Enrolling students must have received a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
Character and Moral Fitness
Applicants should be aware that a license to practice law requires state bar admission, which will involve consideration of a bar applicant's character and moral fitness for practice. Applicants should acquaint themselves, prior to entering law school, with the bar admission requirements of the state(s) in which they intend to practice. Applicants can find information about bar admission, including links to each state's bar admission website, on the
National Conference of Bar Examiners website.
The Application
A complete application to UDC-DCSL consists of the application form, with a personal statement and response to the essay question included; the $35.00 application fee; the Law School Report, which includes all undergraduate and graduate transcripts, letters of recommendations, and the LSAT score; and a Declaration of Residency form from candidates claiming District residency.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply on-line through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). For more information, please see
Application Options.
The Law School Report
All applicants must register with the
Law School Credential Assembly Service (LSDAS) provided by
LSAC. Applicants should arrange for transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate academic work, and for their letters of recommendation, to be sent to LSDAS. The Law School Report includes the candidate's LSAT score, copies of all transcripts, analysis of undergraduate transcripts, copies of all recommendations and, if applying through LSAC, the UDC-DCSL application. UDC-DCSL’s Law School Code is
5245.
The Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
The LSAT is given four times a year. All applicants must have taken the test within five years of the Fall semester they plan to enroll. The LSAT administered in February is the last one that will be accepted for Fall admission. The score is considered by the UDC-DCSL Committee on Admission in tandem with other academic and non-academic information provided in the application. Applicants should provide any information that would be helpful to the Committee in reviewing their LSAT scores, and retake the test if their scores are significantly inconsistent with previous test performance. Candidates taking multiple tests should consider including such information with their applications.
LSAC contact information is as follows:
Law School Admission Services
P. O. Box 2000
Newtown, Pennsylvania 18940-0998
(215) 968-1001
http://www.lsac.org/
The Academic Record
The Committee on Admission carefully reviews each candidate's academic record. No specific academic preparation is required for admission, and the academic backgrounds of entering students are as diverse as are their life experiences. The Committee looks for breadth and depth of coursework, including courses that require significant amounts of writing and reading, and courses that are analytically demanding. It reviews trends in grades, competitiveness of environment, and class rank.
The Committee on Admission will identify some applicants who show academic potential but who require additional preparation before beginning their first-year at UDC-DCSL. These candidates will be admitted conditionally to the
Academic Success Summer Program. The program, which is taught by UDC-DCSL faculty, introduces students to legal writing, legal reasoning, torts and criminal law or contracts.
Applicants with Foreign Credentials
Applicants whose baccalaureate degrees were earned in universities outside the United States must have their transcripts evaluated by the LSAC’s JD Credential Assembly Service (JDCAS). Those candidates whose study was in a language other than English may be required to submit, in addition to the LSAT, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) administered by the
Educational Testing Service.
Recommendations
Each applicant must submit two recommendations -- an academic reference letter and a second letter of reference. The information contained in these recommendations plays an important role in the selection process. The recommenders should be individuals who know the applicant's academic work and personal qualities well.
The academic recommendation must be written by a faculty member from the undergraduate, graduate, or professional school most recently attended by the applicant. Candidates whose academic work was completed more than five years ago may, if no academic recommender is available, substitute a letter from a recent employer.
The second letter of recommendation should be written by someone who can provide information about the candidate's potential to contribute positively to the law school community and legal profession, e.g., an employer, a co-worker, a friend or professor.
The two required recommendations must be submitted to LSAC's Letter of Recommendation Service (LOR). The School of Law will accept up to three letters of recommendation through LOR.
Essays
Candidates are required to submit a personal statement and a response to an essay question listed on the application form. The Admission Committee encourages candidates to submit any additional information that might be helpful in making thoughtful decisions on their applications.
Interviews
The Committee does not routinely use interviews in making admission decisions, but may occasionally invite a candidate for an interview.
The Admission Office encourages prospective applicants to visit and will arrange tours and class visits by appointment. The Office of Admission also holds Information Sessions, at which time questions about the school, the application process, the financial aid program, and an applicant's individual situation will be answered. The School of Law holds Law Day-Open House Programs twice a year – Fall Law Day in November and Spring Law Day in March.
Application Fee
The application fee is $35.00. The application fee is non-refundable and not applied toward the tuition or fees of enrolling students.
The application fee will be waived for applicants who apply on-line through LSAC by January 15. An applicant who wishes to be considered for a waiver may submit a written request. A fee waiver application will be forwarded to you.
Declaration of Residency Form
UDC-DCSL is the District of Columbia's public law school. Tuition is, therefore, lower for residents of the District than for students who are from outside of the District. In order to qualify for resident tuition rates, a student must have lived in the District for twelve months prior to the first day of classes.
Residency is determined by a number of factors including payment of income tax in the District, motor vehicle registration, voter registration, receipt of public benefits for the twelve months prior to registration, lease or mortgage agreement, and jury service.
Applicants who wish to qualify for District tuition rates must complete a Declaration of Residency Form and submit supporting documentation. The initial determination of residency occurs in conjunction with an admission decision. Residency is reviewed annually thereafter. Students must maintain residency to remain eligible for District tuition rates.
Students who matriculate at the School of Law as non-D.C. residents may be considered for District residency after residing in the District of Columbia for twelve months, which may occur in the Spring semester, and providing documents to support their claim.
Completing the Application
For a summary of required application materials, go to Application Overview. To obtain an application, go to Application Options.
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