Admissions Policy
UCLA School of Law seeks to admit students of outstanding
intellectual ability who will bring a wide range of backgrounds,
experiences, and perspectives to the classroom and the legal
profession. Through long experience, the faculty has concluded
that the quality of the education of each student is affected in
significant ways by the presence of vital, diverse viewpoints.
Indeed, students of all backgrounds choose to come to UCLA in
significant part because of the UCLA Law's outstanding
achievements in creating a highly diverse educational
environment.
In evaluating each applicant, UCLA Law places substantial weight
on traditional measures of academic ability, namely grades and
Law School Admission Test (LSAT) scores. We also recognize in
our evaluation that other factors and attributes contribute greatly
to a person's ability to succeed as a law student and lawyer.
When assessing academic promise and achievement, the
applicant's entire file will be considered, including
economic, physical, or other challenges that have been
overcome, scholarly achievements such as graduate study,
awards or publications, the rigor of the undergraduate
educational program undertaken, and letters of
recommendation.
UCLA Law also considers attributes that may contribute to
assembling a diverse class. We place special emphasis on
socio-economic disadvantage in our evaluation. We also
consider work experience and career achievement, community or
public service, career goals (with particular attention paid to
the likelihood of the applicant working for
underrepresented communities), significant hardships
overcome, the ability to contribute to law school programs and
specializations, evidence of and potential for leadership,
language ability, unusual life experiences, and any other factors
(except those factors deemed inadmissible by applicable law)
that indicate the applicant may significantly diversify the student
body or make a distinctive contribution to the UCLA Law or the
legal profession. Many of the subjects we address on the
application help us to assess the non-numeric aspects of the
applicant's achievements that may also contribute to the strength
of our educational environment and to the quality and leadership
potential of our graduates.
UCLA Law has, as one of its central purposes, the training of
attorneys who will attain high levels of professional excellence
and integrity, and who will exercise civic responsibility in myriad
ways over long careers.
Q: What comprises a complete 2011 three-year J.D.
application file to UCLA School of Law?
A: UCLA School of
Law considers an application file to be complete after satisfying
the following:
1.
2.
Take the LSAT by no later than the February 2011 test
date.
Register with the Law School Data Assembly Service
(LSDAS). Candidates can find further information about the
LSAT and LSDAS under the separate entries in this section.
Complete the application
3.
4.
5.
a. Personal Statement
▪ Separate essay not to exceed two double-spaced typed pages.
▪ No less than 12 point font.
▪ Discuss any matters relevant to your ability to succeed in law
school and the practice of law and any attributes,
experiences or interests that would enable you to make a
distinctive contribution to UCLA Law or the legal profession.
b. Current Resume
c. Letters of Recommendation
▪ Two (2) letters of recommendation (no more than two)
submitted through the LSAC Recommendation Service are
required.
▪ At least one letter should be from someone familiar with the
applicant's academic work, if at all possible.
▪ It is strongly preferred that letters be submitted through the
LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service which is included
with the LSDAS registration.
▪ Letters will be copied and sent to UCLA School of Law along
with the law school report. To use this service, follow the
directions for submitting letters outlined in the LSAT &
LSDAS Information Book or go to the website at
www.LSAC.org.
▪ Evaluations through the new LSAC Evaluation Service are not
required; however, we will accept up to two of them.
▪
4.
Official transcripts sent directly to LSAC.
5.
Pay the nonrefundable $75 application fee in the form of a
check, money order, or international money order payable
to The Regents of the University of California or pay
electronically by credit card via LSAC.
6.
Make and retain photocopies of all application material
submitted.
7.
We do not require a dean's certification.
8.
Applications must be submitted on or before February 1,
2011.
Q: What is the Fall 2011 application deadline for first-year
admission to the J.D. program? A: Applications must be
submitted on or before February 1, 2011.
Q: Are personal interviews offered as part of the
admissions process?
A: UCLA School of Law does not offer
interviews as part of the admissions process. However, the
Admissions Committee may request an interview on a case by
case basis.
Q: Are certain undergraduate majors looked upon more
favorably than others?
A: Applicants with any undergraduate
major are welcome to apply, and the Law School Admissions
Committee does not prefer certain majors over others. The study
of law transcends any individual academic discipline, allowing
students to apply previous knowledge or expertise from a variety
of fields. More important than the field of study, we look for
candidates with high academic achievement under rigorous
conditions, having developed strong critical thinking, writing,
problem-solving, and analytical skills. The most suitable pre-law
courses/majors will vary across undergraduate institutions, and
students are encouraged to seek counsel from academic or prelaw advisors at their undergraduate institutions.
Q: Is it advantageous to submit my application early?
A:
Although you are generally encouraged to apply early to ensure
that all your materials are received on time, this will not
significantly impact your odds of being admitted. Since the
Admissions Committee does not make decisions on a strictlyrolling basis, a candidate who applies later in the admissions
cycle will not necessarily be disadvantaged. Applying early also
does not guarantee early receipt of a decision. Offers of
admission are usually made between January and late April, and
various factors will determine when you'll actually hear from us.
Thus, our general advice is to apply when you most feel
prepared.
Q: Is preference given to California residents in the
admission process?
A: Not at all. Although we receive the
largest proportion of applications from California, we seek to
admit and enroll a geographically diverse class each year.
Admission decisions are not based on quotas, and the goal of the
Admissions Committee is to admit the most compelling and
talented candidates into the Law School.
Q: Does UCLA School of Law accept transfer applicants
into the second year class? A: The UCLA School of Law
believes transfer students further enrich the quality of its
academic program. There is ample evidence of the ways transfer
students contribute to the institution in classroom interaction, in
the energy devoted to clinical efforts, in student projects and in
research supervised by faculty. The faculty believes it appropriate
to plan enrollment so that some spaces are available in the
second year for those who have achieved academic distinction at
another law school during their first year of law school.
For application, requirements, and procedures, click here.
Q: Does UCLA School of Law accept non-matriculating
(visiting) students? A: Yes. Students who have completed
the equivalent of two years at another ABA-approved law school
may apply for visiting student status at UCLA Law for their third
year. Admission is granted at the discretion of UCLA Law, and
candidates must demonstrate compelling personal and/or
intellectual reasons for seeking to spend the year with us (i.e.,
beyond the mere desire to live in Los Angeles or to attend UCLA
Law). Visiting students are responsible for meeting all costs
associated with attending UCLA Law for the year, and they will
ultimately obtain the J.D. from their original institution.
For application, requirements, and procedures, click here.
Q: What is the Fall 2011 deadline for transfer and visiting
student applicants?
A: Applications will be available online on
May 1, 2011 and must be submitted on or before July 5, 2011.
Q: How may I request an application fee waiver? A: A
need-based fee waiver may be requested by submitting the UCLA
School of Law Fee Waiver Form, available online. This form
should be completed and sent by one of the following methods to
the UCLA Law Office of Admissions prior to applying for
admission:
Email
admissions@law.ucla.edu Fax
(310) 2067227
Regular mail
UCLA School of Law
Office of
Admissions
71 Dodd Hall - Box 951445
Los Angeles, CA
90095-1445
We will respond to your fee waiver request within
five (5) business days of receiving it. Applicants who have been
granted a fee waiver will be able to bypass the payment section
of the admission application when submitting it online.
Q: Does UCLA offer an Early Decision program?
A: Yes.
Applicants who are convinced that UCLA School of Law is their
top choice and are willing to forego other law school options if
admitted may wish to consider applying under our Early Decision
(ED) program. These applicants are precluded from applying ED
elsewhere, but they can submit applications to other law schools
for regular admission. ED applicants can be admitted, waitlisted, or denied. Applicants denied admission under ED will not
have the opportunity to be reconsidered in our regular admission
pool.
If admitted under ED, applicants must: (a) commit to enrolling at
UCLA in the fall; (b) immediately withdraw their candidacy from
the other institutions to which they had applied; (c) not
initiate applications to any other law schools. Failure to comply
with these binding terms could result in the revocation of an
admissions offer by the Admissions Committee.
Early Decision applications, accompanied by the Early
Decision Program Agreement Form, must be submitted by
no later than November 15, 2010. Decisions will be made
by the end of December.
Q: Are there advantages to applying Early Decision?
A:
The primary advantage to applying ED is that you will be notified
early (usually by late December) and be done with the law school
admission process. Again, the ED option should only be used by
applicants who are willing to enroll at UCLA if admitted, as they
will not have the opportunity to receive admission decisions
from other law schools. From an admission standpoint, applicants
may have a slight advantage, due to the fact that they will be
evaluated in the smaller ED pool.
Q: How does the Admissions Committee handle multiple
LSAT scores?
A: Our general policy is to consider the highest
LSAT score attained, although we will take note of all scores. In
the case of a significant discrepancy between scores, applicants
are advised to address it in their application. It is always
helpful for the Admissions Committee to be aware of any factors
that may have adversely or positively impacted one’s
performance on the LSAT. Item 12 on our application is a
suitable place to provide such explanation.
Q: Will a future LSAT score be considered by the
Admissions Committee after I have already submitted my
application?
A: Yes, so long as the exam is taken by February
'11 and we are aware of your intent to do so. You should,
therefore, indicate this in item #3d on the admissions
application.
Q: What is the latest LSAT exam date that will be
considered for Fall 2011 Admission?
A: The latest eligible
LSAT score must be from the February '11 exam. You will still
need to apply by our February 1 deadline, but we will wait to
receive your February LSAT score prior to rendering an
admissions decision.
Q: What is the Admissions Committee's policy on
accepting old LSAT scores?
A: We will honor any past LSAT
score of which LSAC has record. In general, LSAT scores are kept
for five years.
Q: Do credits from undergraduate/graduate law degrees
(LL.B., LL.M., etc.) obtained in a foreign country count
toward the J.D. at UCLA?
A: No. Internationally-educated
candidates seeking a J.D. from UCLA must apply for first-year
admission to the Law School and complete our standard threeyear J.D. curriculum.
Q: What kinds of financial aid are available to international
candidates?
A: International applicants are eligible for both
need and merit-based financial aid. All applicants are
automatically considered for merit-based awards, but need-based
aid does require a separate application, available at
www.needaccess.org. For more information on the financial aid
process, please consult the UCLA School of Law Financial Aid
Website.
Q: How would I go about arranging a visit to the Law
School? A: The UCLA School of Law welcomes visitors
throughout the year. Tours of the Law School are offered by
appointment on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays,
and reservations can be made by contacting the Office of
Admissions at (310) 825-2080 or admissions@law.ucla.edu. A
limited number of seats are also available for class visits, which
can also be reserved in advance. We look forward to hosting
you!
Directions to the law school Map of campus (Law School is
Building 12)
Hotel information
Q: What is the cost of attendance at UCLA School of
Law?
A: For information regarding annual fees, click here.
Q: What types of financial aid are available to UCLA Law
students?
A: For information on financial aid, click here.
Q: What is the profile for the latest entering class?
A: For
information regarding the profile for the Class of 2013, click here.
Q: Does UCLA School of Law have a part-time program?
A: UCLA School of Law offers a full-time course of study
leading to the J.D., LL.M. or S.J.D. degree. We do not offer
evening, summer or part-time programs.
Q: Is it possible to defer enrollment after being
admitted?
A: Requests for deferment are reviewed on a caseby-case basis. All requests must be made in writing and include
specific reasons for wishing to defer. Barring rare
exceptions, deferment requests are generally granted for only
one year. If a request is denied and an admitted applicant
chooses not to enroll, he/she is welcome to re-apply in the
future.
Q: What are the latest employment statistics of UCLA Law
School graduates?
A: For information regarding employment
statistics, click here.
Q: How active are UCLA Law alumni in the life of the Law
School?
A: Alumni are frequently involved in numerous
capacities. They serve as mentors to first-year students, help
conduct our mock interview program, and work with student
organizations on planning conferences, lectures, and other
programs. They assist with career-related activities, including
weekly brown bag lunch events exploring different practice
specialties and Dean's Roundtable discussions. Alumni
additionally take part in the law school's annual Public Interest
Career Day, various symposia hosted on campus, as well as
receptions promoting careers in government and small-firm
practice.
UCLA School of Law has 13,000 alumni in nearly every state, the
U.S. territory of Guam, and in 14 foreign countries.
The UCLA Law Alumni Association automatically includes all
alumni. Local chapters are active in the following California
locales: Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County, San Francisco,
and Silicon Valley, as well as in New York, NY and Washington,
D.C.
For additional information about the UCLA School of Law Alumni
Association, click here.
Tuition and Fees
Fees are subject to revision without notice. The amounts
below represent fees as currently approved. However, all
University fees are subject to change, and the fee amounts
billed for this period may be adjusted at a future date.
2011-12 J.D.
California
Residents
NonResidents
Students admitted in 2007:
$44,822
$54,667
Students admitted in 2008 and
later:
$44,922
$54,767
California
Residents
NonResidents
Students admitted in 2007:
$15,418
$30,520
Students admitted in 2008 and
later:
$15,518
$30,620
2011-12 LL.M.
$52,500
2011-12 S.J.D.
In addition to tuition and fees, law school students should
budget approximately $898.50 per semester for books and
supplies. For more detailed information about tuition and
fees, please visit the UCLA Registrar’s Office. For
information regarding the fee payment process, please click
here.
Joint Degree programs
A number of students find it advantageous to pursue formal
training in another field of study concurrently with their legal
training. Typically such concurrent degree programs lead,
after four years of study, to the simultaneous award of a
Juris Doctor and a master’s degree from another school or
department. In general, such a student is engaged entirely
at the School of Law during the first year and thereafter
combines both law study and courses in the other
department or school. We offer formal joint degree
programs in the following areas:
Law and Afro-American
Studies
Law and American Indian Studies
Law and
Management
Law and Philosophy Law and Public Health Law and
Public Policy Law and Social Welfare Law and Urban
and Regional Planning
Applicants to approved joint degree programs must contact
the appropriate graduate school or department to obtain its
application, and must meet the department's requirements
and deadlines.
If an applicant's response to the question in the law school
application regarding "Distinctive Programmatic
Contributions" refers to a contribution to a joint degree
program, the applicant must also submit an application to
the appropriate graduate school by that school's application
deadline.
In addition to the formal concurrent degree programs listed
above, students may design an individually-tailored joint
degree program drawing from multiple disciplines in UCLA’s
vast curriculum. Alternatively, they may seek approval of a
joint program with another high-quality school or university.
The School of Law has already approved programs that offer
concurrent plans of study over four years leading to a J.D.
and an M. A. with the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
at Tufts University, Nitze School of Advanced International
Studies at Johns Hopkins University, the School of Foreign
Service at Georgetown University, and the Woodrow Wilson
School of International Studies at Princeton University;
however, individualized approval must also be obtained from
those institutions.
2010 Incoming Class Profile
2010 Incoming Class Profile
Class of 2013
Applicants: 8,748
Admits: 1,436
Percent admitted: 16.4%
Class composition for fall 2010 entering class:
Enrolled: 310
Academic Information (in
percentiles):
25th
50th
75th
GPA:
3.56
3.77
3.87
LSAT:
165
168
170
Female: 49%
Male: 51%
Students of
Color: 37%
Ages range from 20 to 43; Average Age:
25
California Residents: 67%
Non-Residents:
33%
Students come from 33 states and 7 foreign
countries
Undergraduate Schools Represented: 103
The top represented schools by number of students enrolled
for fall 2010 are: UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, Duke
University, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, Cornell University,
University of Southern California, Princeton
University and Yale University.
Undergraduate Schools for the Class of 2013