic standing.
Lincoln Memorial University operates with an annual budget developed through advance planning built around the institutional mission and goals, including financial obligations to faculty and others who provide necessary services essential for operation. In the event a student drops one or more classes, withdraws, or is administratively dismissed from the University for disciplinary or financial reasons after registration is completed and prior to the end of a semester of enrollment, the student's eligibility for a refund of tuition and/or room and board will be pro-rated as indicated by refund policy.
A student must complete a Change of Schedule form, obtained from the Office of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for dropping one or more classes. Any situation in which all classes are dropped is considered to be a withdrawal from the University. Any notification of withdrawal and request of refund must be made in writing. Should the student fail to officially withdraw, all semester charges will become immediately due and payable.
The official withdrawal process begins in the Office of Academic Affairs. A withdrawal form must be completed and all the necessary signatures obtained. Oral requests do not constitute official notification. The official date of withdrawal used to compute the refund is the date that the Registrar's Office physically receives the form. Applicable institutional charges for fall and spring semesters will be refunded according to the following schedule:
Through the first official day fo classes - 100%
After the first official day of classes and during the first week of the semester - 90%
During the second week of the semester - 75%
During the third week of the semester - 50%
During the fourth week of the semester - 25%
After the fourth week of the semester - 0%
No refund of institutional charges will be made after the fourth week of the semester.
Refund schedules pertaining to summer and mini terms are adjusted to the varying length of the terms.
Refund of Student Financial Services
The Return of Title IV Funds (federal). Federal Regulations determine how colleges and universities handle Title IV funds when a recipient withdraws from school. This policy is separate from the university's refund of institutional charges. The return of Title IV funds includes Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Federal PLUS loans, Federal Perkins Loans and Federal Direct Stafford Loans. The policy states that up through the 60% point in each semester a pro-rata schedule will be used to determine how much Title IV aid the student has earned. For example, if the student has attended 31% of the enrollment period, the student has earned 31 % of his/her Title IV aid, and 69% of the aid must be returned to the federal government. After the 60% point in the semester, the student has earned 100% of the aid for which the student was eligible. Additional information on the return of Title IV funds may be obtained from the Student Financial Services Office.
Refund of Credit Balance
In the event a combination of grants, scholarships and/or payments create a credit balance to the student's account, the Finance Office will refund the credit balance to the student by means of a check or by direct deposit if the student has signed up via Web Advisor. All institutional scholarships must be applied toward tuition, fees and on-campus room and board expenses. All federal, state and institutional grants are credited to the student's account first, and any scholarships are applied to the balance of the student's aid eligibility for the semester.
Student Accounts will determine all refund calculations for institutional charges (i.e. tuition and fees) based upon the official withdrawal date submitted by the Associate Dean for Academics.
Any questions regarding tuition and fee refunds or charges incurred due to withdrawal should be addressed to LMU's Office of Student Accounts at 423.869.6282.
Student Financial Services
Students who withdraw, or who cease to attend prior to the 60% point of the term shall be subject to the Federal Return to Title IV policy. This policy, as established by the Federal Government, applies to federal funds only. Institutional funds are subject to the institution's credit/refund schedule for that term.
Official withdrawals shall be processed thru the Return to Title IV Funds worksheet located on the FAA Access website. This worksheet calculates the percentage of aid earned based on the withdrawal date. If the calculation determines that funds must be returned, the school will initiate that process. The amount of funds returned for the student from their tuition and institutional charges is an obligation the student will owe the university. Counseling will be done with the student regarding any funds that are pending disbursement or returned to the government.
Students who did not officially withdraw and have earned all F's or Incompletes are considered to be Unofficial Withdrawals. These students must prove class attendance beyond the 60% point of the term. If this proof is not available, their aid earned will be calculated thru the Return to Title IV Funds worksheet located on the FAA Access website. This calculation will be done at the 50% point of the term as directed by federal requirements. The amount of funds returned for the student from their tuition and institutional charges is an obligation the student will owe the university. Counseling will be done with the student regarding any funds that are pending disbursement or returned to the government.
Summer Aid
Typically, most undergraduate students exhaust financial aid eligibility during the fall and spring semesters. Occasionally, students may have remaining financial aid eligibility for the summer semester. To inquire about or apply for summer aid, please contact the Student Financial Services Office.
Applicants who completed the equivalent of the first semester of law school may apply to transfer to LMU Law. The law school from which you wish to transfer must be approved either by the American Bar Association or approved by an appropriate governmental authority in the unapproved law school's jurisdiction.
In addition to the regular items required for consideration, i.e. a completed transfer application, a personal statement; two letters of recommendation; and a current CAS Report, all transfer applicants must submit the following:
• A statement of good standing from an administrator of the law school(s) from which the applicant seeks to transfer credit;
• An official transcript from the applicant's existing or previous institution (The transcript must be sent to the Law School Admission Council's Credential Assembly Service.) (Until it is received by the LSAC an unofficial transcript can be sent for evaluative purposes, but the official transcript governs);
• A statement of why a transfer is requested;
• A list of specific courses with respective credit hours for which the student seeks to obtain transfer credit; and
• A syllabus for each course in which the student seeks to obtain credit. (At discretion of the associate dean for academic affairs and/or the Academic Standards Committee, an official course description for a course may satisfy this requirement if a particular syllabus is unavailable.)
Applications for transfer credit shall be reviewed by the Admissions Committee and Dean to render a decision regarding admission and any available scholarship.
Furthermore, the Academic Standards Committee shall, in its sole discretion, determine whether transfer credit is appropriate for each credit sought on an individual basis. In exercising its discretion, the Academic Standards Committee shall review:
• the accreditation status of the previous institution;
• the number of credits allotted by the previous institution for each course for which credit is sought from the Duncan School of Law;
• the number of instructional minutes provided by the previous institution for each course for which credit is sought from the Duncan School of Law;• whether the course for which credit is sought, in whole or in part, consisted of distance education, field placements, directed or independent study or other "non-residence" instruction;
• the type of classes taken at the student's existing or previous institution;
• the similarity between the type of classes taken at the student's existing or previous institution with comparable classes at the School of Law;
• whether the classes taken at the student's existing or previous institution are classes traditionally taken at a school of law accredited by the ABA;
• the grades received by the student in the classes taken at the student's existing or previous institution; and
• the student's entire admission file.
Under no circumstances may a student transfer more than 45 credit hours from an ABA-approved school. Under no circumstances may a student transfer more than 30 credit hours from a non-ABA, yet state-approved school.
A student who has transferred from another law school must successfully complete at least 45 credit hours at the Duncan School of Law, with a cumulative grade point average of 2.000 or better, and satisfy all other degree requirements.
Under no circumstances shall the Academic Standards Committee extend credit for any class in which the student earned a grade less than "C."
LMU Law has an established an articulation agreement with the following Institution:
Austin Peay State University
Kentucky State University
Lincoln Memorial University is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action educational institution. In support of its Mission Statement, LMU is committed to equal opportunity in recruitment, admission, and retention for all students and in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, and retention for all employees. In furtherance of this commitment, Lincoln Memorial University prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in all University programs and activities. Lincoln Memorial University prohibits retaliation against any individual for 1) filing, or encouraging someone to file, a complaint of discrimination; 2) participating in an investigation of discrimination; or 3) opposing discrimination. "Retaliation" includes any adverse action or act of revenge against an individual for filing or encouraging someone to file a complaint of discrimination, participating in an investigation of discrimination, or opposing discrimination. The Office of Institutional Compliance investigates allegations of prohibited discrimination, harassment, and retaliation involving members of the LMU community.
This policy is widely disseminated in University publications, including the employee handbook and all LMU student catalogs and handbooks. All members of the University community bear responsibility for compliance with this policy. Compliance is monitored and reported annually through the offices of the Vice President for Academic Affairs; the Vice President for Enrollment, Athletics, and Public Relations; the Vice President for Academic and Student Support Service; the Office of Human Resources; and the Institutional Compliance Office.
This policy is in compliance with federal and state law, including the provisions of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972, Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, Executive Order 11246, the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Act of 1974 as amended by the Jobs for Veterans Act, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, as amended, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, and the Tennessee Human Rights Act.
Our academic requirements for all of programs can be found under Curriculum
Our curricular offerings for the current academic year and the previous three years can be found under Class Schedules
ABA Standard 302 states:"A law school shall establish and publish learning outcomes that shall, at a minimum, include competency in the school:
Knowledge and understanding of substantive and procedural law;
Legal analysis and reasoning, legal research, problem-solving, and written and oral communication in the legal context;
Exercise of proper professional and ethical responsibilities to clients and the legal system; and
Other professional skills needed for competent and ethical participation as a member of the legal profession."
The LMU Law faculty has adopted the following learning outcomes:
(1) Knowledge and Understanding of Substantive and Procedural Law [302(a)]
Upon graduation, students will have demonstrated achievement of this outcome by:
Objective 1 Identifying, describing, and interpreting the fundamental terms, rules, and principles of law in: Civil Procedure, Torts, Contracts, Property, Criminal Law, Constitutional Criminal Procedure, Evidence, Constitutional Law, Professional Responsibility, Wills, Trusts and Estates, Business Organizations, Domestic Relations, Conflicts of Law, Secured Transactions, and other areas of substantive and procedural law within any elective, non-skills course.
Objective 2 Identifying and distinguishing the sources of law governing each major content area and recognizing the relationship of these sources of law to each other.
(2) Legal Analysis and Reasoning Skills [302(b)]
Upon graduation, students will have demonstrated achievement of this outcome by:
Objective 1 Recognizing the legal issues implicated by case-based or hypothetical fact scenarios.
Objective 2 Applying relevant legal rules and principles to case-based or hypothetical fact scenarios.
Objective 3 Using both law and facts to resolve the legal issues implicated by case-based or hypothetical fact scenarios.
(3) Legal Research Skills [302(b)]
Upon graduation, students will have demonstrated achievement of this outcome by:
Objective 1 Identifying and assessing the weight of authority.
Objective 2 Displaying knowledge of the fundamental tools of legal research.
Objective 3 Developing and executing an effective and efficient research strategy.
(4) Communication Skills [302(b)]
Upon graduation, students will have demonstrated achievement of this outcome by:
Objective 1 Speaking in a clear, concise, logical, well-organized, professional manner that is appropriate to the audience and the relevant legal context.
Objective 2 Writing in a clear, concise, logical, well-organized, professional manner that is appropriate to the audience and the relevant legal context.
(5) Professional Responsibility, Ethics, and Diversity Awareness [302(c), 302(d)]
Upon graduation, students will have demonstrated achievement of this outcome by:
Objective 1 Exhibiting the attributes required of lawyers, such as diligence, integrity, and involvement with the community and the profession.
Objective 2 Using knowledge of both the rules of professional responsibility and the skills of the legal profession to conduct themselves in an ethical and professional manner.
Objective 3 Expressing awareness of the impact of the legal system on diverse populations, such as those of different genders, racial and ethnic groups, and socioeconomic classes.
Objective 4 Serving the community, including rendering meaningful law-related services to persons of limited means or to organizations serving such persons.
(6) Professional Skills [302(d)]
Upon graduation, students will have demonstrated achievement of this outcome by:
Objective 1 Exhibiting the skills of an effective advocate, such as negotiation, collaboration, trial practice, and appellate practice.
Objective 2 Identifying and effectively engaging in both formal and informal dispute resolution processes.
Objective 3 Drafting, revising, and interpreting documents used in legal practice.
Objective 4 Displaying knowledge of the skills and responsibilities essential to solo and small firm legal practice, such as business planning, office management, and the establishment and maintenance of client trust accounts.
