Application Information for Transfer Students
APPLICATIONS
ACCEPTED BEGINNING: May 1, 2009
APPLICATIONS REVIEWED BEGINNING:
June 15 (optimal deadline for applications)
Applicants for August 2009 transfer
admission should apply electronically via LSAC.
To apply for transfer admission, you will need
to submit
all of the materials required
for admission as a first-year student and the following
additional materials:
- an official transcript of all work taken
during your first year of law school;
- a letter of good standing from the Dean of your current law
school or other appropriate official, written as of the end of
your first year in law school, stating that you are a student
in good academic standing and are eligible to return if you choose
to do so;
- a statement of your rank in class as of the end of your first
year in law school. If your law school does not rank students,
please submit a statement of that policy from your Registrar,
Academic Dean or the Office of Career Services; and
- one of your two letters of recommendation must be from a law school professor. The second letter may be one you used to apply to law school.
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.
We do require transfer applicants
to submit an original copy of the LSDAS 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 LSDAS
report by submitting a copy of your final undergraduate transcript
to Law Services. Your LSDAS subscription fee is valid for five
years, so you can update your file and request a copy of your
report without re-registering for the LSDAS service.
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 Law School Admissions Office.
Do not send it to the address at the top of the In-State form.
Remember that 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.
Special Information for Transfer Students
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.
Transfer of Credit and Degree Requirements
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.
Combined-Degree Programs
Transfer students are eligible to participate
in combined-degree
programs
with other departments and schools of the University and to receive
academic credit for graduate-level courses taken in other departments
and schools of the University on the same basis as regularly
enrolled students. In considering the admission of a transfer
student to a combined-degree program or the authorization of
non-Law School credit for a transfer student, the faculty advisor
or the assistant dean, as the case may be, may take into account
the transfer applicant's academic record and the institution
from which he or she has transferred.
Financial Aid
Scholarship funds are not available for transfer students. Transfer students are fully eligible for loan funding. Applicants should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), designating the University of Virginia (FAFSA Code 003745) as a recipient of the Student Aid Report. More information on Financial Aid
Decisions Regarding Transfer Applicants
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.
Transfer Students at the Law School
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 CASE, 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 to answer questions about the transition to the University of Virginia. Transfer students register for classes during orientation; we hold places in most upperclass 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. Transfer students are fully eligible for clinical programs, moot court teams, and other academic and co-curricular programs.
Transfer students are not eligible for membership in the Order of the Coif upon graduation.
Contact Us
lawadmit@virginia.edu
www.law.virginia.edu/admissions
Phone: (434) 924-7351
FAX: (434) 982-2128
580 Massie Road
Charlottesville, VA 22903-1738
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