Applying to Law School

The Process at a Glance
All law school applicants must register for and take the Law School Admission Test LSAT administered by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) and register with the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS). At the time you register for LSDAS, you should decide how many schools you wish to apply to (you do not need to know which ones, just how many!) so that you can purchase an adequate number of reports. Additional reports can be purchased later if you decide to apply to more schools than you had originally planned.

When you are ready to apply, it is your responsibility to request that your registrar(s) from every undergraduate college or university you have attended in the U.S. and Canada submit(s) your official transcripts to LSDAS. Please note that LSDAS does not process foreign transcripts, although applicants may need to provide the individual law schools directly with official copies of transcripts from institutions attended abroad.

Your registration with LSDAS will enable LSAC to compile whatever number of reports you purchased to be sent directly to the law schools of your choice, upon your application to these schools. LSDAS reports include an undergraduate academic summary (compiled from your transcripts), all LSAT scores and writing samples, and copies of all American and Canadian transcripts you submitted to LSDAS.

School-specific applications are generally available in print or can be accessed from the LSAC website or from the schools’ individual websites. Depending on how many schools you wish to apply to, you may find it beneficial to streamline your application to multiple schools by tapping into LSDAS Electronic Applications.  These applications incorporate a common-information form and flow-as-you-go features that allow users to answer common law school application questions once since the program places the answers in the appropriate spot in the individual law school applications selected, saving time and effort. Users must have a current LSDAS registration in order to transmit applications.

Beyond other biographical, academic, extracurricular and professional records, applications will require you to submit one or more application essays, letters of reference, and an application fee, which can be waived for individuals with demonstrated financial need.

Usually interviews are not a part of the standard selection process although a few schools utilize them, by either requiring them or offering them only at the applicants' request.

Because so many schools are on a rolling admission basis, it will behoove you to apply as early as possible in the application cycle (ideally, September through November) even if schools have application deadlines in February and March. You may also find beneficial to investigate whether the schools that you are targeting offer an early decision or early assurance program. Be aware, however, of any legally binding commitments that may be linked to these programs.

Students will start hearing admission decisions by the end of Fall semester and throughout Winter semester. Students who are waitlisted may be up for several months of uncertainty since some offers will be extended as late as during the summer. Usually, the law schools will require you to submit a deposit with each offer acceptance. Deposits may be partially refundable up to a certain date.

Some applicants may wish to apply to law school but then postpone enrollment until the next year. Most schools will grant requests for deferred admissions to strongly qualified applicants; but the timing, process, and qualifying reasons for deferred admission vary greatly from school to school so be sure to do your homework!

Financial aid considerations usually do not enter the picture until an applicant has been formally accepted at a law school. Financial aid packages, however, assume eligibility for federal funds, so be proactive in attempting to solve any pending issues if you foresee problems with your credit and ability to borrow.

Finally, remember that applicants will be required to submit an official final transcript directly to the law school (not LSDAS!) prior to matriculation, showing the award of the bachelor's degree.

For a general preparation and application timeline assuming attending law school immediately upon graduation see this PDF handout.

Law School Application Checklist [PDF].

LSAC offers an online video called “Getting There: Four Paths to Law School” which features four law school students from varied backgrounds who recount their individual journeys through the law school application process.

For a matrix illustrating ranges of mean GPA and LSAT scores of UM graduates who were admitted to law schools nationwide as part of the most recent entering class, please see page one and page two.