INSTRUCTIONS: GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY LAW CENTER
The following provides general Law Center admissions information. For additional details and the most current information on the application process, visit our website at https://www.law.georgetown.edu/admissions-aid/jd-admissions/.
Please contact the Office of Admissions at lawadmissions@georgetown.edu if you have any questions or need assistance in submitting an application.
EVALUATION PROCESS
The Admissions Committee hopes to admit students who will succeed at Georgetown, would benefit from a legal education here, and will contribute to our community.
The Committee does not use numerical cutoffs, and focuses on the applicant's personal statement, letter of recommendation, extracurricular and volunteer activities, graduate work, and professional experience in addition to test scores and academic record.
The Law Center welcomes applications from students with disabilities. The Office of Accessibility Services works in partnership with students and faculty to determine reasonable accommodations in order to remove access barriers for students with disabilities in curricular and co-curricular environments.
TIMETABLE
Due to the large number of applications we receive and our rolling admissions process, candidates are strongly encouraged to complete their applications as early as possible. Applications will not be reviewed until all required documentation has been received.
September 2, 2025
First day J.D. Regular and Early Decision applications accepted for Fall 2026.
March 2, 2026
Recommended J.D. Regular and Early Decision application deadline for Fall 2026. Although we strongly recommend all applicants submit their application on or before March 2, the Admissions Committee will continue to accept applications on a rolling basis after this recommended deadline.
CHOICE OF APPLICATION PROCESS
- Early Decision (Binding)
The Early Decision process is designed for applicants who are certain that Georgetown Law is their first choice. This process will commit applicants to attend Georgetown, if admitted. Early Decision applicants are given priority review in our rolling admissions process.
If your Early Decision application is complete by March 2, your decision will typically be emailed within approximately 4-6 weeks of your completion date, whenever possible. You are welcome to apply Early Decision after March 2, and your decision will be expedited, though the typical timeline may vary.
Please note that the Early Decision process is binding and candidates applying Early Decision to Georgetown may not submit a binding application to any other law school. Although candidates admitted under Early Decision are committed to attending Georgetown, and will not receive their financial aid information before their admissions decision, please be assured that you will be considered for merit scholarships and need-based financial aid in the same manner, and on the same timeline, as all other admitted students.
If your application is deferred or you are added to the waitlist, you are no longer bound by your Early Decision commitment and we encourage you to proceed with applications at other law schools.
If you wish to apply through the Early Decision process, please select "Early Decision" in Question 1, which indicates your intention to apply under this process.
- Regular Decision (Non-Binding)
The strongly recommended application deadline for all applicants (Full-Time or Evening) is March 2. Candidates are notified as soon as decisions are reached, usually 8-12 weeks after their file is marked complete, but the timeframe for each file may vary.
STATUS CHECK
Once your application is received, our office will email confirming receipt of your application.
Please check your email settings to ensure that you are able to receive emails from "@georgetown.edu" addresses. Please check your spam folder if you are expecting a message from our office and have not yet received it.
You may check the status of your application using LSAC's status check website https://aso.lsac-unite.org/?guid=opDTsTIIp4E%3D.
Please note that Georgetown's status checker only marks two points in the multi-step review process: "application complete" and "decision rendered." If your application is marked incomplete, your application status will show "applicant action required" and our office will email you to let you know what application component is missing.
All admissions decisions will be communicated over email.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
- Completed application form
- Non-refundable $85 application fee
- Admission Test: All applicants seeking to enroll in the Full-Time program or applying to both JD divisions at Georgetown Law are required to submit a valid LSAT, GRE, or GMAT score.
- Candidates submitting a GRE score should follow the reportable history guidelines outlined here and must have their official score report sent directly to Georgetown Law. Georgetown Law's institution code is 2329.
- Candidates submitting a GMAT score should follow the reportable history guidelines outlined here and must have their score report sent directly to Georgetown Law. Georgetown Law's school code is JT7-JB-84.
- Applicants seeking to enroll in the Evening Program only, who do not have a currently valid LSAT score, may apply on a test-optional basis. This means that applicants have the option to apply without a standardized test score (LSAT, GRE, or GMAT) and should mark on the application their intent to apply to the Evening Program without a standardized test.
- Personal Statement: An applicant may write a personal statement on any subject of importance that they feel will assist the Admissions Committee in its decision. There is no minimum/maximum length requirement, but the statement should be double-spaced.
- Letters of Recommendation: Georgetown Law requires one letter of recommendation to apply to the J.D. program, although additional letters or evaluations will be accepted.
- If possible, recommendations should be completed by faculty members with personal knowledge of the applicant's academic work. Recommendations from employers are also acceptable.
- We recommend that letters be submitted through LSAC's Letter of Recommendation Service, included with your Credential Assembly Service (CAS) registration subscription. Individual letters may, however, be sent directly to Georgetown Law by the recommender to lawadmissions@georgetown.edu. We will not accept letters of recommendation transmitted by applicants.
- Resume: Please prepare a resume describing: 1) schools attended, dates of attendance, and degree(s) awarded; 2) work experience, including employer, position, nature of work, and dates of employment; 3) extracurricular/community activities, including nature and length of involvement; and 4) scholastic honors, including academic awards, scholarships, or fellowships.
- Transcripts/CAS: Applicants should submit transcripts from all institutions from which they have received academic credit, regardless of whether a degree was awarded.
- All applicants must register with the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) at LSAC.org. A transcript from all colleges or universities attended must then be sent directly to CAS, not to Georgetown Law. We strongly encourage candidates who have received their undergraduate degree from an institution outside the United States to have credentials sent to LSAC to be analyzed by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (www.aacrao.org).
APPLICANT WORK PRODUCT
The purpose of the application, and perhaps especially the personal statement and other essays, is for the Admissions Committee to learn more about you: how you think, what you value, how you write. While you can (and should) receive and incorporate feedback on drafts, the only person who may be engaged in the actual writing is you. Friends, family members, advisors, etc., whether real or artificial, are not applying to Georgetown Law -- you are.
There are countless ways you could choose to use external resources as you put together your application, and we cannot provide you with specific guidance on each and every scenario. But we urge you to reflect on how you would feel being completely open and honest with a member of the Admissions Committee about your process. If you would omit or downplay how you used an AI tool, or how much wordsmithing a trusted friend did in your draft, you should adjust your plan. Our goal is to get to know you, and we are eager to hear your voice.
JOINT DEGREE PROGRAMS
Applicants for our joint degree programs should refer to the website for more information: https://www.law.georgetown.edu/ admissions-aid/jd-admissions/joint-degree-programs/.
Ethan Madore