YALE
Yale Law School welcomes applications for transfer. Each year, almost 200 students from a broad range of law schools apply; we usually offer admission to 10-15 of them.
Transfer applications must be submitted between May 15 and July 1 of the year in which admission is sought. All applicants must have finished the equivalent of one year of law school at another ABA-approved school and meet the other eligibility requirements for transfer applicants. The admission process for transfer applicants is not rolling; all decisions are released during the second and third weeks of July.
Applications for transfer must be submitted by paper (download link below). Paper applications should be mailed so they are received by the Admissions Office by July 1.
Please see the checklist and instructions included in the application for further information.
Transfer applications will be considered only between the applicant’s first and second years of law school. Transfer students must complete at least two years of work at Yale Law School. Transfer credit will be considered only for work done at U.S. law schools that are approved by the American Bar Association and only if the student maintained a weighted average grade of not less than B (or the equivalent) for all work in that school. A maximum of 28 units will be transferred from that school toward the J.D. requirements at Yale Law School. To be considered, an applicant must have received or expect to receive a bachelor’s degree (or the equivalent) before matriculating at Yale Law School. Applicants in special programs in U.S. law schools who have completed the first year of law school while completing the requirements for a bachelor’s degree may be considered for transfer. No credit will be granted for work done through correspondence or online courses.
Students at foreign law schools are not eligible for consideration as transfer candidates. Students at foreign law schools may apply for admission to the first-year class, and may be eligible for advanced standing in unusual circumstances.
http://www.law.yale.edu/admissions/jdtransferstudent.htm
HARVARD
There are increased opportunities for Harvard Law students to study off-campus through joint degree and foreign study programs which make it possible for us to admit more transfer students than ever before. We encourage all interested and eligible applicants to apply as soon as possible. Our transfer application for the 2013-2014 academic year will be available on April 15th. The deadline for completing your transfer application is July 1.
Applicants for transfer admission must have completed one year of full-time study in a JD program (or one third of total credits required in a part-time program) at a United States law school that is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). Students may apply for transfer to begin the second year of JD studies in the fall semester only.
The competition for transfer admission is high. Many successful transfer candidates typically place very near the top of their first-year law class and would have also been admitted or wait-listed as first-year students on the basis of their pre-law-school credentials. Given the small number of transfer spaces available and a comparatively large and accomplished transfer applicant pool, some applicants who meet these characterizations cannot be offered admission. We cannot make estimates of an individual’s chances for admission.
Law courses taken before matriculation at Harvard Law School will be considered part of the transfer student’s first year of J.D. studies and may not be used to meet any Harvard Law School upper-level requirements and will not be included in Latin honors calculations.
Transfer students must satisfy the Law School’s first-year requirements (with the exception of the Problem Solving Workshop) and can do so through demonstrating completion of comparable courses at their prior institution or completion of qualifying courses after matriculation at HLS. The Harvard Law School Office of the Registrar can advise students on comparable courses.
Harvard Law School courses taken by the transfer student–including first-year Law School courses and qualifying courses taken after matriculation to bring the transfer student into compliance with the School’s first-year requirements–may be used toward the upper-level credit requirements and will count in overall performance in the 2L or 3L year according to the rules set forth in the Harvard Law School Handbook of Academic Policies.
The Harvard Law Review encourages transfer applicants to apply for membership on the Review. If you wish to be considered for membership, you must participate in the Writing Competition. All prospective transfer students may participate in the competition, including those who intend to apply and have not yet done so and those who have applied and have not yet received a decision. You will be notified of the results of the Writing Competition in late July.
Those admitted transfer students who are selected to join the Harvard Law Review must return to Cambridge in early August to begin work. Further instructions will be posted later in the spring on the Membership Details site.
http://www.law.harvard.edu/prospective/jd/apply/transfer-applicants/index.html
STANFORD
Each year the Admissions Committee entertains applications from students who contemplate transferring to Stanford Law School with advanced standing. Transfer applicants are accepted, however, only to the extent that vacancies exist in the second year class, and only applicants with superior academic records in law study will be considered. The previous law study must have been undertaken at a law school which is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.
Applicants must have completed one full year of law study. The Admissions Committee will only grant admission with advanced standing to students who intend to spend two full academic years in residence at Stanford. Candidates may only apply for admission to begin the second year of law study commencing in the fall term.
The unit and residence credit to be given transfer students shall be formally determined by the associate dean for admissions and financial aid. Typically, a transfer student will receive three quarters of residency and no more than 39 quarter units of credit. In extraordinary cases, a student may receive more credit, but in no case shall a student receive more than 45 quarter units of credit for courses completed at another law school. Semester units are translated to quarter units as follows: one semester unit equals 1.3 quarter units. A student’s offer of admission shall set forth the residency and unit credit given.
Each transfer student’s transcript from the other law school will be evaluated to determine whether the student has completed the courses required of a Stanford Law School student in the first year. To the extent that a student has not completed those requirements, his or her offer of admission will set forth the required courses that must be completed.
http://www.law.stanford.edu/degrees/jd/transfer_application/
COLUMBIA
The Office of Admissions receives approximately 400 transfer applications each year, and we anticipate that 45 to 60 students will enroll in the Law School’s transfer program each year. Applicants are eligible to apply for transfer admission after having accrued a minimum of 28, and a maximum of 32*, credits from law schools that are either members of the American Association of Law Schools (AALS) or approved by the American Bar Association’s section on Legal Education.
Most successful transfer students are in the top 5 percent to 10 percent of their law school class, and transfer admission is indeed based on the entire applicant profile. Your first-year law school performance is paramount; however, the Admissions Committee does consider all other information in your file, such as your undergraduate and any other graduate transcripts, LSAT performance, letters of recommendation, and a statement regarding why you are seeking transfer. For more information, please review our list of Frequently Asked Questions.
Additionally, transfer students are eligible to apply to participate in all student law journals at Columbia Law School, including participation in the writing competition for Columbia Law Review.
*Please note that after you have transferred, a review with the Director of Academic Counseling will determine how many credits will be eligible toward your Columbia Law School J.D. degree.
http://web.law.columbia.edu/admissions/jd/apply/transfer-student
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
Each year the Law School considers applications from students at other law schools who request to transfer to the University of Chicago for their second and third years of law school. We receive approximately 150-200 transfer applications each year for a transfer class of approximately 15-25 students. The J.D. program is a full-time program only. We do not offer a part-time or evening academic program.
We have a paperless admissions process. All applicants must apply through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) Electronic Application, which is fully accessible to the visually impaired. We will not accept any paper application materials. Please do not send any paper copies or any additional paper materials to the Admissions Office. Disabled applicants in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should contact the Admissions Office at 773-702-9484 or email admissions@law.uchicago.edu with their request.
We base our transfer admission decisions primarily on an evaluation of the applicant’s law school performance, including the law school attended and a letter of recommendation from a law school professor. While the LSAT and undergraduate record are still considered, they are not as critical to the application as the applicant’s current law school record.
Transfer applicants may apply through our Early Decision or Regular Decision program.
Early Decision transfer applicants must ensure that we have received their application and all supporting materials, including a law school transcript containing all first-year, first-semester grades and the Law School Information Form, by May 15, 2013. Second semester law school grades are not required to apply under the Early Decision program. Early Decision transfer applicants will receive a decision from the Law School in May. Early Decision acceptances are binding on the applicant, which means that, if admitted, you must commit to matriculating at the Law School and withdraw all other transfer applications at other law schools. If you apply Early Decision, you may not apply to any other law school through a binding early decision or early action program.
All applicants accepted under the Early Decision program will be required to submit a law school transcript containing their final first-year law school grades. All offers of admission made under the Early Decision transfer program are contingent upon the Law School’s receipt of a final first-year law school transcript demonstrating consistent performance and successful completion of one full year of study at an ABA-accredited law school.
Regular Decision transfer applicants must ensure that we have received their application and all supporting materials, including the Law School Information Form and a law school transcript containing all first-year law school grades, by July 1, 2013. Your entire first year of law school grades are required to apply through the Regular Decision transfer program. Offers of admission under the Regular Decision program are not binding on the applicant.
On-Campus Interviewing: The Admissions Committee will issue decisions on both Early Decision and Regular Decision transfer applications with sufficient time to allow our incoming transfer students to participate in our On-Campus Interviewing program and bid for fall interviews. On-Campus Interviews will take place in late August.
All transfer students will be given credit for 40 credit hours and three quarters of residence, which is equal to what University of Chicago law students complete in their first year. Transfer students are eligible for graduation with honors based upon academic performance in the second and third years of law school at Chicago.
University of Chicago students do not register for Autumn Quarter classes until the week before classes begin in late September, and therefore transfer students are not at a disadvantage in selecting classes. Because we are on the quarter system and do not begin classes until late September, admitted transfer students typically have an additional three to four weeks to prepare to attend Chicago.
Transfer students are eligible for membership on one of the Law School’s three student-edited journals. Transfer students may obtain journal membership through the summer writing competition or the Topic Access Program, which is available to all 2L and 3L students. The Writing Competition takes place in June. If you would like to participate in the Writing Competition, please review this letter and contact Jayme McKellop, Director of Admissions, at jmckellop@law.uchicago.edu. Incoming transfer students are also eligible to participate in the Law School’s clinical programs.
http://www.law.uchicago.edu/prospectives/transfer
NYU
Apply online using our electronic application beginning May 1. A candidate must have completed approximately 28-33 credits (one full year) by July 1. The online application will be available beginning May The application filing deadline is July 1. The deadline to submit supporting information is July 15. The Law School does not waive application fees for this program.
The Law School will request a report from Law School Admissions Council’s Credential Assembly Service (CAS) with your LSAT score and undergraduate transcript upon processing your Transfer application. CAS subscriptions are valid for five years. Applicants will be charged by CAS for a report submission to NYU School of Law. Contact www.lsac.org for more information on CAS report requests.
What is weighted more heavily, fall or spring semester grades? Neither is weighted more heavily than the other. The Committee will consider grades for all courses taken.
Do you require a dean’s certification from my home law school? Yes.
Do you require certification from my undergraduate institution? Yes. Applicants should submit a college questionnaire form to their undergraduate school, which should complete the form and mail it to the Committee on Admissions.
How many recommendations do I need to submit? Applicants are not required to submit a recommendation, but may do so if they wish.
How long should my personal statement be? Applicants should submit a one-page personal statement on a subject of their choice.
When can I expect to receive a decision on my application? Applicants usually receive decisions within four weeks after the completion of their applications (a complete application includes an application form, application fee, a law school transcript with both fall and spring semester grades, an undergraduate transcript, a CAS report, a law school certification, a college questionnaire and a personal statement). All decisions are made by mid-August.
Am I eligible to apply for or participate in financial aid, scholarships, on-campus housing, Law Review/Journals, or Early Interview Week? Transfer applicants offered admission to the Law School are eligible to apply for housing, and those enrolling at NYU School of Law may participate in Early Interview Week and may apply to participate in Law Review/Journals. Transfer applicants are not eligible for scholarships or need-based financial aid grants.
I have previously applied to the Law School’s J.D. Program. May I use my previously submitted application materials to support my transfer application? No. Even if you have previously applied to NYU School of Law, you must submit an entirely new application and submit all required supporting material anew as well.
Are transfer students eligible for Order of the Coif? In order to be eligible for membership in the Order of the Coif, a graduating student must have completed at least 75% of his or her law studies in graded courses at NYU School of Law, and must be in the top 10% of the graduating class. However, in order for 4-semester J.D. students to be eligible and meet the 75% graded course minimum, at least 63 of the 83 credits required for graduation must be in NYU School of Law graded credits. Please note that additional tuition charges apply if a J.D. student exceeds 90 credits overall.
http://www.law.nyu.edu/admissions/jdadmissions/applicants/transferapplicationfaq/index.htm
UNIVERSITY OF PENNYSALVANIA
Transfer applications will be considered only when the student has successfully completed all the courses required in the full-time 1L year of the home school. The number of credits transferred will equal the number of credits successfully completed in that program; transfer students who are deficient in any 1L courses required at Penn (Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, and Torts) will be required to complete those courses as part of their upper-level coursework at Penn. The law school from which the applicant seeks to transfer must be able to certify that the applicant has completed all requirements and credits for that school’s full-time first year program. Applicants must fulfill the first year course requirements at their host law school by the completion of the spring semester. Transcripts reflecting grades for all courses taken must be submitted to the Office of Admissions by July 1.
Applicants for advanced standing must be in good standing at a law school that is both a member of the American Association of Law Schools (AALS) and approved by the American Bar Association (ABA). We begin processing applications for advanced standing on May 1. All applicants for advanced standing must apply by June 15. Applications must be complete by July 1. Applicants for advanced standing will not be reviewed until we have received transcripts for both fall and spring semesters of the first year of law school. Decisions are made on a rolling basis beginning in June. Students enrolled in a part-time or evening division program at any time during their first year of study are not eligible to transfer.
Applicants for advanced standing are required to provide the same documents that are required for first year applicants (i.e., completed application form, application fee, personal statement(s), Credential Assembly Service Law School report, academic transcripts from all institutions attended, and two letters of recommendation – preferably from law professors). Additionally, applicants for advanced standing must provide a letter of good standing from the law school dean at the current law school.
Transfer applicants are not eligible for need-based financial assistance (grants).
Transfer applicants are not eligible for an application fee waiver.
https://www.law.upenn.edu/admissions/jd/transfer-requirements.php
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
Applicants applying for transfer admission must apply electronically via LSAC by submitting a regular Virginia Law application and selecting “I am applying for transfer admission with advanced standing” within the Application Status section.
The law school transcript, letter of good standing and statement of rank in class must be issued after grades for the second semester of your first year have been posted. If you submit a document issued before spring grades are released, you will need to request updated materials from your law school when grades are available.
Transfer applicants must submit an original copy of the CAS law school report sent to us directly from LSAC. If you had not received your undergraduate degree at the time you applied for admission to law school, you will need to update your CAS law school report by submitting a copy of your final undergraduate transcript to LSAC. Your CAS subscription fee is valid for five years, so you can update your file and request a copy of your report without re-registering for CAS.
If you are applying for admission as an in-state student, complete the Application for In-State Educational Privileges and submit it directly to the Committee on Virginia Status, PO Box 400160, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4160. The Status Office may be reached at 434-982-3391, or via fax at 434-982-2663, or via email at asl5w@virginia.edu This form is not transmitted electronically by LSAC and must be mailed separately. We cannot classify you as a resident candidate without this form. More Information on Virginia Residency
We will begin to review applications for transfer admission by June 15, so it is to your advantage to file your application and supporting materials by that time.
Interviews are not a part of the transfer admissions process. We encourage applicants to include with the application any information relevant to our evaluation of the file.
The transfer program is open only to applicants seeking entry as a second-year student in the fall semester. We do not admit transfer applicants who have completed only one semester of law study. To be eligible for enrollment with advanced standing, you must have completed at least 24 hours of classroom study at an accredited law school prior to enrolling at Virginia. Students enrolled in a part-time program may apply with fewer than 24 credits as long as they will have completed the remaining credits during an in-class summer session at their law school. Credit will not be awarded for work taken in a summer study abroad program or for work experience. No more than 32 hours will be credited toward a J.D. from the University of Virginia. Other than our established dual-degree and study abroad programs, we have no agreements with other institutions regarding the transfer of credit (articulation agreements).
Transfer students are eligible to participate in dual-degree programs with two qualifications. First, due to curricular and other requirements, some transfer students might not be eligible to participate in some dual-degree programs. Questions about eligibility should be directed to the Student Records Office. Second, some dual-degree programs require law students to gain admission to the non-law degree program prior to beginning the second year of law school. If a transfer student is interested in such a dual-degree program, interest in that program must be indicated at the time of transfer application, and approval to participate in that program must be secured prior to enrollment. Questions should be directed to the Student Records Office.
We begin review of transfer applications as files are completed, typically in mid-June. Applicants are notified on a rolling basis as soon as decisions are made. An applicant’s entire file is carefully evaluated, with particular attention to performance in the first year of law school. As in the first-year admissions process, special consideration is given to Virginia residents.
Because the time frame for the transfer admissions process is so compressed, the Law School makes a special effort to integrate transfer students into the second-year class as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Admitted transfer students are given access to Symplicity, the Law School’s online job search and resume submission system, to allow them to participate in the intensive On-Grounds Interview process that takes place just before the start of second- and third-year classes in August. Transfer students are assigned transfer peer advisors who answer questions about the transition to the University of Virginia.
Transfer students enroll in courses in early August; we hold places in most upper-level courses for transfer students to ensure a broad range of course selection. Transfer students are eligible to participate in “write-on” competitions for all journals and may “grade-on” to the Virginia Law Review based on academic performance in the second year of law school. Information on journal membership is provided at transfer orientation. While transfer students are fully eligible for clinical programs, moot court teams and other academic and co-curricular programs, they are not eligible to participate in the Law School’s international dual-degree or exchange programs and are not eligible for membership in the Order of the Coif upon graduation.
http://www.law.virginia.edu/html/prospectives/transfers.htm
BERKELEY
Transfer students come to Berkeley after their first year in a full-time program elsewhere, complete their last two years here, and then receive a Berkeley Law degree. When we review transfer applications, we focus on the applicant’s performance during the first year of law school. Admission is very competitive. We usually receive more than 200 applications for about 25-35 places in our second-year class, and successful transfer applicants usually come from the top 3-5 percent of their respective home law school classes. The exact number of transfer places available may vary from year to year.
Although Berkeley Law has thirteen student-run law reviews and journals, only one of them, the California Law Review (CLR), runs a write-on competition for transfer students in mid-July (you may join the other twelve simply by volunteering). This year, the competition will begin on July 15 and end July 26. Successful applicants will be expected to attend a CLR orientation on August 18. Any potential transfer student may take part in the write-on competition regardless of whether he or she has yet been accepted or committed to Berkeley Law. Those who wish to compete should contact the CLR Development Editors at clrwriteon@gmail.com on or before July 10. For more information, please visit the CLR office website here.
If you are admitted as a transfer student, you also should be aware that the bidding process for our early on-campus interview program (EIW) begins on July 22, that interviews are conducted beginning August 5, and that regular classes begin after EIW in late August. If you miss the bidding deadline, you will not be able to participate in the lottery for interviews. Therefore, the application and review process is intense. Time is of the essence.
A law student who has completed one year at another law school may apply for transfer status to enter the second-year class if:
- Before law school, a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent was awarded by an approved college or university
- The first-year curriculum was completed in a full-time program at a law school that is approved by the American Bar Association (we do not admit part-time students unless they have completed the entire first-year curriculum)
- A minimum of 28 semester units was completed at the time of our review
- The work for which transfer credit is sought is of very high quality
- The student was not placed on probation nor disqualified.
A maximum of 32 units completed elsewhere will be accepted toward a Berkeley J.D. degree, although students who have completed more units may apply. Berkeley Law School reserves the right to prescribe further conditions for granting of such credit.
If you are admitted as a transfer student and wish to enroll, you must commit in writing and withdraw your transfer applications from all other schools. In order to participate in Berkeley’s Early Interview Week, you must also certify that you are not participating, and will not participate, in any other law school’s on-campus interview program. A false certification will be considered a violation of the Student Honor Code.
http://www.law.berkeley.edu/43.htm
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, ANN ARBOR
On average, 25 to 30 transfer students with outstanding first-year law school records are admitted to Michigan each year. We find that our community benefits strongly from this influx of new scholars with proven records of achievement. And just as the students who enter Michigan Law in their 1L year, our transfer students experience extraordinary success in their legal careers. Through our On-Campus Interview Program and the support of our Career Planning counselors, transfer students enjoy wide-ranging 2L summer employment options. Of the 135 students from 59 different law schools who have graduated in the past five years, 99% have reported jobs within 9 months of graduation. Almost 20% went to prestigious judicial clerkships, including clerkships at the federal court of appeals level. The three-quarters who went to jobs at private firms went to the best firms in the country; more than half of that group went to American Lawyer 100 firms, and more than three-quarters went to National Law Journal 250 firms. Those who chose not to work at firms went on to the best jobs in public interest (including one who received an extremely prestigious Equal Justice Works fellowship), government (such as the JAG Corps), and corporate in-house (including at Nike, a corporation that rarely hires recent graduates). All told, transfers who graduated over the last five years have spread out to more than 34 cities across the nation and overseas, and more than half have gone to the largest firms in the top five legal markets.
Applications for transfer will be accepted between May 1 and July 21, for the fall term only. We encourage you to complete your application by July 1, however, to maximize your chance of admission; admission offers are made beginning in mid-June. (Please be aware that because the timeframe for transfer decisions is so short, it is necessary for transfer applicants to be particularly proactive in order to make sure we have received all necessary information.) Decisions are made beginning in mid-June. The number admitted depends on a variety of factors, including the strength of the applicant pool. Transfer applicants who are admitted to Michigan are among those who have demonstrated outstanding academic promise as first-year students at other law schools by earning first-year grades that place them at or near the top of their class. Class rank is an important factor in our evaluation process; successful applicants are typically in the top 10 percent of their class, based on first-year grades at their current law school. In general, transfer applicants must present one full year of academic credit and may expect a maximum of one year of transfer credit to be accepted toward the Michigan degree. For details, see paragraph one of the Policy for Transfer of Credit. At least two years of credit must be earned in residence at the University of Michigan.
http://www.law.umich.edu/prospectivestudents/admissions/Pages/TransferStudents.aspx
DUKE
Each year, Duke Law School enrolls a number of transfer students who have completed their first year at another law school. The exact number varies, but has ranged between 12 and 20 in recent years. Review of transfer applications may begin as early as late June, and admission decisions are generally made in time for transfer students to participate in most of the On-Campus Interview process for second-year students. In addition, Duke Law journals conduct a write-on competition to allow transfer students to earn staff positions.
Most successful transfer applicants have a law school record that puts them at least in the top quarter of their class. We are particularly interested in admitting applicants who have specific reasons for wanting to be at Duke Law and seem likely to be active members of our community. Transfer applicants must have completed the entire first year of legal study at an ABA-approved law school with membership in the Association of American Law Schools, and must complete at least two years of study at Duke Law School.
In addition, Duke Law School considers applications for visitor status, in which students are admitted to complete their final year of law school at Duke. However, their home school awards the degree and agrees to accept credits from Duke.
The deadline for advanced standing applications is July 1. Indicate whether you are applying as a transfer (2L) or visiting (3L) student. Transfer applicants will receive no more than one year of academic credit toward a Duke Law degree for work completed at another law school. Final decisions are normally made by the end of July. Students with advanced standing are not eligible to apply for application fee waivers or Duke Law scholarships. Transfer and visitor applicants are not eligible to apply for dual degree programs.
http://law.duke.edu/admis/apply/transvis/
NORTHWESTERN
Northwestern Law accepts approximately 30-35 transfer students each year. To be considered for admission as a transfer student you must have earned at least 28 semester credit hours at a school accredited by the American Bar Association and intend to complete your last two years of residence at Northwestern Law.
The amount of credit an accepted applicant will receive at Northwestern for completed first-year work, including summer coursework, will not exceed 28 semester units. Grades below a C or its equivalent will not be accepted for transfer credit.
Transfer students are eligible to participate in all of the activities the Law School offers, including the on-campus interview program, moot court, and the law journals.
Transfer applicants should follow the same application procedure as for regular admission. In addition, you must supply the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid with a final undergraduate transcript, a letter from your current law school attesting to your good standing, a complete transcript of your first year’s work, a copy of your LSDAS report, a writing sample from your first year of law school, and one letter of recommendation, which must be from a law professor whose class you have taken.
Transfer applications should be submitted no earlier than June 1 and completed no later than July 1. The Admissions Committee will begin reviewing applications shortly after July 1.
The Admissions Committee will make decisions on transfer applications on or about July 15.
Please note that because of the differences in curriculum among law schools, students who are admitted on a transfer basis may not receive full credit for courses taken at the law schools from which they are transferring.
http://www.law.northwestern.edu/academics/jd/transferstudents.html
CORNELL
Cornell Law accepts transfer applications from students who have completed one year of study at a law school that is accredited by the American Bar Association and a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Please refer to the application for instructions on applying as a transfer or visiting student.
HOW MANY SPACES DOES CORNELL LAW HAVE AVAILABLE FOR TRANSFER STUDENTS?
In recent years we have normally had spaces for between five and ten transfer students in the second-year class, but the exact number of available spaces is not known until late summer.
WHAT IS CORNELL LAW LOOKING FOR IN A TRANSFER APPLICATION?
Our Admissions Committee is interested primarily in your academic performance at your current law school, as well as in your reasons for wishing to transfer. Accepted transfer students are almost always at least in the top 10% of their first-year class.
HOW MANY ADVANCED STANDING CREDITS COULD I RECEIVE AS A TRANSFER STUDENT TO CORNELL LAW?
As a transfer student, Cornell Law may grant you up to 32 hours advanced standing toward the J.D. degree. Transfer students may be awarded less than 32 hours advanced standing, depending upon the correspondence between first-year courses at Cornell and those of your current law school.
IS FINANCIAL AID AVAILABLE TO TRANSFER STUDENTS?
Our Financial Aid Office normally does not award institutional scholarship assistance to transfer students. Transfer students are eligible for loan assistance during their attendance at Cornell.
HOW COMPETITIVE IS THE TRANSFER PROCESS?
We receive over 75 applications every year for Fall transfer. To be competitive, students should be in the top 10% of their class.
CAN TRANSFER STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN THE FALL RECRUITMENT PROGRAM?
Yes, the Career Services Office will do its best to accommodate transfer students’ participation in the Fall Recruitment Program.
CAN TRANSFER STUDENTS BECOME A MEMBER OF A LAW JOURNAL?
Due to the timing of the summer writing competition, transfer students are not able to be a member of a journal.
WHEN CAN I SUBMIT A TRANSFER APPLICATION?
You may submit your transfer application when it is available in mid to late-April, but the deadline is in mid-July and your application will not be complete until your first year law school grades are received. Please refer to the application for the actual deadline.
IF I HOLD AN LLM DEGREE, MAY I APPLY TO THE J.D. PROGRAM AT CORNELL LAW AS A TRANSFER STUDENT?
Yes, but you must take the LSAT. You are eligible to receive advanced standing if you are admitted.
http://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/admissions/FAQ/admission_and_preparation.cfm#CP_JUMP_34110
GEORGETOWN
Georgetown Law reviews transfer applications from current full-time or part-time students at ABA-accredited law schools for both Spring and Fall semester admission. Transfer applicants are considered for admission to the second year class on a space available basis. Transfer applicants are considered for either the full-time division, part-time division or “both.”
Georgetown Law will only accept transfer applications from those who will have completed their first year of study at the time of matriculation into Georgetown Law. Applicants who will have earned in excess of 35 credits by the time of matriculation into Georgetown Law are not eligible to apply as a transfer student. Students who will have earned 36 credit hours or more at the time of matriculation into Georgetown Law are, however, eligible to apply as a Visiting Student.
Please be advised that the Law Center will accept for transfer a maximum of 31 semester hours of academic credit from an ABA-approved law school. Credit is not usually granted for law school courses beyond the first year. For more information about academic requirements for transfer students please review the Georgetown Law Bulletin.
Please refer to the left-hand navigation for more information about who may apply, application requirements, how to apply and application deadlines. There you will also find frequently asked questions and transfer contact information.
http://www.law.georgetown.edu/admissions-financial-aid/jd-admissions/transfer-student/
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, AUSTIN
Transfer students enrich the quality and diversity of the academic program at UT Law, and we encourage them to apply. Each year the Law School welcomes into our community a number of students who transfer to Texas after completing their first year of law school elsewhere. UT Law evaluates transfer applications primarily upon the student’s performance in their first year at a full-time law program, but also considers factors such as LSAT, undergraduate record, and an essay explaining the reasons for transfer.
Typically, transfer students apply during late spring or early summer based upon a full year’s performance at another law school. We will consider all applicants for conditional admission based upon first-semester performance. Transfer students who exhibit superior academic performance during their first semester may be offered admission pending receipt of a final transcript complete with first-year grades. A firm offer of admission will be conditioned upon maintenance of strong academic performance in the second semester. All remaining transfer applicants will be evaluated on their first year performance in its entirety.
The completed application, together with the nonrefundable application fee of $70, must be postmarked and forwarded to the Law School by the following deadlines: August 1 (fall transfer) and November 15 (spring transfer).
The Law School makes every effort to extend to transfer students all the opportunities that are available to students who begin their law studies here. Transfer students receive a special student orientation session and are included in our Society Program. Transfer students may participate in On-Campus Interviewing for summer clerkships, moot court, law journal write-on competition, and judicial clerkship opportunities. Some of these activities begin during the summer, so we encourage students to apply as early as possible to maximize access. The Law School also considers transfer students for merit scholarships, subject to availability. We admit transfer students on a rolling basis once applications are complete.
Transfer Admission Process
To be eligible for transfer, an applicant must:
- have attained undergraduate performance and Law School Admission Test scores that generally meet the standard currently applicable for admission to the Law School as a first-year student;
- have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 2.2 as calculated by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC);
- be in good standing at current law school;
- have completed first-year (full-time) curriculum at an ABA-accredited and Association of American Law Schools (AALS) member school; and
- have compiled a superior academic record at current law school.
Transfer Credit
Transfer applicants must apply prior to beginning their second year of law school, and transfer no more than 32 semester hours (48 quarter hours).
A transfer student receives University credit on the following terms:
- total number of credit hours transferred may not exceed the number of credit hours earned during the first year by University law students;
- transfer credit is not given for any course in which the student earned a grade of less than C, or its equivalent as determined by the dean; and a CR grade is recorded for all transferred work.
http://www.utexas.edu/law/admissions/transfer/
VANDERBILT
Law students who have completed one year of study in a J.D. program at an ABA-approved law school may apply for transfer admission. Transfer applications may be submitted from May 1 through July 1.
Transfer applicants should note the following:
If admitted, transfer students may transfer up to 30 credit hours. Courses satisfactorily completed at the other school are usually accepted, even when the number of credits for a particular course differs from the number of credits for the same course at Vanderbilt.
Transfer grades are recorded as “Pass” grades, not as the numerical or letter grades originally awarded, and they are not included in the cumulative grade point average.
Transfer students are required to complete four (4) full-time semesters at Vanderbilt to receive a J.D. degree.
Transfer students may participate in the student journal selections.
Because Vanderbilt accepts transfer credits but not grades, it is unlikely a transfer student can meet the 75% rule to qualify for Order of the Coif.
Although transfer students are not eligible for joint-degree programs, they may apply to the Ph.D. in Law and Economics program as second-year J.D. students at Vanderbilt.
Transfer applicants are encouraged to schedule an interview with an admissions counselor during the spring semester. Please contact the Admissions Office for more information.
http://law.vanderbilt.edu/prospective-students/transfers–visiting-students/index.aspx
UCLA
Thank you for your interest in transferring to the UCLA School of Law. The online application will be available May 1, 2013 through July 5, 2013. The UCLA School of Law believes transfer students further enrich the quality of UCLA’s academic program. There is ample evidence of the ways transfer students contribute to the institution in classroom interaction, in the energy devoted to clinical efforts, in student projects, and in faculty supervised research. The faculty believes that it is appropriate to make some spaces available in the second year for those individuals who have achieved academic distinction during their first year at other law schools.
Transfer applicants must have successfully completed an entire first-year curriculum at another American Bar Association (ABA)-approved law school. UCLA will award a maximum of 39 credits earned at another institution. Transfer students must spend four (4) full-time semesters at UCLA School of Law upon transferring. Students from law schools that are only state-approved are not eligible for admission.
The top 10 percent of the graduating class is eligible for membership into the Order of the Coif, the national legal honorary scholastic society. Under Coif’s rules, only students who have completed at least 75 percent of their law studies in graded courses are eligible for consideration.
UCLA accepts transfer credits, but not grades. It is therefore unlikely that a transfer student can meet the 75 percent rule and qualify for Order of the Coif. Transfer students do qualify for other awards and honors.
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Transfer applications may be obtained by applying online. Application materials may be submitted no earlier than May 1, 2013, and no later than the priority deadline of June 14, 2013. For information and dates/deadlines regarding the Early Transfer Application process, please visit the “Early Decision” link.
Students who are enrolled in schools that are approved by the American Bar Association may apply for admission as transfer students. We do not consider applicants from law schools that are not approved by the American Bar Association. In addition, the following general guidelines apply:
Applicants must be in good standing and eligible to continue at their current law school, and must have completed the entire first year of full-time study (or the equivalent of the first year if taken on a part-time basis)
To be eligible to apply as a transfer student, applicants must have a weighted overall average which places them in the upper 20% of their first-year class.
Applicants must have earned a bachelor’s degree prior to the beginning the study of law. (Evidence of a bachelor’s degree will be required for each student who enrolls.)
Advanced standing credit will not be granted for more than 30 semester units. This means that students having completed two years of law school are not eligible to apply as a transfer student; however, such students may apply to visit for the third year. Credits toward the USC J.D. may not be given for all courses taken elsewhere. Transfer students must complete a minimum of 58 units of credit at USC Law to obtain a USC J.D. Transfer students are not eligible to take courses outside of USC Law for credit; nor may transfer students participate in dual-degree programs. The USC Law grade point average will be computed only on the work taken at USC. Transfer students must meet all graduation requirements.
Transfer coursework is accepted on a credit only basis. This means that transfer students will not be eligible to qualify for Order of the Coif. However, transfer students remain eligible for a myriad of other programs (including OCI, law review and moot court, among others).
Course work completed during the first-year of study at an ABA-approved law school will usually be applied as transfer credit at USC Law. Transfer students admitted to USC Law will not need to repeat any required first year courses already completed at their prior law schools. Most admitted transfer students must complete Constitutional Law I and Legal Profession at USC Law during their first year as transfer students if they have not already completed these classes at their prior law schools.
For additional information about the transfer admission process and procedures, please contact admissions at (213) 740-2523 or admissions@law.usc.edu.
http://weblaw.usc.edu/how/transfer/
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, TWIN CITIES
The Law School’s transfer and visiting students enhance our classrooms and community. Admission as a transfer student or a visiting student is available to those applicants who have been attending a law school that is a member of the Association of American Law Schools and is accredited by the American Bar Association.
A transfer student has completed one year of full-time study at another law school and intends to complete a law degree at the Universty of Minnesota. A visiting student is one who plans to spend a year or less at our University.
Applicants seeking admission as a transfer student must register with CAS in accordance with the Law School’s application procedure. In addition to registering with CAS, they must fill out an application, pay a fee of $75, and have their current university’s registrar provide our Law School with three items:
an official transcript showing grades earned in the first year of law study
a letter of good standing from the registrar
one letter of recommendation from a law school instructor
A statement of the circumstances that draw the applicant to our Law School also will be considered, along with a current resume.
Applications will be available in January 2013. The deadline to apply for transfer admission is July 1, 2013.
NOTE: Transfer applicants who wish to petition for the journals at Minnesota must submit their applications no later than May 11, 2013, when the journal petition process will begin. Such applicants should include an addendum with their application noting their intent to petition.
Journal petitioning transfer applicants are responsible for obtaining petition packets on their own. Please contact mnpetitionquestions@gmail.com directly for instructions, deadlines and additional information about the petition process.
Transfer applicants may also seek to participate in our invitational moot court programs. To do so, a transfer applicant may provide a writing sample from the student’s own first-year legal writing program, along with an indication of the one or two invitational courts in which the student is most interested. The writing sample and expression of interest will then be distributed to each relevant court. Each court may then decide whether to add the transfer student’s name to the end of the existing wait list for that court. A transfer student who does not enter an invitational court off of the court’s wait list will automatically be eligible to participate as a second-year student in the law school’s Maynard Pirsig Moot Court program.
Applicants who wish to attend the Law School for a year or less as visiting students are not required to register with CAS. However, they must submit the same information as transfer students, including a transcript that reflects all first-year and second-year law school grades.
http://www.law.umn.edu/prospective/transfer.html
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS
The Washington University School of Law only reviews transfer applications for fall semester admission. Qualified transfer applicants (as determined by the admissions committee) who have completed one year at an ABA-accredited law school are admitted to the second year class on a space available basis. Competitive candidates are typically in the top 20-25% of their current law school class with an A-/B+ average. The School of Law will accept for transfer a maximum of 29 semester hours earned at a student’s previous institution (the number of semester hours earned by our first-year day students). A minimum of 22 credits is required for transfer. Credit is not usually granted for law school courses beyond the first year. For transfer students admitted for the Fall of 2012, the maximum numbers of transfer credits is 30 semester hours, which will be the number of semester credits earned by our first-year students scheduled to graduate in 2014. The School of Law will accept the credit hours from other ABA accredited law schools as described above but not the associated grades.
Credits for courses completed at another approved law school are evaluated on an individual basis for possible transfer into the School of Law by the Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Services. Only courses completed with a grade of C or better are transferable. No course completed at another institution in which a grade of less than C was earned will be taken into account in calculating residence credit. The School of Law makes no claim or guarantee that credit earned will transfer to another institution.
Articulation Agreements The School of Law currently does not have specific articulation agreements with any other law schools.
Transfer Eligibility for Law School Honors and Awards The cumulative GPA earned at the School of Law will serve as the basis of eligibility for all School of Law awards and honors.
For more information, including links to our new short application form, please see our Transfer Students home page at http://law.wustl.edu/apply-transferstudents.asp.
http://law.wustl.edu/admissions/pages.aspx?id=86
GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
A limited number of places are available for students who wish to transfer to the Law School after completing one year of legal studies at an ABA-accredited law school. A maximum of 28 credit hours may be applied toward the Law School’s degree requirements. The primary factor considered in an admission decision is the student’s first-year law performance. Transfer students may apply for admission to the Law School for either the fall or spring semester.
The deadlines for submission of transfer applications are June 15 for the fall semester and November 15 for the spring semester.
http://www.law.gwu.edu/Admissions/apply/Pages/transvis.aspx
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
The University of Alabama School of Law admits several transfer students each year. Students interested in completing their studies at the Law School are welcome to apply. Transfer students at Alabama Law have experienced a smooth transition both into the Law School environment and into Tuscaloosa. Moreover, transfer students are offered opportunities to join student organizations, journals, trial advocacy and moot court competition teams, clinics, and social activities.
There are four publications at Alabama Law: Alabama Law Review, The Journal of the Legal Profession, Law & Psychology Review, and Alabama Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Review. All transfer students are eligible to participate in the write-on competition for the Law & Psychology Review and Alabama Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Review. If a transfer student is in the top 50% of his or her class, he or she may participate in the write-on competition for the Alabama Law Review. Transfer students in the top 25% of their previous law school automatically grade-on to The Journal of the Legal Profession.
Tryouts for the Trial Advocacy Teams are held a week prior to the commencement of the Fall semester of the second year. Interested transfer students are invited to tryout for the team. More information on the Trial Advocacy tryouts may be found online here. The Campbell Moot Court Competition takes place in Spring Semester of the second year.
The Law School offers seven clinical opportunities to provide second- and third-year students with hands-on experience. Alabama is one of the few law schools in the country that guarantees every student an opportunity to gain clinical experience before graduating.
This is just a sampling of what is available to students at The University of Alabama School of Law. Please feel free to contact the Admissions Office at (205) 348-5440 for a tour or to meet with a member of the Admissions staff. You may find more information on visiting the Law School here.
Admissions Requirements:
A student who has attended a law school that is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) may be considered for admission to The University of Alabama School of Law with advanced standing. The majority of students transferring to Alabama Law have completed their first year of law school. However, some extraordinary students are considered for early admission as a transfer student. Please contact the Admission Office for more information on early consideration for the fall or for consideration to begin in the spring.
A transfer applicant must have a competitive college academic record and LSAT score; must be in good standing and eligible to continue his or her studies at the law school previously attended; and must not be on any type of probationary status. An applicant’s first-year law school grades are significant in the admissions process. It is rare for the Law School to approve a transfer when an applicant is ranked below about the top 25% of his or her current law school class.
http://www.law.ua.edu/admissions/transfers-visitors/
EMORY
Students now may apply only using their first semester grades.
Only one recommendation letter must be from a first-year law professor.
Part-time students must complete the equivalent of a full-time first year curriculum at your institution.
Students ineligible for readmission to another law school may not transfer to Emory.
No credit is awarded for law coursework completed with a grade lower than C or its equivalent.
Transfer students will be credited with acceptable hours earned elsewhere.
You may graduate after successfully completing four full semesters of residence and 90 semester hours, at least 58 of which have been completed at Emory.
Once you have paid your deposit and committed to Emory Law, you may start to use the Office of Career Services immediately.
Transfer students are not eligible for scholarship assistance in the first year of enrollment at Emory Law.
The deadline for transfer applications is August 2. All information and instructions will be online February 11. The application will be live at www.lsac.org on February 11. All materials must be submitted through the online application process, except for the Dean’s Certification letter and your official law school transcripts, which may be sent directly to Emory Law.
http://www.law.emory.edu/admission/how-to-apply/transfer-students-fall-2013.html
NOTRE DAME
Admission into Notre Dame Law School as a transfer student is based upon your prelaw qualifications and level of success at your previous law school. To be eligible, you must have completed one year at a school approved by the American Bar Association (ABA). We accept a maximum of 30 credit hours. Transfer applicants may participate in a writing competition for a position with a Notre Dame law journal while in the application process. If you’re interested in studying law at Notre Dame for a semester, or a year, you may apply as a visiting student.
An online application for transfer admission is available at our Law School Admissions Committee (LSAC) application website form March 16 through July 1. If you are unable to fully access the LSAC electronic application service, you may submit your application form, personal statement, and resume directly to the Law School. Please email lawadmit@nd.edu for an application.
The Admission Process Notre Dame Law School admits new transfer students for the fall term only and begins accepting applications March 16 for the following fall’s class. Given the competitive nature of admission, we advise you to apply early in the admission cycle. We have a “rolling admissions” process for transfer applicants; you will be notified of our decision as soon as possible.
Employing a whole-person review, we seek to enroll multi-dimensional students—those with a wide range of talents, backgrounds, experiences, accomplishments, and points of view. While academic performance as a first year law student and your LSAT score are important, we look at a broad array of attributes. Decisions are made on individual applications as quickly as possible; however, our timeframe will vary. A rolling admission process allows for extending the review process as appropriate, ensuring that each application receives full and individualized attention in the context of careful comparison to other complete applicants. There is no waitlist process for transfer candidates.
Application Dates
March 16: Applications Open
July 1: Application Filing Deadline
July 15: All Applications Materials Must be Received
http://law.nd.edu/admissions/for-transfer-students/
INDIANA UNIVERSITY, BLOOMINGTON
Students from other ABA accredited schools are eligible to apply to our law school as transfer students. The following information applies to JD students only.
Each year, the Maurer School of Law reviews many applications for transfer and may accept a small number of students, although, in some years, no transfer students will be admitted.
The deadline for submission of the application and all supporting materials is June 20. Decisions on transfer applications are usually not made until the summer after all first-year grades are recorded. If desired, a student may apply through the school’s special “early transfer” policy option, i.e. after one full semester or after at least 15 credits have been completed. This option is only available to students who have done outstanding work in their first semester or who might have extraordinary, extenuating circumstances for desiring to transfer to our school.
To be eligible for transfer enrollment with advanced standing, students must have completed at least 24 credits at a fully accredited ABA law school. No more than 34 credits will be accepted from another school. All credits will be accepted on a pass/fail basis only, and grades below a C or equivalent passing mark will not be accepted for transfer credit. Students must complete four full semesters at the Maurer School of Law, one of which can be through an exchange program approved by the school. Because of possible differences in the first-year curricula between the Maurer School of Law and another school, acceptance of credit will be solely at the discretion of the Law School. Of special note: summer study abroad and summer externship credits will receive additional review.
The Law School’s Admissions Committee does not require transfer students to have a specific LSAT score, undergraduate GPA, or even law school GPA; the committee looks at all of the variables in an applicant’s file in making its decision. Typically, those who are admitted are in the upper quarter of their class and express compelling educational or personal reasons for transferring to IU. The median LSAT score of the current first-year class is 164; the current median GPA is 3.8.
The IU Maurer School of Law has no pre-existing relationships or articulation agreements with any other law school with respect to transfers. In addition, students who have applied to the school in the past or who have been accepted in a prior year but chose not to attend receive no special treatment in the transfer decision-making process.