Admission to the J.D. Program

Application Instructions

Admission to the J.D. Program

The Admissions Committee received over 7,500 applications for the 2009 entering class of 265. Standards for admission are high.

To be accepted, you must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, or be enrolled in a course of study that will result in the award of a baccalaureate degree before you commence study at BU Law.

The committee places primary emphasis on an applicant’s undergraduate grades and score on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). The committee takes into account such factors as marked improvement in undergraduate grades, quality and difficulty of courses taken, demonstrated leadership ability and motivation for the study of law.

Economic or social obstacles overcome by an applicant are taken into consideration, as are other kinds of outstanding nonacademic achievements. Particularly in the case of applicants who have been out of school for five years or more, demonstrated excellence in another field can have a positive impact on chances for admission.

Campus Visits

The Admissions Committee welcomes you to visit BU Law, attend a class and talk with students and staff. During the academic year, there are tours of the law school led by current students. To attend a first-year class or to meet with an admissions counselor during your visit, please contact the Admissions Office at 617-353-3100 or bulawadm@bu.edu.

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Application Instructions

The deadline to apply is March 1, 2010.

A complete application file consists of:

• Application for admission
• Application fee
• An official Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) report
• Two letters of recommendation
• Personal statement
• Résumé

Inaccuracy in any statement may result in revocation of an offer of admission, dismissal from BU Law, cancellation of courses, denial of certificates of attendance, or revocation of any degrees that may have been granted.

Application for Admission

BU Law only accepts applications that have been submitted online via the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC). You can use this service to electronically transmit your application to LSAC. LSAC will then send both the electronic and printed versions of your application to us. You can view the BU Law application at The School of Law.

If you have any updates to your application—such as a change of address—you can e-mail or send them to the Admissions Office.

Boston University School of Law
Admissions Office
765 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
bulawadm@bu.edu

Application Fee

When you apply online, you will pay the $75 application fee by credit card or a check made payable to Boston University. The application fee is nonrefundable and is not credited toward any charges when an accepted applicant registers as a student.

Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) Report

All applicants must register with the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) during the current processing year. To register with LSDAS, contact:

Law School Admissions Services
www.LSAC.org
215-968-1001

Transcripts

The LSDAS facilitates applications to more than one law school. A transcript from each college or university attended must be sent directly to LSDAS, not BU Law. LSDAS will send copies to all law schools that request them. However, transcripts for graduate work may be submitted through LSDAS or directly to BU Law.

Accepted applicants will be asked later to submit their official final transcripts showing the award of a baccalaureate degree and each higher degree earned. Final transcripts, when requested, should be sent directly to BU Law.

Law School Admission Test (LSAT)

All applicants must take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). The February 2010 administration is the last acceptable one for candidates seeking admission to the 2010 entering class. Applicants whose test date precedes October 2005 must retake the exam. If an applicant has taken the test more than once, the highest score will be considered in admission review.

Two Letters of Recommendation

At least one of your letters should come from someone who has taught you in a substantive college or postgraduate course. The Admissions Committee values letters from persons who are able to provide a thoughtful, thorough and candid assessment of your academic ability and potential for success in law study. You may submit more than two letters of recommendation. However, your application may go to the Admissions Committee for review with the first two letters received.

BU Law accepts letters of recommendation sent through the LSAC letter-of-recommendation service that is part of the LSDAS registration subscription. LSDAS will copy your letters and send them to us with your LSDAS report. To use this service, follow the directions for submitting letters outlined in the LSAC 2009–2010 Law School Admission Information Book.

If you are not using the LSDAS service for your recommendations, you may use the recommendation forms that are found on our online application via LSAC or at the School of Law. Complete the top portion of the forms and send the forms to your recommenders. Recommenders should send their letters directly to BU Law in envelopes that they have sealed and signed across the seal.

Federal legislation gives you right of access to letters of recommendation. You may waive this right (as provided on the form). Your waiver is not required as a condition for admission or for financial aid.

Personal Statement

Please include a statement that explains the significant personal, social, or academic experiences that have contributed to your decision to study law.

Optional Essay

In addition to your personal statement, you may wish to provide another essay. This essay is your opportunity to discuss any aspect of your background or life experience that you believe will enhance your ability to contribute to the diverse BU classroom experience and community.

Résumé

If you have been out of school for six months or longer from high school until the present date, you will need to submit a résumé that provides a chronology of your employment or other activities to account for your time during this period. We strongly encourage all applicants to submit a résumé.

Prior Law School Attendance

If you have ever been enrolled in a J.D., LL.B., or other first-year law program, you must provide BU Law with a letter of good standing from that institution. You should also include an explanation of why you are not continuing with the prior program.

Deposit after Acceptance

If you are notified of acceptance on or before April 1, you will be required to submit a nonrefundable tuition deposit of $200 by April 15 to reserve your place in the Class of 2013.

Applicants accepted after April 1 will be required to submit the deposit of $200 and other materials two weeks after the date of the acceptance letter.

A second tuition deposit of $500 will be due by June 1. Tuition deposits are credited to your student account when you matriculate at BU Law.

Dean’s Certification

Upon admission to the School of Law, the certification of a dean or administrative officer in charge of students at the degree-granting undergraduate college or university is required. We anticipate that in many cases the dean will not know the applicant personally and will base his or her recommendation on information in school records.

The Dean’s Certification Form will be sent to the admitted student with the acceptance letter. The Dean’s Certification Form must be forwarded to the dean or administrative officer at the degree-granting undergraduate institution, completed and then mailed directly to the BU Law Admissions Office in an envelope that has been sealed and signed across the seal.

In conformity with licensing standards, the issues of a disciplinary record (or absence of one) must be directly and explicitly addressed in writing. If it is not the policy of the institution to report on disciplinary action, a statement to that effect will be sufficient. Information from the Dean’s Certification may result in the rescinding of the offer of admission to the School of Law.

Diversity

BU Law values and recognizes the importance of diversity. An ethnically, socio-economically and otherwise diverse class is essential to the education of each student. As a producer of leaders in legal practice, government or other public service, academia and business, BU Law continues its long-standing tradition of providing opportunities for persons of all backgrounds and providing the excellent training to which a diverse classroom is indispensable.

Students with Disabilities

BU Law welcomes students with disabilities. If you believe that a disability significantly influenced your GPA, LSAT or other credentials, you are invited to include information regarding your disability in an addendum to your application. (It is not mandatory that this information be provided; any information that is provided will be kept confidential.) The Law School Admissions Council provides accommodated testing for the LSAT. Interested candidates should contact the LSAC directly.

Boston University Disability Services will assist law students who require academic or other accommodations. Disability Services can be reached at 617-353-3658 or at access@bu.edu.

Requirements for Admission to the Bar

If you plan to seek admission to the bar following law school, we urge you to research the state bar requirements before you enter law school. To secure information regarding character and other qualifications, contact the Board of Bar Examiners in each state in which you plan to practice.

To contact the Admissions Office:

Boston University School of Law
Admissions Office
765 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
617-353-3100
bulawadm@bu.edu
www.bu.edu/law

Deferred Admission

Admitted students may be granted a one-year deferral of admission, but the number of deferrals granted is limited. Applicants must detail in writing their reasons for requesting a deferral. Deferral requests are considered on a case-by-case basis and the deadline for such requests is June 1. Applicants who defer must still submit a deposit to hold their seat for the class in the year in which they intend to enroll.

Applicants whose petitions for deferral are denied must repeat the application process in order to be considered for admission the following year.

Foreign Students

Citizens of foreign countries should submit our regular admission application materials, plus their scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) taken within two years of the date of application. Successful applicants usually score at least 250 on the computer-based test, or 100 on the Internet-based test. Exemptions from this requirement will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The TOEFL is not required if you earned your undergraduate degree in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, or New Zealand, or if your undergraduate studies were conducted primarily in English in Canada or South Africa. You are not exempt from this requirement if you studied in English in other countries. United States citizens and permanent residents whose native language is not English and who have not attended schools where instruction is in English may also be required to submit a TOEFL score.

We encourage foreign applicants to complete their applications by January 1, 2010.

Foreign-Educated Applicants

Foreign transcripts must be submitted through the LSAC JD Credential Assembly Service (JD CAS). Applicants who have completed any post-secondary work outside of the U.S. or Canada must use this service for the evaluation of foreign transcripts.

The one exception to this requirement is foreign work completed through a study abroad, consortium or exchange program sponsored by a U.S. or Canadian institution and where the work is clearly indicated as such on the home campus transcript.

Applying for Advanced Standing

Subject to the regulations of the American Bar Association, BU Law may admit graduates of foreign law schools and allow credit for studies at foreign law schools.

Foreign law graduates apply for admission as described above. Documents from the foreign law school should be included, along with sworn translations, as necessary.

Foreign students who have been admitted to BU Law may ask the Academic Standards Committee for exemption from first-year courses. Requests must be made before the beginning of first-year classes. After their first year, foreign law graduates may petition the Academic Standards Committee for credit toward their upper-class credit requirements for courses taken at a foreign law school. However, if credit is granted for first-year and/or upper-class courses, the maximum credits that could be granted would equal one year’s worth of credit at BU Law.

Transfer Students

Each Fall and Spring, we welcome students who have transferred to BU Law after successfully completing one year at an ABA-accredited law school. When making admissions decisions, we take into consideration a transfer applicant’s first-year GPA and class rank.

A transfer application consists of:

• Application for admission

• $75 application fee

• Original LSDAS report, including LSAT score(s) and transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate schools attended

• Deans’ Certifications—one from the school where your undergraduate degree was received and an additional recommendation of good standing from your law school

• Transcript for all first-year grades at your law school

• Class rank in writing from the law school or written notification that your law school does not provide class rank

• Two letters of recommendation—at least one from a law professor who has taught you

• Personal statement

• Résumé

Transfer applicants undertake the regular admissions process. You must submit your transfer application online via LSAC. Indicate on your application that you are applying as a transfer student. You must present one full year of credit from your law school.

Students interested in transferring in the fall semester should submit their applications between March 1 and June 1. Students interested in transferring in the spring should complete their applications by December 1. No decision is made on a transfer application until transcripts of all prior law study have been received.

Students who achieve high academic standing at other ABA-accredited law schools may be eligible for admission to BU Law with advanced standing. Except in rare cases, requests for advanced standing are considered only after students have completed one year of law study. Credit for advanced courses previously taken is determined after the student has been admitted.

Foreign-trained students who have completed or are enrolled in an LL.M. program at BU Law may apply as transfer applicants to the J.D. program. All applicants to the J.D. program must have taken the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). Visit the School of Law to learn more about transferring to BU Law.

Visiting Students

Students at other law schools who wish to spend a semester or a year at BU Law as visiting students can obtain a Visiting Student Application Packet from our Web site. Visiting students may not transfer to degree status.

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