Southwestern does not provide a specific prompt or question for applicants to address when preparing their personal statement. An applicant's personal statement may address, but is not limited to addressing, issues such as interests, motivation toward law, personal qualities, academic experience, social background, or other topics not presented on the application form. The subject matter of the statement is up to you, but keep in mind that the reviewer will be focused on determining your potential to be a successful law student and graduate of Southwestern.

The thoughts and words contained therein must be your own and no one else should assist in its creation beyond basic proofreading or critiquing.The personal statement should be two to three pages in length, typed, and double-spaced. When applying electronically, applicants must submit the personal statement as an electronic attachment to the application form.

Southwestern values the uniqueness of each applicant and believes that a diverse and inclusive campus environment enriches the study of law. Therefore, applicants may submit a statement addressing their distinctive background and personal experiences to provide a more robust picture of their personal and academic strengths.

These statements should not be a reiteration of information or insights already addressed in the Personal Statement, and each should be no more than two pages in length, typed, and double-spaced.

Tell us more about your interest in Southwestern. What makes our school a good fit for you given your academic or professional interests, and our offerings, learning environment, and community?

These statements should not be a reiteration of information or insights already addressed in the Personal Statement, and each should be no more than two pages in length, typed, and double-spaced.

A detailed written response is required because you answered yes to the question that states the following:

"Did you take a leave of absence, voluntarily withdraw, or leave in any other circumstances while in good standing from your previous law school?"

Please include any comments on LSAT or GPA that you would like to add to your file.

Include any additional comments you would like to add to your file.

A detailed written response is required because you answered yes to the question that states the following:

"Did you leave the law school under less than good standing?"

You may attach a document that reflects your work, educational, or other related experiences.

Full disclosure in response to the below questions is required. During the licensing process for admission to the bar, which includes state and federal background checks, you will need to address similar questions. The bar will compare your disclosures below with their information, and any inaccuracies or discrepancies may delay or prevent bar admission.

If you answer YES to any question below, provide a full explanation in an electronic attachment to this application (found under Attachments).

Full disclosure includes, but is not limited to, the following: all criminal, disciplinary, academic or other convictions/rulings, plea negotiations or agreements, sentencing or disciplinary terms. The full explanation should include dates (month/year), and contextual details of the underlying conduct or incident(s) (including their date(s) and time(s), location(s), factual circumstances, other parties involved, and if applicable, case name, case number, jurisdiction, and copy of any decision, decree, judgment, or order issued, etc.). We also encourage you to explain what you have learned from each incident.

Please understand that the law school and most bar authorities consider a lack of candor to be just as serious an offense as any underlying offense you may disclose.

You should also consult the rules and regulations of the Committee of Bar Examiners of the state in which you wish to practice law to determine if there is anything that might affect your eligibility for admission to the bar. With respect to character and fitness issues, please note that admission to Southwestern does not assure admission to any state bar. The bar conducts its own character and fitness examination.

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.

1. Have you ever, as an adult or juvenile, been arrested, indicted, cited, convicted, tried for, pleaded guilty or nolo contendere to, or placed on deferred adjudication for the commission of any felony, misdemeanor, other violation of any law, except minor parking or traffic violations?

• In answering this question, you should include all incidents and convictions, no matter how minor the incident or when it occurred.
• Although a conviction may have been stayed or vacated, expunged from your record, or ordered sealed, obliterated, dismissed, or destroyed by a court order, you must still disclose it in this application?even if another person (including an attorney) has indicated you do not need to disclose this type of information.
• Traffic violations that must be reported under this question include failure to appear, driving without a license, driving with a suspended license, reckless driving, and all traffic violations that resulted in a misdemeanor or felony conviction. Southwestern does not consider a traffic offense to be minor if it involves, in any way, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.

2. As an adult or juvenile, have you ever been the subject of any juvenile delinquency or youthful offender proceedings or been party to court proceedings involving allegations of child abuse or neglect against you?

3. Are criminal charges currently pending against you or are you presently under investigation by any police department, law enforcement agency, or other government body?

4. Are you currently in jail or prison, waiting to serve a jail or prison term, on probation, on work or other release from jail or prison, on parole, or completing the terms of any deferred adjudication?

5. Are you or have you been party to a lawsuit?

6. Have you ever been disciplined, the subject of disciplinary proceedings, warned, or placed on probation, by any organization, or licensing body or employer, or have had a professional license revoked or rescinded?

7. Have you ever been sentenced in a court-martial proceeding or discharged from the Armed Forces other than by honorable discharge?

8. Have you ever been placed on academic probation, suspended, expelled, dismissed, or required to withdraw from any academic institution (college, university, graduate school, or professional school) for academic reasons?

9. Have disciplinary proceedings ever been initiated against you for misconduct by any academic institution (college, university, graduate school, or professional school)? If so, provide the basis for the proceedings, the outcome, and any discipline administered. Examples of discipline include, but are not limited to, mandatory counseling; community service; social probation; or being dropped, suspended, withdrawn, or expelled from a course, program, or institution.

10. Are there any other issues that you believe might adversely affect your eligibility for admission to the Bar?

2026 J.D. Application Instructions

NOTICE

• This application is for applicants wishing to enter the J.D. PROGRAM as FIRST-YEAR LAW STUDENTS.
• To apply to the J.D./M.B.A. program, or to apply as a Transfer or Visiting student, do not complete this application. Instead, choose and complete the correct application type from Southwestern?s list of applications available through LSAC.org.

Application for the J.D. Program

Thank you for choosing to apply to Southwestern Law School. For your convenience, we have outlined below the basic application requirements for applicants seeking to enter our J.D. program as first-year law students. This application may be used to apply to the following J.D. programs: Full-Time Day 3-Year Program, Accelerated 2-Year Program (SCALE), Part-Time Day Caregiver 4-Year Program (PLEAS), Part-Time Day 4-Year Program, Full-Time Online 3-Year Program, and Part-Time Online 4-Year Program. For more information on each program, visit www.swlaw.edu/jd-llm-programs.

Although electronic submission of our applications via LSAC.org is preferred, you may request a hard-copy of any of our applications by contacting the Southwestern Law School Admissions Office at admissions@swlaw.edu or 213-738-6834.

Basic Application Components

While we have provided these basic instructions here for your convenience, we strongly encourage you to review the detailed ?Application Process and Requirements? section of our website at https://www.swlaw.edu/admissions-financial-aid/admissions-jd/application-process-requirements. Reviewing the detailed instructions on our website will help you fully and accurately complete the application.

Required Materials

Southwestern must receive the following application components before we review your file and issue a decision. Southwestern will not review any application until we receive all required components.

• $60, non-refundable, payable through LSAC.org via the E-App electronic payment option
• Automatically waived for applicants who have an LSAC fee waiver. Please review https://www.lsac.org/lsat/lsat-dates-deadlines-score-release-dates/lsat-cas-fees/fee-waivers-lsat-credential-assembly for more information.
• Applicants may also request an application fee waiver code directly from Southwestern Law School by emailing admissions@swlaw.edu. An applicant must request and receive the fee waiver code before submitting the application. Once the fee waiver code is received, the applicant can enter it during the checkout and payment process when submitting their application. If the application is submitted and the fee was paid by the applicant, that FEE WILL NOT BE REFUNDED.
• Application Form
  • Complete and submit via LSAC.org
• Personal Statement
  • Typed, double-spaced, and two to three pages in length
  • Please review personal statement guidelines online at https://www.swlaw.edu/admissions-financial-aid/admissions-jd/application-process-requirements/application-file
• Resume
  • Please review resume guidelines online at https://www.swlaw.edu/admissions-financial-aid/admissions-jd/application-process-requirements/application-file.
• Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Report containing
  • At least one valid LSAT score
  • At least one valid LSAT writing sample
  • At least one letter of recommendation, though Southwestern will accept up to three letters of recommendation
  • Transcripts for all undergraduate work undertaken at time of application
    • Transcripts must evidence that you have received, or will receive by the time you matriculate at Southwestern, a Bachelor?s degree from an accredited U.S. undergraduate institution.
    • Transcripts must be submitted from any and all institutions where you received credits toward your Bachelor?s degree.
    • Foreign-educated applicants must have the equivalent of a U.S. Bachelor?s degree and have their transcripts evaluated through a transcript evaluation service. Please see https://www.swlaw.edu/admissions-financial-aid/jd-admissions/international-applicants for more information.
• Character and Fitness Disclosures
  • Full disclosure in response to Southwestern?s Character and Fitness questions is required.
  • During the licensing process for admission to the Bar, which includes state and federal background checks, you will need to address similar questions. The Bar will compare your law school application disclosures with their information, and any inaccuracies or discrepancies may delay or prevent Bar admission.
  • If you answer ?yes? to any of the questions in the Character and Fitness section of the application form, you must provide a full explanation in an electronic attachment to your file (see "Attachments").
  • Full disclosure includes, but is not limited to, the following: all criminal, disciplinary, academic or other convictions/rulings, plea negotiations or agreements, sentencing or disciplinary terms. The full explanation should include dates (month/year), and contextual details of the underlying conduct or incident(s) (including their date(s) and time(s), location(s), factual circumstances, other parties involved, and if applicable, case name, case number, jurisdiction, and copy of any decision, decree, judgment, or order issued, etc.). We also encourage you to explain what you have learned from each incident.
  • 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.
• Prior Law School Documentation
  • If you have previously attended, or are currently attending, any law school (regardless of accreditation status or degree/certificate pursued), you must have the following documentation submitted by that institution:
    • Official Transcript
      • May be submitted through the CAS Report but can also be sent by your current law school directly to Southwestern
      • Must be fully up-to-date
    • Letter of Standing
      • May be submitted as an attachment to your transcript through the CAS Report but can also be sent by your current law school directly to Southwestern
    • Enrollment Verification Form
      • A Southwestern-specific form downloadable from "Forms," or from our website at https://www.swlaw.edu/admissions-financial-aid/admissions-jd/transfer-visiting-students.
      • Instructions on how to complete and submit the form are provided on the form itself.

Optional Materials

The following materials may be submitted at your discretion and are not required in order for us to review and come to a decision on your application.

• Optional Statements
  • Please review optional statement prompts online at https://www.swlaw.edu/admissions-financial-aid/admissions-jd/application-process-requirements/application-file.
• Graduate Records Exam (GRE) Score(s)
  • Please review GRE score information and submission guidelines online athttps://www.swlaw.edu/admissions-financial-aid/admissions-jd/application-process-requirements/application-file.
• Addenda
  • An addendum is a brief supplemental statement that you can submit to provide context for areas of your application that you believe would benefit from contextualization.
  • You may submit addenda to address such topics as:
    • Academic history, including undergraduate GPA, change in major, gaps in education, leaves of absence, withdrawals, etc.
    • Low LSAT/GRE scores, multiple LSAT/GRE scores, changes in LSAT/GRE scores, LSAT/GRE score cancellations or absences, etc.
      • If you have taken the LSAT/GRE on more than one occasion, you may wish to submit an LSAT/GRE addendum to address changes in your method of exam preparation, conditions during your exam(s), or any other factors that may have impacted your performance.
      • While this addendum is optional, for those who have experienced a change in score of +/- 5 points on the LSAT, it is strongly recommended that you submit this addendum.
      • History of standardized test-taking (e.g. SAT, ACT)
      • If you have only taken the LSAT/GRE once but would still like to address your score, you may also submit an addendum.
    • Previous law school attendance (also see relevant item under ?Required Materials,? above)
    • Other circumstances affecting your performance in school, on exams, or in a professional capacity
    • Other factors for which greater context would assist the Admissions Committee in their review of your application
  • IMPORTANT: An addendum CANNOT AND WILL NOT be accepted in place of any statement that is required based on an affirmative answer to a Character and Fitness question on the application. Each affirmative answer to a Character and Fitness question must be fully addressed in a separate statement even if the content overlaps with any addenda you wish to submit.

Providing New Information after Submitting Application through LSAC

Southwestern Law School will accept additional materials for your application even after you have submitted it via LSAC.org. Any materials submitted by you or on your behalf must clearly indicate your full name and LSAC account number.

• In general, applicants may submit additional materials (e.g., updated resumes, letters of continued interest, etc.) directly to Southwestern on their own behalf.
• However, for the following types of materials, please use the indicated method of submission:
  • Official Transcripts - school must send through LSAC
  • Letters of Recommendation - recommender must send through LSAC (recommended) or send directly to Southwestern via email, fax, or mail
  • GRE Scores - ETS must furnish score report directly to Southwestern
  • Prior Law School Documentation - see relevant item under "Required Materials," above

Delivery Methods:

• Email (preferred when appropriate): admissions@swlaw.edu
• Fax: (213) 986-3911
• Mail: ATTN: Admissions Office, Southwestern Law School, 3050 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90010

Additional Information for J.D. Program Applicants

Merit-Based Scholarships

• If accepted to Southwestern, you will automatically be considered for merit-based scholarships from Southwestern. You do not need to complete a separate application or submit additional information to be considered for, or receive, merit-based scholarships. For information regarding the types of scholarships offered by Southwestern, please visit https://www.swlaw.edu/admissions-financial-aid/financial-aid/scholarships-grants-fellowships/special-scholarships.

Need-Based Financial Aid

• If you anticipate requiring need-based financial aid, and are eligible to receive federal student loans, we encourage you to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as it is available through student.aid.gov. You should ensure that you opt to have your FAFSA data sent to Southwestern. Southwestern?s school code is G01295.
• You should not wait to be accepted to Southwestern before completing and submitting the FAFSA. Submitting your FAFSA as early as possible will ensure that, if you are accepted, our Financial Aid Office can provide you with your loan package as quickly as possible, which will allow you to receive funds in time for the start of school.
• For questions about need-based financial aid, you may contact Southwestern?s Financial Aid Office at finaid@swlaw.edu or 213-738-6719.

On-Campus Student Apartments

• Southwestern?s Residences at 7th are fully furnished apartments available only to Southwestern Law School students. The Residences offer students (and their immediate family members) both the convenience of on-campus housing with amenities such as move-in ready units, study rooms, and library-connected computer stations, along with the comforts of up-scale modern apartment facilities, including dishwashers, washing machines and dryers, WiFi, a sun deck, and grill.
• Accepted applicants may apply to live at The Residences. Apartments are leased on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, please visit https://www.swlaw.edu/housing.

Online J.D. Disclosure Statement

• Southwestern Law School is permitted to offer its Online J.D. Program to students residing in California, as well as many other U.S. states that require authorization, certification or registration of our program. Some states and Canadian provinces do not require an authorization process and SW is exempt by regulation.
• The list of states in which Southwestern is approved to offer its Online J.D. Program continues to expand and changes frequently. We encourage applicants to visit our website at https://www.swlaw.edu/online for the most up-to-date information. If you plan to live in a state where an application is pending, Southwestern may grant you waitlist status, conditioned on Southwestern determining if it may offer the program in your state of residency. If Southwestern does not receive authorization or an exemption to offer the Online J.D. Program in these pending jurisdictions by June 1, 2026, we will alert each waitlisted student who indicated they intended to reside in the impacted jurisdiction during the program and allow them to receive a refund of any monies paid to Southwestern in connection with their application.
• We will accept applications from students who would like to study remotely from a country outside of the U.S. and spouses/dependents of visa holders who have an H-4 visa and are eligible to study online.

State Bar Admission Information

• 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.

Professional Licensure by Program

• Professional licensure requirements vary from state to state, which may affect a student?s ability to apply for a professional license after completing the program. Please review Southwestern's Professional Licensure by Program webpage at https://www.swlaw.edu/aba-and-other-required-disclosures/professional-licensure-program. Note that some programs may not provide eligibility for licensure in every U.S. jurisdiction.

Before beginning a J.D. program, we recommend that students and prospective students contact the appropriate bar admission agency in the jurisdiction where they plan to sit for the bar examination or intend to work to seek the most up-to-date information about state licensure and certification requirements. The National Conference of Bar Examiners, in collaboration with the American Bar Association, annually publishes a Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements that provides information, including a directory of state bar admissions agencies, about bar admission requirements in all U.S. jurisdictions. This guide may be found at https://www.ncbex.org/about/publications.

Southwestern Law School?s Nondiscrimination Policy

Southwestern Law School prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of race (including hairstyle and hair texture), ethnicity, color, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, sex, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, parental status, marital status, age (40 and over), disability (mental and physical), medical condition, citizenship status, military status or service, veteran status, genetic information, or any other classification protected by law in matters of admissions, employment, housing, or services, or in the educational programs (including retention of students) or activities Southwestern operates.

Please direct all inquiries regarding Southwestern?s nondiscrimination policies to:

General Counsel
3050 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90010
(213) 738?6626