Transfer enrollment
JD admission
ASU Law accepts transfer students who have completed one year in a full-time Juris Doctor (JD) program or its equivalent. Students must have completed their first year at a law school accredited by the American Bar Association and be in good standing at their current law school. In order to transfer, students must have completed at least one year of law school.
Only first-year coursework is eligible for transfer credit, which includes the standard ABA first-year requirements and ASU Law first-year requirements. A maximum of 29 transfer credits can be counted toward the 88 credits necessary for graduation. Transfer credit will not be granted for courses with less than a "C" grade for work completed at an accredited law school. ASU Law may also deny or reduce credit for particular courses. Grades received at another law school are not counted in determining a student's cumulative grade point average at ASU Law.
As is with many other law schools, ASU Law’s policy dictates that students who transfer into the college are not eligible to be ranked and are not eligible for the Order of the Coif. However, students who transfer and earn at least 40 graded credits at ASU Law are eligible to earn academic honors (cum laude, magna cum laude or summa cum laude) based on their final cumulative grade point average at ASU Law. Students who transfer are also eligible to participate on ASU Law's Law Review, journals and moot court teams. Students may also be eligible for externships and study abroad opportunities.
Please note: All students who enroll at the ASU College of Law must provide an official transcript (paper or electronic) from their undergraduate or previous law institution(s) verifying all academic credits undertaken and degree(s) conferred.
For students entering the Law School in the Fall semester, transcripts must be received by October 15.
Any student who fails to submit his or her official transcript(s) by the deadlines specified above may be subject to administrative withdrawal from the Law School.
Explore all the JD enrollment options ASU Law offers.
Application deadlines
The fall 2025 JD transfer application is available online through LSAC
Applicants who require a visa must complete all paperwork by June 1.
Early Fall applicants may apply with one semester of 1L grades and receive a decision by May 1. Early Fall applicants who are not offered admission may hold their application for regular Fall admission with two semesters of law school grades.
Application components
The application fee ($65) is waived for all applicants
Completed applications must be submitted online to ASU Law through LSAC and include the following:
Required materials
All applicants must register with LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service (CAS). An application for admission must include a valid LSAT or JD-Next score (excludes applicants applying to the ASU Achievement program), as well as transcripts from your current law institution.
An LSAT score is valid for five years. LSAC will report all LSAT scores for the past five years. For applicants with both LSAT and JD-Next scores, scores from both examinations will be considered.
JD-Next scores must be submitted to ASU Law by Aspen Publishing. ASU Law does not accept self-reported JD-Next scores.
The transfer statement should give the committee a better picture of who you are beyond your academic achievements and resume. It should be compelling, well-written and include some discussion of why you want to transfer to ASU Law. The statement should be no more than two double-spaced, typed pages and in a font size no smaller than 11 point.
Your resume should include details about your educational background, work history, military service, leadership roles, honor societies, scholarships, extracurricular activities, public/community service, honors and awards, publications, foreign language proficiencies, and any other significant achievements and involvements. As to work history, include significant employment during and post-college (including organization name, dates of employment and hours worked). Your resume should be no more than two typed pages and in a font size no smaller than 11 point.
If you answer "yes" to any of the questions in the Character and Fitness section, you must include a separate statement providing a complete description of your actions and full details of the charges and sanctions against you. For example, to be complete, the statement must include a description of all charges or adjudications, including the level of degree and whether it is a felony or misdemeanor. You also must include the date(s) of the matter(s), the status or final disposition of the charge(s), (with the type of plea, such as, not guilty, no contest, Alford or guilty) including your current status with the disciplinary or criminal authorities (for example, the status of your probation or parole), and the name and address of the authority in possession of those records. You must also include any charges that have been expunged, sealed or set aside, even if told you do not need to by a judge or attorney. If you participated in a deferment program in order to expunge a criminal activity, you will also need to include that information. Additionally, you must provide your personal account of the events that led to the charges or discipline.
Complete Transfer Application – Law School Information Form by current law school Registrar (A home law school transcript, or an individual grade report that includes final spring term grades, sent directly to asulaw.admissions@asu.edu. We will accept a student copy of your current term grades to expedite the review process, but a final official transcript must follow if you are admitted. If the school does not rank students, an official letter stating that the school does not rank must be submitted).
Required for foreign educated applicants. Please refer to special instructions here.
Optional materials
ASU Law accepts up to two letters of recommendation. The recommender should submit the letter directly to LSAC. Please note that since letters of recommendation are optional, the Admissions Office will not wait for letters to complete your file for review.
Admission details
The admissions committee reads files in the order they are completed and it is in your best interest to apply early in the cycle well in advance of the early fall deadline of March 15, or the regular fall deadline of July 31. Admission and scholarship decisions are made on a rolling basis, therefore, for the best consideration, applicants should make every effort to apply as early as possible.
Review process
Review of applications for admission and scholarship are done on a rolling basis, therefore applicants are encouraged to apply as early in the admissions cycle as possible. The admissions committee will begin reviewing applications as they are marked complete. The admissions committee aims to return decisions within 15-20 business days from the date the application is marked complete. However, the admissions decision timeframe may increase as we approach the early fall application deadline of March 15.
Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all required documents are received by our office. Applicants will typically receive a confirmation email and instructions on accessing the application status checker within three business days of submitting the electronic application.
ASU Law allows applicants to use generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the preparation of their application materials. Applicants are expected to use this technology responsibly and must certify that the information they submit in their application to ASU Law is true.
Be aware that during the application review process, the admissions committee may request additional information to be provided. Please check your email regularly and ensure that your voicemail box is set up and can receive messages should the Admissions Office need to contact you to request information.
Frequently asked questions
Transfer students have essentially the same curricular opportunities and the same access to the myriad services we provide as students who began their JD program at ASU Law.
Our academic law journals may have supplemental acceptance processes available to incoming Fall transfer students, depending on journal membership needs. ASU Law has five academic journals – the Arizona State Law Journal, the Corporate and Business Law Journal, Jurimetrics, Sports and Entertainment Law Journal, and the Law Journal for Social Justice. The Arizona State Law Journal is our most competitive journal, and may accept 1-2 transfer students during the Fall acceptance process. Fall transfer admits interested in our academic law journals may utilize a special petition process that is available from May 1 to July 15. Regardless of admission date, ASU Law transfer students are encouraged to contact our law journals, to determine if there are spots and application processes available for membership consideration.
All transfer students will have the ability to take part in the normal journal write-on competition following Spring finals in their 2L year.
ASU Law recommends including with your application at least one Letter of Recommendation (LOR) from a professor you had while enrolled in a JD program. LORs should be submitted via LSAC. LORs are not required to complete your transfer application.
Generally speaking, credits earned through regular law school classroom coursework are eligible for transfer consideration. The eligible transfer credits usually correspond with the 1L curriculum offered at ASU Law. Transfer credits will be evaluated upon admission. Transfer credits will not be granted for courses with less than a "C" grade for work completed at an accredited law school. ASU Law may also deny or reduce credits for particular courses. Up to 29 total credits will transfer.
Eventually, all transfer students must provide the most up-to-date official transcripts, with proof of any applicable rank and good academic standing from the prior institution. Students who have completed one semester of grades may apply through the Early Fall option and be considered based on one semester of grades. If you are planning to apply for regular fall admission, you can submit your official transcripts reflecting all completed 1L grades and showing any coursework in which you are currently enrolled. Your current transcript will allow our Admissions Committee to begin reviewing your application. Depending on your admission program option and application status, the Admissions Committee will want to see updated transcripts to evaluate whether your academic performance has improved, regressed or remained consistent over the course of the current semester.
Once admitted, it is fairly simple for our financial aid department to convert your aid and apply it to your new institution. The admission letter provides details for applying any awarded financial aid to ASU Law.
There is not a minimum GPA requirement in place for the transfer program. Our Admissions Committee reviews each applicant’s file based upon the entirety of their application in order to best predict that each of our accepted students will be successful while in our program and after graduation. That being said, your law school GPA is one of the most objective indicators of continued and future success in any JD program, including ours.
While transfer students are rank-ineligible, they are eligible to earn academic honors (cum laude, magna cum laude or summa cum laude) based on their final cumulative grade point average at ASU Law. Additionally, transfer students can use their GPA at graduation to project where they would have been ranked if they had been eligible to be ranked after transfer.
