Admission and Aid

Yes. USD will accept either the LSAT, GRE, or JD Next. If you apply using the GRE, all valid scores from the past five years must be reported with your application. Note, the last score we can accept for consideration - without exception - is from the June administration of the GRE exam. To register for the GRE, visit the ETS website for more information and access to a range of test preparation tools.

An application will not be considered complete unless all valid GRE scores are received via an ETS score report. To ensure your score report is processed and received, use the following four-digit ETS school code for USD School of Law: 3126. Within our application, you will be prompted to list a seven (7) digit test registration number for each test you have completed in the past five years.

Yes. USD will accept either the LSAT, GRE, or JD Next as part of the application. To register for the JD Next, visit the Aspen Publishing website for more information.

Yes. A CAS Report is required for all applicants regardless if they are applying with the GRE, JD Next, or LSAT.

Yes. Early Decision Program applicants may apply with a valid LSAT, GRE, or JD Next score.

No. You can only submit an application for admission using one or the other standardized test (LSAT or GRE). However, if you have applied with an LSAT but would like the admissions committee to also consider a GRE score, you can submit this to us as additional material for review. Individuals who have an LSAT score can only submit an application to University of San Diego School of Law through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) and must participate in the Credential Assembly Service.

The highest LSAT, GRE, or JD Next score will generally be used to evaluate applications for admission and scholarship consideration. Note, all scores are relevant to the application review process. Therefore, if it is your assessment that discrepancies between test scores require an explanation, a separate addendum can be included with your application.

USD considers an LSAT, GRE, or JD Next score valid for five years.

USD uses a "rolling admissions" process. The admissions committee reads completed files and makes decisions on a continual basis. We begin accepting applications on September 1. Applications received before February 1 will be given priority consideration. All applications received before July 31 will be considered.

Only for transfer students. We admit first-year students once a year for the fall semester only.

The Admissions Committee considers a number of important factors including the standardized test score, undergraduate grade point average (GPA), difficulty of undergraduate major, course of study, progression in grades, personal statement, community involvement, work experience and extracurricular activities.

The central mission of the USD’s School of Law (“Law School”) is to cultivate and sustain a stimulating, entrepreneurial, and compassionate intellectual environment that nurtures and supports both our students’ education and training and our faculty’s scholarship. Accordingly, USD welcomes and respects those whose lives are formed by different traditions, viewpoints, backgrounds, and experiences, and recognizes that these diverse perspectives within the student body are essential to the full and informed exchange of ideas and to the quality of legal education USD seeks to provide.

USD School of Law support all applicants, their strengths, inspirations, and goals, and value every individual’s journey to obtain a legal education.

Applicants may not request an interview with the Admissions Committee; however, the Committee may request additional documentation and/or invite an applicant to interview at any stage of the process, including during the waitlist period. These requests support the Committee’s holistic evaluation of academic readiness, fit with the law school community, and potential for success in the legal profession.

USD offers a four year part-time evening program. Classes are generally held Monday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. - 9:15 p.m.

See more information about part-time program.

You must initially apply to either the full-time or part-time program. However, at any point prior to a final decision, you have the option of stating in an optional addendum that you are willing to accept the other program if not admitted to your first choice program. Decisions are subject to space availability and academic considerations. Note, all decisions are final when rendered and there is no formal appeals process.

The first admitted applicants are usually notified in mid December. However, since decisions are made continuously, applicants may receive a decision letter any time throughout the spring, or even as late as July or early August.

We will accept up to 2 letters of continued interest on behalf of each candidate on the waitlist. Letters of continued interest can be emailed to us as a pdf to jdinfo@sandiego.edu.

Additionally, we will also accept 1 additional external letter from candidates placed on the waitlist. If you have already submitted your 3 letters of recommendation through LSAC, you can request to have an external letter added to your file. Please refer to your Waitlist notification email to find the external letter of recommendation request form.

Yes, USD will accept a maximum of two letters of continued interest from candidates who are currently on the waitlist. USD School of Law will not accept letters of continued interest from applicants who are still waiting for a final decision.

To submit a letter of continued interest, please email a PDF copy of your letter to our office at jdinfo@sandiego.edu.

No, first year schedules are predetermined. First year full-time students are divided into sections. Students are assigned to a section the week before classes start. Full-time classes are held Monday through Friday. Usually students have two classes each day Monday through Thursday and one class on Friday. The times will vary based on the section. Please note, all incoming first-year students will have at least one class that meets during evening hours.

USD offers concurrent programs for JD/MBA (Master of Business Administration), JD/MSRE (Master of Science in Real Estate), JD/MAIR (Master of Arts in International Relations), JD/MAPJ (Master of Arts in Peace and Justice), and JD/MPA (Master of Public Administration with SDSU)

The master's degree programs require a separate graduate admissions application and may necessitate a separate entrance exam. Many students decide to apply for these programs in their first year of law school.

Applicants who have applied for admission and either were not admitted or were unable to accept admission at the time may reactivate their applications the following year. To reactivate an admission file, applicants need to follow all the steps of a normal first-time applicant. Students who have attended USD Law and have been academically disqualified must wait one year before re-applying to USD Law.

An official final transcript indicating conferral of your bachelor’s degree must be received by the Admissions Office prior to the first day of classes. Only transcripts that include a degree conferral date meet the official transcripts standard. If an enrolled student does not have their final transcripts on file with the Office of Admissions by the applicable deadline, absent a finding of extraordinary circumstances, a student will be automatically withdrawn from the law school. The withdrawn student will remain responsible for all fees and costs associated with their period of enrollment.

Yes. Applicants are required to promptly update their admissions application - in writing - with any moral character disclosures that were not previously disclosed, from the time of application submission until a final decision is made. This obligation remains in effect for admitted students and persists through matriculation and throughout law school. Any new disclosures will undergo a review process and could potentially impact the student's standing at the School of Law.

All international graduates seeking admission to the Juris Doctor Program are required to have the Educational Testing Services submit an official TOEFL score report directly to the Juris Doctor Credential Assembly Service (CAS). Information about the service can be obtained at www.lsac.org. For admission to the JD program, the suggested minimum TOEFL score is 600 points on the paper-based test, 100 points on the internet-based test or 250 points on the computer-based test.

In some cases there is the possibility of waiving the TOEFL requirement. If you are from a country in which an official language is English, if you studied law at an institution that teaches only in English or if you have additional extenuating circumstances, you may submit a written request for waiver of the TOEFL requirement to jdinfo@sandiego.edu. In such a request, please explain the reason(s) for your request.

The USD School of Law requires applicants who have been academically disqualified from any ABA law school to wait 1 year following the disqualification to enroll in the USD Law JD program. The admissions committee highly encourages applicants that have been previously academically disqualified to wait 2 years following the disqualification to reapply.

Applicants who have previously been academically disqualified from any ABA law school must submit a letter of standing, prior law school statement, and official law school transcript with their application, in addition to the other first year law application requirements.

All first year J.D. students are placed in formal study groups led by upper division Academic Success Fellows who have excelled in the USD School of Law required first-year courses. Fellows lead weekly study groups which provide structured lesson plans and target resources for doctrinal classes, setting the stage for academic advancement. Fellows also lead weekly office hours where you can seek individualized assistance. In the fall semester, study groups are open to everyone and are optional. In the spring semester, they may be mandatory depending on your GPA.

Study groups are scheduled in openings in your section's schedule. Full-time students have three study groups a week--one for each doctrinal course. Part-time students have two study groups a week. For part-time students, please note that study groups may be scheduled at 4:30PM.