University of San Diego

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Application requirements

Recommendations

2 to 3

Updated for 2025-2026 application cycle

**Please note, law school applicants have an ongoing duty to disclose throughout the application process.

1. Have you ever been found to have violated a university or college honor code, or been subject to any academic or disciplinary action (e.g., allegation, expulsion, suspension, probation, warning, dismissal, invitation or requirement to withdraw) from any academic institution attended, any employer, profession, or professional association? If "Yes", submit a detailed explanation using an electronic attachment.

2. Have you ever attended any law school including USD School of Law? If "Yes," state where and when and give clear reasons for leaving in an electronic attachment. You must provide a letter from the dean or other authorized official verifying your good standing, together with an official transcript from any law school previously attended.

3. Please clarify the status in which you left your prior law school. Select Item Does not apply to me, I am currently enrolled in law school Academically Disqualified from USD Law Academically Disqualified from ABA Law School Academically Disqualified from Non-ABA Law School Administratively Disqualified from ABA Law School Administratively Disqualified from Non-ABA Law School Administratively Disqualified from USD Law Withdrew from ABA Law School Withdrew from Non-ABA Law School Withdrew from USD Law

4. Please clarify the timing of when you withdrew from your prior law school. I withdrew... Select Item Does not apply to me, I am currently enrolled in law school Before sitting for any 2nd Semester Exams After sitting for any 2nd Semester Exams Before sitting for any 1st Semester Exams

5. Have you ever been charged with a misdemeanor or felony (or the equivalent in a juvenile court), is any such charge now pending, or are under investigation? In responding to this question, please include incidents where the charge was originally a misdemeanor or felony, but may have ultimately been reduced to a lesser charge or dismissed. Include all incidents, no matter how minor, even if the record has been sealed, obliterated, destroyed, dismissed or expunged. Please furnish complete facts, including the name and nature of the offense, the date of the offense, the name and locality of the court, and the disposition of each event using an electronic attachment.

6. Have you ever been convicted of a violation of a misdemeanor or felony? As used herein, a conviction includes a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, or a verdict or finding of guilt, regardless of whether a sentence is imposed by the court. Please furnish complete facts, including the name and nature of the offense, the date of the offense, the name and locality of the court, and the disposition of each event using an electronic attachment.

7. Have you ever been convicted by General Court Martial or did you receive a dishonorable or less than honorable discharge from the military? If "Yes", please furnish complete facts including the name and nature of the offense using an electronic attachment.

8. Has a restraining order ever been filed against you? If "Yes", please furnish complete facts, including the name and nature of the restraining order, the date of the offense, using an electronic attachment.

ABA Standard 504

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.

Moral Character Amendment Notice

Applicants are required to promptly update their admissions application 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.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES: REGULAR ADMISSION

USD has a rolling admissions process which means that the application is open for the majority of the academic year. However, applicants are encouraged to apply early. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all application materials are received by the School of Law admissions office. The latest LSAT, GRE, or JD Next test date that is generally considered is the June test.

Transfer Credit Applicants

If any of the circumstances below apply to you, please contact the USD Law Admissions Office at jdinfo@sandiego.edu to ensure your application is completed correctly and properly considered for our transfer credit program:

If you have completed JD credits as a JD student at another ABA-accredited law school in the United States you may, upon approval by the Dean, be allowed to transfer a limited number of earned credits for courses completed toward a University of San Diego School of Law JD degree.
If you are a graduate from a foreign law school you may, upon approval by the Dean, be allowed to transfer a limited number of earned credits for courses completed toward a University of San Diego School of Law JD degree.
If you are an applicant who graduated from a foreign law school and completed a Masters of Laws (LL.M.) program at University of San Diego School of Law you may, upon approval by the Dean, be allowed to transfer a limited number of earned credits from LL.M. courses completed toward a University of San Diego School of Law JD degree.

Note: Transfer credits shall not, individually or in combination, exceed one-third of the total required by University of San Diego School of Law for the JD degree.

If you would like to learn more about the possibility of transfer credits to the JD degree, click here to visit our website for more information.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES: EARLY DECISION PROGRAM

USD Law offers an early decision program to JD applicants. The deadline for filing an application for admission under early decision is December 1, 2025. All materials required for review (including the early decision program agreement) of your file must also reach the admissions office by December 1, 2025. The latest LSAT test date that can be considered is an exam held before November 8th, 2025.

The early decision program is created for applicants whose first choice in law school is USD. If you are admitted to USD under the early decision program, you will receive your admittance by December 22, 2025 and you will have until January 15, 2026 to confirm your place in the incoming class. Applicants are not required to withdraw from other programs should financial reasons prevent the applicant from attending. Applicants are required to meet with the USD Law financial aid team prior to withdrawing from other law programs with which they have an active application before submitting their full seat deposit to USD. If you apply under early decision and do not receive an early offer of admission, then your application will continue to be considered in the general applicant pool. To be considered for early decision, you must check the indicated box. You will also be required to submit a $500 nonrefundable deposit by the January 15, 2026 deadline.

APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION

We prefer applications that have been prepared using the LSAC electronic applications program. This service allows you to use your computer to efficiently fill out applications for all ABA-approved law schools. LSAC will then send an electronic version of your application to our office. Applications electronically submitted to LSAC for transmission to this law school will be considered postmarked on the day they are electronically submitted. If you are unable to complete an electronic application, please contact the USD Law Admissions Office via email at jdinfo@sandiego.edu for a paper copy*.* The paper application needs to be complete, accurate, and signed by the applicant. Submit the application to:

            University of San Diego School of Law  
            Office of Admissions  
            5998 Alcala Park  
            San Diego, CA 92110-2492

STANDARDIZED TEST REQUIREMENTS

All applicants, unless applying as a Direct Admissions Program candidate, are required to take the LSAT or GRE test OR apply with JD Next information on file.

For GRE and JD-Next applicants, if an LSAT exam is taken and a score is issued at the time an application is submitted, or any time after submission but before the start of first-year classes, it must be transmitted to the Office of Admissions via an updated LSAC Credential Assembly Service Report (CAS Report). The Admissions Committee may use any new standardized test information of this specific nature to change an original offer of admission. Failure to report said information may result in the same action. For more information about this requirement, please contact the USD School of Law Admissions Office at jdinfo@sandiego.edu.

Applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate competency in English by successfully completing the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Applicants are required to send the results of their TOEFL directly to the Credential Assembly Service (CAS).

NOTES ABOUT APPLICATION QUESTIONS

Ethnicity - Colleges and universities are asked by many organizations, including the federal government, accrediting associations, college guides, newspapers, and our own college/university communities, to describe the racial/ethnic backgrounds of their students and employees. Your responses may be used for statistical purposes and in a manner in accordance with state and federal laws.

CREDENTIAL ASSEMBLY SERVICE (CAS) AND TRANSCRIPT REQUIREMENTS

All applicants need to register with LSAC's Credential Assembly Service (CAS), Box 2000, Newtown, PA 18940-0998. This service collects and analyzes academic data and transcripts on behalf of most United States law schools and sends both the report and copies of the received transcripts to the designated school. First-year applicants need to request that all colleges, universities, and law schools previously attended send official transcripts directly to the Credential Assembly Service. Transcripts for work completed prior to registering with Credential Assembly Service (CAS) should be sent to CAS, not to USD School of Law. Applicants need to designate the University of San Diego (code 4849) as a recipient of the Credential Assembly Service report. Applicants should allow approximately six weeks for the Credential Assembly Service process. Applicants whose undergraduate degree was earned outside the United States also need to apply for the Credential Assembly Service. Applicants must demonstrate an earned degree which is equivalent to a four-year bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution.

PERSONAL STATEMENT

The admissions committee views the personal statement as an opportunity to evaluate the writing and thinking ability of applicants and learn more about their interests, personal background, and concerns. This statement must be 2-3 pages double spaced, with 12 point font and traditional margins. Applicants should refer to the application form for information regarding the content of the personal statement. You may also wish to address: (a) why you wish to study law, setting forth your special qualifications or aptitudes; (b) how you plan to use your legal training; and (c) any additional information you deem important for the admissions committee to consider.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

Letters of recommendation are required by the USD School of Law. The letters must be submitted through the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service. The directions and forms can be found at LSAC's website, LSAC.org. Letters will be forwarded to USD with an applicant's CAS report. Letters of recommendation should be from professors or individuals who can evaluate some significant aspect of the applicant's academic background and/or work experience. If the candidate has been out of undergraduate school less than five years, we prefer letters from academic sources. Applicants are required to submit at least two letters and we ask that you send no more than three through LSAC.

Applicants on the waitlist may submit one additional letter of recommendation outside of the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service. For information on this step, please email jdinfo@sandiego.edu for instructions.

FINANCIAL AID

For updated information, please refer to the Financial Aid section of the School of Law website at https://www.sandiego.edu/law/financial-aid/.

NOTIFICATION OF DECISION: EARLY DECISION PROGRAM

The admissions office will begin to review early decision applications in November 2025. Applicants will be notified of the decision no later than December 22, 2025. The criteria used to evaluate applicants under this program will be the same as the criteria and selection process employed for regular admissions. Applicants who are not offered admission under the early admission program will be rolled over and considered with all applicants under regular admission. If an admission offer is extended, you will have until January 15, 2026 to confirm your place in the entering class by submitting the $500.00 nonrefundable seat deposit.

NOTIFICATION OF DECISION: REGULAR ADMISSION

The admissions office begins considering completed applications as late as November of the current application cycle. Since several thousand applications are individually reviewed, it may take several weeks or months for a completed application to be considered. Once the admissions committee has made a decision, applicants are advised promptly of the decision as an offer of admission, an offer of a place on the wait list, or a denial of admission. Because the admission process includes an evaluation of the overall achievements of each applicant relative to those of other applicants, many admission decisions are not finalized until the bulk of applications have been reviewed. Decisions are final and University of San Diego School of Law does not offer an appeals process for applicants.

Applicants who are in the wait list category may not receive a final decision until late summer. Due to confidentiality concerns, admission decisions are generally not communicated by telephone nor is information on an applicant released to anyone other than the applicant.

If an offer of admission is extended, the admitted student is required to send a deposit to the admissions office by the specified date in order to secure a position in the entering class. The offer of admission will be withdrawn if the required deposit is not received when due.

OFFICIAL FINAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIREMENT

Admitted students must provide an official final transcript from all degree-granting institutions indicating that a degree has been conferred. The date of conferral must be listed on the transcript. Copies of transcripts provided with the law school report are not sufficient to meet this requirement. Official final transcripts need to be on file in the admissions office prior to the first day of orientation and the law school retains the right to withdraw an admitted student for failure to adhere to this requirement by stated deadlines.

NOTES ABOUT APPLICATION QUESTIONS

Ethnicity - Colleges and universities are asked by many organizations, including the federal government, accrediting associations, college guides, newspapers, and our own college/university communities, to describe the racial/ethnic backgrounds of their students and employees. Your responses may be used for statistical and reporting purposes.

Contact Information - Please note that e-mail is the primary method of communication used by the University of San Diego School of Law Admissions and Financial Aid Office.

Education - If you have previously attended a law school, including USD School of Law, state where and when and give clear reasons for leaving. You must provide a letter from the dean or other authorized official verifying your good standing, together with an official transcript from any law school previously attended.

Demographics - Our application includes a voluntary question on sexual orientation. If you choose to self-identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, you consent to our sharing that information with current students, staff, faculty, and alumni who also identify as LGBTQ+ and who support community-building and recruitment efforts within the law school.

FINANCIAL AID

For updated information, please refer to the Financial Aid section of the School of Law website at https://www.sandiego.edu/law/financial-aid/.

Applicants who qualify for the University of San Diego Tuition Remission Program may not receive both a law school scholarship award and tuition remission benefits. More on this policy can be found at https://www.sandiego.edu/law/financial-aid/. Questions can be directed to lawaid@sandiego.edu.

THE SELECTION PROCESS

The educational mission of the University of San Diego embraces a commitment to academic excellence, individual dignity, and the development of the knowledge, values, and skills that will prepare students for service to their professional, global, civic, and faith communities. As a contemporary Catholic institution, USD has a moral and theological commitment to educating a diverse and inclusive student body. Accordingly, USD welcomes and respects those whose lives are formed by different traditions, viewpoints, identities, and lived experiences, recognizing that an inclusive student body is essential to the full and informed exchange of ideas and to the quality of legal education USD seeks to provide.

While LSAT scores, GRE scores, JD Next information, and undergraduate GPAs are important elements, other factors can also be significant in the admissions decision. These factors include: other areas of graduate study; work experience and community or professional service; awards and distinctions; personal recommendations; maturity and character; geographical background; undergraduate and graduate institutions and major; length of time elapsed since completion of undergraduate work; demonstrated motivation, discipline, and leadership ability; demonstrated success in completing a demanding educational program or activity; demonstrated success in overcoming hardship, discrimination, a social or economic disadvantage, or physical disability; demonstrated evidence of future promise, including the capacity to contribute to the legal profession and society; and lived experiences and perspectives that embody the University of San Diego and School of Law's mission statement and values.

The goal of the admissions committee, which serves in an advisory capacity to the Dean of the School of Law, is to consider all of the qualitative factors of each applicant that are demonstrative of the applicant's ability to successfully study law and serve as a member of the legal profession. When selecting from a pool of qualified candidates, the admissions committee considers the educational mission of the university, the critical role students play in educating one another, the demands of the legal profession, and the needs of the clients and communities they will serve. This makes the admissions process highly selective. The USD School of Law receives over 4,000 applications for roughly 240 available spaces in its entering class.

UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO SCHOOL OF LAW MISSION STATEMENT

We are proud to be an integral part of the University of San Diego -- an engaged contemporary Catholic university community that is committed to advancing academic excellence, expanding liberal and professional knowledge, creating a diverse and inclusive community and preparing leaders who are dedicated to ethical conduct and compassionate service. 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. In the service of this central mission, we have educational and scholarly missions that sustain and reinforce each other. Our educational mission is to prepare our students to become outstanding attorneys and leaders who excel in the practice of law. Our scholarly mission is to make an enduring mark on our fields of study and to illuminate and enliven how we educate our students.

We strive through our teaching, scholarship, and service activities to instill in our students the capacity for critical judgment and practical skills that they will need to thrive in their professional lives. We are committed to providing our students with a deep understanding of the legal and social theory and research skills that will inform their choices and arguments. We are dedicated to endowing our students with a full appreciation of the ethical duties and responsibilities that come with being a member of the legal profession, which will allow them to become leaders in their public lives.

USD POLICY OF NONDISCRIMINATION

The University of San Diego is committed to upholding standards that promote respect and human dignity in an environment that fosters academic excellence and professionalism. It is the policy of the university to maintain an educational and work environment free from all forms of unlawful discrimination and harassment.

To that end, the university prohibits and does not tolerate unlawful discrimination against or harassment of its employees, students or applicants for employment or admission on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, age, physical disability, mental disability, or other characteristic protected by federal or state law, unless a particular characteristic is a bona fide requirement of the position.

All members of the university community are expected to uphold this policy. Engaging in unlawful discrimination or harassment will result in appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from the university.

The university does not by this non-discrimination statement disclaim any right it might otherwise lawfully have to maintain its commitment to its Catholic identity or the teachings of the Catholic Church.