Abstract: A finite element (FE) method is used for modeling edge effects in composite laminates with different ply orientations. Two types of three-dimensional isoperimetric FE methods have been used. One in the interior region has standard linear shape functions, while the other in the exterior region has special shape functions for which an exponential variation is derived using the perturbation technique. The exponential shape functions are introduced to an originally written FE program which uses special mesh generation and numerical integration, as well as other subroutines. The proposed FE solution is found to be in good agreement with the solutions available in the literature.