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Application requirements

Recommendations

1 to 3

Updated for 2025-2026 application cycle

Thank you for your interest in applying to Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. The admissions process is designed to give you the opportunity to demonstrate your full abilities. Although selection to Villanova Law is competitive, the wide range of numerical scores of the matriculating class from year-to-year indicates a class selected using a variety of criteria. If you are interested in the J.D./LL.M. in Taxation, the J.D./M.P.A., or the J.D./M.B.A. program, you must apply and be accepted to both the J.D. and the other degree program.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply, you must have successfully completed your baccalaureate programs before matriculation at Villanova Law.
As a general rule, Villanova Law will summarily deny your application to enter the first-year class if you have matriculated at another US law school and either were academically excluded from that school or else completed any first semester course or exam that was graded. If this situation applies to you, please contact the Admissions Office prior to applying to discuss whether there are special circumstances that would persuade the Admissions Committee to consider your application.
Admission is only for the fall of each year and only a full-time program is offered.

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE NOTICE

American Samoa Applicants - The curriculum of Villanova's Juris Doctor degree does not meet the educational requirements in American Samoa to become a licensed attorney.

For more information, please visit our professional licensure/certification resource page.

***International Applicants -***We are unable to determine if the curriculum of Villanova?s Juris Doctor degree meets the educational requirements in the country in which you are located to become a licensed attorney or obtain an equivalent license. Please research applicable country/regional requirements.

For more information, please visit our professional licensure/certification resource page.

The Credential Assembly Service (CAS)

You must participate in the Credential Assembly Service and be registered with the Credential Assembly Service during the application year. Through this service, you are required to send the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) official transcripts (including single course or summer school transcripts) from all colleges, universities, junior or community colleges, and graduate or professional schools that you have attended.
If you have completed more than a year of undergraduate work at an international institution or if you have earned degrees from international institutions, you are also required to utilize the Credential Assembly Service.

LSAT/LSAT-Flex

You must take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), administered by LSAC, before the end of April 2026. If you are submitting a later score, you must request, in writing, consideration of a later score, giving an explanation of the relevant extenuating circumstances. Your application may be submitted prior to taking the LSAT.
If you have substantially different scores on multiple testing dates, you should provide reasons for disregarding the lower score(s). The decision to disregard any test score is at the sole discretion of Villanova Law.
We will not accept an LSAT score that is more than five years old. In other words, your LSAT score must be from June 2020 or later.

Deadlines

Early Decision (Binding) Application

Round 1

Submit and complete application by December 1, 2025
Receive decision by January 12, 2026 (or sooner)

Round 2

Submit and complete application by February 1, 2026
Receive decision by March 1, 2026 (or sooner)

*Early Decision applications must be submitted through LSAC no later than December 1 for Round 1 or February 1 for Round 2. All other required documents, including the LSAC Credential Assembly Service Report, must be received by December 15 for Round 1 or February 15 for Round 2 Early Decision consideration.

Once an Early Decision application is deemed complete, the application may immediately go to the Admissions Committee for review, regardless of a Round 1 or Round 2 option. Therefore, a decision could be made at any point and will be considered binding once made.

Regular Decision Application

Submit and complete application by May 1, 2026.

**Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis beginning in November and decisions are made beginning in December.

The Application

The Admissions Office requires that you apply online. The Application for Admission is located at the Law School's website. You may also access the application electronically through the LSAC Credential Assembly Service.
You must complete all sections of the application. Applications with unanswered questions will remain incomplete and may be subsequently denied. You must also update information on your application if any information changes throughout the process.
The application fee is waived for all new fall 2026 JD applicants.
Your application should not be submitted until after September 1, 2025 and may not be accepted after May 1, 2026. If your application is received after May 1, it will be considered on an individual basis at the discretion of Villanova Law.
In completing the application, you should provide an e-mail address that will remain current and accessible through August 2026. The Admissions and Financial Aid Offices will use that e-mail account to contact you throughout the admissions cycle. You should not use an e-mail account of a school from which you are graduating unless you are sure your account will remain accessible after graduation. Applicants should be aware of their service provider's procedures for spam filtering that may affect delivery of any email communications sent from the Admissions Office. Steps should be taken to ensure that messages can be delivered promptly.
Out of fairness to all applicants, the law school evaluates each application on the basis of materials contained in each application, any supplementary written materials provided by the applicant, the Credential Assembly Service report, and any recommendations provided for the applicant.
Colleges and universities are asked by many groups, including accrediting associations, to describe the ethnic/racial backgrounds of students and employees. In order to fulfill these requests, we ask that you provide the responses to those demographic questions on the application. Your responses are confidential, completely voluntary and will be concealed from the admissions committee that is evaluating your application. The Charles Widger School of Law and Villanova University does not discriminate with regard to race, color, ancestry, ethnicity, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, age, veteran status, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected category.

Interviews

The Law School conducts an Admissions Interview Program. Interviews are by invitation only. Applicants may not request an interview. Being invited to interview does not mean one applicant is viewed more or less favorably than another. All interview invitations will be communicated via e-mail. Each applicant invited to interview will have one week in which to accept the invitation to interview. Therefore, please check your e-mail inbox on a regular basis, as all applicants who do not accept the invitation to interview within the timeframe specified in the interview invitation will have their application evaluated without an interview. Any outcome is possible with or without an interview. Each application will be reviewed thoroughly and holistically, independent of the decision of the Committee to invite an applicant to interview.

Additional Requirements

A personal statement is required and is preferred to be in an 11-point font size or larger, double-spaced, and two to three pages in length. Reflect on your personal background and experiences and how they have shaped your values, motivations, and aspirations. Include how they will contribute to your success at Villanova Law and the legal profession.
A résumé detailing all employment (including employment during the academic year as an undergraduate) is required. The résumé should also include extracurricular and community service activities.
The Admissions Committee requires that every applicant answer questions pertaining to character and fitness. If you answer 'Yes' to any of these questions on the application, you must provide a detailed explanation in your application. We caution you to err on the side of full disclosure.
Any supplemental information/documentation that cannot be sent through LSAC, should be sent as PDF attachments to admissions@law.villanova.edu. Be sure to include your full name and LSAC account number on each attachment.

Letters of Recommendation

One (1) letter of recommendation is required; two letters of recommendation are strongly encouraged. We require that you use the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service.
We will accept up to a total of 3 letters of recommendation.
Letters should be provided by persons with personal knowledge of your abilities, qualifications, motivations, and integrity. If you are completing or have recently completed undergraduate or graduate studies, recommendations from professors or other teachers who can speak to your intellectual abilities are particularly helpful.

Optional Essays

The admissions process consists of a fair and comprehensive review of all applicants to determine potential success at Villanova Law and in the legal profession. Admission assessment will consider all achievements, both academic and non-academic, to enroll students with a broad range of characteristics and perspectives. Considerations include, but are not limited to, academic achievement, leadership and collaboration potential, ability to learn from experience, service to the community, ability to address systemic shortcomings, substantial experience with other cultures, and goal setting. Therefore, applicants are encouraged to submit an optional essay (no longer than two pages, double-spaced) to share more about their interest in Villanova Law, as well as their qualifications, talents, perspectives, and goals. We invite you to illustrate how your background and aspirations align with our community and values.

For questions concerning applying to Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, please contact the Admissions Office at 610-519-7010 or e-mail admissions@law.villanova.edu. You may also access our PDF instructions here.