REQUIRED Application Components

• A complete application form.
• A non-refundable $35 application fee payable by check or money order to The University of Akron. (Note: The application fee is waived if the application is submitted online. If an applicant chooses to print and mail the application rather than submit it online, a check or money order for $35 must accompany the application.)
• The personal statement. The personal statement may expand on your application or reveal a side of yourself not expressed on your application. It may include, but need not be limited to 1) how a law school education will further your personal and professional goals; 2) significant personal accomplishments; and 3) special circumstances, if any, that you wish the admissions committee to know as it reviews your file. Avoid clichés, grammatical errors, typographical errors, and plagiarism. If you have overcome special challenges such as economic hardship, educational deprivation, physical disability, discrimination, assimilation to a different culture/society, or any other disadvantage, please also describe those challenges in your personal statement. The personal statement should be typed, double-spaced, and be no longer than two pages.

• A law school report including transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, and an LSAT score not older than three years from the date of application. Visit www.lsac.org to learn more about the LSAT and the credential assembly service.

OPTIONAL, but STRONGLY SUGGESTED, Application Components

Letters of Recommendation

While recommendation letters are optional, the Admissions Committee STRONGLY SUGGESTS that applicants have recommenders submit these on their behalf. Letters may be from instructors, employers, colleagues, or others. Letters of recommendation should come from appropriate sources. For example, applicants who are currently enrolled in an academic program are strongly encouraged to submit letters from instructors, and applicants who have been out of college for a number of years but have significant work experience should seek letters from employers, colleagues, or clients.

Applicants who plan to include recommendations in their application files are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to use the LSDAS letter of recommendation service. Recommenders may also send letters directly to the School of Law admissions office, although we prefer the use of the LSDAS letter of recommendation service.

If recommendation letters have not been received, but the application form, application fee, law school report, and personal statement have been received, the admissions committee will review the file without letters of recommendation. Therefore, applicants are strongly encouraged to follow one of the two following plans with regard to letters of recommendation:

1. Use the LSAC letter of recommendation service and wait until all recommendations have been processed by LSAC before submitting the application form. Applicants may check the status of recommendations at www.lsac.org.

2. Ask recommenders to write recommendations and provide them in a sealed, signed envelope so that they may be sent in with the application form or shortly thereafter.

Significant Nonacademic Experience

If you would like the Admissions Committee to consider any significant nonacademic experience (e.g., volunteer work, employment history, academic honors or awards, extracurricular activities, etc.) when reviewing your application, please include an attachment with your application. This attachment may take the form of a list, a resume, or a cover letter. Please limit attachments to written statements only (please do not send video tapes, CD's, or anything else that we cannot place in a file folder) and to a reasonable length (please do not send large binders or bound notebooks), as the Admissions Committee may potentially review more than 2,000 applications in a given application cycle.

Other Important Things to Consider

Multiple LSAT Scores: If an applicant has taken the LSAT more than once in the past three years, The University of Akron will consider the highest LSAT score. If an applicant is denied early on in the application cycle and then re-takes the LSAT in the same application cycle, the new score will automatically be sent to our office from LSAC, and the Admissions Committee wil automatically re-review the application when the new score arrives.

When to Apply: Applicants may begin submitting applications in September prior to the fall semester in which they plan to begin law school. If possible, try to structure your application plan according to our suggested timeline. Please note: The University of Akron School of Law has elected to receive applications bundled with applicant LSDAS reports. Therefore, if you are submitting your application electronically, we will not receive your physical application until your law school report is complete, regardless of when you submit your application. This WILL NOT put you at any kind of disadvantage, since we cannot review applications without their accompanying law school reports.

Deadlines: We technically do not have a firm application deadline. However, applications should ideally be submitted by March 1. It is not advisable to delay applying. In general, those who apply earlier have a better chance at being admitted and receiving scholarship aid. If possible, try to structure your application plan according to our suggested timeline.

Interviews: Because of time constraints, personal interviews are not a part of the application process. Applicants should submit in writing any information they wish the admissions committee to consider.

Visits: For more information on scheduling a personal visit, click here.

Reapplication: A person who previously applied to the School of Law but did not attend (whether accepted or denied) must submit a new application. The LSAT does not need to be repeated if it was taken within the preceding three years. However, an applicant may want to retake the LSAT depending on the test score.

Notes for Foreign-Educated Applicants ONLY

Foreign-edcuated students should follow the same directions for application to the School of Law as students educated in the United States, with the following additions:

• All foreign-edcuated applicants are required to take the TOEFL in addition to the LSAT. Preferred minimum scores on the TOEFL are 650 for the paper-based test and 110 for the internet-based test. To register for the TOEFL, visit www.ets.org.
• In addition to taking the LSAT, foreign-edcuated students must register for the LSAC credential assembly service.

Here are some other things to consider as an foreign-edcuated applicant:

• All admitted students, domestic and foreign alike, are considered for scholarships, which range from a few thousand dollars per year to full-tuition.
• Scholarships may be used to cover the cost of tuition only. Books, fees, living expenses, etc., are always the responsibility of the student.
• Foreign-edcuated students who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States are not eligible for federal financial aid through the U.S. Department of Education, so any costs not covered by scholarships are also the responsibility of the student.

If you have any questions with regard to the admissions process, please e-mail lawadmissions@uakron.edu.

Click here to continue to the application instructions.