Admissions Information for J.D. Applicants

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply, you must plan to receive a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university before enrolling at USC Law. We base our admission decisions on academic record, LSAT score, personal statement, letters of recommendation, and other information in your application file.

Academic Requirements

In reviewing application files, the committee focuses on college grades, academic major, selection of courses, and significant scholarly achievements. Although USC Law does not require specific college courses for admission, we look favorably on students who have selected intellectually challenging courses of study.

Whatever your discipline, we urge you to concentrate on developing strong writing and analytic skills. Courses that require intensively researched written projects and active participation in classroom dialogue also will be helpful in preparing you to study law.

Our Admissions Committee

The Admissions and Financial Aid Committee is comprised of members of the faculty, the associate dean, the director of admissions, a member of the student services office and an elected student representative. The Committee reads a portion of the applicant pool thoroughly and considers each application on an individual basis. Committee members pay close attention to the "soft" factors, factors other than LSAT score(s) and undergraduate grade point average.

Your Personal Statement

The admissions committee gives careful attention to your personal statement. We are particularly interested in your motivation for studying law, your academic background, and qualities you possess that may enhance the diversity of our student body. If you are a college senior or recent graduate, you may wish to mention your work history and extracurricular activities. If you have spent a year or more in the work force after college, tell us about your employment experience; enclose a resume to illustrate your chronological work history.

There is no specific word or page requirement or limit for your personal statement. However, the committee values carefully crafted essays that are clear, concise, and compelling.

Letters of Recommendation

The most influential letters of recommendation focus on your academic potential. They are written by people who know you well and can evaluate your academic performance. Although recommendations not pertaining to academic abilities are helpful, academic recommendations carry the most weight with the admissions committee.

CAS Evaluations

The Credentials Assembly Service (CAS) Evaluation provided by LSAC is another tool our Admissions Committee will consider when evaluating your candidacy. Evaluators are invited by applicants via e-mail to electronically provide ratings and comments on six non-cognitive skill and attribute categories. CAS Evaluations are optional. USC Law will accept one evaluation. CAS Evaluations may not be substituted for any of the two required letters of recommendation.

Contribution to Diversity

USC Law's admissions process is guided by the view that a student body that reflects the broad and rich diversity of our society provides a superior educational environment for all law students. The primary goal of our admissions process is to enroll students who demonstrate outstanding academic and professional promise and whose background and experience will enrich USC Law's educational environment or enhance the diversity of our student body or the legal profession.

You may be regarded as potentially contributing to student diversity if your background or experience would not ordinarily be well-represented in the student body or the legal profession. Examples include (but are not limited to) students who:

• have struggled against prejudice, economic disadvantage, family or personal adversity, or other social hardships (perhaps as a result of disability, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation or religious affiliation)
• lived in a foreign country or spoke a language other than English at home
• have unusual career goals, employment history (perhaps military or law enforcement experience), or educational background (including graduate study)
• demonstrate unusual extracurricular achievement (including school or community service)

If you believe your background or experience can contribute to USC Law's goal of diversity and educational enrichment - and if you would like this factor considered in the admissions process - please include detailed written information about your background or experience in your application. (Providing such information is voluntary.)

Admission Decisions and Timelines

Applications that are completed by February 1 receive priority review. All applicant files are reviewed administratively by the Dean of Admissions or a member of the admissions staff once they are complete. A portion of the applicant pool is admitted and denied by the Dean of Admissions based on admissions criteria set forth by the Admissions and Financial Aid Committee. A small number of files are reviewed by the Admissions and Financial Committee who make advisory admission decisions.

Candidates who are placed on a waitlist are encouraged to submit letters of continued interest periodically. In addition, they may update their file with new information which they believe may support an offer of admission.

Decisions typically are mailed beginning in mid-December and concluding around mid-May.

All decisions are final and no appeals process exists.

Application Fee Waivers

USC Gould School of Law offers several application fee waivers to assist students who are interested in applying to the JD program. We offer merit-based fee waivers, hardship/need-based fee waivers and Teach for America fee waivers. Please read the instructions below and submit the necessary documentation for the fee waiver you seek. Additionally, if you have received an LSAC fee waiver, USC Law will automatically waive your application fee - you do not need to take any additional action.

Please note: the fee waiver process beings anew each application cycle and the information below is effective at the beginning of each cycle and a fee waiver is only valid for that particular application cycle.

Candidate Referral Service (CRS) Merit Fee Waiver

USC Law offers merit-based fee waivers by invitation only to applicants whose profiles typically meet or exceed both the median LSAT score (167) and the median GPA (3.69) for our entering class. Candidates who wish to be considered for a CRS Merit Fee Waiver must register for LSAC's Candidate Referral Service (CRS) before applying to our law school. Invitations will be emailed/mailed to those candidates who meet our profile criteria and are registered for CRS. All CRS Merit Fee Waivers will reflect automatically on the electronic USC JD application at the payment window as the fee is connected to your LSAC account number. No fee waiver code is required if a CRS Merit fee waiver is awarded.

USC Trojan Fee Waiver

As part of the Trojan family, any current student or graduate of the University of Southern California qualifies for a USC Law application fee waiver. In order to receive the fee waiver, you must opt-in to the LSAC Candidate Referral Service (CRS). Throughout the application cycle (September - January), we will send out periodic emails confirming the award of a USC Law Trojan fee waiver to those candidates who are currently registered with LSAC and have signed up for the CRS. All USC fee waivers granted through the CRS program will reflect automatically on the candidate's electronic USC JD application at the final payment window as the waiver is linked to the candidate's LSAC account. No fee waiver code is required if a USC fee waiver is awarded. USC fee waiver questions may be submitted to feewaiver@law.usc.edu.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Application fees are non-refundable. If by mistake you pay the application fee, we will be unable to refund your payment.

Hardship/Need-Based Fee Waivers

USC Law offers hardship/need-based fee waivers. We review requests for hardship/need based fee waivers on a weekly basis. There are several options under which someone can qualify for a hardship/need-based fee waiver. Candidates who wish to be considered for a fee waiver will need to do the following:

a) Hardship/Need-based: Candidates who wish to be considered for an economic hardship fee waiver will need to do the following:

• Complete the electronic 2012 Fee Waiver Form
• If you are currently in school and are a financial aid recipient, submit a PDF copy of your financial aid award letter from your undergraduate/graduate institution.
• If you are experiencing other economic hardship, then submit a copy of your most recent Federal Income Tax return (or parent's income tax return if they claim you as a dependent) on their tax forms.
• Please send an email with all your documents attached as a PDF to feewaiver@law.usc.edu.
  
  
  

b) Teach for America: Candidates who are currently participating in a Teach For America program will need to do the following:

• Complete the electronic 2012 Fee Waiver Form
• Provide an official letter of employment from your Teach for America program coordinator
• Please send an email with all your documents attached as a PDF to feewaiver@law.usc.edu.
  
  

Once we have received and reviewed your completed documents we will email a response to you (typically on Friday after receiving your documents). If you are approved, the fee waiver will reflect automatically on the USC JD application at the payment window as the fee is connected to your LSAC account number.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have submitted a fee waiver request, do not submit the online application fee payment ($75) before hearing from us. We will not be able to offer you a refund if you are later approved for a fee waiver.

Requirements for Enrollment

To secure a seat in the first year class, all admitted students must submit a first tuition deposit of $500 to the Office of Admissions by May 1, 2012. A second tuition deposit of $500 is due on July 1, 2012. Seat deposit payments must be paid with a debit/credit card.

In accordance with ABA regulations, prior to enrollment candidates must submit an official transcript denoting the award of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university to the USC Law Director of Student Records. This transcript must be sent directly from your undergraduate institution to USC Law.

Bar Admission

Each jurisdiction establishes bar registration and admission standards for individuals who wish to practice law within the jurisdiction. One important aspect of admission to practice law is an evaluation relating to character and fitness. USC Law requires applicants for admission to fully disclose responses to the following questions:

• Have you ever been dropped, suspended, warned, placed on academic or disciplinary probation, disciplined, expelled, or requested or advised to resign from an post-secondary school, college, university, professional school, or law school?
• Have you ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor (other than a minor traffic violation)?
• Are any charges pending against you?

If the answer to any of the questions is in the affirmative, then a full written explanation must accompany the application. Candor is extremely important and appreciated by the Admissions Committee.

Applicants are encouraged to contact the Board of Bar Examiners of the state(s) in which they intend to practice, in order to secure information regarding the qualifications for admission to the practice of law in that jurisdiction. Additional information can be found on website of the National Conference of Bar Examiners. For applicants interested in the practice of law in California, information can be found here or at the State Bar of California website.

Questions?

If you have questions about the admissions process, please call the Office of Admissions at (213) 740-2523 or send an email message to admissions@law.usc.edu. Applicants with hearing disabilities may call (TTY/TTD) (800) 735-2922 or (TTY/TTD) (800) 676-3777.

Office of Admissions Staff Members

• Chloe T. Reid - Associate Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid
• David Kirschner, Director of Admissions
• Brenda Cortez Martin - Associate Director of Admissions
• Amy Stevens - Associate Director of Admissions
• Regina Morton - Administrative Assistant

Our Non-discrimination Policy

USC Gould School of Law is firmly committed to a policy against discrimination based upon ethnicity, national origin, disability, race, religion, political beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, or age.