Willamette University

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Application requirements

Deadline

Aug 15, 2026

Recommendations

2 to 3

Updated for 2025-2026 application cycle

As either an adult or a juvenile, have you ever been charged with, arrested for, convicted of, or pled guilty or no contest to any infraction, violation of any law or ordinance, or for the commission of any felony or misdemeanor? You must disclose all adjudications in which a sentence or judgment has been withheld, deferred, expunged, or the record sealed, regardless of whether you understood or have been told that you need not disclose any such instance.

Have you ever been subject to any disciplinary action, investigation, or complaint by any professional or licensing board (e.g., bar association, medical board, etc.)? If yes, please provide a detailed explanation, including the nature of the conduct, the outcome, and any ongoing proceedings.

Are you or have you ever been party to a lawsuit?
Have you been subject to any disciplinary action or been placed on probation for academic reasons by a college or university?
Have you been subject to any disciplinary action, been placed on probation, suspended or dismissed for a violation of rules of conduct by a college or university?

PLEASE NOTE THAT AFTER THIS APPLICATION IS SUBMITTED, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO UPDATE WILLAMETTE LAW PROMPTLY IN WRITING REGARDING MATTERS THAT RESULT IN CHANGES TO ANY OF THE RESPONSES TO THESE QUESTIONS. ERRORS, OMISSIONS OR UNTIMELY UPDATES COULD BE REPORTED AS MISCONDUCT TO THE LAW SCHOOL ADMISSION COUNCIL (LSAC).

If you answer "Yes" to any of the above questions, you are required to provide a supplemental electronic addendum that describes the circumstances and outcome of the incident(s) in detail. Please note that a failure to disclose character & fitness-related issues could prevent you from becoming licensed as an attorney in the future. Please note that a ?Yes? answer is not an automatic denial of admission to Willamette Law but anything less than full disclosure could result in denial of admission, dismissal from Willamette Law or, in extreme cases, revocation of a JD.

Please note that less than full, complete and continuing disclosure may result in a report of Misconduct to LSAC and may negatively impact your admission to any law school. In addition, full disclosure is required as a component of satisfying Character and Fitness requirements for admission to the practice of law in any state's courts.

EARLY DECISION DEADLINE: DECEMBER 1, 2025

REGULAR DECISION DEADLINE: AUGUST 15, 2026

Application Materials and Requirements

Willamette Law requires you to submit application materials electronically.

LSAT and GRE

All domestic and international applicants are required to take either the LSAT or the GRE, both of which are offered several times a year in the United States and on a more limited basis abroad.

Willamette Law will not accept LSAT or GRE scores more than five years old. If an applicant presents more than one LSAT score, the highest score will be considered. If an applicant presents more than one GRE score, the highest score will be considered.

Application Processing Fee

There is no application fee.

Letters of Recommendation

Submit two letters of recommendation to the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS). Note: Letters of recommendation are required to complete a law school report, without which your application will be considered incomplete. Please monitor your LSAC.org account to ensure that your letters of recommendation are uploaded and assigned to Willamette Law.

Letters of recommendation should be written by individuals who can attest to the candidate's academic aptitude and intellectual capability for law school. Letters from professors, employers, community leaders, or business colleagues are acceptable.

Official Transcript(s)

Submit an official academic transcript from every undergraduate and graduate institution attended (including community colleges and four-year institutions, even if you did not receive a degree). Academic transcripts should be submitted to CAS.

Personal Statement

The personal statement is an important part of your application. It allows you to narrate your unique story. We encourage you to discuss what you seek to accomplish with legal training, why you chose to apply to Willamette Law and anything else that sets you apart from other applicants. Your personal statement should be between 500 and 1000 words in length and should be double-spaced.

If you are applying to the JD/MBA joint degree program, please include an additional statement describing your short-term and long-term goals and how a Willamette MBA will help you achieve those goals. Your response should be 500-750 words in length and double-spaced.

Resume

A resume is required and should be attached to your electronic application for admission.

International Applicants

International students are welcome to apply for admission to the JD program at Willamette Law and must meet the following additional requirements:

An international applicant must hold a degree that is equivalent to the American undergraduate bachelor?s degree. International applicants should contact LSAC for additional information regarding degree evaluation services.
An international applicant must demonstrate English language proficiency to satisfy immigration policies. Read Willamette Law's English Proficiency Requirements here. JD applicants who have completed the LSAT or the GRE and achieved a score sufficient to gain academic admission need not take any further action to demonstrate proficiency.
Applicants must be able to show they have sufficient resources to fund educational and living expenses for the three-year JD program and provide the following:

A completed Statement of Financial Responsibility form.
Official bank verification of funds (written in English), showing that you and/or your sponsor have sufficient resources to cover your educational and living expenses for the three-year JD program. Applicants who submit bank documents showing only one year of funding must attest that adequate funding is available from the same or an equally dependable source for the second and third years of the program.
A photocopy of the name/photo page of your passport showing your photograph and the correct spelling of your name.

Admitted students must submit all appropriate documentation before Willamette Law will issue an I-20 (Application for Student Visa).

Qualifications for Admission to the Bar

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, https://www.ncbex.org/.

Early Decision Program

Willamette Law offers an Early Decision admission program for applicants applying to the JD (full-time and part-time) program. Individuals must submit a complete application, along with the Early Decision agreement section of the application, by December 1, 2025. Early Decision applicants will be notified of a final admission decision as early as January 10, 2026. Students admitted through Early Decision will receive a renewable $10,000 Early Decision scholarship. All applicants are also considered for additional merit scholarship. Individuals admitted through early decision must submit a deposit by January 18, 2026 and withdraw from consideration at all other law schools.

Essential Performance Standards

Willamette University College of Law strives to provide a legal education that ensures that graduates will serve clients competently and ethically. Graduates must demonstrate that they can work professionally with clients, judges, attorneys, and others in the legal community. Candidates for degrees offered by the College of Law must possess certain minimum cognitive abilities and sufficient mental and emotional stability to participate fully in and satisfy their chosen program of study, with or without reasonable accommodation. The technical standards, set forth below, outline the essential abilities and characteristics required for the completion of a course of study at the College of Law. For purposes of this document, the term ?candidate? means candidates for admission to the law school and enrolled law students who are candidates for graduation. Though these standards delineate the necessary abilities of all candidates, they are not intended to deter or exclude candidates for whom reasonable accommodations for a disability will allow successful participation in and completion of the program.

Time Management Skills: A candidate must be able to meet deadlines, keep scheduled appointments, and manage his/her time to satisfactorily complete all assignments and administrative tasks within the allotted time frame. A candidate must be able to adhere to the law school?s attendance policy and punctually attend classes prepared and ready to participate per the instructor?s expectations. Candidates are likewise expected to respond to emails and other correspondence from faculty, administration, and staff in a timely manner.
Communication Skills: A candidate must be able to communicate civilly and professionally with others candidly and respectfully through all means, including through electronic and social media. A candidate must be able to receive constructive feedback in a mature manner. A candidate must be able to understand and respond to oral and written directions and feedback and must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in oral and written forms. A candidate must be able to participate, be called upon with or without advanced warning, and answer questions in a classroom or other instructional setting. Except in limited designated circumstances, a candidate must be able to communicate in a timely and appropriate manner with members of the law school faculty, staff, and administration without the assistance or intervention of third parties. Communication skills include public speaking, oral communication, reading, and writing.
Organizational Skills: A candidate must have the ability to set goals, formulate a plan to accomplish those goals, and implement the plan over time. A candidate must be able to follow directions, make reasonable inferences, and organize and synthesize information. A candidate must be able to organize ideas to communicate either in writing or orally and must be able to organize large amounts of information. A candidate must be capable of assessing the steps necessary to complete a complex, long-term task, and be able to develop and implement those steps to complete these projects in an efficient and timely manner.
Behavioral Skills: A candidate must possess the good judgment, honesty, integrity, and interpersonal skills required to work under stressful conditions and to work well with others. A candidate must be able to tolerate and manage competing demands and workloads as mentally and emotionally taxing as are routinely found in the legal profession. A candidate must be able to adapt to changing circumstances, monitor one?s own behavior, civilly conduct oneself, and adhere to all other norms of professional conduct.
Intellectual-Conceptual and Integrative Skills: A candidate must be able to understand, synthesize, and apply complex information, and must have the ability to integrate and process information promptly and accurately. Part of doing so includes the ability of a candidate to effectively work alone, and with others, including students, faculty, and staff.