Juris Doctor Application Requirements
Each candidate must submit to the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law a completed application for admission available online through the Law School Admission Council's website. The application deadlines are:
- Accelerated Two-Year JD
- Final Deadline: February 1
- Traditional Three-Year JD
- Priority Deadline: February 1
- Final Deadline: April 1
All applicants for admission must have received a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university prior to law school registration. To be considered for admission, each candidate must submit the following:
- A non-refundable application fee - Waived for the 2024 application
- Completed, signed, and dated application
- Resumé
- Personal Statement
- Optional Statement(s)
- Two Letters of Recommendation
- Law School Admission Test (LSAT) Score or Graduate Records Examinations (GRE) score
- Registration with the Credential Assembly Service (CAS)
- International Student Data Form (for visa holders)
Resumé
Please attach to your application for admission a resumé, including a record of employment, scholastic honors, extracurricular activities, and community involvement.
Personal Statement
Please include a two- to four-page, double-spaced personal statement indicating fully your reasons for wanting to study law, why you chose to apply to Pepperdine Caruso Law, significant extracurricular and/or civic activities, and any further information that you feel should be considered by the Admissions Committee.
Optional Statements
You may choose to respond to either or both prompts below to provide the Admissions Committee with additional information about yourself and the contribution you would make to our unique Pepperdine Caruso Law community.
#1 Christian Mission
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. Caruso Law's dedication to our Christian mission drives a deep desire to embody and imbue in our students the highest standards of ethics and morality. We are proud to have a strong Christian faculty that also includes several professors from other faiths. We welcome students of all faiths, as well as students who are not part of any faith tradition. Our complete mission and vision can be found here. Please share how you would contribute to this unique community.
#2 Background, Life Experience, and Perspective
Pepperdine Caruso Law is a community of belonging with students, faculty, and staff with different backgrounds, life experiences, and perspectives. We are committed to creating a culture in which each person’s voice and convictions enhance our shared community. Please share with the Admissions Committee how your background, life experiences, and perspective have shaped your courage, determination, and character and ability to contribute uniquely to the culture of the Pepperdine Caruso Law community.
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.
LSAT/GRE
Pepperdine Caruso Law is currently accepting the LSAT, LSAT Flex and GRE. It is recommended that you take a standardized test by March of the year in which you are seeking admission.
The Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) has free resources to help students prepare for the LSAT. Students may also purchase an LSAT prep course from a variety of vendors.
Yes. All ABA-accredited law schools will require you to register with CAS.
Pepperdine Caruso Law does not use numerical cutoffs in admissions decisions.
The current median GPA is 3.80 and the current median LSAT is 164. Median numbers are calculated from the current first-year class.
Pepperdine Caruso Law considers the highest score that is still valid.
Yes. A CAS report is required from all applicants regardless of whether they take the GRE, the LSAT, or both.
Pepperdine Caruso Law will average your "Percent Below" values from both your Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections, and compare that average to our median LSAT score percentile. For example, the current Pepperdine Caruso Law LSAT median is a 164, which is about the 89th percentile of all LSAT takers. Therefore, a comparable score on the GRE would be one that scored in the 89th percentile of that test.
Pepperdine Caruso Law's LSAT median is a 164, which is about the 89th percentile of all LSAT takers. Therefore, a comparable score on the GRE would be one that scored in the 89th percentile of that test.
If you submit a GRE and an LSAT score, we will evaluate both scores.
We will only accept official GRE score reports from ETS. Please indicate "Pepperdine University" as a recipient of your test scores. For more information on submitting official score reports, please visit the ETS website.
Our school code is 4371.
No, you are not required to submit your GRE score and we will not see that score unless you send it to us.
Yes. Because a CAS report is required of all applicants, Pepperdine Caruso Law will automatically receive all valid LSAT scores.
Yes. The Admissions Committee will accept either test score. We consider all applications holistically and will evaluate applications similarly regardless of test type.
Perhaps. A materially higher score on one or the other might improve your chances of admission. You should prepare for and take the test that you feel is most indicative of your academic ability.
Standards of Admission
Responsibility for evaluation of candidates for admission is vested in the faculty Admissions Committee. Completed files are sent to the Committee, where objective criteria such as the undergraduate grade point average and the Law School Admission Test score are carefully evaluated. Objective information regarding admitted students can be found here. The next stage of the evaluation is subjective and includes employment experience, extracurricular activities, evaluation of the applicant's ability to make a positive contribution to the unique environment of a Christian law school, community involvement, commitment to high standards or morality and ethics, reasons for wanting to study law, competence in writing and speaking, emotional stability, maturity, initiative, motivation, and other relevant subjective information furnished by the applicant.