Transfer/visiting students

Transfer/visiting student application procedures

Transfer students

We take pride in being a transfer-friendly law school.

Requirements

Completion of one full year of study at an ABA-accredited law school.

• Only first-year law coursework (30 credits maximum) is accepted for the purpose of granting advanced standing. A grade of C or better is required for transfer of credit to be granted. Credit is not granted for courses taken on a pass/fail basis. Grades for courses taken at other law schools will not be included in the computation of the law school grade point average.
• Students academically ineligible to continue at the law school they last attended may not transfer to Seattle U Law.
• Transfer applicants who have applied to Seattle U Law within the past two years should contact the Admission Office to determine what application materials have been kept on file; these may not need to be resubmitted.
• Transfer applicants should contact the Admission Office before submitting applications for the part-time hybrid Flex JD Program. Some transfer candidates will not be eligible to enter the Flex JD division.

Timeline

Transfer applications are accepted beginning each January, after the completion of one law school semester.

Application procedure

Applicants must submit the following:

1. A 2 to 3 page personal statement describing your achievements, insights about your law school experience thus far, and reasons you desire to transfer to Seattle U Law.
2. A current resume.
3. An official law school transcript that covers the entire period of attendance at the law school where you were previously enrolled.
4. A letter from the dean of your current law school certifying that you are in good standing and eligible to return to study. This must cover the entire period of attendance and based on no less than completion of the first year.
5. A class rank covering the entire period of attendance and based on no less than completion of the first year.
6. A copy of the front page of the LSAC CAS (Credential Assembly Service) Report on file at your current institution, sent directly by your Registrar. If your institution will not provide this, you will need to ensure your subscription with the LSAC CAS service is current so we can order a complete report.
7. One letter of recommendation. Please include a letter from a law professor or law school administrator familiar with your work.
8. A completed application. Please use the regular JD application available through LSAC.

Criteria for admission

• Whether the candidate met the initial admission criteria
• Law school performance
• Reason for transfer

Most successful mid-year transfer applicants rank in the top third of their first-year law school class.

Decisions

To assist prospective transfer students with their planning, we can make a conditional decision as early as January of a candidate’s first year of law study if they provide the requested information above and official law school transcripts showing graded work at least through the first term.

Visiting students

Seattle U Law welcomes visiting students in good standing from any ABA-accredited law school who wish to complete a portion of their upper-division legal education at the School of Law. These students still earn their degree and graduate from their original law school. In most cases, while the credits earned at Seattle U Law transfer back to the original law school, the letter grades do not. Most visiting students spend a portion of their final year of law study at Seattle U Law.  We encourage visitor candidates to consult with their current law school to understand policies and procedures for visiting away.

In addition to the application form, students applying to visit must submit the following:

1. A 2 to 3-page personal statement describing your achievements and reasons for wanting to visit at Seattle U Law.
2. A current resume.
3. An official law school transcript that covers the entire period of attendance at your current law school.
4. A letter of transferability stating that the credits completed at Seattle U Law will be accepted toward the completion of your JD degree at your current institution.
5. A letter from the dean of your current law school certifying that you are in good standing and eligible to return to study. The letter must cover the entire period of attendance and be based on no less than the completion of your first year.
6. Your current class rank covering the entire period of attendance at your current law school.
7. One letter of recommendation. You are strongly encouraged to obtain a letter from a law professor familiar with your work.
8. A completed application. Please use this Seattle U Law Visiting Application and submit it to us by mail or email at lawadmis@seattleu.edu.