Transfer Students
General Information
Applicants who have completed at least one full academic year at another ABA-accredited law school and have fulfilled equivalent entrance requirements may be admitted with advanced-standing status to the School of Law's Full Time or Part Time program. Work completed will be evaluated for credit toward graduation requirements.
To be considered for admission as a transfer student, an applicant must provide the Admissions Office with the following.
- A completed admission application form and personal statement
- A $50 application fee
- An official transcript from all law schools attended
- An official LSDAS transcript analysis report, including LSAT score from the Law School Data Assembly Service
- A letter from the applicant's current law school dean, dated after issuance of the above transcript, indicating that the applicant is in good academic standing and eligible to return for further studies
- The applicant's class standing, which must be included in either the official transcript or the current law school dean's letter
Applications should be received by June 1 for admission to the fall semester or December 1 for admission to the spring semester. In some instances, transfer students experience difficulty in fulfilling degree requirements within the usual time or in registering for courses, as priority is given to current USD law students. All transfer students need to satisfy the School of Law's academic, graduation and residency requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What are the requirements for admission as a transfer student?
A. To be considered for transfer, you must have earned a baccalaureate degree from an approved institution and successfully completed your first year of study (minimum of 20 units) toward a Juris Doctorate degree at an American Bar Association approved law school. Students from law schools that are only state bar approved or who have been disqualified from their current law school are not eligible for transfer admission.
Q. What is the application procedure?
- A completed admission application form and personal statement
- A $50 application fee
- An official transcript from all law schools attended
- An official LSDAS transcript analysis report, including LSAT score from the Law School Data Assembly Service
- A letter from the applicant's current law school dean, dated after issuance of the above transcript, indicating that the applicant is in good academic standing and eligible to return for further studies
- The applicant's class standing, which must be included in either the official transcript or the current law school dean's letter
Q. What are the deadlines?
A. USD uses a "rolling admissions" process. However, the priority dates are as follows:
Fall Admissions: June 1
Spring Admissions: December 1
Q. What criteria do you consider in making the admission decision?
A. Your LSAT and undergraduate GPA are no longer the primary determining factors for admission, although they may be a factor. The main considerations are performance in each class and your class ranking at the school you are currently attending. To be competitive, you should be in at least the upper 25th percentile. The Admissions Committee will also review your academic coursework to determine whether it is compatible with the USD first-year curriculum.
Q. Is there a disadvantage to spring admission?
A. Possibly. If you plan to attend your current school during the fall semester, it is unlikely that we will have your fall semester grades and class ranking in time for a decision since we usually start the spring semester in early January.
Q. How do I obtain an application fee waiver?
A. A fee-waiver request must be in writing. Your request must accompany your completed application and a copy of your financial aid award letter from your current school.
Q. Does USD encourage minority and other non-traditional applicants?
A. Yes. The University of San Diego School of Law seeks to enroll a highly qualified and diverse student body to ensure academic excellence and enrichment of the legal education as well as the legal profession through the participation of students with different perspectives and backgrounds.
Q. Do you grant personal interviews?
A. No. Due to the large number of applications, it is not possible to grant personal interviews. You should highlight pertinent information about your experiences in your personal statement.
Q. Once I submit my application, when will a decision be made?
A. You will be notified in writing as soon as a decision is made. For fall admitted students, the decision will be made after spring grades are received. Notification generally takes place in late June or July.
Q. Do I need to choose between the Full Time or Part Time Program?
A. No. Once you are admitted, you will decide whether you want to attend part-time or full-time.
Q. Do you offer any concurrent degree programs?
A. USD offers concurrent degree programs with MBA (Master of Business Administration), IMBA (International Master of Business Administration) and MA (Master of Arts in International Relations). The Master's Degree programs require a separate entrance exam and a separate graduate admissions application. Many students decide to apply for these programs in their second year of law school.
Q. Is there a limit to the number of classes that can be transferred?
A. Yes. A maximum of 30 units can be transferred. After admission, you will work with the Dean of Students to determine which classes will be transferred.
Q. Which classes will transfer?
A. The majority of your classes will transfer to meet either required classes or electives. If you have finished only one semester of a year long required class, we will need a syllabus from that class in order to place you in the appropriate section here.
Q. Besides first year classes, what other classes are required by USD School of Law?
A. In the first year, USD students take two semesters each of Civil Procedure and
Lawyering Skills. They also take one semester each of Criminal Law, Property, Torts, Constitutional Law and Contracts. The other upper-division required courses are Professional Responsibility (3 units) and Tax I (3 units). This leaves USD students with 50 elective units.
Q. What are the current or future "hot" areas of practice?
A. There is no definitive response to this question. "Hot" areas of practice are dependent upon very diverse factors, particularly geographic region. While civil litigation has remained consistently strong over time, other areas have grown in popularity in recent years, including real estate, biotechnology, environmental, corporate, international, intellectual property, employment/labor, construction and public interest law.
Q. Can transfer students participate in Career Services programs?
A. Yes. Transfer students will have full access to career services. Once you begin, you will want to contact career services to get connected with the online search program as well as find out the requirements for the resume drops. You will need to obtain a transcript from your original school for your 1st semester of resume drops; USD cannot provide you with those transcripts.
Q. What is the cost of attendance at the University of San Diego School of Law?
A. Please see the information on tuition for the 2008-2009 academic year.
Q. How do I apply for other financial aid? What is the deadline?
A. Although there is no deadline, students who wish to be considered for financial aid should file a FAFSA by the March 1 priority filing date. The FAFSA may be filed as early as January 1. You may file the FAFSA online at www.FAFSA.ed.gov or order a form by calling 1-800-4FEDAID.
Q. Should I file for financial aid prior to being admitted?
A. You should not wait until you are admitted to file your FAFSA. We recommend that you file your FAFSA as soon as you can after January 1. You can list up to six schools on your FAFSA. Be sure to list the USD School of Law code G06976.
Q. How do I apply for scholarships?
A. Although no incoming USD scholarships or grants are available, transfer students are eligible to apply for endowment scholarships each fall and they will be eligible to compete based on their USD grades for tuition scholarships going into their third year.
Q. When can I expect to receive a financial aid offer letter?
A. Once your financial aid file is complete, the Financial Aid Office will prepare your tentative award based on the evaluation received from the Department of Education. This process usually takes two to three weeks from the file complete date.
Q. Besides the FAFSA, are there any other forms I will need to provide to be considered for financial aid?
A. Once you are admitted, you will receive an Institutional Financial Aid Application to complete and return to us. If you are selected for the verification process or have incomplete information, you may be required to provide additional documents such as your most recent tax forms to the Financial Aid Office.
Q. Can the aid I received at my previous school affect my award for USD Financial Aid?
A. Your financial aid may be affected. Please contact the financial aid office for specific information..
Q. How much can/should I borrow?
A. As a graduate student you may borrow $18,500 each academic year from the Federal Stafford Loan Program. In addition, there are private lenders from which you may choose to borrow a private credit-based student loan up to the cost of attendance. It is important to establish a budget, review your outstanding undergraduate loans and consumer debt, and only borrow the minimum amount you need.
Q. Can I get Work Study?
A. If you are eligible and if you indicate on the USD Institutional Financial Aid Application you are interested in Federal Work Study, you will be awarded up to $6000 in Federal Work Study for each academic year. Second year law students currently make $12 an hour for administrative work and $15 an hour for research.
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