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ADMISSIONS > J.D. Degree > Application Process >
Advanced standing students, including transfer students and special status students, come from law schools across the country and make a substantial and welcome contribution to Boalt Hall’s student body. Applicants are considered for the fall term only, and admission decisions are made in early August.
In reviewing applications for advanced standing, reviewers consider each applicant’s performance in law school. Advanced standing applicants are required to provide two letters of recommendation from law professors with whom they have studied.
Admission to Boalt Hall with advanced standing is competitive. The school usually receives more than 200 applications for the 30 to 40 places available in the second-year class for transfer students, and those accepted are usually in at least the top 5 to 10 percent of their classes. Boalt Hall typically receives 25 to 30 applications for the five places available for special status students in the third-year class.
Transfer Students
A law student who has completed one year at another law school may apply for transfer status to enter Boalt Hall's second-year class if
- before legal study, a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent was awarded by an approved college or university;
- the first-year curriculum has been completed in a full-time program at a law school approved by the American Bar Association;
- a minimum of eight semester courses of Boalt Hall’s prescribed first-year curriculum (excluding Legal Research, Writing and Advocacy) and a minimum of 24 semester units have been completed before entrance;
- the work for which transfer credit is sought is of high quality; and
- the student has not been placed on probation or disqualified.
A maximum of 31 units completed elsewhere will be accepted toward a Boalt Hall J.D. degree, although students who have completed more units may apply. The school reserves the right to prescribe further conditions for the granting of such credit. The application filing period is April 1 to June 15, 2008.
Transfer Applicants Must Submit the Following--
- Boalt Hall application forms. Do not apply via the Law Services Electronic Application Service (EApp); use the PDF application found on this website instead,
- $75.00 application fee,
- A personal statement,
- LSDAS report available for our office to request from Law Services,
- Two recommendations from law professors (these either may be attached to your LSDAS report or mailed directly to us at 2000 Center Street, Suite 400, Berkeley, CA 94704-7220),
- Home law school transcript that includes final spring term grades,
- Financial aid applicants should follow the instructions given to first-year applicants.
Special Status Students
The School of Law admits a few special status students who study at Boalt Hall for a year but who receive their law degrees from their school of origin. Each year special status admission is available to students who have completed two years of high-quality work at another law school and who have demonstrated a compelling need to spend their third year at Boalt Hall. Special status applicants should discuss their compelling need to attend Boalt Hall in their personal statements.
Before an applicant is considered for special status, the dean of the school of origin must send a letter agreeing to accept work satisfactorily completed at Boalt Hall as credit toward the student's law degree. Moreover, law students will only be considered for special status if:
- before legal study, a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent was awarded by an approved college or university;
- the law school curriculum has been completed in a full-time program at a school approved by the American Bar Association; and
- the student has not been placed on probation or disqualified.
Admission to special status is not granted to fulfill individual academic interests. The application filing period is April 1 to June 15, 2008.
Special Status Applicants Must Submit the Following--
- Boalt Hall application forms. Do not apply via the Law Services Electronic Application Service (EApp); use the PDF application found on this website instead,
- $75.00 application fee,
- A personal statement,
- Two recommendations from law professors mailed directly to us at 2000 Center Street, Suite 400, Berkeley, CA 94704-7220,
- A copy of the first page of your LSDAS report from your home law school registrar's office,
- A letter from your home law school dean's office confirming permission for you to do coursework at Boalt Hall,
- A home law school transcript that includes final spring term grades.
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