Juris Doctor Program First-Year Application

Standards for Admissions

The Law School evaluates each application thoroughly, considering the entirety of the application. This holistic approach allows us to ensure that each application receives attention.

An applicant’s Law School Admission Test (LSAT) (or the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) in lieu of the LSAT) and cumulative undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) are significant factors in the admissions process. (See the Admissions Test section of the FAQs for information on submitting GRE scores for consideration.) The Law School also considers an applicant’s personal statement, resume, and letters of recommendation. We evaluate your potential to succeed at Alabama Law and in the legal profession, your potential to contribute to the rich intellectual life of the Law School community, and your commitment to using your legal education to serve the public good.

Alabama Law has a rolling admissions policy, which means that applications are considered continuously throughout the admissions season. Applications are initially reviewed in roughly the order in which they are completed. Some applications receive an immediate final decision; others are placed on the waitlist or held for further review. We make our decisions as quickly as possible, but the time necessary varies from case to case. There may be applications that are completed in the fall that do not receive a final decision until late in the admissions cycle. Some files may remain in an “application under review” status for months and some applicants remain on the waitlist until summer.

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Standard First-Year Application

• Apply Online through LSAC
• JD FAQ
• Application Status

The Law School application fee is waived for the following:

• Veterans and current members of the US military – Please email your DD 214 or current assignment orders to admissions@law.ua.edu.
• Current and former AmeriCorps and Teach For America members and Peace Corps volunteers – To request this waiver, send an email to admissions@law.ua.edu and attach a letter from your supervisor confirming your participation, dates of participation, and location of service.
• Recipient of an LSAC-granted a fee waiver – Please provide a copy of an email or a letter granting the waiver in your email to admissions@law.ua.edu.

For more information on the waivers, please review the Application section of the Frequently Asked Questions.

If you are an international student who is admitted to the Law School, you must complete and submit the I-20/DS-2019 Request Form with required proof of funding to the Law School Admissions Office to get an F-1 I-20 or J-1 DS-2019 from The University of Alabama. Please email admissions@law.ua.edu to receive a copy of the I-20/DS-2019 Request Form.Please contact the Law School Admissions Office at (205) 348-5440 or admissions@law.ua.edu if you need assistance.

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Alabama Scholars Admissions Program

For the first-year law class beginning in Fall 2025, the Law School offers a streamlined application program for select students in good standing at and graduates from the institutions in Alabama listed below. The specific criteria for this program are subject to change from one academic year to the next. The Alabama Scholars application process normally will result in a response or decision within approximately ten business days of the Law School’s receipt of the completed application. Letters of recommendation are not required.

Eligibility criteria for the Alabama Scholars Admissions Program are as follows:

• LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Report
• Cumulative undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.95 (according to CAS Report)
• Completed Alabama Scholars Admissions Program application
• LSAT score

You may apply online through the LSAC website starting September 1, 2024.

If you have any questions, please contact the Admissions Office at admissions@law.ua.edu, or (205) 348-5440.

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HBCU Scholars Admissions Program

For the first-year law class entering in Fall 2025, the Law School offers a streamlined application program for select students in good standing at and graduates from the Historically Black Colleges and Universities listed below. The specific criteria for this program are subject to change from one academic year to the next. The HBCU Scholars application process normally will result in a response or decision within approximately ten business days of the Law School’s receipt of the completed application. Letters of recommendation are not required.

Eligibility criteria for the HBCU Scholars Admissions Program are as follows:

• LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Report
• Cumulative undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.95 (according to CAS Report)
• Completed HBCU Scholars Admissions Program application
• LSAT score

If you have any questions, please contact the Admissions Office at admissions@law.ua.edu, or (205) 348-5440.

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503 Alternative Admissions Program

Students enrolled at The University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa) are potentially eligible to apply through one of three programs: the regular application process, the streamlined Alabama Scholars Program (expedited review), and this 503 Alternative Program (non-LSAT standardized test). Feel free to contact the Law School Admissions Office at (205) 348-5440 for assistance in determining the best program for you.

The 503 Program and its criteria are subject to American Bar Association (ABA) Standards and, for that reason, are subject to change. Applicants through the 503 Program are not required to have an LSAT score or a letter of recommendation. See below and on the application for eligibility and other information.

The 503 Program is designed for undergraduate students at The University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa) who have considered their law school options carefully and are confident that The University of Alabama School of Law is their top choice.

Eligibility Requirements for Applicants for Fall 2025 Incoming Class:

• You must be a senior in good standing at The University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa) with a past or expected bachelor’s degree graduation date between August 15, 2024, and August 2, 2025.
• Your current overall University of Alabama undergraduate grade point average must be at least 3.95, after the completion of at least six semesters (fall and spring semesters) of full-time academic work. (Full-time academic work is at least 12 earned credit hours each semester.) Your overall grade point average includes UA credit and transfer limits credit on your UA transcript. Note: Any UA graduate classes you take before receipt of your bachelor’s degree will count toward your overall grade point average for this application.
• Your ACT composite score or SAT reading/writing and mathematics total score must be at or above the 85th percentile for the administration of the exam that you took.
• You must complete the 503 Alternative Admissions Program application, including a signed Authorization to Access Records.
• You must not have received a score on the LSAT or have assigned or submitted a GRE score to Alabama Law.

Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Scores: Applicants through the 503 Alternative Admissions Program should not take the LSAT and should not assign or submit a GRE score to Alabama Law. Any 503 applicant who has a valid LSAT score on file with LSAC, registers for the LSAT, sits for the LSAT, or submits or assigns a GRE score will have their application and/or offer of admission withdrawn and their application will be reviewed under the regular application program considering the LSAT or GRE score. Although the LSAT is not required to apply through the 503 Program, a score may be necessary for an applicant to apply to another law school as an incoming first-year student or to apply to transfer to another law school after the first year. If you have taken or plan to take the LSAT, you should apply through another application program.

Limits on this Special Admissions Program: Admission under the 503 Alternative Admissions Program is governed by the American Bar Association’s Standard 503 and Interpretation 503-3. This is a temporary program. By rule, the ABA limits the number of students that a law school may enroll under this program. This limit is 10 percent of the previous year’s entering class. For the Fall 2025 admissions cycle, the ABA’s 10-percent rule requires that UA not exceed 11 acceptances and active offers under the Alternative Admissions Program at any given time.

Decision Timeline: The Law School will make admissions decisions under this Program in waves. The next wave of decisions will be communicated by December 20, 2024. To be eligible for the next wave, please submit your application to the Law School Admissions Office no later than Wednesday, December 18, 2024, at noon. Additional waves of decisions, if any, will take place thereafter until the program reaches the cap of 11 admittees, as explained above.

503 Application: To receive a 503 application, please email Assistant Director of Admissions Karli Smith at ksmith@law.ua.edu.

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Transfer Application

The University of Alabama School of Law admits several transfer students each year. Students interested in completing their studies at the Law School are welcome to apply. Transfer students at Alabama Law have experienced a smooth transition both into the Law School environment and into Tuscaloosa. Moreover, transfer students are offered opportunities to join student organizations, journals, trial advocacy and moot court competition teams, clinics, and social activities.

Admissions Requirements

A student who has completed the first year at a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) may be considered for transfer admission to The University of Alabama School of Law. Although most transfer applicants apply to Alabama Law after completing the first year of law school, they may submit an application for admission as soon as they receive first semester law school grades. The Admissions Committee, however, will not review a file until two semesters are completed. Transfer applications are reviewed as quickly as possible once all materials are received, including second semester grades, a letter of good standing, and class rank. An applicant may request early review of an application with grades from only one semester of law school if the applicant emails admissions@law.ua.edu with such a request. With a request for early review, the Law School may make an admissions decision based on one semester of grades or it may decide to wait for the second semester grades.

A transfer applicant must have a competitive college academic record and LSAT score; must be in good standing and eligible to continue his or her studies at the law school previously attended; and must not be on any type of probationary status. An applicant’s first-year law school grades are significant in the admissions process. It is rare for the Law School to approve a transfer when an applicant is ranked below about the top 25% of his or her current law school class.

A transfer applicant also must submit:

• A Law School transfer application and fee. We encourage you to view the transfer application instructions before submitting your application. You may apply online through LSAC.
• A statement explaining why you desire to enroll with advanced standing.
• A letter of good standing and your class rank from your law school Records Office.
• A Credential Assembly Service (CAS) report, which includes final transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended.
• Supplementary page providing details, if you answer Yes to any portion of the Code of Conduct section. If you have questions about any part of this section, please call the Law School Admissions Office.
• One official law school transcript showing grades in all courses completed in law school. The Admissions Committee will review completed applications on a rolling basis. An application is complete after all the above material is received by the Law School.

No more than 30 credit hours may be transferred for law school graduation credit.

You may apply online through the LSAC website or request a print application from the admissions office.

The application deadline for Fall Semester is July 15, 2025. If you have questions, please call Assistant Director of Admissions Karli Smith at (205) 348-5440 or email the Admissions Office at admissions@law.ua.edu.

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Visiting Application

A student may apply to visit The University of Alabama School of Law for no more than 15 hours a semester or 30 hours total. A visiting applicant must submit the following:

• You may apply online through LSAC.
• Application fee.
• A statement explaining why you desire to enroll with advanced standing.
• Supplementary page providing details, if you answer Yes to any portion of the Code of Conduct section. If you have questions about any part of section, please call the Law School Admissions Office.
• A letter of good standing from your law school, including your class rank and stating that you have permission to visit at Alabama.
• A Credential Assembly Service (CAS) report, which includes final transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended.
• Official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions.
• One official law transcript.

The application deadline is December 10, 2024 for the Spring 2025 Semester and July 15, 2025 for the Fall 2025 Semester.

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International LL.M. Program

The School of Law offers a one-year program for foreign lawyers leading to the Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree. The program is for persons who have completed a basic legal education and received a university degree in law in another country. Students may elect to take courses aimed at developing knowledge in specific areas of the law – such as international business law, environmental law, or comparative law – or may tailor a custom course of study to suit individual interests or professional needs.

International LL.M. Frequently Asked Questions

Please complete the International LL.M. application through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) at https://www.lsac.org/llm. To complete the application through LSAC, you must register with LSAC for the LL.M. Document Assembly Service. You may access the registration and application online at https://www.lsac.org/llm. The Admissions Committee encourages you to apply in the fall to ensure time to process visas and other special documents.

If you are an international student, you also must complete the F-1 I-20/J-1 DS-2019 Request Form

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Campus Security Report

The University of Alabama Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report and The University of Alabama Gadsden Center Annual Campus Security Report are now available. These reports are required by federal law and contain policy statements and crime statistics, and for UA, applicable fire safety policies and procedures. These reports also address policies, procedures and programs concerning safety and security (e.g. policies for responding to emergency situations and sexual offenses). Three years worth of statistics are included for certain types of crimes that were reported to have occurred on campus, in or on off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by the school, and on public property within or immediately adjacent to the campus. The UA and Gadsden Center reports are available online to view or print at police.ua.edu. You may also request a paper copy of either report from the Office of Community Services at (205) 348-8361, police.ua.edu or at Box 870180, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0180.