Learn (pdf) about the upcoming recruitement calendar.
Learn (pdf) about how UC College of Law strives for excellence, relevance, and impact.
Meet our students (pdf) and learn about the 2007 entering class.
Admission Policy
Admission to the college is based upon a careful evaluation of each individual's application file. Although the Admissions Committee, composed of faculty, students, and administrators, relies heavily on the undergraduate grade point average and the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) score to determine the applicant's academic potential, other non-quantitative factors believed to be relevant to success in law school are considered. These factors include the quality of the applicant's previous education, t rend of academic performance, participation in community service or significant extracurricular activities, employment experience, graduate work, and thoughtful letters of recommendation.
The educational philosophy of the college reflects a belief that a quality legal education is enhanced by having a heterogeneous student body. The committee, therefore also considers race, cultural background, unique personal circumstances, and age. The college encourages applications from persons who wish to return to school after an interruption for family responsibilities and from individuals considering a career change. To be considered for admission, a candidate must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university by the date of anticipated enrollment. A notice of acceptance may be issued before the undergraduate degree has been obtained, but suc acceptance is conditional upon the applicant's receipt of the degree.
The College of Law offers a full-time day program only; entering students are enrolled during the fall semester in August. The first-year class is limited to 135 students, 385 total students in the law school. The admission application process should be started in the fall of the year prior to that in which admission is sought. Applicants should submit their credentials by April 1 to ensure priority consideration. Applications received after that date will be considered, but only to the extent that space is available.
The University of Cincinnati College of Law has recently implemented an Early Decision Program. The Early Decision Program was designed for students who have researched all of their legal education options and have decided by December 1 the University of Cincinnati College of Law is their first choice institution. Students who desire to participate in the Early Decision Program must submit a complete application and the supplemental Early Decision Program form (page five) by December 1. (In order to be considered complete an applicant must have taken the LSAT by September 2007 and have submitted all required documentation to LSDAS, letters of recommendation included.)
Students will be notified of the Admissions Committee's decision by January 15. If offered admission under the Early Decision Program, applicants must withdraw all other law school applications, as it is a binding process.
While a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university is required prior to enrolling in the College of Law, no specific major or particular course is prescribed. The college follows the statement of the Association of American Law Schools, which describes those capacities to be developed in preparing for law study but recognizes that they may be acquired through different pre-law courses. The basic skills and insights that should be developed are comprehension and expression in words, critical understanding of the human institutions and values with which the law deals, and creative power in thinking. For admission purposes, the undergraduate major is less important than the quality of instruction and the level of academic achievement attained. The student preparing for law should take courses sufficiently difficult to assist in the development of the rigorous intellectual discipline essential to law school success. Although political science is the traditional pre-law major, English, history, economics, business, science, and philosophy are also common choices. In developing the skills of a lawyer, the student should place special emphasis on oral and written communication skills. In general, the student should obtain the best available education that develops analytic ability and broadens general knowledge. For additional information, prospective law students should consult the current ABA-LSAC Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools, which is prepared by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) and the American Bar Association (ABA). The Offical Guide includes material on pre-law preparation and applying to law schools, together with helpful descriptions of most American law schools. This publication may be obtained at college bookstores or ordered from LSAC.
The College of Law has long held that a diverse and heterogeneous student body leads to stimulating and exciting classroom discussion. To achieve this goal, the College of Law seeks to attract students from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, including students of color, students who have been educationally and economically disadvantaged, students who may be from particularly urban or rural backgrounds, and students from a wide and varied intellectual background. By maintaining and enhancing diversity in the student body, all students have the opportunity to learn from several different perspectives and, in the long run, improve their own capabilities as attorneys and upholders of the law. The best manner in which to discuss one's uniqueness and diversity with the admission committee is through a well-written personal statement or through the use of the Supplementary Information Questionnaire included with the Application (page nine).
Notification of Admission Decisions
Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis by the Admissions Committee in December when sufficient applications are complete in order to start the review process. The Admissions Committee continues to evaluate application files until late spring. Every applicant will receive a decision letter (accept, wait list, deny) within four to six weeks of being notified that the applicant's file is complete. The waiting list is established to fill any openings that may occur during the spring and summer.
Upon receiving notice of acceptance, the applicant is required to make an acceptance deposit of $150 by the date listed in the letter of acceptance. Payment of the deposit when due assures the applicant of a place in the class and is considered as evidence of good faith that he or she will register. If the student notifies the College of Law by May 15 in writing that he/she does not plan to enroll at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, $100 of the $150 acceptance deposit will be refunded.
Before a student can begin classes, the College of Law must receive two final official transcripts from every college or university he/she has attended. The transcripts which indicate the receipt of the bachelor's degree must indicate that the degree was conferred before the date of matriculation into the college (one copy of each transcript is kept permanently for the college's record, the other is made available to the bar examination authority of your choice). All transcripts must be mailed directly to the College of Law by the registrar of the issuing institution.
This program permits the associate dean to approve students, on a case-by-case basis, for a reduced course load over a four-year period. Participating students in the first year must take at least 13 hours of course work in the first semester and 12 hours in the second semester. The flexible time program is designed for students whose family responsibilities or financial situations would prohibit them from studying law on a full-time basis. Because of the time demands of the first year, working outside of law school by first-year students is strongly discouraged by the faculty. The flexible time program is not designed to circumvent the college's first-year work policy. Interested students should write and request entry into the flexible time program after the acceptance letter has been received.
Although some students find it necessary to work to finance their legal educations, the national and state accrediting agencies impose a maximum on the number of hours a student enrolled in a three-year program can work. Outside work during the first year of law school is strongly discouraged by the faculty in view of the unique educational experience of the first year and the time demands imposed upon it.
An applicant who has submitted the required $150 acceptance deposit may request a deferred acceptance to the following year. All deferral requests should be made in writing as soon as possible after acceptance. If the deferment is granted, the student is assured of a place in the next year's entering class. A second acceptance deposit of $150 will be required the following year by April 1. The deposits will be credited to the student's account upon entrance into the College of Law. If the student fails to enroll, both deposits are forfeited.
