Application Information for Transfer Students

Applications Accepted Beginning: May 15, 2024

Priority Deadline for Applications: June 15, 2024

Final Deadline for Applications: June 25, 2024

Applicants applying for transfer admission must apply electronically via LSAC by submitting a Virginia Law transfer application. The transfer application will be available in early May.

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:

  1. an official transcript of all work taken during your first year of law school;
     
  2. 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;
     
  3. 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
     
  4. 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.

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 electronically to the Office of 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 @email  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 17, 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.

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. 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).

Dual-Degree Programs

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.

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 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 Peer Advisors who answer questions about the transition to the University of Virginia.

The course enrollment process for the coming year begins in July, when students submit (via LawWeb, the Law School’s intranet) a list of desired classes to the Student Records Office in prioritized order. The Student Records Office administers “lotteries” to distribute seats and create initial course schedules for students, and incoming transfer students are incorporated into the lotteries for 2Ls. 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, other academic and co-curricular programs, and membership in the Order of the Coif upon graduation. They are not eligible to participate in the Law School's international dual-degree or exchange programs.

LL.M. to J.D. Transfer Program

Information about how students currently pursuing the University of Virginia LL.M. degree can apply to transfer to the J.D. program can be found here. Individuals who have earned an LL.M. from another law school are welcome to apply to the three-year J.D. program as a 1L. Information about the J.D. application process can be found here.

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