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Fri, 03/01/2024 - 3:54pm -- szb5706

Penn State Law is now Penn State Dickinson Law, with locations in Carlisle and University Park. For up-to-date news and information about the law school, go to dickinsonlaw.psu.edu.

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Penn State Law | University Park, Pa.
Lewis Katz Building, University Park, PA
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Apply as a Transfer Student

Full-time and part-time students at ABA-accredited law schools who will have completed their first year of J.D. study are eligible to apply to the second-year class at Penn State Law.

Application/Admission Requirements

Students who transfer to Penn State Law from another law school must be in residence for four semesters and earn at least 56 credits from Penn State Law. A total of 88 credits are required to earn a J.D. from Penn State Law.  

Applicants who will have earned more than 32 J.D. credits at the time of matriculation to Penn State Law may apply as visiting students using our transfer application.

Application Deadline

The Application deadline is March 31, 2023.

How to Apply

All components must be submitted electronically either via LSAC’s application unless otherwise stated. 

  • Applicants must complete The Pennsylvania State University - Penn State Law transfer application via LSAC. Be sure that you are submitting your application to "The Pennsylvania State University - Penn State Law."  The school code for Penn State Law is 2202.  
  • An LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) report including transcripts from all undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools attended, including all law schools.
    • Applications will be reviewed with one completed semester of law school grades if two semesters are not available at the time of application. Offers of admission will be contingent on continued satisfactory performance in the second semester of law school. 
  • A letter of recommendation, preferably from a law school faculty member whom you had as an instructor. Letters of recommendation must be submitted via LSAC for inclusion in the CAS report.
  • Applicants who were admitted to law school with test scores other than the LSAT must submit official copies of their score reports to Penn State Law via the test’s official reporting mechanism.
  • Transfer certification form or letter of good standing from current law school. Applicants using the transfer certification form should complete the first two sections and leave the last section to be completed by your law school. The form/letter must be completed by an official from your law school with access to the school’s official records, such as a registrar or academic dean. The form/letter must be sent directly from your current law school to Penn State Law at admissions@pennstatelaw.psu.edu. 

Note about Alternative Grades due to COVID-19

We understand that some law programs are giving students the option to take courses Pass/Fail during the disruption of classroom teaching due to Covid-19. Because the Admissions Committee places significant emphasis on the first-year law school performance of transfer applicants, applicants without a calculated GPA or with one semester of letter grades are encouraged to submit addenda or additional letters of recommendation from law professors to demonstrate their academic performance.

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Transfer Admission Policy

The admissions committee will conduct a holistic review of the applicant's file, with a significant emphasis on law school performance.  

Applicants should review the law school’s complete admissions policy, which is available here.

Scholarships

All transfer applicants will automatically be considered for scholarships. Applicants admitted with scholarships will be notified of the amount in the first email notifying them of their admission. Scholarships are renewable in full so long as the student remains in good academic standing at Penn State Law, which requires a minimum semester and cumulative GPA of 2.0

Transfer Credit Review

As part of the transfer admission process, the admissions committee and academic deans will evaluate transferable credits. A minimum grade of C is required for all credits approved for transfer to Penn State Law. Any credits earned at another law school are recorded on the student academic transcript by reference only, and no attempt is made to convert grades to Penn State Law equivalents. 

Career Services and Fall Recruitment

Once admitted, students can begin working with the Penn State Law Career Services Office and participate in fall recruitment activities. Typically submission deadlines for fall recruitment are in early to mid-July.