Applying for the JD

Admission to the School of Law is very competitive. The Office of Admission may receive as many as 4,000 applications for 235 seats. Those who apply to Carolina Law are considered to be among the top students in North Carolina, the nation and the world.

Eligibility

To be eligible for consideration, applicants for admission to the UNC School of Law must:

  • Have, or expect to have, a bachelor's degree from a fully accredited college or university by the date of anticipated enrollment.
  • Have taken the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) administered by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) within the last 5 years.
  • Register with the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS). (The LSAT/LSDA Information Book may be obtained on most campuses or from the Law School Admission Council.)

No particular curriculum, major or courses are required for admissions. Generally, the broadest possible educational background is recommended.

Application Procedures

Register with LSDAS

UNC School of Law requires its applicants to register for the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS), provided by the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC). Your LSDAS registration includes law school report preparation, letter of recommendation and transcript processing, and access to electronic applications for all law schools accredited by the American Bar Association. There is a fee for this service, as well as a fee for each law school report.

Register with LSDAS online

After you register with LSDAS, you will need to submit the following information to LSAC for inclusion in your LSDAS report:

  • Copies of all undergraduate, graduate and law school transcripts 
  • Copies of Letters of Recommendation, if processed by LSAC

Once you've submitted all transcripts and recommendation letters to LSAC, you can then submit your application and non-refundable $70.00 application fee to us. Upon receipt of your application, your LSDAS report will automatically be submitted to us for consideration with your other application materials.

The LSDAS service is effective for five years from your initial registration date. Please note, however, that if you register for a Law School Admission Test (LSAT) at any time during your initial five-year period, the LSDAS service will be extended five years from your latest LSAT registration.

Take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT)

All applicants for admission are required to take the Law School Admission Test. UNC School of Law accepts test scores up to five years old. For applicants with multiple test scores, the policy at UNC Law is to base our admissions decision on the highest of the LSAT scores. Although we will accept the February 2007 LSAT, we encourage all students to take one of the earlier exams so that your application is completed in a timely fashion.

2007-2008 test dates:

  • Monday, June 11, 2007
  • Saturday, September 29, 2007
  • Saturday, December 1, 2007
  • Saturday, February 2, 2008

Further information can be obtained by contacting the Law School Admission Council.

Transcripts

After you register for the LSDAS, you must have a separate transcript sent to LSAC from each undergraduate and graduate institution you have attended. Transcripts you should send include: 

  • undergraduate and graduate schools
  • law/medical/professional schools 
  • schools attended for summer or evening courses 
  • schools attended even though a degree was never received 
  • schools from which you took college-level courses while in high school even though they were for high school credit 
  • schools that sponsored your exchange or cooperative program abroad 

Transcripts must be sent directly from the institutions attended. Transcripts issued to you or sent by you will be returned unprocessed. Most schools charge a fee for forwarding transcripts. Allow two weeks from the time of receipt for us to process your transcripts. 

Transcripts should be mailed to: 

Law School Admission Council
662 Penn Street
Box 2000-M
Newtown, PA 18940-0993 

Download the transcript request forms from LSAC site. 

Submit a Completed Application

Apply to the School of Law using the online application provided through LSAC, the downloaded version of the application found below or the paper application provided by the Office of Admissions. Remember to sign and date the application form before returning it to the School of Law by the February 15 deadline.

Online Application through LSAC

Download PDF version of Application

Letters of Recommendation

Two letters of recommendation, reported through LSDAS, are required in order for your application to be considered. A third letter of recommendation is optional. Please make sure that your recommenders use your full name (in addition to any nickname or other preferred name) when writing your letters of recommendation. It makes it easier to match the letters to your LSDAS report and your application file.

Instructions from the LSAC site on how to complete the letters of recommendation.

Personal Statement

Carolina Law requires that each applicant submit a personal statement. The personal statement provides prospective students an opportunity to share their perspectives on a number of specified topics. Please refer to the application for specific information regarding the personal statement requirement and the topics to be addressed.

DEADLINE FOR APPLYING:  FEBRUARY 15, 2008