Apply
The priority filing date for submitting application materials is February 1. However, applications submitted after February 1 are still given full consideration. It is the responsibility of applicants to ensure that the School of Law Admissions Office receives all application materials.
Application for Admission
We accept applications that have been prepared using the Law School Admission Council's LSACD on the Web. This service allows you to use your computer to efficiently fill out applications for all ABA-approved law schools. You can print out your completed applications and send them directly to this law school at the address indicated, or you can use LSACD on the Web to electronically transmit your law school application to LSAC. It is important that all three pages of the application are completed before submitting. LSAC will then send both printed and electronic versions of your application to our office.
If you are unable to apply online and would like a hard copy of the application, please contact our office at (619) 260-4528 or jdinfo@sandiego.edu.
Applications submitted to LSAC for transmission to this law school will be considered postmarked on the day they are electronically submitted.
If you experience any technical difficulty, please call the LSAC Help Desk at (215) 968-1393.
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Personal Statement
The Admissions Committee views the personal statement as an opportunity to evaluate the writing and thinking ability of applicants and learn more about their interests, personal background and concerns. Applicants should describe and discuss the aspects of your background, qualifications, experiences, activities, perspectives, etc. . . relevant to the criteria for selection set forth above. You may also wish to address
- why you wish to study law, setting forth your special qualifications;
- how you plan to use your legal training; and
- any additional information you deem important for the Admissions Committee to consider.
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Application Fee
Applicants applying electronically are required to pay a nonrefundable application fee of $50 with their electronic application by credit card through LSAC. Applicants who apply on paper must pay their application fee by check or money order. Applicants who are unable to pay the $50 application fee need to submit a written request for a fee waiver at the time they file their paper application for admission. Applicants who are requesting a fee waiver and are attending school need to include a copy of their most recent financial aid award letter; and those who are not attending school need to include a copy of their most recent income tax forms.
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Standardized Test Requirements
All applicants for admission are required to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), which is given four times a year at various test centers throughout the world, including San Diego. The test application form needs to be received by LSAT/LSDAS at least four weeks prior to the desired test date. The test is usually given in February, June, October and December of each year. LSAT application forms and information may be obtained from Law Services, Box 2000, Newtown, PA 18940-0998 or from most universities and law schools.
Applicants whose native language is not English need to establish competency in English by successfully completing the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and must send the results of their TOEFL to the Law School Data Assembly Service.
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Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) Registration and Transcript Requirements
All applicants need to register with the Law School Data Assembly Service, Box 2000, Newtown, PA 18940-0998. This service collects and analyzes academic data and transcripts on behalf of most United States law schools and sends both the report and copies of the received transcripts to the designated school. Applicants need to request that all colleges, universities and law schools previously attended send official transcripts directly to LSDAS. Transcripts for work completed prior to registering with LSDAS should be sent to LSDAS, not to the USD School of Law. Applicants need to designate the USD School of Law (code 4849) as a recipient of the LSDAS report. Applicants should allow approximately six weeks for the LSDAS process.
Applicants whose undergraduate degree was earned outside the United States need to apply to LSDAS for the J.D. Credential Assembly Service for Foreign-Educated Applicants. They must also send their foreign transcripts to LSDAS.
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Letters of Recommendation
Letters of recommendation are welcomed but not required by the School of Law. If applicants wish to have letters of recommendation included in their file, the letters need to be submitted through the LSDAS service. The directions and forms can be found in the LSAT/LSDAS registration and information book. Letters will be forwarded to USD with an applicant's LSDAS report. Letters of recommendation should be from professors or individuals who can evaluate some significant aspect of the applicant's academic background and/or work experience.
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Financial Aid
Please refer to the Financial Aid section of this website for information and instructions on applying for financial aid.
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Notification of Decision
The Admissions Office begins considering completed applications in early December. Since more than 4,800 applications are individually reviewed, it may take several weeks or months for a completed application to be considered. Once the Admissions Committee has made a decision, applicants are advised promptly of the decision as an offer of admission, an offer of a place on the wait list or a denial of admission. Because the admissions process includes an evaluation of the overall achievements of each applicant relative to those of other applicants, many admissions decisions are not finalized until the bulk of applications have been reviewed. Applicants who are in the wait list category may not receive a final decision until late summer. Due to confidentiality requirements, admissions decisions are not communicated by telephone, nor is information on an applicant released to anyone other than that applicant.
If an offer of admission is extended, the admitted student needs to send a deposit to the Admissions Office by the specified date in order to secure a position in the entering class. The offer of admission will be withdrawn if the required deposit is not received when due.
Admitted students need to provide an official transcript from their undergraduate institution indicating that a bachelor's degree has been conferred. Official transcripts from all colleges or universities from which you received degrees must also be provided. Copies of transcripts provided with the LSDAS report are not sufficient to meet this requirement. Official transcripts need to be on file in the Admissions Office prior to the day of registration.
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Reactivating Admission Files
Applicants who have applied for admission and either were not admitted or were unable to accept admission at the time may reactivate their applications the following year. To reactivate an admission file, applicants need to follow all the steps of a normal first-time applicant..
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Application Checklist
All applicants, including those reapplying, must register with the Law School Data Assembly Service. LSDAS requires that official transcripts from all schools attended be sent directly to them. To expedite file consideration, applicants should make sure the School of Law receives the following information.
FIRST-YEAR APPLICANTS:
- Completed application
- Personal statement
- $50 application fee—credit card charge through LSAC or check or money order payable to the USD School of Law
- Registration with LSDAS (applicants should request that official transcript(s) and letter(s) of recommendation be sent directly to LSDAS)
- Current resume or list of employers
TRANSFER STUDENTS:
- Completed application
- Personal statement
- $50 application fee—credit card charge through LSAC or check or money order payable to the USD School of Law
- Official law school transcript(s) forwarded by current school’s Office of the Registrar after current semester
- Official LSDAS report
- Letter of good standing and class rank forwarded by current school’s Office of the Dean
VISITING STUDENTS:
- Completed application
- Personal statement
- $50 application fee—credit card charge through LSAC or check or money order payable to the USD School of Law
- Official law school transcript(s) forwarded by current school’s Office of the Registrar after current semester
- Letter of good standing, class rank and permission to visit forwarded by current school’s Office of the Dean.
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