{"id":91223,"date":"2022-06-27T13:41:09","date_gmt":"2022-06-27T17:41:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/?page_id=91223"},"modified":"2026-04-14T16:20:05","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T20:20:05","slug":"transfer-students","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/admissions-aid\/jd-admissions\/application-instructions\/transfer-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Transfer Applicants"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span>Each fall, 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 place strong emphasis on first-year GPA and class rank. Our transfer applicants are typically ranked in the top 15-20% of their first-year class.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The application process for transfer students operates on a different schedule with transfer-specific deadlines. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/admissions-aid\/jd-admissions\/application-instructions\/transfer-students\/streamlined-transfer-form\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transfer application<\/a> is now open and all supporting documentation must be submitted by August 1, though we recommend completing your application as early as possible.<\/p>\n<p>The deadline for transfer admits to deposit in order to participate in the BU Law Journal Write-on Competition will be posted soon. There will be additional write-on opportunities for transfer students over the summer.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re interested in transferring to BU Law, you must submit your application through LSAC&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lsac.org\/applying-law-school\/jd-application-process\/credential-assembly-service-cas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Credential Assembly Service<\/a> (CAS) and follow a similar process as other applicants, with a few exceptions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You must submit a letter from the dean of your law school indicating that you are in good academic standing.<\/li>\n<li>You must provide your class rank in your first year of law school or written notification that your law school does not provide class rank.<\/li>\n<li>At least one of your 2-3 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/admissions-aid\/jd-admissions\/application-instructions\/letters-of-recommendation\/\">letters of recommendation<\/a> must be from a professor who taught you during your first year of law school.<\/li>\n<li>In addition to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/admissions-aid\/jd-admissions\/application-instructions\/transcripts\/\">academic transcripts<\/a> you submit through CAS, you must have an official transcript for your 1L year sent to BU Law at<a href=\"mailto:bulawadm@bu.edu\"> bulawadm@bu.edu<\/a> from your law school.<\/li>\n<li>Your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/admissions-aid\/jd-admissions\/application-instructions\/personal-documents\/\">r\u00e9sum\u00e9<\/a> should <strong><em>include information about how you plan to spend your summer after your 1L year<\/em><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Transfer applicants are required to pay an $85 nonrefundable application fee to BU Law.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you originally applied to law school through LSAC&#8217;s Credential Assembly Service, your CAS registration is valid for five years so you will only need to pay a report fee <span>to send your LSAT score(s) and transcripts from LSAC to BU Law.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>BU Law grants a maximum of 30 transfer credits, the equivalent of our first-year curriculum. Part-time students are eligible to apply to transfer to BU Law, however, to apply as a transfer student, you should have completed the equivalent of our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/academics\/find-degrees-and-programs\/jd-program\/\">first-year curriculum of our JD program<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Transfer Early Action Program<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Each year, some transfer applicants are accepted through the<span>\u00a0<\/span>Transfer Early Action<span>\u00a0<\/span>program by indicating on your transfer application that you wish to be reviewed with only one semester of grades. If you apply through the Transfer Early Action program, admission decisions will be based on only the first semester of 1L grades.<\/p>\n<p>If you are admitted, you will be expected to confirm your intent to enroll with a $1,000 deposit within two weeks of admission. It is expected that students admitted based on only one semester of grades will perform at a level consistent with their first semester during their second semester.<\/p>\n<p>Applicants who complete their applications early but are not admitted based on only their first semester of grades may be held for review again once their second-semester grades are received. The admissions committee will review complete applications on a rolling basis. Every effort will be made to provide applicants with decisions as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n<p>Please note that students enrolled in BU Law&#8217;s LLM in American Law or the LLM in Intellectual Property wishing to transfer to the JD program are not eligible to participate in the Transfer Early Action program.<\/p>\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h3 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Prior Applicants to BU Law<\/h3><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\">If you applied as an incoming 1L to the JD program at BU Law last year, and are currently enrolled at another law school, but you still want to be part of our BU Law community, we encourage you to take advantage of our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/admissions-aid\/jd-admissions\/application-instructions\/transfer-students\/streamlined-transfer-form\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Streamlined Transfer Application process<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Due to your previous interest in BU Law, you can bypass the full transfer application and simply fill out the<span>\u00a0<\/span>form above to streamline your transfer application. We will then reactivate your previous application, waive the application fee, and send you a brief checklist of required materials you must submit to update your application. These required materials include: your first-year law school transcript; your first-year class rank; an updated resume including plans for summer 2025 employment; a statement addressing your reasons for applying to transfer; and a letter of good standing from your current law school dean. Although not required, you may choose to submit a letter of recommendation from a law professor, which should be sent directly from the recommender to our office at <a href=\"mailto:bulawadm@bu.edu\">bulawadm@bu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Should you wish to do so, you may apply through our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/admissions-aid\/jd-admissions\/application-instructions\/transfer-students\/streamlined-transfer-form\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Streamlined Transfer Application process<\/a> <em>and\u00a0<\/em>take advantage of the Transfer Early Action program.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h3 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Students Enrolled in an LLM Program at BU Law<\/h3><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\">Students enrolled in BU Law&#8217;s LLM in American Law or the LLM in Intellectual Property may apply to the JD program as transfer students during the spring semester of their LLM year and\u2014if they are admitted\u2014may receive up to 28 credits for their LLM studies towards the JD degree, consistent with American Bar Association standards. This means they may be able to complete the JD program with two additional years of study. Applicants from BU Law LLM programs must apply with a complete, academic year transcript.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Transfer students who matriculate into the JD program need to complete all the requirements of the JD program. Transfer applicants from the LLM programs need to take the LSAT and will be judged in comparison to all other JD transfer candidates. Candidates should not expect preferential treatment by the admissions committee simply by virtue of attending the American Law or Intellectual Property programs at BU Law. Admission is not guaranteed. For fall semester transfer candidates,<span>\u00a0<\/span>completed application forms, fees, and supporting documents are due to the JD Admissions Office by August 1.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For more detailed instructions for BU LLM students, please refer to the Professional Development Office <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/about\/offices\/graduate-international-programs\/llm-professional-development\/jd-transfer\/\">webpage<\/a>. <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h3 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Advanced Standing for Foreign-Trained Lawyers<\/h3><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\">Subject to American Bar Association regulations, BU Law may admit graduates of foreign law schools and allow credit for studies at foreign law schools. Foreign law graduates apply for admission following <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/admissions-aid\/jd-admissions\/application-instructions\/international-applicants\/\">the same procedures as other first time foreign-educated applicants<\/a>. Foreign law graduates who have been admitted to BU Law may petition the Academic Standards Committee to determine whether, based on the courses taken at a foreign law school, they might be exempt from certain first-year courses. Petitions must be submitted before the beginning of first-year classes. After their first year at BU Law, 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. The maximum credits that may be granted for first-year and\/or upper-class courses may not exceed one-third of the total required for the BU Law JD degree.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Each fall, 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 place strong emphasis on first-year GPA and class rank. Our transfer applicants are typically ranked in the top 15-20% of their first-year class. The application process for transfer students [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16262,"featured_media":0,"parent":138,"menu_order":6,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"bu-publication":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/91223"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16262"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91223"}],"version-history":[{"count":51,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/91223\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":124474,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/91223\/revisions\/124474"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=91223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}