Fordham University

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Application requirements

Deadline

Mar 15, 2026

Application fee

$75.00

Recommendations

2 to 4

Updated for 2025-2026 application cycle

In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

If you answer yes to any of the questions below, you must provide a detailed explanation. If you need more space than the application provides, you may submit an electronic attachment.

1. Have you ever been placed on probation, dropped, suspended, expelled, or otherwise been subjected to discipline by any institution of learning above elementary school level for conduct which might reflect upon your character?

Please explain the circumstances.

Note: If you need more space to provide a detailed account you may include an electronic attachment.

(maximum characters 500)

Are you a defendant in a pending criminal matter, or have you, at any age, unless specifically excluded below, been charged with, indicted for, tried for, convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, any felony or misdemeanor or the violation of any law? In your response to this question, disclose any matter in which you were adjudicated a youthful offender or received an equivalent adjudication.

Do NOT report:
(a) any matter in which you were adjudicated a juvenile delinquent in Family Court or other noncriminal proceeding;
(b) any citation, ticket or arrest that did not result in criminal charges or an indictment, trial, conviction or guilty plea;
(c) vehicle and traffic matters that occurred more than 10 years before the filing of this application, EXCEPT alcohol or drug-related traffic violations, which must be reported in all cases, irrespective of when they occurred; or
(d) parking violations.

Please explain the circumstances.

Note: If you need more space to provide a detailed account you may include an electronic attachment.

(maximum characters 500)

Have you ever been a complainant, party or witness to or otherwise involved in any civil or criminal action, proceeding or investigation?
Please explain the circumstances.

Note: If you need more space to provide a detailed account you may include an electronic attachment.

(maximum characters 500)

Please Note: This application is for individuals who are taking the LSAT as part of their admissions process. If you plan to ONLY take the GRE or JD-Next, please submit the Fordham Law - GRE/JD-Next Only JD Application, also available on LSAC.org.

We strongly encourage applicants to submit their application through the Law School Admissions Council (www.lsac.org). Should you require a paper application, please email your request to lawadmissions@fordham.edu, with your name and mailing address and it will be sent to you within 5 - 7 business days.

The application fee is $75.

If you are applying electronically through LSAC, you will need to pay the fee using a major credit card. If applying through a paper copy, please send a check or money order (payable to Fordham Law School) along with your application to:

Fordham Law School

Office of JD Admissions

150 West 62nd Street, Suite 4-104

New York, NY 10023

Within 48 hours of submitting your application, you will receive an email giving you access to an online status checker. If you do not receive it within 72 hours, please email lawadmissions@fordham.edu.

DEADLINES

Early Action: October 15

We have a non-binding Early Action program for the full-time and part-time programs. To qualify, you must apply with a completed application by October 15. The last LSAT we accept for Early Action qualification is the October LSAT administration. You don't need to indicate you're applying for Early Action anywhere on the application. Any applicant who abides by these guidelines will receive a decision around December 15.

An Early Action decision can be: admitted, denied, or Early Action waitlist. If your application is placed on the Early Action waitlist, the Admissions Committee will conduct a second review of your file in February (likely toward the middle of the month). At that time, you will receive another decision: admitted, denied, or waitlisted. While it's not required, you're welcome to submit additional materials before your application is reviewed in February.

Regular Decision: March 15

The deadline to apply to the JD program at Fordham Law is March 15. Once an application has been received and marked as complete by our team, applicants can expect decisions in approximately 12 business weeks.

REQUIREMENTS

Credential Assembly Service (CAS):

Transcripts from each college or university you have attended should be forwarded to LSAC, which will prepare and transmit a Law School Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Report to Fordham Law School. In addition, applicants who have received academic credit for coursework taken abroad must request that the issuing institution send their international academic records directly to LSAC, if the credits do not appear on their home school transcript. To register for the CAS service, visit LSAC.

Personal Statements/Essays:

Fordham Law School welcomes, and celebrates the equal dignity of, students of all backgrounds. In evaluating admissions applications, we want to learn who you are as an individual, to hear your personal story. We value the diversity of a vibrant law school community in the center of the most diverse city in the world, and we celebrate the many ways that individual students can bring wisdom and passion to the law school and to those they will serve in their legal careers. Both the required personal essay and the optional personal essay give you an opportunity to complete your application by communicating, effectively and concisely, other aspects of yourself as an individual beyond your undergraduate grades and test scores.

Please limit each essay to two pages, double spaced using 11- or 12-point font.

REQUIRED PERSONAL ESSAY

While the topic of this required essay is up to you, the most successful personal statements are those that develop a sense of the applicant and their values, aspirations, and concerns. As Fordham Law School?s motto is ?In the Service of Others," we are also interested in hearing about contributions you would like to make to our student body, the legal profession, and ultimately the larger society.

OPTIONAL PERSONAL ESSAY

Educating lawyers to represent clients whose problems and perspectives grow out of a wide range of life circumstances is fundamental to Fordham Law School's mission. For this optional personal essay, please discuss how your life experiences or aspects of your personal identity have motivated or inspired you, posed challenges, helped you build skills, and/or taught you valuable lessons. We are eager to learn how these experiences or aspects of your identity have helped shape who you are and prepared you for the study and practice of law, to help others who need your expertise to solve hard problems.

Resume:

Your resume should highlight your professional and academic achievements, volunteer experiences, and extracurricular involvement. While one page is preferred, you may submit a longer resume. Please use discretion when determining your resume length.

Letters of Recommendation:

We require all applicants submit two (2) letters of recommendation with your application. If you have been out of school for less than five years, we strongly suggest that at least one letter be from an academic source. If you graduated five or more years ago, professional letters are acceptable. We strongly prefer that you utilize the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service that is included as part of the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) registration. Your CAS report will not be released to us until we have the required two letters of recommendation to complete your file.

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants for admissions as candidates for the degree of Juris Doctor at Fordham Law School must:

Be at least 18 years of age upon starting the first-year class.
Have taken the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) on or after June 2021 but no later than February 2026 or the GRE/JD-Next within the same time frame.
Have graduated from an American college or university accredited by an agency approved by the American Bar Association.

Please note: Applicants who have earned a baccalaureate degree in a foreign country will need to demonstrate that the degree earned is the equivalent of a US four-year baccalaureate degree. Applicants must submit their academic transcripts to LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS). This service is included in the CAS registration fee. An International Credential Evaluation will be incorporated into your LSAC Law School Report.