Juris Doctor Degree students selected as having attained the highest grade of overall achievement and best performance annually in each course offered at Northwestern California University will receive a CALI award. The award is given by CALI, the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (www.cali.org). Recipients will receive a certificate from CALI approximately two months after the close of the calendar year in which the qualifying course grades are attained and performance is accessed. If, in extraordinary circumstances, in the opinion of the faculty, there is a “tie” in a course for the award, two students may receive the same award for the same course.

CALI awards are not posted to student transcripts. Students who receive the award for excellence in a particular course typically indicate that information on their resumes or curriculum vitae. They refer to it as either the "CALI Award" or the "Highest Grade Award", or both.