Early Decision Admission
Regular Decision Admission
To be considered timely for Early Decision Admission, an applicant must take the LSAT no later than the September administration and register with LSDAS no later than October 10 of the year before desired entry, and submit a completed application for admission postmarked no later than November 1. Any application postmarked after November 1 will be considered along with the Regular Decision Admission applications postmarked by February 1. The Admissions Committee will attempt to provide a response on all completed Early Decision applications by the end of January. Some applicants will be held for further consideration. You will be notified in writing if your application is held. Early Decision Admission is not binding. If you are denied admission for the Early Decision Process, you can not reapply for the February 1 Regular Decision Process.
To be considered timely for Regular Decision Admission, an applicant must take the LSAT no later than the December administration, register with LSDAS no later than January 10 of the year of desired entry, and submit a completed application for admission postmarked no later than February 1. Any application postmarked after February 1 is untimely and will be considered only after all timely applications. Final decisions for completed applications filed in a timely manner under the Regular Decision process, and those held under the Early Decision process, will be made by the end of April.
The first-year class is admitted only in the fall semester, which begins during the last week of August. There is no admission to the first-year class in the spring or summer. It is the applicant's responsibility to request an Application/Bulletin sufficiently early to meet the November 1 deadline for Early Decision Admission or the February 1 deadline for Regular Decision Admission.
Applicants are urged to register with LSDAS immediately, take the LSAT in September, and submit their completed applications to the Law School as soon as possible. It normally takes four to six weeks for the LSAT score to be reported and for the LSDAS report to be compiled.
Information and materials will not be retrieved from previous applications to be considered as part of a current year's application at the applicant's request.
Given the number of applications UT Law receives, we regret that we cannot verify receipt of materials or application status by telephone or e-mail. Such inquiries, given the anxiety-producing nature of admissions, are natural, yet significantly slow down the admissions process while only helping a few people. We ask that you understand our decision allows us to spend more time reviewing each file, and is not intended to create an impersonal impression.
Once the Admissions office enters your application into our system, an e-mail will be sent to verify receipt of your application.
If the Admissions Committee decides to admit a candidate, the Assistant Dean for Admissions will send an "offer of admission". No other letter constitutes an offer of admission. The offer can only be accepted by following the instructions in the offer of admission. If the candidate does not accept the offer of admission, the offer of admission is revoked.
A $70 nonrefundable application fee must accompany the application for admission. Payment of the application fee must be made by certified check, cashier's check, or money order made payable to The University of Texas at Austin. The check/money order must be in U.S. dollars. Personal checks, cash, or funds not in U.S. dollars will not be accepted. Any application that does not satisfy these payment requirements will not be considered. Requests for waiver of the application fee will only be considered if (a) financial need is demonstrated, (b) the applicant presents a competitive academic record, (c) the Law School has a clear interest in admitting the student, and (d) the limit on fee waivers has not been reached. To apply for a fee waiver, an applicant must submit an Application Fee Waiver Form which can be obtained by downloading the form from our website at http://utdirect.utexas.edu/loadm/areq.WBX?page_switch=1. The completed Application Fee Waiver Form must be submitted along with a completed Application for Admission no later than November 1. If a fee waiver is denied, the applicant will be given an opportunity to submit the required fee.
All applicants must submit a detailed resumé not to exceed three typed pages. The applicant should take advantage of this opportunity to provide specific information about education, work history, military service, honors and awards, extra-curricular or community activities, publications, etc. The applicant should also include details as to any foreign language proficiencies including the level of ability with regard to speaking, comprehension, reading, and writing.
A personal statement is required of each applicant and is an opportunity to give the Committee insight to individual experiences and characteristics. Personal statements are limited to two, double-spaced pages. However, applicants will have the opportunity to submit optional addenda to explain unusual circumstances such as a period of poor academic performance, academic sanctions, history of problems with standardized tests, history of over-coming disadvantage, prior law school matriculation, criminal matters, etc.
While they are not required, candidates are strongly encouraged to submit letters of recommendation. Candidates are limited to no more than three letters. Any such letters should be submitted to The Law School Admissions Council through their letter of recommendation service.
Experience has shown that letters of recommendation are most useful when they provide insights and information about the candidate that are not reflected in the application. The most useful letters are from professors and/or employers with whom the candidate has had a close working relationship. Letters from judges, politicians, and family friends tend not to be useful except in those instances where the letters are based on a working or supervisory relationship.
Applicants who choose to submit letters of recommendation are limited to three such letters.
Letters of recommendation will only be considered in the admissions process if received by The Law School Admissions Council before the November 1 deadline for those applying for Early Decision, or by the February 1 deadline for those applying for Regular Decision. Since it is difficult to process letters of recommendation during the period when applicants' files are being reviewed, we cannot ensure that letters of recommendation received after these deadlines will be considered by the Admissions Committee. Accordingly, applicants are urged to send letters of recommendation to The Law School Admissions Council as early as possible.
