Yale University

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Application requirements

Deadline

Feb 15, 2026

Application fee

$85.00

Recommendations

2 to 3

Updated for 2025-2026 application cycle

We encourage you to write an optional essay in response to one of the four questions below, each related to a value that is central to the Law School community. This essay is an opportunity to provide readers with relevant information that may not be found elsewhere in your application. If you choose to answer one of these questions, your essay should focus on your relevant personal, professional, and/or academic experiences and not on specific reasons why you wish to attend Yale Law School.

The optional essay should be approximately one double-spaced page, formatted in a professional 12-point font, and include your name, LSAC number, and "Optional Essay X" in the header (X should be the number of the question selected, e.g., Optional Essay 3).

Option 1: The Law School has a strong tradition of public service and encourages its students to contribute to the community in a wide variety of ways. Describe a community that has been particularly meaningful to you. Discuss what you have gained from being a part of this community and what you have contributed to this community.

Option 2: The Law School encourages its students and alumni to be leaders, innovators, and change makers across many different sectors. Describe one of your most important accomplishments and explain why it is important to you. Discuss how you demonstrated leadership, helped innovate, and/or drove change as part of that accomplishment.

Option 3: The Law School values determination and resilience and recognizes that these traits are critical to success at the Law School and in the legal profession. Describe a significant challenge, disappointment, or setback that you have faced. Discuss how you approached this experience and what you learned from it.

Option 4: In order to succeed at the Law School and in the legal profession, you must be able to have discussions across difference and be open to changing your mind. Describe a time when you changed your mind on an important topic after discussing it with a person with whom you disagreed or learning additional information. Discuss what you learned from this experience.

Please answer a, b, and c separately from the included résumé. While you may choose to do this in a variety of formats, we ask that you do so in a structured manner such as a list or chart. Please note that we anticipate significant duplication between this section and your résumé; the purpose of this section is to present your activities in a manner and order that is helpful to our review of your application. Please include a complete list of your college activities. Your descriptions should be brief, and, in general, applicants should be able to provide this information in no more than 1-2 pages.

(a) It is helpful for us to understand what you did during those terms when you were not in school during your undergraduate education (including summers and any other term(s) when you were not in school). This should include, for example, all paid and/or unpaid employment, internships, and study abroad. If you were taking classes or studying abroad over the summer, you should include that as well. Please list these activities in order of relative importance to you. For each activity, please:

provide a brief description;
state the approximate start and end date;
estimate the hours per week you committed; and
note whether it was paid or unpaid.

(b) Please list all activities you participated in during the terms while you were also taking classes as part of your undergraduate education. This should include, for example, extracurricular activities and paid or unpaid employment or internships. Please list these in order of relative importance to you. For each activity, please:

provide a brief description;
state the approximate start and end date;
estimate the hours per week you committed; and
note whether it was paid or unpaid.

(c) Please list and very briefly describe any other activities during your undergraduate education (in or out of school) that you consider relevant if not otherwise described above. This may include, for example, a significant thesis or capstone project; or significant personal or familial responsibilities.

INTRODUCTION

Yale Law School is a place where students immerse themselves in important ideas and have many opportunities to put those ideas into practice. Our distinctive approach to legal education is rooted in a commitment to academic excellence, a focus on innovation, and a passion for service. With hundreds of courses taught by world-renowned faculty, dozens of legal clinics and academic centers, and an innovative leadership curriculum, the Law School provides its students with many opportunities to gain the skills necessary to make a positive impact in the world and follow any career path they choose.

The Law School is committed to finding talented individuals wherever they are and providing them with the necessary financial support to ensure that a legal education is accessible to students from all backgrounds. For this reason, all of our financial support is need-based and includes full-tuition scholarships for students with the highest need, as well as a comprehensive loan repayment program for those who choose lower paying careers. Our consistent goal is to lower the barriers that limit access to law school and the legal profession.

Every year, we select approximately 200 remarkable new students to join more than 13,000 alumni and build upon this exceptional legacy. Our admissions process is selective, and we conduct a holistic review of every application we receive. There is no cut-off for grade point averages or test scores, and no single part of an application is determinative. We seek students with a record of academic excellence, professional distinction, and exceptional accomplishments who are eager to immerse themselves in our community. We look for people who will contribute meaningfully to the Law School, both inside and outside the classroom. Successful applicants should be open-minded and able to have conversations with people with whom they disagree; collegial, professional, and respectful in all of their interactions; highly ethical and aware of their responsibilities as future members of the legal profession; resilient and determined in the face of obstacles; and passionate about contributing to the communities around them.

We encourage all applicants to learn more about our application process and the components of our application. You can also connect with the Admissions team to learn more.

HOW TO APPLY

In order to apply to Yale Law School, you must subscribe to the Law School Credential Assembly Service (CAS). You can register for CAS with the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). Yale Law School requires applicants to submit their applications through the LSAC electronic application service included as part of a CAS subscription.

WHEN TO APPLY

Yale Law School will open its application for the Class of 2029 on September 1, 2025, and applications can be submitted beginning on October 1, 2025. Applications must be submitted by no later than February 15, 2026. It is your responsibility to make certain that all items arrive at Yale in a timely fashion. Please note that it may take several weeks for LSAC to process your materials.

Under our review process there is no advantage, in terms of the likelihood of admission, to applying earlier in the application cycle. In other words, your chances of admission remain constant regardless of when you submit your application.

APPLICATION FEE & NEED-BASED FEE WAIVERS

Applications must be accompanied by a non-refundable $85 application fee, which will not be credited to tuition in the event of admission. The application fee is waived automatically for those applicants who have received an LSAC fee waiver.

If you do not have an LSAC fee waiver and would like to request a need-based fee waiver of your Yale Law School application fee, please request one using our online form before submitting your application. We cannot refund application fees after they have been paid under any circumstances. Need-based fee waivers are generously granted, and parental information is not requested as part of the fee waiver application. If your request is approved, you will be given a fee waiver code to enter during the submission process for your Yale Law School application.

Please note that neither the request for, nor the granting of, a need-based fee waiver has any bearing on admissions decisions. Yale Law School employs a need-blind admissions process and encourages applicants from all socio-economic backgrounds to apply.

UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES & ACADEMIC TRANSCRIPTS

You must receive, or expect to receive, by the summer of 2026 a bachelor's degree (or the equivalent) from an approved undergraduate institution in order to be eligible to apply. All offers of admission are contingent upon graduation.

You must submit to LSAC transcripts from each college or university you attended, including study abroad and all schools you attended for graduate or professional study. Even if one school includes summary data regarding courses from another school on its transcript, an official transcript from each institution must be submitted. Yale Law School strongly encourages applicants to submit transcripts, through LSAC, reflecting all coursework completed through the time of application and further encourages applicants to submit updated transcripts as additional coursework is completed. We suggest that you allow at least six weeks for a transcript to be processed by LSAC. For detailed instructions, please visit the LSAC transcript webpage.

In light of the circumstances posed by COVID-19, Yale Law School recognizes that transcripts may reflect mandatory or optional pass/fail or credit/no credit grades. These grades will not be viewed negatively by the Admissions Office and the Law School will maintain a holistic review process for all applications.

STANDARDIZED TESTS

Yale Law School accepts results from the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test. We do not have a preference between these standardized tests. However, you may submit score(s) from one standardized test only. If you have a reportable LSAT score, you must submit your LSAT score, and you may not submit a GRE score for consideration.

If you choose to apply with the LSAT, you must take the LSAT no later than January 2026. LSAC automatically reports all LSAT scores from the past five years. The oldest LSAT score we will accept is June 2020.

LSAC requires an LSAT writing sample, taken via LSAT Writing or LSAT Argumentative Writing, in order to generate your CAS report. Applicants who take the LSAT more than once do not need to submit multiple writing samples. It may take up to three weeks for LSAC to process and report your LSAT Writing. Therefore, you should complete your LSAT Writing no later than January 25, 2026, to ensure we receive it by the application deadline.

If you choose to apply using the GRE General Test, we must receive your GRE scores from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) by our application deadline, February 15, 2026. Because it may take up to 15 calendar days for ETS to transmit your scores once you complete the exam, you should take the GRE no later than February 1, 2026. Applicants who have taken the GRE can log into their ETS accounts and select Yale Law School as a recipient of GRE results using the school code 4542. Additionally, please ensure that the GRE score report submitted with your application is requested on or after the date you submit your Yale Law School application. Do not submit your GRE scores in advance of your application. A failure to comply with these policies may prevent the review of your application or result in the withdrawal of an offer of admission.

To maintain parity between our evaluation of LSAT and GRE results, applicants who apply using the GRE must submit all GRE scores from the past five years. When reporting your GRE scores to Yale Law School, please select the option to report your entire testing history. Selecting this option will report all of your GRE scores for the past five years.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

Yale Law School requires two letters of recommendation. You can submit a maximum of three letters of recommendation. We strongly prefer letters from at least two professors with whom you have studied who can speak to your academic performance and who have had a chance to personally evaluate significant aspects of your academic work. Letters from college deans, coaches, chaplains, and others may be helpful, but are not preferred. If possible, they should not replace letters from two faculty recommenders.

Letters of recommendation from employers can be useful in the following two circumstances: (1) in addition to two academic letters, if you have significant work experience or your employer supervised your work in a full-time, post-graduation position, especially if the position is related to your law school interests, or (2) if you are unable to obtain two academic letters, most commonly because you have been out of school for a substantial period of time. In both cases, an employer recommendation is most helpful when it addresses the qualities that academic recommendations typically address (e.g., research and writing skills, critical thinking and analytic ability, and overall suitability for the study and practice of law).

All letters of recommendation must be transmitted through the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service, which is included as part of your CAS subscription.

We will begin review of your application as soon as we have received two letters of recommendation. We will not hold your application in order to wait for an additional letter. To ensure that all of your recommendations are available for consideration, please verify that they are on file with LSAC prior to applying to the Law School.

PERSONAL STATEMENT

The required personal statement should help us learn about the personal, professional, and/or academic qualities you would bring to the Law School community and the legal profession. Applicants often submit the personal statement they have prepared for other law school applications. Your personal statement should focus on your relevant personal, professional, and/or academic experiences and not on specific reasons why you wish to attend Yale Law School.

The personal statement should be approximately two double-spaced pages, formatted in a professional 12-point font, and include your name, LSAC number, and "Personal Statement" in the header.

250-WORD ESSAY

The Law School is a vibrant intellectual community where students are expected to engage academically with faculty and fellow students. For the required 250-word essay, you should focus on an idea or issue from your academic, extracurricular, or professional work that is of particular interest to you. The idea or issue you choose does not have to be law-related; this is an opportunity for readers to learn more about how you would engage intellectually in the Law School community.

The 250-word essay should be double-spaced, formatted in a professional 12-point font, and include your name, LSAC number, and "250-Word Essay" in the header.

OPTIONAL ESSAY

We encourage you to write an optional essay, which will allow you to answer one of four questions, each related to a value that is central to the Law School community. This essay is an opportunity to provide readers with relevant information that may not be found elsewhere in your application. If you choose to answer one of these questions, your essay should focus on your relevant personal, professional, and/or academic experiences and not on specific reasons why you wish to attend Yale Law School.

ADDENDA

You may submit addenda to your application if any are necessary for a full representation of your candidacy. These addenda may include, for example, explanations related to transcripts or test scores, including a history of under-performance on standardized tests. It is not necessary to include any addenda, and many applicants do not include any.

INTERVIEW

Yale Law School will select some applicants to interview as part of the evaluation process and an interview is necessary for admission. If you are selected for an interview, the Admissions Office will contact you with additional information.

DEAN'S CERTIFICATION

Yale Law School does not require submission of dean's certification form(s) as part of the initial application. In the event an offer of admission is extended to you and you choose to accept that offer, you will be required to submit a dean's certification form from each college or university degree program in which you are, or have been, enrolled, regardless of whether a degree was awarded. The dean's certification form and a complete set of instructions will be provided to admitted students.

All offers of admission are contingent upon the satisfactory completion of the dean's certification requirement. Discrepancies between an applicant's answers to the questions in the Character and Fitness section of the admission application and the information provided in dean's certification forms will be considered sufficient grounds for revocation of an offer of admission.

REVIEW PROCESS & NOTIFICATION

The Admissions Office will notify you by e-mail when your application has been received and is ready to be processed. After processing your application, the Admissions Office will notify you by email of your application's completion status and provide you with log-in credentials for your applicant portal, where you can review your application's status and learn which, if any, application materials are needed to complete your application.

Applications are considered approximately in the order in which they are completed. Your application will be considered complete and ready for review once the Law School receives your application materials, a CAS report, LSAT or GRE score(s), and two letters of recommendation. We will not hold your application in order to wait for an additional letter of recommendation, later test scores, or any other additional materials.

Given our holistic review of each application and the significant involvement of multiple readers in the review process, our decision-making process can be lengthy. We appreciate your patience throughout the review process.

If admitted, Yale Law School may use information derived from your application, including your name, contact information, and basic biographical information, to connect you with members of the Law School's community. If you do not consent to the sharing of such information, please contact the Admissions Office at admissions.law@yale.edu.

Please note: We cannot provide decision information over the phone. If you have a deposit or scholarship deadline at another school, please send to us an e-mail with your name, LSAC account number, telephone number, name of the school, type of deadline, and deadline date.

ADMISSION OFFERS & SCHOLARSHIPS FROM OTHER LAW SCHOOLS

If you receive an offer of admission and/or a scholarship offer from another law school before hearing from Yale Law School, please be aware that LSAC's Statement of Good Admission and Financial Aid Practices provides member law schools with best practices for law school admission and financial aid programs.

First, law schools should allow applicants sufficient opportunity to consider other offers before requesting a commitment of any kind. Second, each school should allow applicants to freely accept a new offer from another law school even though a scholarship has been accepted, a deposit has been paid, or a commitment has been made to their school. Thus, law schools should never ask you to withdraw your application to Yale Law School before a decision has been made on your application.

In addition, please note that Yale Law School will consider applications from individuals who have accepted admission through deferred admissions programs for college sophomores and juniors.

FINANCIAL AID

All financial aid packages at Yale Law School are calculated on need-based criteria.

U.S. citizens and permanent residents should submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to Yale Law School. Yale Law School's Title IV code is 001426. In the event that an offer of admission is extended to you, you will be given access to Yale Law School's Financial Aid Application and Scholarship Tool (FAAST). You will need to submit your information to FAAST before your financial aid package can be generated. If you are not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you will only need to submit your information to FAAST.

Visit Yale Law School Financial Aid for additional information about our need-based aid system and to learn about other ways the Law School financially supports its students and graduates.

CERTIFICATION & VERIFICATION OF INFORMATION

By agreeing below to the instructions, you certify that the information you have provided on your application form, in any related materials submitted to Yale Law School, and in any communications with Yale Law School, is accurate to the best of your knowledge, and that all written work is your original work. You understand that Yale Law School or its agent has the right to verify information included in, but not limited to, your application. You further hereby authorize all persons or entities to provide any information that will serve to verify the information you have presented in your application, in any related materials provided to Yale Law School, and in any communications with Yale Law School; you expressly waive any required notice to you. You agree to notify Yale Law School of any changes in the provided information or of any further information that might affect your eligibility for consideration as a prospective student. You understand that all offers of admission are contingent upon the satisfactory completion of the dean's certification requirement. You understand that a failure to satisfy any of the obligations set forth in this paragraph; or any discrepancies between the information you provided as part of your application and any other information you provide to Yale Law School, information Yale Law School receives from dean's certification forms, letters of recommendation, or through any action Yale Law School takes to verify information in or related to your application will be considered sufficient grounds for the revocation of your offer of admission to Yale Law School.

CITIZENSHIP STATUS

Yale Law School is committed to equal opportunity and accessibility to all candidates who show great academic and personal promise irrespective of citizenship status. Yale Law School evaluates applications without regard to a student's citizenship or immigration status, and all students are eligible for the Law School's need-based financial aid.

WEIL LEGAL INNOVATORS (WLI) PROGRAM

Yale Law School is a partner law school in the Weil Legal Innovators (WLI) Program. Participants in WLI defer their first year of law school to work at a nonprofit organization. Participants receive a salary and health benefits for the year, a $10,000 law school scholarship, ongoing professional development training from instructors in the academic, private, and public sectors, mentorship by a Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP partner, and more. If interested, you may apply between December 2025 and March 2026. You can learn more at the WLI website.

NONDISCRIMINATION, TITLE IX & CLERY ACT STATEMENTS

The University is committed to basing judgments concerning the admission, education, and employment of individuals upon their qualifications and abilities and seeks to attract to its faculty, staff, and student body qualified persons from a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives. In accordance with this policy and as delineated by federal and Connecticut law, Yale does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment against any individual on account of that individual's sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, disability, status as a special disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam era or other covered veteran. Inquiries concerning Yale's Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment may be referred to the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA); W.L. Harkness Hall, 3rd Floor, Room 303, 100 Wall Street, New Haven, CT 06511; 203.432.0849; equity@yale.edu.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects people from sex discrimination in educational programs and activities at institutions that receive federal financial assistance. Questions regarding Title IX may be referred to the University's Title IX Coordinator, Elizabeth Conklin, at 203.432.6854 or at titleix@yale.edu, or to the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 8th Floor, Five Post Office Square, Boston, MA 02109-3921. Telephone: 617.289.0111, Fax: 617.289.0150, TDD: 800.877.8339, or E-mail: ocr.boston@ed.gov.

In accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) as well as other applicable federal and state laws, the University publishes an annual campus security and fire safety report. This report contains three years? worth of campus crime statistics concerning crimes committed within the geographical limits of the University as defined by the Clery Act; security policy statements; fire safety information; and a description of where students, faculty and staff should go to report crimes. The fire safety section of the annual report contains information on current fire safety procedures and fires that occurred within an on-campus student housing facility, if any. You may request a copy from Yale Public Safety by mail at P.O. Box 208235, New Haven, CT 06520-8235, or by phone at at 203.432.4400. A copy is also available online.