Instructions: If you agree to the below terms of the early decision application program and wish to apply for early decision, then you must complete the Docusign eSignature process below no later than November 15, 2022. You must also have taken and received a valid LSAT or GRE score on or prior to the October 31, 2022. If you are applying with the LSAT, you must have an LSAT writing sample on file by November 15, 2022.
If you are certain that Berkeley Law is your first choice law school and if you definitely would attend if admitted, then we encourage you to apply for the binding early decision program. Although there is no advantage in the admission process, we will take into account your particular interest in Berkeley Law as evidenced by your early decision application. There is no application fee for early decision applications.
Under this program, you may not apply to any other binding early decision program during the same admissions cycle. You may only apply to other law schools on a regular decision basis.
Upon admission, you will be required to withdraw all of your other law school applications. You may not initiate any new applications, and you must commit to matriculating at Berkeley Law by submitting a Statement of Intent to Register by December 12, 2022. Failure to honor these commitments may result in the revocation of your admission offer. Such a revocation would be final for the 2022-23 cycle (i.e., you could not then be reconsidered in the regular admission program). You may not defer an early decision offer except in extraordinary and unforeseeable personal situations.
If admitted through the early decision program, you will receive a $90,000 scholarship ($30,000 per year for three years). You also may apply for other gift aid, including programmatic scholarships such as the Berkeley Law Opportunity Scholarship. However, specific information on gift aid, programmatic scholarships, or federal loan eligibility and awards will not be available until well after you will be required to commit to Berkeley Law under the program. In addition, any other programmatic or named awards may supplant the early decision guaranteed scholarship of $90,000.
If you are not admitted as an early decision applicant, then your application will be evaluated again as part of the regular applicant pool without prejudice.
The application requirements for early decision are the same as those for regular decision with the exception of the submission of a signed version of this certification form, which is required. You must complete and submit your early decision application by November 15, 2022. Incomplete applications will not be transferred to the regular decision pool. If your early decision application remains incomplete by the deadline, but you wish to be considered for regular decision, then you must complete a new application and pay the $75 application fee.
Certification: I certify that I have read the above and understand the stated policies and practices that govern the binding early decision admission program at Berkeley Law and that I wish to be considered for early decision. During this admissions cycle, I have not submitted and will not submit an application for early decision at any other law school, nor will I enter into an early decision agreement with another law school. If admitted through Berkeley Law’s early decision program, I will matriculate at Berkeley Law in August 2023. I agree to withdraw all my applications to other schools immediately and to refrain from initiating any new applications.
Click through here to eSign the BED Certification Form in Docusign.
Please note that your status checker will reflect whether we have received your certification form 3-5 business days after you submit your application on LSAC.org.