Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Law
Application requirements
In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.
If it's to your understanding that any additional information with regard to your academic, personal, disability, social or economic status background, and the same merits mentioning it to the Admissions Committee for its consideration, you may send along with this application of admission an essay, that does not exceed more than two pages, double-spaced, in a letter-sized style or, if applying electronically via LSAC, use an electronic attachment.
1. Have you ever been suspended due to disciplinary action?
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Except for minor traffic violations, have you ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor in Puerto Rico, the United States, its territories, or abroad?, Except for minor traffic violations, have you ever been charged with a felony or misdemeanor in Puerto Rico, the United States, its territories, or abroad?
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If yes, please explain: (maximum characters 1000)
Requirements for Admission:
- You must have a Bachelor's degree granted from an accredited university or its equivalent, as certified by the Vice President of Academic Affairs of the Inter American University, with the minimum required GPA.
- You must have taken the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and have fulfilled the minimum score required by the Admissions Committee. Also, you must be registered with LSAC's Credential Assembly Service (CAS), as indicated at LSAC.org. The LSAT is offered in Puerto Rico and many different places in the continental United States. Application forms and any other information related to the LSAT can be obtained through:
- LSAC (Law School Admission Council)
662 Penn Street
Box 2000
Newtown PA 18940-0998
Telephone: 215.968.1001
LSAC.org - The candidate must take the LSAT no later than June of the year admission is requested.
- Provide a copy of your official transcript from each of the universities and institutions in which you studied for your Bachelor's degree. Students in their senior year, or close to graduating, must provide an official incomplete transcript. Preliminary admissions are conditioned to the completion of these requirements.
- Academic or disciplinary action cannot have been taken at any university or institution.
- Must not have been under academic probation at any law, professional, or graduate faculty due to academic deficiency, or have been dismissed from any of them because of disciplinary action.
- Submit a denying certificate of ever having been in prison from the police department of the Free Associated State of Puerto Rico or from the police department of your place of residence.
- Submit an application to the admissions office of the Faculty, no later than June 30, of the year for which you are requesting admission. The application must be accompanied by a certified or bank check payable to Inter American University of Puerto Rico in the sum of $63 as a nonrefundable admission fee. The same can also be made in cash, when the application is handed in at the admissions office.
- Any applicant under the age of 21 must also submit health and immunization records with their application.
- Include with your application a verification of Security Social number.
- Once admitted, the applicant must register for the preparatory course during the summer semester that will provide integration and adaptation to the legal sciences. This is mandatory.
Foreign applicants must submit their accredited authorization documentation to fulfill studies in Puerto Rico and complete the required forms for the Justice Department, Immigration, and Naturalization Offices of the United States.
The Admissions Committee enforces on an annual basis criteria that will govern the admissions process for the first-year class of the following academic year. Unless specified otherwise, all correspondence regarding admission must be addressed to:
- Office of Admissions
Faculty of Law
Inter American University of Puerto Rico
PO Box 70351
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-8351
Additional Information for the Admission Process
- The admission applications to the Faculty of Law will be considered for the class beginning on August and January of every year.
- Selection is based entirely on the information provided in the application (test scores, GPA, etc.). Inter American University will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, gender, religion, nationality, marital status, physical appearance, political preference, or physical handicap.
- Our admissions office has a notification system by telephone or mail, with the purpose of keeping the applicant well apprised of the status of an application. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to make sure that an application is in order and up to date. An applicant's file must be completed no later than June 30 in order for the application to be evaluated. Admitted applicants will be notified during the last week of June.
- Once an applicant has been notified by mail regarding admission, a nonrefundable payment of $125 is needed to reserve a seat. Official documentation for the admission process is included in the brochure.
Transfers
Those candidates requesting admission as transfers should:
- Fulfill the admission requisite by the faculty.
- Come from a law school that is affiliated with the American Association of Law Schools or that is accredited by the American Bar Association.
- Have maintained in the course of studies at the previous law school a 3.00 GPA or its equivalent.
- Not have been suspended because of academic or disciplinary action, nor probation.
- Submit a completed application to the Office of the Registrar on or before June 30, to be considered for admission for the semester beginning in August or before November 30, to begin studies in the month of January.
Decision for admission of transfer students is made by the Dean of the Faculty of Law.
The Dean of the Faculty will determine the amount of transferred credits to be accredited. Credits earned at a member law school of the American Association of Law Schools or approved by the American Bar Association will be the only ones accredited.
The only credits to be accepted will be those with a grade of "C" or its equivalent.
Applications for admission with "advanced standing" from law schools outside the United States and Puerto Rico will be considered on an individual basis by the dean.
In all transfer cases, at least two full semesters must be completed at the Inter American University of Puerto Rico to be eligible for the Juris Doctor degree.
Faculty of Law
Important documents required from all applicants
- Application for Admission
- Certification of police records (original)
- Official CAS report (include all scores from each test taken and credential assesment)
- Original graduation certificate with grade point average (GPA) (possible graduating candidate for May or in the summer)
- Application fee ($63 certified check or postal money order)
- Official transcript of Bachelor's degree with major (from university to university)
- Official incomplete transcript (if you are expected to graduate in May or summer)
- Immunization records*
- Official proof of citizenship or residency**
- Form I-20 (proof of eligibility)**
- Applicants under 21 years of age
** In case of foreign applicants