Instructions for the Entering First Year Applicant
1. Character and Fitness and the Need for Full Disclosure
Applicants should take care to respond fully, fairly, and carefully to every question on the application. The School of Law is primarily an academic institution. In evaluating applications, the admissions committee is thus principally concerned with a candidate's potential for succeeding in and contributing to the academic program and School of Law community. The care, candor, and integrity evidenced by the application can be significant factors in that evaluation.
Applicants also should be aware that, in conducting character and fitness investigations (see section 10), bar authorities frequently request copies of candidates' applications for admission to law school to determine whether they have supplied erroneous or incomplete information in the admissions process. If discrepancies are found, bar authorities may conclude that they so far undermine a candidate's credibility as to call into question his or her fitness for admission to the bar. In this regard, the School of Law places upon each applicant the continuing responsibility to notify the School of Law of any changes after submitting the application. This notification is required either prior to admission or at any time while enrolled as a student, and includes the information required by questions 1 and 2 under Additional Information on the application.
2. Admission Standards
Admission decisions at the School of Law are based upon an applicant's potential for excellence in the study of law. The standard indicators of such potential, the LSAT score and prior academic achievements, are evaluated in light of the quality of the undergraduate institution and the rigor of the courses selected by the applicant. In deciding among applicants who satisfy the school's high academic standards, factors such as significant work experience, extracurricular activities or community service, and unusual skills or backgrounds will also be considered. Because the process is selective, you are encouraged to provide a complete understanding of your background and accomplishments. The School of Law is committed to a policy of enhancing the diversity of its student body and encourages applications from members of all minority groups. Applicants who are granted admission must possess bachelor degrees from regionally accredited institutions prior to registration.
3. Time of Submission of Application
Applying electronically through LSAC's Credential Assembly Service (LSDAS) allows you to use your computer and the Web to efficiently fill out applications for all ABA-approved law schools. Electronic and printed versions of your completed application will be sent to the University of Miami School of Law. The University of Miami School of Law prefers electronic applications processed by LSAC, an option which is included in your Credential Assembly Service registration. The school also accepts paper applications accessible in PDF.
Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis throughout the year. Your application will be reviewed as soon as all required documents have been received. Completion of your application by February 1, 2010 or earlier is strongly advised to place you in the best position for admission. If you wish to be considered for scholarships, completion of your file by January 4, 2010 is strongly advised. Applications received after February 1, 2010 will continue to be accepted and reviewed on a seat available basis until July 31, 2010.
4. Your Address/Name Change
It is important that we have a current postal and e-mail address for you at all times. If either of the addresses you provide on your application changes at any time, notify us promptly in writing. If you should legally change your name, it is necessary for you to submit documentation to that effect to the Office of Admissions.
5. TOEFL/International Degrees and International Transcripts
The University of Miami School of Law requires that international transcripts be submitted through the LSAC Credential Assembly Service's authentication and evaluation feature. If you completed more than one year of postsecondary work outside the US (including its territories) or Canada, you must use this service for the evaluation of your international transcripts. This service is included in the Credential Assembly Service registration fee. A Foreign Credential Evaluation will be completed by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), which will be incorporated into your Credential Assembly Service report. Students applying to the Juris Doctor program must possess a bachelor's degree from a US regionally accredited institution, or an equivalent degree from a international institution. The evaluation from the Credential Assembly Service will clarify
if international degrees meet this requirement.
Applicants whose native language is not English, and whose undergraduate education is from outside the US, are required to submit a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score. If this applies to you, you must contact the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and request that your TOEFL score be sent to LSAC. LSAC's TOEFL code for its Credential Assembly Service is 0058. Your score will be included in the authentication and evaluation feature of your Credential Assembly Service report. Questions about the Credential Assembly Service can be directed to LSAC at 215.968.1001 or
LSACINFO@LSAC.org.
6. Law School Admission Test
Every applicant must take the LSAT. We encourage you to take the June or early fall test the year prior to entry to permit early file completion. However, we will accept December and February LSAT scores. If you took the LSAT in June 2005 or thereafter, we will consider your score. If, however, you took the LSAT prior to June 2005, it will be necessary for you to retake the test. If you do not sit for the examination on the date(s) you indicate on your application, you must inform us in writing as soon as possible. In most cases, the highest LSAT score will be given the greater weight in the review process.
7. Credential Assembly Service
The School of Law requires each applicant to register with the Credential Assembly Service. All undergraduate transcripts must be sent to the Credential Assembly Service. LSAT & LSAC Information Books are available at most colleges and universities. You also may obtain registration information at the law school's admission office, or by contacting LSAC at 662 Penn Street, Box 2000, Newtown, PA 18940-0998; 215.968.1001; or www.LSAC.org. The University of Miami Credential Assembly Service
code number is 5815. Applicants who completed more than one year of postsecondary work outside the US (including its territories) or Canada must submit their international transcripts through the Credential Assembly Service (see section 5 above).
8. Transcripts
In order to process your application, we must receive transcripts for all academic work you have undertaken, whether at the undergraduate, graduate, or professional level (including credit and noncredit courses). These transcripts must be sent to us through the Credential Assembly Service. Transcripts for any work completed after you have fulfilled all the requirements for Credential Assembly Service submission, such as transcripts for your final semester or summer session of college, may be sent to us through the Credential Assembly Service, or by the registrar's office of the institution you attended. It is to your benefit, however, to submit an updated Credential Assembly Service report.
Transcripts submitted through the Credential Assembly Service, while required to process your application, are not official transcripts. In keeping with American Bar Association standards, should you be offered admission, we require that an official transcript from the degree-granting institution be received by the School of Law prior to registration. This transcript should be sent to us directly by the registrar's office of your degree-granting institution. All acceptance offers are conditional until receipt of your official transcript conferring a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution. International transcripts sent to LSAC for the Credential Assembly Service will be forwarded to the University of Miami School of Law upon matriculation.
9. Recommendations
You should submit your application to the School of Law prior to having your recommendations forwarded. University of Miami School of Law strongly recommends that your two recommendations be submitted through the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service that serves all member schools. This service is included in your Credential Assembly Service registration. Your letters will be copied and sent to us along with your Credential Assembly Service report. Letters received by LSAC after your report has been sent to us will be forwarded to the School of Law on a weekly basis as they are received at LSAC. Please be sure to include your Social Security number or LSAC account number and full name (identical to that on your application) on all recommendations. At least one (and preferably both) of these recommendations should be from a faculty member who is familiar with your academic performance and has had an opportunity to evaluate some significant aspect of your academic work.
If you have been out of school for a number of years and are unable to obtain recommendations from former professors, you may substitute the recommendations of employers or other persons with whom you have worked closely since graduation. If, by February 2, we have not received one or both of your recommendations, but all other documentation in support of your application has been received, we may act upon your application as if it were complete. It is to your advantage to ensure that all recommendations written on your behalf are submitted promptly. If you choose to have your recommendations forwarded directly to the School of Law, please refer to the address below (section 14).
10. Conviction of a Crime and State Bar Requirements
States subject applicants to the bar to a comprehensive and rigorous character and fitness investigation before admission to practice. Applicants are strongly encouraged to check with the state bar in the states in which they desire to practice to determine the rules that will apply to their bar admission in those states. Applicants with criminal convictions may find it difficult to gain admission to the bar of some states. Because the rules and procedures of states differ, you should consult the bar authorities in each state in which you intend to practice if you have been convicted of a crime. Furthermore, you should
keep in mind that state bar authorities are concerned about the veracity of prospective lawyers and thus with an applicant's truthfulness in supplying and updating information requested on law school applications. Should you fail to disclose on this application a crime for which you have been convicted, you may experience, on that ground alone, unusual delays or other problems in being admitted to the bar. (See also section 1.)
11. Application Fee--Method of Payment and Fee Waivers
The application fee is $60 and nonrefundable. When using the LSAC's electronic service, you may pay by credit card and electronic signature (no certification form required), or you may mail a check, payable to the University of Miami, along with the certification form to: University of Miami, School of Law, Office of Admissions, PO Box 248087, Coral Gables, FL 33124-8087. If you have been pre-approved for a LSAC fee waiver or a University of Miami School of Law fee waiver, the process will be automatic when you apply through the LSAC e-application.
If you have not been pre-approved for an application fee waiver, and you are unable to pay our $60 application fee, indicate on your electronic application that you will pay your application fee directly to the law school, complete the Certification Letter and check the "Applying for UM Application Fee Waiver" box, and mail it to the law school. Thereafter, you must have the financial aid office of your college or university send us a letter indicating financial need. If not available, you must submit a copy of your most recent income tax return with the Certification Letter. After receiving your documentation, we will consider your application fee waiver request.
12. Financial Aid Information
If you wish to receive financial aid information, please indicate on the first page of the application.
13. Acknowledgments
You will receive a postcard or e-mail acknowledging our receipt of your application and application fee. Upon receipt of your Credential Assembly Service report, we will notify you if any other required supporting documents have not been received. Missing information reminders will not be mailed after February 1.
14. Communications
All correspondence relating to your application should be addressed to the University of Miami School of Law, Office of Admissions, PO Box 248087, Coral Gables, FL 33124-8087. The telephone number of the Office of Admissions is 305.284.2523 (9:00 AM-5:00 PM ET, Monday-Friday). The school's website address is www.law.miami.edu. You may also e-mail admissions@law.miami.edu. Admission decision notification will be made either by mail, e-mail, or the University's portal, myUM.
