of a merger, and not just an absorption (see History). Also in 1910 chapters at Iowa and Michigan were formed. Rapid expansion and divergent practices at these early schools led to calls for a national convention. At this meeting, in 1911, it was determined to adopt the original name of the Northwestern group, the Order of the Coif, along with a revised Constitution which was fully ratified in 1912. Thus the American Order of the Coif dates to its earliest group, at Illinois, from 1902, and adopted its name from both the Northwestern group and its institutional inspiration, the English Order. Chapters , 87 of 203 United States law schools accredited by the American Bar Association to award the J.D. degree had Order of the Coif chapters. In that year, all but five of the top fifty law schools, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report, were member schools. The others, Boston University School of Law, Columbia Law School, Harvard Law School, George Mason University School of Law, and Notre Dame Law School, have never applied for a chapter. Notre Dame and Columbia are ineligible because they do not rank the top 10% of their graduating class by grade point average, which the order's constitution requires. For a law school to establish a chapter, the school must apply for a charter. If the organization's executive committee determines, after considering the law school's written submissions and its own investigation (which may include an examination of the school by a visitation team), that the applicant merits a chapter, it will submit the application for a vote by the existing chapters. A charter for a new chapter requires approval by 80% of the existing chapters. Criteria considered when a law school applies for a chapter of the Order include: American Bar Association and Association of American Law Schools approval; At least ten years of existence as a law school; Affiliation with a university; If a part-time J.D. program exists, the part-time program must offer students and faculty affiliated with the part-time program the same scholarship opportunities as all other students and faculty; A stimulating intellectual environment for the study of law; Commitment of the university and law school administration to quality legal education; Faculty scholarship and institutional support for same; A diverse educational program; A diverse student body with strong academic credentials; A law library that will support and encourage research activity;