Apply for JD Transfer or Visiting Status

Transfer Students

A limited number of places are available for students who wish to transfer to the law school after completing one year of legal studies at an American Bar Association-accredited law school. A maximum of 28 credit hours may be applied toward the law school’s degree requirements. The primary factor considered in an admission decision is the student’s first-year law performance. Transfer students may apply for admission to the Law School for either the fall or spring semester. To consider an applicant for admission as a transfer student, the Admissions Office must receive the following:

  • A completed application for admission submitted via LSAC.org, accompanied by an application fee of $80
  • A transcript of the applicant’s law school record sent directly from the school to the GW Law Admissions Office
  • An official undergraduate transcript
  • A CAS report, including a record of LSAT history (transfer applicants are eligible to apply through the GRE Pilot Program)
  • A letter from an official (for example, dean of students or registrar) of the applicant's current law school stating that he or she is in good academic standing

The deadlines for submission of transfer applications are June 15 for the fall semester and November 15 for the spring semester.

Please note: Fall semester transfer applicants who apply by March 1 automatically will be considered under the Early Action Transfer Program, through which non-binding provisional admission may be offered based on first-semester law school grades. Final admission will be determined after the spring transcript is received.

Fall 2024 Priority Application Deadline: May 15.  Applicants who submit their applications via LSAC by May 15, and whose files are complete by June 1 (with spring semester grades and a letter of good standing), will receive priority review. We will expedite the decision process in order to allow full access to the Career Center's Summer Interview Programs.

LLM to JD Transfer Program

Non-U.S. law school graduates enrolled in the law school’s LLM program may apply for transfer admission to the JD program to begin in the year following completion of their LLM degree. A limited number of outstanding students will be offered admission each year. Those students may then sequentially complete both the LLM and JD degrees within three years.

Students admitted through this program may begin JD studies in the fall semester only.

To be considered for transfer admission, applicants must do the following:

  1. Successfully complete at least one course from the required JD curriculum during their first semester of LLM enrollment;
  2. Notify the JD Admissions Office ([email protected]) in writing of their interest by February 1 (during their second semester of LLM enrollment);
  3. Take either the LSAT or GRE no later than May 1; and
  4. Submit a transfer application through the Law School Admission Council no later than May 15.

Applicants will apply through the Law School Admission Council using the standard transfer application. Required components of the application include 1) all official records from prior academic institutions and the GW Law transcript sent directly to LSAC, 2) LSAT/GRE score, 3) a personal statement, and 4) a resume. Applicants should arrange for their Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores to be sent from the Graduate and International Programs Office to the JD Admissions Office. All documents are due in the JD Admissions Office by May 15. Please note that the LSAT/GRE score is just one of a number of factors that are considered for admission into the LLM-JD Transfer Program.

Students admitted to the JD program will be treated as transfer students. Upon beginning the JD program, they will receive 28 credits of advanced standing for legal studies completed outside of the United States. Students can thus complete the LLM degree in one year and the JD degree in an additional two years. The law school is committed to providing administrative and other similar logistical support for LLM-JD transfer students.

Visiting Students

A student who is in good academic standing as a degree candidate at an ABA-accredited school may be admitted to the Law School as a visiting student in order to earn credit for transfer to his or her home institution. While the vast majority of visiting students do their course work at the Law School during the summer session, students may apply for visiting student status during the fall or spring semester. Admission will be based primarily on space availability.

To consider an applicant for admission as a visiting student, the Admissions Office must receive the following:

  • A completed application for admission submitted via LSAC.org, accompanied by an application fee of $80
  • A transcript of the applicant’s law school record
  • A letter from an official (for example, dean of students) of the applicant's current law school stating that he or she is in good academic standing and is approved for visiting status at GW Law

Please note that the law school will not issue an I-20 form for visiting international students.

The deadlines for application materials are June 15 for the fall semester, November 15 for the spring semester, and May 10 for the summer session.