How to Apply

• Candidates must have earned a bachelor’s degree (or its foreign equivalent) from an accredited institution of higher education prior to beginning the JD program.
• Candidates must take the LSAT no later than the March of the year of matriculation. Valid scores cannot be more than five years old. The highest score will be used in determining the Admission Committee’s decision.
• Candidates must register with the Law School Admission Council’s Credential Assembly Service (CAS)

• Completed Application submitted via LSAC
• Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and/or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score from a test administered between October 2014 and March 2020.
• Submit all undergraduate and graduate transcripts to LSAC.
• Two Letters of Recommendation sent directly from the writer to LSAC and assigned to UC Hastings College of the Law. The Admissions Office prefers letters from writers who can speak to the applicant’s academic abilities, but letters from professional supervisors and mentors will also be considered.
• Personal Statement – There is no limit as to the length, but the personal statement will be evaluated for clarity, content, and skill of presentation.
• Current Resume
• LEOP Application (Optional – see below)
• Explanations are required for any affirmative responses to the Character and Fitness questions on the application.

We look forward to reviewing your application.

UC Hastings requires all applicants to take a standardized test for admission—either the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), which is the preferred test, or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

• Applicants who take both the LSAT and the GRE must submit their LSAT scores, but can choose whether to submit their GRE scores.
• Applicants applying with only GRE scores are still required to use the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) for the submission of their application materials.

LSAT: Official scores must be from LSAT examinations administered between October 2014 and March 2020.

GRE: Official scores must be from GRE examinations administered between October 2014 and March 2020. Applicants who have taken the GRE can log into their ETS account and select UC Hastings College of the Law as a recipient of GRE results using the school code: 4342.

Applicants interested in applying through the Legal Education Opportunity Program (LEOP) must address all pertinent questions (listed below) on the LEOP Supplemental application. Answers to these questions will be used by the LEOP Committee to evaluate your claim of significant adversity.

1. Describe the financial situation of your family from birth to college entry. Please include sources of income, income estimates, number of household wage earners, and number of dependents. Please describe any unusual expenses.
2. Please describe the occupation(s) and the educational background(s) of the person(s) who raised you.
3. Describe your early educational experiences through high school. Discuss the expectation level of and support for educational and career achievement in your family and community. What impact, if any, did it have on your education?
4. Please list your source(s) of financial support in college by approximate percentage:
   Family: ___ Employment: ___ Loans: ___ Grants/scholarships: ___ Other assistance:___
5. Describe any paid or unpaid test preparation, academic support, or tutorial services you have used since elementary school.
6. Identify and describe the community(ies) in which you resided from birth to age of college entry. Describe any bias you faced as a member of such community(ies) and explain what impact, if any, it had on your academic performance.
7. Are you an immigrant or the child of immigrant parents? If yes, please include the country of origin, year of arrival in the U.S., and the reason for immigrating.
8. If English is not your first language, how old were you when you first learned English? Was English the primary language spoken in your home?
9. Have you had any learning or physical disability that may have adversely affected your academic performance? Please indicate what accommodations, if any, you were provided in high school and college. If possible, please include supporting documentation of your disability and/or accommodations.

LEOP applicants are strongly encouraged to submit an additional personal statement identifying and describing in detail the challenges and obstacles they have faced and the impact these challenges have had on their academic preparation. Applicants should include specific information on what they have done to meet and/or overcome these challenges.

To learn more about LEOP, email LEOP@uchastings.edu.

• Over 80% of our student body has received merit scholarships or need-based grants to help defray the cost of law school.
• No separate application is required for merit scholarship consideration. Admitted students who have been offered merit scholarships are not eligible for need-based grants.
• Admitted students who have been invited to apply for need-based grants should submit the UC Hastings Financial Aid Supplement as soon as possible.
• Students may borrow funds through Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans, and/or alternative credit-based loans to help cover the cost of attendance. To apply for Federal student loans, admitted students should complete the UC Hastings Financial Aid Supplement and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at fafsa.ed.gov. The UC Hastings code is G03947.

Learn more

Applicants can check their status here. The Admissions Office will notify applicants if they are missing any documents, as well as when the application and CAS report have been received.

The Admissions Office will begin reviewing files in October. Decision notifications are sent out beginning in December and will continue to be sent through May. Please keep the Admissions Office updated of any changes to your phone number, email address, and mailing address.

Please add admissions@uchastings.edu to your “Trusted” email list so that emails from the Admissions Office will not get buried in your spam folder.