JD Admission Requirements

The College of Law and Public Service admits students into the JD Program in the fall for its full-time and part-time day program as well as for its part-time evening program. The College of Law and Public Service offers a January start for its part-time evening program. University of La Verne College of Law and Public Service reviews applications on a continual basis and accepts applications until the class is full. The priority application deadline for Fall 2024 consideration is July 31, 2024. The priority application deadline for Spring 2025, which begins in January 2025, consideration is December 1, 2024.

Admission Requirements

• Complete application
• Bachelor’s Degree recommended, but not required- The Committee of Bar Examiners for the State Bar of California, in accordance with Rule 4.25, requires applicants to have completed a minimum of 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours of college work. This completed work must be equivalent to at least half that required for a bachelor’s degree from a college or university that has degree-granting authority from the state in which it is located; and completed with a grade average adequate for graduation.
• Official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended at the undergraduate and graduate level must be received no later than 45 days after the start of the term in the year to which the student was admitted.
• Applicants who have taken the LSAT are required to submit their scores. Students who have not taken an LSAT may submit another graduate test score such as the GRE, GMAT, MCAT, DAT, or request consideration of their file absent such a score based on demonstrated academic excellence or professional achievement. The Dean and the law school admission committee may choose to admit such a candidate or may notify the candidate that submission of a test score is required for consideration.
• One letter of recommendation is required. Two or more letters of recommendation are encouraged.
• Personal statement
• Resume
• Personal interview (invitation extended at Dean’s discretion)
• Relevant addenda addressing issues pertaining to: Criminal background, academic background, and prior law school enrollment
• A letter of good standing is required for all transfer students or prior law students who voluntarily withdrew

Instructions for International Students

• Transcripts and degree certificates: JD applicants bearing undergraduate/graduate coursework and degree(s) received from foreign institutions outside the U.S. (including its territories) and/or Canada should send their records to:

Law School Admission Council
662 Penn Street, Box-2000M
Newtown, PA 18940-0993.

• Alternatively, JD applicants may submit an official detailed credential evaluation from any NACES-recognized credentialing service. The review must be a detailed credential evaluation to include course title, grades, and credit hours. There is a fee for this service.
• English Language Proficiency: International applicants whose native language is not English must take either the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet Based Test (TOEFL iBT), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or the Duolingo English Test.
  • A passing TOEFL iBT score is: 100 or above with 20 or above in each section.
  • A passing IELTS score is: 7 or above with 7 or above in each band.
  • A passing Duolingo English Test score is: 120 or above
  • U.S. Citizens;
  • U.S. Permanent Residents;
  • International students who completed the entirety of their baccalaureate degree at a regionally accredited school located in the U.S.;
  • International students who are native English speakers or hold a baccalaureate degree from an institution in which English is the primary language of instruction.

  Transfer Admission

  The decision regarding a transfer application will be based on a review of the applicant’s entire file, including a completed College of Law and Public Service application, LSAT scores, official transcripts from your prior law school(s), letters of recommendation, a personal statement, resume, and reasons for transferring. A decision to admit a transfer applicant is conditional, pending receipt of an official transcript and a letter of good standing from the applicant’s current law school. An admitted transfer applicant must agree to all terms and conditions of admission, including those pertaining to which credits will transfer. See more information on transfer policies at: https://law.laverne.edu/transfer/

  New Student Orientation

  The College of Law and Public Service organizes an annual Orientation for new and first-year law students during the first weeks of classes. Faculty conduct several workshops targeted at introducing students to basic skills that are fundamental to academic achievement. These workshops, which address topics like case briefing, case reading, time management, note taking, and course organization, are designed to give students an overview of the types of skills that they need to practice and develop during their law school career.