Admissions
Juris Doctor (JD) Application Process
Each candidate must submit to the School of Law a completed application for admission on the official form available from the Admissions Office. This application must be accompanied by a $60 non-refundable application fee. Applications should be received by the Admissions Office no later than February 1.
General Requirements
All applicants for admission into the first-year class must have received a bachelor's degree from an approved college or university prior to registration. To be considered for admission, each candidate must submit the following:
The priority admission deadline is February 1, 2010 and the final admission deadline is April 1, 2010.
For transfer application information, please click here.
Resume
Please attach to your Application for Admission a resume, including a record of employment, scholastic honors, extracurricular activities, and community involvement.
Personal Statement
Please include a brief personal statement indicating fully your reasons for wanting to study law, why you chose to apply to Pepperdine School of Law, significant extracurricular and/or civic activities, and any further information that you feel should be considered by the Admissions Committee. If you desire, please discuss any applicable factors that would bring diversity to the class including racial or ethnic origin, age, work experience, geographical origin, and socioeconomic background.
Letters of Recommendation
Two letters of recommendation are required. Recommendations should be furnished by those individuals who can best assess your ability to succeed in law school. When possible, at least one of the recommendations should be provided by a faculty member with whom you pursued your undergraduate studies. Relatives should not be asked to submit recommendations. Pepperdine University School of Law requires that your letters be submitted through the LSAC letter of recommendation service that serves all member schools. This service is included in your LSDAS Registration subscription. Your letters will be copied and mailed to us along with your LSDAS Report when the letter of recommendation service has received both letters. To use this service, follow the directions for submitting letters outlined in the LSAT/LSDAS Registration and Information Book, or on LSAC's website, www.LSAC.org. Each person providing a letter should use the recommendation form found in the book or on the web site.
Response to Mission Statement
Each applicant must respond to the Pepperdine University's Mission Statement, which is:
Pepperdine is a Christian university committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and Christian values, where students are strengthened for lives of purpose, service, and leadership.
The School of Law seeks to further this mission, and encourages adherence to the highest moral and ethical standards. How would you expect to contribute to this environment or identify with this mission? An applicant's file will not be considered complete, and thus will not be reviewed without a response to the mission.
Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
Each applicant for admission must take the LSAT administered by Law Services. This test is offered every February, June, September/October, and December at testing centers established for the convenience of applicants in all parts of the United States and in many foreign countries. Although the Application for Admission deadline is February 1st, Pepperdine will accept February LSAT scores. However, since admission decisions are made beginning in early January, we recommend that applicants take the LSAT no later than the Fall or Winter test date of the year prior to expected enrollment and certainly no later than February of the year in which the applicant is seeking admission. Application forms and information concerning the time and place of the examination may be obtained from Law Services or the Admissions Office at the School of Law. Applicants should register for the LSAT no later than 30 days before the test date to assure themselves of a place at the desired test site. Law School Admission Test Scores are considered valid for a period of five years. Test scores prior to that period of time are not considered by the Admissions Committee.
Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS)
The applicant should register with the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) by completing and mailing the registration form supplied with the LSAT/LSDAS Registration Packet. A transcript from each college or university attended should then be sent directly to:
LSDAS
Box 2000-M
Newtown, PA 18940-0993
Please DO NOT send these transcripts to the School of Law. Any work completed after the initial registration with LSDAS should be evidenced by a supplemental transcript sent to the School of Law.
Foreign-educated applicants must use the JD Credential Assembly Service. This service is an extension of the LSDAS. All foreign transcripts should be sent to the LSAC.
The Admissions Process
Responsibility for evaluation of candidates for admission is vested in the Admissions Committee. Upon completion of the file, it is sent to the Committee, where objective criteria such as the undergraduate grade point average and the Law School Admission Test score are carefully evaluated. The next stage of evaluation is subjective and includes evaluation of the applicant's ability to make a positive contribution to the unique environment of a Christian law school, employment experience, extracurricular activities, community involvement, commitment to high standards of morality and ethics, reasons for wanting to study law, competence in writing and speaking, emotional stability, maturity, initiative, motivation, and any other relevant subjective information furnished by the applicant.
Diversity Admissions
The School of Law seeks to attract students who will bring variety, diversity and excellence to the study of law. In addition to academic performance, admissions decisions may be based on consideration of other factors which would serve these purposes. These factors include racial and ethnic origin, unique work or service experience, a history of overcoming disadvantage, unusual life experiences, and other qualities that are likely to enrich the learning and living environment at the School of Law.
Accepting an Offer of Admission
Offers of admission to entering first-year students are made only for the Fall semester and cannot be carried over to subsequent years. After receiving notice of acceptance offer, the applicant will be required to make two acceptance deposits and submit all official transcripts to the school of law in order to accept the offer.
Acceptance Deposit
The applicant is required to make two deposits to the School of Law. Unless the deposit is received on or before the date stated in the offer of admission, the acceptance may be canceled so that the place may be offered to another applicant. The first deposit of $300 is required by April 15. Applicants who are offered admission after April 15th will be given a later deposit deadline. If written notice of a decision not to enroll is received by the School on or before the June 30 preceding the anticipated date of enrollment, $150 of the acceptance deposit will be refunded to the applicant. Otherwise, the deposit is not refundable. The second deposit of $300 is required by July 1. The second deposit is not refundable. For those applicants who matriculate, the acceptance deposits will be applied toward the first semester's tuition.
Official Transcripts
Each applicant, after accepting the offer of admission, must have an official transcript sent to the School of Law directly from each college or university which granted a degree, showing the degree and date awarded. These transcripts, while not required to hold the applicant's place in the class, must be on file prior to registration. All transcripts and documents submitted become the property of the University and are not returnable. A student's final admission to the School of Law cannot be granted until such transcripts are on file.
Admission Contingent Upon Truthfulness
Applicants are advised that the University's decision to admit them is contingent upon the truthfulness of the information contained in the application files submitted by the applicant and/or persons in the applicant's behalf, including letters of recommendation. Discovery of false information subsequent to admission is, at the University's discretion, grounds for withdrawal of the offer of admission or for immediate dismissal at any point in the student's course of study. Such dismissal shall result in forfeiture of all charges paid and academic credits earned.
Admission with Advanced Standing
Admission with advanced standing may be considered only for individuals who have satisfactorily completed their first year of law at a law school which is approved by the American Bar Association and holds membership in the Association of American Law Schools. The student must satisfy the entrance requirements for beginning students at Pepperdine University School of Law. In addition, the student must submit an official letter of good standing from the school attended which indicates present status and current class rank. A law student disqualified elsewhere because of low scholarship will not be admitted to the School of Law. Credit allowable for advanced standing is determined by the Associate Dean, based on an official transcript from the school attended. In no case will transferred credit be allowed for more than one year. Transfer students admitted to the School of Law are not eligible to receive an official class ranking but will be given an equivalent rank in class. Transferred units will not be computed in determining the grade point average. Students graduating from Pepperdine University School of Law must complete their last 58 units of study in residence. The deadline for transfer applications is July 15th. Click Here for more information
Readmission After Withdrawal
Students who withdraw from the School of Law after matriculation are not entitled, as a matter of right, to return. They must compete with other applicants for a place at the time they wish to return. In making a decision about an application for readmission, the following matters are among those considered: Whether the student meets the current standard for admission; the quality of work done prior to withdrawal; the length of time between the withdrawal and application for readmission; and the reasons for withdrawal.
Withdrawal Because of Military Service
Students in good standing who are required to withdraw because of an involuntary military obligation are entitled to return as a matter of right provided they were in good standing at the time of withdrawal and they apply for readmission to the first semester beginning after completion of their military service.
Reactivation
Applicants may reactivate their admission file from the previous admission year only. A $60 reactivation fee is required along with the Reactivation form. Download the form at http://law.pepperdine.edu/admissions/applications/.
Admission to the Bar
Before beginning their law studies, applicants for admission to the School of Law should familiarize themselves with the laws and rules governing admission to the bar in the state or states in which they intend to practice by writing to the secretaries of the appropriate boards of bar examiners. The laws of some states require that students register with their state board of bar examiners before the commencement of legal studies. Applicants are advised to keep a careful and detailed record of all employment and residence addresses, no matter how temporary. It is highly advisable to secure from each employer, immediately upon the termination of employment, an affidavit showing the length of service, the capacity in which the student was employed, and the employer's opinion of the student's character.
Connect With Us