What Do Law Schools Look For In Transfer Students?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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While law school applicants are judged on their academic potential in law school based on their undergraduate grades and LSAT score, transfer

applicants are judged on their academic performance

. … Unfortunately, it can be hard for 1L students to guarantee good grades in their first semester.

Do law schools accept transfer students?


Most schools will only admit transfers that are in the top 10% of their class

. Your class rank must be even higher if your school is ranked relatively low. … A law school transfer personal statement must focus not only on why you want to study law in general, but also on why you want to transfer.

What do law schools look at when you transfer?

While law school applicants are judged on their academic potential in law school based on their undergraduate grades and LSAT score, transfer

applicants are judged on their academic performance

. … Unfortunately, it can be hard for 1L students to guarantee good grades in their first semester.

Do law schools look at LSAT for transfers?

In theory, LSAT scores and undergraduate GPAs are effective predictors of first-year law school performance.

Transfer applicants will already have their 1L grades

, so LSAT results and college GPA are less important during the transfer review process than they are in the main law school admission process.

Does transferring law schools look bad?

Generally speaking,

if you transfer your grades will decrease and you will not be at the top of the class

. This is especially the case if you are transferring from a second tier school. Do not get me wrong, it is quite possible to do very well at the new school and some end up in the top 10% or top 30%.

Is it easy to transfer law schools?


Transferring is certainly challenging for law

school students, but not insurmountably so. If you’ve struck out with your initial application, know that a year of hard work can elevate you into a higher-ranked school, and – if you’re an A student – even into the coveted realm of T14 law schools.

What GPA do I need to transfer to UCLA law?

Looking at their numbers, however, the median GPA for transfers was high: for UCLA,

a 3.6

; Cornell a 3.4; Yale, a whopping 3.9. All of this is to say that the GPA is an extremely important component of a successful transfer application. It is the baseline, the price of admission.

Is transferring law schools worth it?

Whether it’s worth it will most

likely correlate to your career goals

. If you’re sure you want to work in a large law firm and the new school will significantly increase your chances of making it there, then it may be worth the transfer, knowing you can pay down the extra loans with that BigLaw paycheck.

Is it hard to transfer to NYU law?

NYU Law Transfer GPA Data

Based on this GPA data, it goes without saying that NYU Law is highly selective. Indeed, with a

median GPA of around 3.6

, you’ll need to ace virtually all of your 1L exams to have a shot at transferring to NYU Law. … The good news is that more than 50 of your peers transfer to NYU Law each year.

Do law school transfer students get scholarships?

It is very unlikely you will get any scholarships or need-based financial aid at your new law school.

Many law schools do not give transfer students scholarship

or need-based financial aid. Transfers can be a huge source of money to law schools.

Do you have to retake LSAT to transfer?

As a transfer applicant,

it is not necessary for you to retake the LSAT

; the schools to which you will apply as a transfer student will no longer be interested in your LSAT score–they will be interested in your first-year (1L) grades, where you are currently in school, and letters of rec from your current profs.

Do law schools look at community college GPA?


Definitely

. When we say any grade awarded before that first bachelor’s degree is included in your GPA recalculation, we mean it. … But some community college classes, or classes retaken for a better grade, will affect your GPA.

Do law school rankings matter?

Law schools rankings

certainly matter

, though they are not the only factor that should be considered when choosing a school. In some circumstances, attending a highly ranked school may not be the best decision. … Rankings should be just one of many factors that you consider when choosing a law school.

How hard is it to transfer into Harvard Law?

Based on this GPA data, it goes without saying that Harvard Law is highly selective. Indeed, with a

median GPA of more than 3.9

, you’ll need to ace virtually all of your 1L exams to have a shot at transferring to Harvard Law. … The good news is that more than 40 of your peers transfer to Harvard Law School each year.

Does Yale law accept transfers?

Yale Law School

welcomes applications for transfer admission for students currently enrolled in the first year of law school

. … Transfer applications will be considered only between the applicant’s first and second years of law school, as incoming transfer students must complete two years of work at Yale Law School.

Does Stanford law accept transfer students?


Transfer applicants are accepted

, however, only to the extent that vacancies exist in the second year class, and only applicants with superior academic records in law study will be considered. The previous law study must have been undertaken at a law school which is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.

Emily Lee
Author
Emily Lee
Emily Lee is a freelance writer and artist based in New York City. She’s an accomplished writer with a deep passion for the arts, and brings a unique perspective to the world of entertainment. Emily has written about art, entertainment, and pop culture.