University of Houston

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Application requirements

Deadline

Mar 15, 2026

Recommendations

2 to 3

Updated for 2025-2026 application cycle

CHARACTER AND FITNESS QUESTIONS. 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.

PLEASE THOROUGHLY READ THE APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS BELOW. YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO ANSWER SIMILAR QUESTIONS DURING THE LICENSING PROCESS, WHICH INCLUDES STATE AND FEDERAL BACKGROUND CHECKS. Please review the Character & Fitness FAQs.

You must answer "yes" or "no" to the questions below. The failure to disclose an act or event such as the ones described below is often more significant and leads to more serious consequences than the act or event itself.

Failure to provide truthful answers or failure to promptly inform the Office of Admissions of any changes to your answers due to an incident that occurs after you submit your application may result in revocation of admission, disciplinary action by the University of Houston Law Center, or denial of permission to practice law by the state bar in which you seek admission.

Please note that these questions are very broad, and any exceptions should be construed very narrowly. When in doubt you should always err on the side of FULL DISCLOSURE.

If you answer yes to any of the questions, please attach the Character and Fitness Disclosure Template to your application explaining the circumstances. For questions 1, 2, and 3, please forward the official documentation showing the final disposition of the incident(s).

1. Have you ever been disciplined in any way for any matter by any college, university, law school, or other institution of higher learning, or by any professor, administrator, employee, or entity representing any college, university, law school, or other institution of higher learning, or have you been allowed to withdraw from such an institution to avoid such discipline, whether or not the record of such action was retained in your file? (Discipline includes, without limitation, a letter or other written notice of reprimand or warning, suspension, expulsion, adjustment of grade, assignment of community service, any form of probation, or any other adverse action.) (Entity includes, without limitation, residential facilities or other facilities owned or managed by a college, university, law school, or other institution of higher learning.) Character & Fitness FAQs

Have you ever been convicted of an offense, placed on probation, or granted deferred adjudication or any type of pretrial diversion? You must report any such offenses involving alcohol or drugs. You must report any failure to appear conviction resulting from any offense. You must report any conviction for failure to maintain financial responsibility (legally required auto insurance). You may exclude only Class C misdemeanor traffic violations. Character & Fitness FAQs
Have you, within the last ten (10) years, been arrested, cited or ticketed for, or charged with any violation of the law? You must report any offenses involving alcohol or drugs. You must report any failure to appear charge or warrant resulting from any such offense. You must report any failure to maintain financial responsibility (legally required auto insurance), arrest, citation, ticket, or charge. You may exclude only Class C misdemeanor traffic violations. Character & Fitness FAQs
Have you ever been confined by any governmental authority because you were found to be dangerous to yourself or others? Character & Fitness FAQs

If you answered "yes" to any of the questions, attach a completed Character and Fitness Disclosure Template for each incident explaining all the relevant circumstances. For questions 1-3, forward the final disposition of the incident(s).

5. I certify that I have read and understood the character and fitness instructions and questions, and by transmitting electronically, I certify that the information I have submitted is complete and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief. I agree that I have a continuing duty to notify the University of Houston Law Center Office of Admissions of any matters that are required to be disclosed, even after I submit my application, and even after I begin school. This obligation exists until I graduate from the Law Center. If my answers change after I submit my application, I should contact the Office of Admissions to amend my application.

Application for LSAT Test Takers
This application is intended for applicants that are applying with an LSAT score. If you are applying exclusively with a GRE score, or are a Houston Law Express applicant, please DO NOT complete this application.

Full-Time or Part-Time Application
You have two options for completing your JD degree: 3-year, full-time program, or 4-year part-time evening program. You must choose either the full-time or part-time evening program; you may not apply to both. The full-time program is designed for students who plan to devote nearly all of their time to the study of law. The part-time evening program is designed for students who plan to work during law school. Full-time students are prohibited from working more than 20 hours per week. Please consider this mandate when determining which program will best fit your needs.

Deadlines
Applications must be received by the dates listed below:

Full-Time Early Decision: November 15th
Part-Time Early Decision: November 15th
Full-Time Regular Decision: March 15th
Part-Time Regular Decision: May 15th

Early decision is non-binding. In order to be eligible for early decision consideration, you must: 1) take the LSAT no later than the November administration, 2) your application must be received by November 15th, and 3) your application must be complete by December 15th. Applications that do not meet these criteria will be considered as regular decision. Applications received after the regular decision deadlines will be considered late and evaluated at the end of the admissions cycle on a space-available basis.

Admissions Policy
Qualifications for J.D. enrollment are based upon factors relevant to the legal profession and to enrolling a talented student body with a variety of perspectives, experiences, and viewpoints that will enhance the educational experience of all students. Academic ability as demonstrated by undergraduate cumulative grade point average, LSAT scores or GRE scores, are important criteria for admission. However, it is university policy, consistent with Texas statutes, that no single criterion can be utilized as the sole determiner of admission status, nor can fixed weights be applied to any one criterion during the admission process; therefore, the personal statement, letters of recommendation, resume, and optional statements are extremely important in the decision-making process. All files receive a full-file review, and consideration is given to many factors. Additional factors include, without limitation, the applicant's background; honors and achievements; service to others; communication skills; talents relevant to the practice of law; hardships overcome; advanced degrees; work experience; leadership; and other relevant factors.

Credential Assembly Service (CAS)/LSAT
All applicants must complete their transcript registration with LSAC's Credential Assembly Service (CAS). In addition, your LSAT score(s) will be sent through LSAC's CAS. Full-time regular decision applicants are encouraged to take the LSAT no later than February, but the April administration will be considered on a space-available basis. Part-time regular decision applicants are encouraged to take the LSAT no later than April, but the June administration will be considered on a space-available basis. LSAT scores earned prior to July 2021 will not be accepted. If you have multiple scores and would like for the Admissions Committee to consider a score from a future LSAT administration, please note that in the application and email lawadmissions@uh.edu requesting our office hold your file until the future LSAT score is available. Questions about the Credential Assembly Service should be directed to LSAC at 215.968.1001 or lsacinfo@lsac.org.

Foreign Educated Applicants
Applicants whose undergraduate degrees were earned outside the US or Canada must use LSAC's CAS for the evaluation of foreign transcripts, unless you completed the foreign course work through a study abroad, consortium, or exchange program sponsored by a US or Canadian institution, and the work is clearly indicated as such on the home campus transcript. The Law Center accepts both the TOEFL and IELTS exams, which are only required of applicants who obtained their law degree from a country where English is not the official language. TOEFL and IELTS scores should be submitted to the CAS by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Additional information on the admissions criteria for international students can be found on our website - https://law.uh.edu/admissions/international-students.asp.

Mandatory Attachments

Resume (use an electronic attachment).
Personal Statement (use an electronic attachment).
Two letters of recommendation (no more than three) submitted through the LSAC's CAS.

Optional Attachments

Character and Fitness - If you answered "yes" to any of the questions in the Character and Fitness section, attach a completed Character and Fitness Disclosure Template for each incident explaining all the relevant circumstances. For questions 1-3, forward the final disposition of the incident(s).
Residency Statement - If there is any additional information that you believe the University of Houston Law Center should know in evaluating your eligibility to be classified as a Texas resident for tuition purposes, please attach a residency statement.
Prior Law School Enrollment - If you have previously enrolled in any law school, please attach a statement which includes the name of the institution or institutions, dates of attendance, the number of credit hours earned, and an explanation of the reason for not continuing your legal education there. We will also need an official copy of your transcript (sent through LSAC's Credential Assembly Service). If you are in good standing with the school, please provide a Letter of Good Standing.
Other Optional Statement - See "Attachments" section of the application for more details.

Additional information regarding the Law Center and the admissions criteria is available on our website.

Financial Aid/Scholarships
All admitted students will be automatically considered for merit-based scholarships. For more information on merit scholarships, please visit our website.

Checking the Status of Your Application
The Office of Admissions will notify applicants via e-mail when their application has been received. This communication will include instructions for using the online status checker. The Office of Admissions will also notify applicants via e-mail and through the online status checker when their decision has been rendered. Decisions are made on a rolling basis beginning in December. Early decisions are usually emailed by mid-February. Regular decisions for full-time are usually emailed by mid-May. Regular decisions for part-time are usually emailed by early July. To protect the applicant's confidentiality, the admissions staff will not give admissions decisions over the telephone.

Contact Information
All communications will be sent via email, therefore it is important that you provide a current email address and that you check your e-mail regularly. Updates to your contact information should be sent to lawadmissions@uh.edu.

Campus Visits
Throughout the year we have a number of ways and times that you can visit the University of Houston Law Center. Event dates, times, and locations, including a calendar of events is available at Visit Us.