The University of Texas at Austin   School of Law

Transfer and Transient (Visiting) Admission

The University of Texas School of Law receives numerous inquiries concerning transfer and transient admission throughout the year. There are a variety of reasons why a law student seeks to change where they study law—to be near family, financial exigencies, job relocation of a spouse or partner, or to pursue a particular practice area or academic concentration in a noted program or field. UT Law seeks to accommodate as many admissions requests as our class size will allow.

Transfer Admission

Transfer students enrich the quality and diversity of the academic program at UT Law, and we encourage them to apply. Each year the Law School welcomes into our community a number of students who transfer to Texas after completing their first year of law school elsewhere. UT Law evaluates transfer applications primarily upon the student’s performance in their first year at a full-time law program, but also considers factors such as LSAT, undergraduate record, and an essay explaining the reasons for transfer.

Typically, transfer students apply during late spring or early summer based upon a full year’s performance at another law school. We will consider all applicants for conditional admission based upon first-semester performance. Transfer students who exhibit superior academic performance during their first semester may be offered admission pending receipt of a final transcript complete with first-year grades. A firm offer of admission will be conditioned upon maintenance of strong academic performance in the second semester. All remaining transfer applicants will be evaluated on their first year performance in its entirety.

The completed application, together with the nonrefundable application fee of $70, must be postmarked and forwarded to the Law School by the following deadlines: August 1 (fall transfer) and November 15 (spring transfer).

The Law School makes every effort to extend to transfer students all the opportunities that are available to students who begin their law studies here. Transfer students receive a special student orientation session and are included in our Society Program. Transfer students may participate in On-Campus Interviewing for summer clerkships, moot court, law journal write-on competition, and judicial clerkship opportunities. Some of these activities begin during the summer, so we encourage students to apply as early as possible to maximize access. The Law School also considers transfer students for merit scholarships, subject to availability. We admit transfer students on a rolling basis once applications are complete.

Transfer Admission Process

To be eligible for transfer, an applicant must:

• have attained undergraduate performance and Law School Admission Test scores that generally meet the standard currently applicable for admission to the Law School as a first-year student;
• have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 2.2 as calculated by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC);
• be in good standing at current law school;
• have completed first-year (full-time) curriculum at an ABA-accredited and Association of American Law Schools (AALS) member school; and
• have compiled a superior academic record at current law school.

Transfer Credit

Transfer applicants must apply prior to beginning their second year of law school, and transfer no more than 32 semester hours (48 quarter hours).

A transfer student receives University credit on the following terms:

• total number of credit hours transferred may not exceed the number of credit hours earned during the first year by University law students;
• transfer credit is not given for any course in which the student earned a grade of less than C, or its equivalent as determined by the dean; and
• a CR grade is recorded for all transferred work.

Transient (Visiting) Admission

The Law School grants a limited number of requests for transient admission to visiting students during the fall, spring and summer terms. Students who have obtained judicial internships in Austin may receive priority consideration during the transient admissions process. However, judicial interns must meet transient admission requirements.

To be considered for admission as a visiting student:

• you must have completed the first-year curriculum at an ABA-accredited law school;
• you must be in good standing at your present law school;
• you must present strong undergraduate and law school records;
• and you must present compelling personal reasons for taking courses in Austin.

Your completed application, together with a nonrefundable application fee of $70, must be postmarked and forwarded to the Law School by the following deadlines: July 1 (fall transient), November 15 (spring transient), and May 1 (summer transient).

If permission to visit is granted, we can not guarantee that specific courses you wish to take, or particular professors under whom you want to study, will be available. Priority enrollment is given to current UT Law students, and a number of popular courses are oversubscribed. A visiting student is not allowed to petition for enrollment in oversubscribed courses.

As a visiting student, you must abide by all of the rules and regulations of The University of Texas School of Law. Pursuant to the Law School Catalog, “A visiting student may earn no more than 32 semester hours of credit in no more than three semesters (roughly the equivalent of one year’s work at maximum load); he or she must maintain a grade point average of at least a 1.90 in all law courses taken during the semester.”