J.D. Application Instructions
QUICKLINKS:
How Applications Are Reviewed
Each year, many highly qualified college graduates apply for the necessarily limited number of places in the first-year class. Our admissions process aims to select from the applicant pool an entering class of students who will contribute to this academic community during their three years of residency and, ultimately, to society and to the legal profession. To that end, the admissions committee considers many factors. These include not only intellectual aptitude and academic achievement, but also individual accomplishments and experiences—such as dedication or a constructive response to adversity—that predict success, as well as geographic, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological diversity.
Rigid standards based simply on a combination of an LSAT score and cumulative undergraduate grade-point average cannot be the only criteria for selecting an entering class. Members of our admissions committee, assisted by admissions professionals, assess each applicant as an individual. This assessment takes into account not only LSAT scores and undergraduate grades, but also the strength of an applicant’s undergraduate or graduate curriculum, trends in grades, the maturing effect of experiences since college, the nature and quality of any work experience, significant achievement in extracurricular activities in college, service in the military, contributions to campus or community through service and leadership, and personal qualities displayed. An applicant’s experiences surmounting economic, social, or educational difficulties with grace and courage, demonstrating the capacity to grow in response to challenge, and showing compassion for the welfare of others can play a role in the admissions decision.
The University of Virginia School of Law enrolls only full-time students for the three-year program of study for the J.D. degree. Students are admitted only for the term that begins in late August.
Early Decision option: If the University of Virginia is your first choice for law school, you may apply under the Early Decision option. Early Decision applicants commit to enrolling if admitted and must withdraw all applications to other law schools once notified of Early Decision admission. Early Decision applicants must ensure that we have received a completed application by November 16, 2007. A completed Early Decision application includes the signed Early Decision Agreement; the application; any attachments required as part of the application, including the personal statement; the LSAT/LSDAS report; two letters of recommendation; and the $75 application fee. Please note that it can take 10–14 days for an application submitted through the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) electronic application service to reach us. If you are applying as an in-state candidate, you also must submit the Application for In-State Educational Privileges with the application. A decision to admit, deny, or hold for reconsideration will be mailed by December 14, 2007. An Early Decision applicant who is held for reconsideration is free to maintain or file new applications to other law schools and is not obligated to enroll at the University of Virginia if offered admission later in the admissions season.
Regular application deadline: Applicants should ensure that we have received a completed application by March 1, 2008. A completed application includes the application; any attachments required as part of the application, including the personal statement; the LSAT/LSDAS report; two letters of recommendation; and the $75 application fee. Please note that it can take 10–14 days for an application submitted through the LSAC electronic application service to reach us. If you are applying as an in-state candidate, you also must submit the Application for In-State Educational Privileges with the application. A decision will be mailed by April 15, 2008. Late applications will be accepted and reviewed, but applicants are not guaranteed an admissions decision by April 15. We encourage you to submit your application using the LSDAS electronic application service, which is included with your Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) registration. Using the LSDAS electronic application will significantly expedite the processing of your application. You also may download a PDF version of the application at www.law.virginia.edu/admissions. If you are unable to access the PDF version of the application, please contact the Admissions Office at 434.924.7351 to request a paper copy of the application forms.
In addition to the completed, signed application form, you must submit the following items before your application will be forwarded to the Admissions Committee for review:
- Law School Admission
Test (LSAT) score
- Transcript of
prior academic record, submitted through the Law School Data
Assembly Service
- Two letters of recommendation
- Personal Statement
- $75 application fee
- Application for In-State
Educational Privileges, if seeking classification as a resident
student
Law School Admission Test Score
Applicants must submit an LSAT score. The LSAT is given throughout the country and in numerous overseas locations four times in the 2006–2007 application cycle, in June, September/October, December, and February. Applicants should arrange to take the LSAT early, preferably in June or September of the year preceding the year for which admission to the School of Law is sought. Results from the December test are acceptable for applicants applying under the regular application option only. Applicants who submit February LSAT scores may be at a disadvantage, since many places in the class will have been filled by the time February scores are received.
We will accept LSAT scores that can be reported to us on the standard LSAT/LSDAS report. LSAC will report any scores earned within the last five test years, and with payment of a special fee will retrieve and report scores between five and 10 years old.
Transcript of Prior Academic Record
You must register with the LSDAS. LSDAS will receive your undergraduate and any graduate transcripts, copy them, and forward the transcripts to the law schools to which you apply.
Do not send your academic transcripts directly to the Admissions Office. If you are accepted for admission and choose to enroll, you will then be asked to submit an official copy of your final undergraduate transcript, showing award of your undergraduate degree, directly to the School of Law.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE
LSAT OR LSDAS SERVICE, CONTACT:
Law School Admission Council
P.O. Box 2000
Newtown, Pennsylvania 18940
Telephone: (215) 968-1001
www.lsac.org
Letters of Recommendation
Applicants must provide two letters of recommendation. Recommenders should evaluate your potential as a law student, so letters from members of your college or graduate school faculty who can discuss your academic performance are particularly helpful. If you have been out of school for several years and have difficulty securing an academic reference, you may substitute letters from employers or others who have worked closely with you. In any event, letters should address the skills necessary for rigorous, advanced academic work: the ability to read complex textual material closely, to analyze it carefully, and to present reasoned conclusions in writing and orally; maturity; self-discipline; commitment; and professionalism.
The School of Law strongly encourages applicants to submit letters through the LSAC Letter of Recommendation service. This service is included with your LSDAS subscription. Letters submitted through the LSAC Service are copied and sent to us along with your LSAT/LSDAS report. Updated reports are sent immediately if letters are received after your initial LSDAS report has been sent. To use this service, follow the instructions in the 2006–2007 LSAT & LSDAS Information Book or online at www.lsac.org. Be sure to provide each recommender a Letter of Recommendation form, available on the LSAC Web site. Letters also may be sent directly to the School of Law with your application for admission, or separately if your recommender prefers. If you do not use the LSAC Letter of Recommendation service, please follow the instructions for submitting a letter directly to the School of Law included with the application instructions.
If your college or university maintains a credentials service or a central file of letters of recommendation, those letters may be sent to the School of Law using the same process as for letters sent directly by the recommender.
Personal Statement
Include with your application a personal statement that will give the Admissions Committee any information you believe relevant to the admissions decision that is not elicited elsewhere in the application. The statement is your opportunity to tell us about yourself; it may address your intellectual interests, significant accomplishments, obstacles overcome, personal or professional goals, educational achievements, or any way in which your perspective, viewpoint, or experiences will add to the richness of the educational environment of the School of Law or to the diversity of the academic community.
Application Fee
Applications must include the nonrefundable $75 application fee. Checks should be made payable to the University of Virginia. Your canceled check will be your receipt.
If you are applying using the LSDAS electronic application service, you may pay your application fee using a credit card through the LSAC secure server. Follow the instructions on the LSAC Web site. You may also elect to print out the certification letter included with the LSDAS electronic application and mail it to the School of Law with a $70 check for the application fee.
Application for In-State Educational Privileges
If you are claiming entitlement to in-state educational privileges, you must submit the Application for Virginia In-State Educational Privileges with your application for admission. Failure to submit the application, or to supply any supplemental information that may be requested by the Virginia Status Office, may delay consideration of your application or result in your classification as a nonresident candidate. Please note that all applicants for in-state educational privileges must complete Section A of the application. If you are under the age of 19, or if you receive more than half your financial support from a parent or spouse, your parent or spouse must complete Sections B and C.
FAQs on Virginia
Residency
For further information concerning
Virginia residency status, contact:
Committee on Virginia Status
P.O. Box 400160
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4160
Telephone: (434) 982-3391
asl5w@virginia.edu
Application Information for International or Foreign-Educated Students
Transcripts of postsecondary work completed at a college or university outside the United States or Canada must be submitted through the LSAC JD Credential Assembly Service (JD CAS). The one exception to this requirement is for work completed outside the United States or Canada through a study abroad, consortium, or exchange program sponsored by a U.S. or Canadian institution, where the work is clearly indicated as such on the home campus transcript. The JD CAS service is included in the LSDAS subscription fee. A Foreign Credential Evaluation will be completed by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers and incorporated into your LSDAS report.
With few exceptions, international students for whom the first language learned and spoken in the home is not English are required to demonstrate proficiency in English by completing the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) within two years prior to submitting the application. If you are required to submit a TOEFL score, please contact the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and request that your TOEFL score be sent to LSAC as well as directly to the University of Virginia. LSAC’s TOEFL code for the JD Credential Assembly Service is 0058. The University of Virginia’s TOEFL code is 5820, department code 03. Your score will be included in the Foreign Credential Evaluation document that will be included in your LSDAS law school report.
To use the JD CAS, log in to your online account and follow the instructions for registering for the service. Be sure to print and mail a Transcript Request Form for each institution attended.
Questions about the JD Credential Assembly Service can be directed to LSAC at 215.968.1001, or lsacinfo@lsac.org.
For all those required to take the TOEFL exam, the minimum scores required are:
Paper Based Test (PBT): 600
Computer Based Test (CBT): 250
iBT TOEFL:
Writing: 22
Speaking: 22
Reading: 23
Listening: 23
Please note that that the iBT TOEFL (the new generation TOEFL exam) will be implemented gradually across the world, region by region, over the next few years. For information and questions about iBT TOEFL, please contact ETS. The University of Virginia School of Law will continue to accept PBT and CBP test scores as long as they are available from ETS and are less than two years old.
Applicants should arrange to take the TOEFL at the earliest possible date to ensure that their applications are completed by the March 1 deadline.
Please include a photocopy of your TOEFL scores with your application if you have already received your test results. This may enable the Law School to expedite the review of your application.
Scores must be submitted in accordance with the procedures listed above. To arrange an examination date and for further information, write or call (between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m., Eastern Standard Time):
TOEFL/TSE Services-ETS
www.TOEFL.org
P.O. Box 6151
Princeton, NJ
08541-6151, USA
Telephone: 609-771-7100
Facsimile: 609-771-7500
The Admissions Committee will accept a score from the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) in lieu of a TOEFL score. The University of Virginia School of Law requires a minimum score of 7.5 on the IELTS exam. As with the TOEFL exam, we will not accept scores that are more than two years old. The details found above in the discussion about the TOEFL exam apply to IELTS scores as well. If you have questions concerning submission of an IELTS score, please contact the Admissions Office.
Applicants should be aware that competency in English is critical to success in the study of law at the University of Virginia, and that demonstrated fluency in English is an important consideration in evaluating applications.
Special Instructions for Advanced Standing Applicants with an LL.M. Degree
Applicants who hold an LL.M. from a U.S. law school may apply for advanced standing admission to the J.D. program. Applicants who hold an LL.M. are not required to submit an LSAT score but may elect to do so. You must submit a transcript of all work taken in the LL.M. program, and at least one letter of recommendation must be from an LL.M. program faculty member who taught you in a course other than legal research and writing. You may receive up to 14 hours of advanced standing credit for work taken as an LL.M. student. Students who enroll under this option must complete five semesters in residence at the University of Virginia, as well as all other degree requirements, to receive the J.D. degree. Advanced standing applicants are not eligible for consideration under the binding early decision option. Please read these special application instructions carefully.
If you will take or have taken the LSAT: Submit your undergraduate and LL.M. transcripts through the regular LSDAS service if your undergraduate degree is from a university in the United States or Canada, or through the JD-CAS service if your undergraduate degree is from a foreign institution. Information on registering for the LSDAS or JD-CAS service can be found on the Law School Admission Council Web site at www.lsac.org/LSAC.asp?url=lsac/lsdas-candidate-requirements.asp.
If you are not taking the LSAT: DO NOT submit your transcripts through LSDAS or JD-CAS. LSAC will not release your transcripts to us without an LSAT score, and you will need to obtain new copies of your transcripts from your undergraduate and LL.M. schools to complete your application. If you obtained your undergraduate degree at a U.S. university, have an official copy of your undergraduate transcript sent to us directly from the institution. If you obtained your undergraduate and/or primary law degree at a university outside the United States, please submit those transcripts to us through a credentials evaluation report from World Education Services (www.wes.org) or the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) (www.aacrao.org/international/foreignEdCred.cfm). A transcript of your LL.M. work should be sent to us directly from your LL.M. school.
Importance of Full Disclosure
Lawyers are held to high ethical standards. Failure to disclose an act or event is often more significant, and can lead to more serious consequences, than the act or event itself. Once the application has been submitted, you have a continuing duty to inform the Admissions Office of any changes in the information in the application, or any new information without which the application as previously submitted would be inaccurate or incomplete. Your duty to inform the Admissions Office of any changes continues until the time you receive a final admissions decision and, if admitted, until the time you matriculate as a student at the University of Virginia School of Law. False, misleading, or incomplete answers or statements made in this application, or in any materials submitted to the Admissions Office or the Financial Aid Office, could constitute a basis for denial of admission, recision of an offer of admission, or denial of admission to the practice of law, and may be reported to the Law School Admission Council for investigation of misconduct in the admissions process.
Students seeking to engage in the practice of law are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the rules for admission to the bar of the state in which they intend to seek admission, especially those rules relating to character, fitness, and other qualifications for practice.
Tuition and Fees
Student budgets are set by the
University’s Financial Aid Committee and may also be governed
by federal student aid regulations. Modifications are possible
but are limited to meeting the educational costs of attending
law school, including tuition and fees, books and supplies, and
nondiscretionary maintenance expenses.
| Tuition
and Fees: |
$36,800 |
$41,800 |
| Housing: |
6,502 |
6,502 |
| Personal Expenses: |
7,222 |
7,222 |
| Health Insurance: |
1,976 |
1,976 |
| Books
and Supplies: |
1,800 |
|
| Loan Fees: |
800 |
800 |
| Totals: |
$55,100 |
$60,100 |
The Law School Financial Aid
Office will grant an additional allotment, up to $2,500, for
the purchase of a laptop computer. Upon written request, accompanied
by supporting documentation, the Financial Aid Office may also
include additional allowances for students with disabilities,
child care expenses, or health care expenditures.
Deferral and Reapplication to the School of Law
Students are accepted for admission only for the class currently being selected, with the exception of candidates participating in Teach for America or candidates admitted to a joint-degree program who elect not to begin in the School of Law. Exceptionally well-qualified applicants who are reasonably certain they will enroll the following year may, after paying all required confirmation deposits, request a deferral. Applicants who do not wish to commit to the University of Virginia may reapply in a subsequent year. Admission to one class does not guarantee admission to a subsequent class. However, we make every effort to accommodate those who are unable to register in the class to which they were originally admitted by giving substantial weight to prior acceptance.
Applicants who have applied previously must submit a new application form, the application fee, an updated résumé and personal statement, and two letters of recommendation. Letters may be the same as submitted in a prior year, although we encourage applicants with new work or academic experience to submit letters from those who can discuss recent performance. Application files are maintained for two years. If the LSDAS report submitted previously contained all work taken toward the undergraduate degree, reapplicants are not required to submit a new LSAT/LSDAS report. Applicants who had not completed the undergraduate degree at the time the original application was filed must submit an updated LSDAS report showing the final year of work. Candidates reapplying for admission after two years must submit all required materials, as we will no longer have the original documents on file.
Transfer Students
Students who have completed one year of work at an ABA-accredited law school may apply for admission with advanced standing. Up to 32 credit hours may be transferred toward the J.D. from the University of Virginia. Applicants for transfer admission must submit all materials required for application as a first-year student, along with a transcript of the entire first year of work in law school, a statement of rank in class as of the end of the second semester, and a letter of good standing from the dean or other appropriate official stating that the applicant is a student in good standing and is eligible to return. Transfer applicants must furnish two letters of recommendation, at least one of which should be from a faculty member at the current law school. More
Students with Disabilities
Prospective students who have questions concerning accommodations for physical disabilities, learning disabilities, or other disabling conditions should contact Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Martha Ballenger at 434.924.3737. Students accepted for admission are asked to contact Dean Ballenger, regardless of whether they provided information concerning disabilities in the admissions process, regarding their conditions and any appropriate accommodations the School of Law needs to make to assure access to the school’s academic programs and examinations. All information will be confidential except to the extent necessary to make accommodations.
CONTACT: Dean
Ballenger at (434) 924-3737; mdb8n@virginia.edu;
Student Affairs Web site
Visiting Virginia
The School of Law encourages prospective students and applicants to visit the David A. Harrison III Law Grounds. Student-guided tours are available during the week while classes are in session. Admissions information sessions are held on most Friday afternoons during the summer months and through the fall semester.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: See Visits
and Tours
Contact Us
Request an
Application/Brochure
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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