Applying to UC Irvine Law - Transfer JD

A completed application to UC Irvine Law consists of the following materials sent to us electronically either attached to your Application for Admission or within your Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Report.

• The Application for Admission form
• The CAS Report, which includes your LSAT results & LSAT Writing Sample, if applicable, and previous transcripts showing bachelor's degree conferral (sent to us electronically by LSAC)
• Law school transcript(s) showing two complete semesters of coursework and grades. Note: UC Irvine Law may review and offer conditional admission based on one-semester of law school grades.
• A Personal Statement (750-word limit)
• A current resume or CV
• A minimum of two (no more than three) Letters of Recommendation. Two letters from current law school faculty are required.
• LSAT/LSAT-flex or GRE results
• Letter(s) of Standing, with rank if available, from all law school programs
• Conduct or Character & Fitness disclosures, if applicable
• Additionally, you may also include an Inclusive Excellence Essay and a response to both optional LSAT and Academic/GPA Addendums (500-word limit).

Review and Decision Timeline 

Applications for admission are accepted beginning April 1 and are reviewed on a rolling basis as they are marked as Complete. All transfer applications received by June 15 and later marked as Complete will receive a decision by the end of July. At the discretion of the Admissions Committee, some applicants may receive a conditional offer of admission based on the completion of one semester of full-time classes. Please refer to our Application Instructions or FAQs for more detailed information. 

When submitting your application for admission, please strictly adhere to all application instructions. Detailed instructions regarding all application components are included with the application.

• Electronic Application
• Application Status Check
• No Application Fee
• Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Report
• Transcripts
• Letter of Standing
• Standardized Test
• Personal Statement
• Letters of Recommendation
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae
• Optional Essays

Electronic Application: The application is available through the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) website beginning April 1. After you submit your application, you will receive an email confirmation of our receipt of your Fall 2026 transfer application. Please ensure the correct documents are submitted with your application; updates or revisions of documents will not be accepted. Please follow formatting instructions and be sure to indicate your name, LSAC account number, and the type of document (Personal Statement, Inclusive Excellence Essay, etc.) in the header of each document. Note: Conduct disclosures are separate and distinct from the optional statements. Please refer to the Character & Fitness/Conduct Information section below for more detailed information. 

Application Status Checker: After applying, you will receive your log-in credentials for the Applicant Status Checker online system within 72 business hours of submission (3 business days). Please check all your folders and/or tabs for this email.

No Application Fee: There is no application fee to apply. Please do not contact the Admissions Office requesting a fee waiver, as it is unnecessary. Due to our limited resources, we are unable to grant CAS Report fee waivers.

Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Report: All applicants must register for and utilize the LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Report. The CAS Report houses your transcript(s), Letters of Recommendation, Letter(s) of Standing, as well as your LSAT score(s) and LSAT writing sample, as applicable.

Transcripts: UC Irvine Law requires transcripts from every college or university attended (except study abroad transcripts from foreign universities) and must be submitted for inclusion in your CAS Report. Failing to include a transcript will result in your file being marked as Incomplete, which may delay both the processing of your CAS Report and the review of your file by the Admissions Committee. You are required to register for the CAS. Please request official transcripts from all your undergraduate institutions (and graduate schools, if applicable) be sent directly to LSAC and included in your CAS account, regardless of age or amount of credits earned. While LSAC will attempt to notify you as transcripts are received, it is your responsibility to ensure that all required transcripts arrive at LSAC.

If you received your undergraduate degree from an educational institution outside the United States, its territories, or Canada, you are also required to register with CAS and have your transcripts and any other required documentation sent to LSAC for processing and evaluation. LSAC will then forward your complete CAS Report to the Law School. International transcripts often take more time so please allow for this when requesting and transmitting transcripts.

Law school transcripts should be included in the CAS Report. However, we will accept electronic copies directly from the Registrar’s Office to admissions@law.uci.edu. Regardless of method, you remain responsible for your law school transcripts reaching UC Irvine Law. Applicants may apply with only their fall semester grades from an ABA-accredited law school (plus a Letter of Standing), in anticipation of their spring semester grades.

The Admissions Committee may, at its discretion, consider transfer applicants with one semester of grades - the applicant cannot request this. Applicants who are admitted with one-semester of grades receive a conditional offer of admission to UC Irvine Law. Terms of their condition will be outlined in their admission letter.

Letter of Standing: All transfer applicants are required to submit a Letter(s) of Standing as part of the application and must come from every law school previously attended (even if no grades were issued). The letter must be based on your most recent semester of attendance and grades from that semester. This letter should be included with your CAS Report. However, we will accept the Letter of Standing in PDF format directly from the Registrar’s Office to admissions@law.uci.edu. Regardless of method, you remain responsible for your Letter(s) of Standing reaching UC Irvine Law. 

Standardized Test: UC Irvine Law requires a standardized test as a part of the JD transfer application. Applicants must have been admitted to their current JD program with either the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) or the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). The standardized test included must be the same as the one utilized when you applied to your current JD program. UC Irvine Law utilizes the term LSAT to refer to both the traditional LSAT and the LSAT-flex. LSAT results are sent directly to the Law School from LSAC as part of your CAS Report. 

Applicants may have ETS send their GRE score report(s) directly to UC Irvine School of Law. If you choose to submit GRE scores and have taken the exam more than once within the past five years, you are required to submit all valid GRE results. UC Irvine Law’s GRE school code is 4859. Please refer to the application form for further instructions.

Applicants admitted to their current JD program using the GRE must also submit all GRE scores from the five (5) years preceding their admission to that program. Applicants may not use ETS’s ScoreSelect option. Failure to provide all GRE scores and/or the use of ScoreSelect may result in withdrawal of an admission offer.

Applicants who submit GRE scores must still use the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) for transcripts and Letters of Recommendation. UC Irvine Law will request the CAS Report manually after receiving your GRE Score Report.

Personal Statement: The Personal Statement is your opportunity to introduce yourself to the UC Irvine Law Admissions Committee. Applicants should respond using Microsoft Word and format your document to 8-1/2 x 11 inches, double spaced, with 12-point font and one-inch margins. Most importantly, please include your name and LSAC number at the top of each page. We will not accept revisions to the Personal Statement after you have submitted your application. Additional instructions and information are included in the application instructions. Word limit is 750. 

Letters of Recommendation: UC Irvine Law requires a minimum of two (2) but no more than three (3) Letters of Recommendation. Two (2) letters must be from faculty at your current law school. Letters of Recommendation must be on file with LSAC and assigned to UC Irvine School of Law. We will not receive your CAS Report until at least two (2) letters are assigned to UC Irvine Law and on file with LSAC. The optional third (3rd) Letter of Recommendation may come from either academic or professional sources. We do not suggest solely personal references.

Resume or Curriculum Vitae: Applicants must submit a resume illustrating their work history, volunteer experience, extracurricular activities, and any awards and/or honors. There is no page limit, however the Admissions Committee encourages that an applicant’s resume be professionally formatted with all sections listed in chronological order with the most recent first. Most resumes received are between 1-2 pages. Summer employment plans after your 1L year should be indicated on the resume you submit with your application. If your summer plans have fallen through or have changed, please email an addendum in PDF format to admissions@law.uci.edu. The addendum should be a short explanation of the situation and explain how you will be spending your summer.

Optional Essays: Applicants are welcome to submit one or both of the following optional essays below. We will not accept revisions to the addendum(s) after you have submitted your application.

Inclusive Excellence Essay: UC Irvine Law is deeply committed to fostering inclusive excellence. Please describe how you will contribute to that commitment within our law school community. Maximum word count allowed is 500.

Addendum: Applicants may submit an optional addendum to provide additional context about their candidacy. This may include an explanation of standardized test performance and/or (2) academic history (e.g., undergraduate GPA). You may address one or both topics, however, maximum word count allowed is 500.

Note: Conduct disclosures are separate and distinct from Optional Essays. Please refer to the Character & Fitness/Conduct Information section below for more detailed information. 

An affirmative response to any of the character and fitness questions on the application requires a detailed written explanation, along with any relevant supporting documentation, to be submitted with the application. If an applicant answers in the affirmative to these questions and does not provide the required statement(s), the application will be considered Incomplete and will not be reviewed. There is no word count limitation on conduct disclosures, please utilize the space you need to fully explain any incident(s) and rehabilitation. All applicants have an ongoing duty to disclose changes to their application especially as they relate to conduct matters (criminal or disciplinary) to our office by sending an email to admissions@law.uci.edu.