Every American jurisdiction in which you may practice law after graduation from law school requires each applicant for admission to the bar to meet character and fitness requirements as a condition of eligibility for admission. These character and fitness requirements supplement the bar examination requirement. 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.

The character and fitness review requires truthful, accurate and complete reporting of all requested information related to past conduct that bar examiners may deem relevant to one's fitness to practice law. In most jurisdictions, the required disclosure includes (but is not limited to) information about all criminal arrests, charges, plea agreements, convictions, or instances of being taken into custody, as a juvenile or adult; all traffic violations, including parking violations; involvement as a party to civil litigation; acts of fraud, dishonesty or lack of candor; educational discipline or misconduct; failure to pay financial obligations; and substance abuse. Many jurisdictions require disclosure of all criminal arrests, charges, plea agreements or convictions, as a juvenile or adult, even where the record has been expunged. You are required to provide this character and fitness information as part of your application to the Rosenberg College of Law.

It should be noted that, while your law application and bar admission boards require a complete disclosure of requested information, in many instances past relevant conduct, particularly if isolated and/or not recent, has not resulted in denial or delay of admission to the bar in a particular jurisdiction of interest. (This is not to suggest or predict how any jurisdiction's bar admissions board would respond to any applicant's particular conduct disclosures going forward.)

A failure to truthfully, accurately and completely respond to a character and fitness inquiry, however, is commonly deemed a character and fitness violation in and of itself, and may be more detrimental to bar admission prospects than the undisclosed or incorrectly disclosed underlying conduct.

If you have any questions about whether an incident should be disclosed, we suggest that you err on the side of full disclosure. If your answers to any of the questions in this section change from "No" to "Yes" after submitting your application, you must contact the Office of Admissions to provide a written explanation and relevant details. If you are admitted to the College of Law and enroll, this disclosure responsibility will continue until the end of your law school career.

Note: If you answer YES to questions 2-10, you are advised to check with the Board of Bar Examiners or Supreme Court in the state(s) where you intend to practice law to be sure that you will not be precluded from admission to the bar. In no way does admission to UK Law imply or guarantee that the applicant will be admitted to any particular bar.

If you answer "Yes" to any question in this section you will be required to provide a written explanation including all relevant details, dates and outcomes. If your explanation to any of these questions exceeds the space provided, please attach your full response as an addendum in the attachments section of the application.

Have you ever been placed on academic probation in any of the schools, colleges, or universities you have attended?
Have you ever been placed on academic suspension in any of the schools, colleges, or universities you have attended?
Have you ever been academically dismissed or expelled from any of the schools, colleges, or universities you have attended?
Have you ever been accused of, charged with, or found responsible for any academic offense (including, but not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, duplicity, falsification or misuse of academic records) that led to disciplinary action in any of the schools, colleges, or universities you have attended?
Have you ever been accused of, charged with, or found responsible for any nonacademic offense (including, but not limited to, hazing, drinking, Title IX violation or violation of university policy) that led to disciplinary action in any of the schools, colleges, or universities you have attended?
Have you ever been arrested, charged with, or convicted of any crime, including juvenile offenses or any offense or crime that resulted in expunged records (including, but not limited to, driving while intoxicated or impaired, traffic violations, moving violations, or parking violations)?
Have you ever been arrested for, charged with, or convicted of any military offense, including any offense that resulted in expunged records (including, but not limited to, driving while intoxicated or impaired, traffic violations, moving violations, or parking violations)?
Have you ever been a party in any civil, administrative, or other proceeding?
Have you ever been disciplined, discharged, or asked to resign from employment for reasons reflecting on your character (including, but not limited to, fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, forgery, or any other act of dishonesty or immorality)?
Have you ever attended another law school?

Application Deadlines:

Priority Deadline

For priority consideration for admission and scholarships, applications must be submitted by February 1.

Rosenberg Ready Early Decision Option Deadline

For candidates interested in being considered for Early Decision, applications must be submitted by November 15.

Final Deadline

All applications must be submitted by April 15.

The April 2026 LSAT is the final LSAT that we will consider.

Note: These deadlines may only be extended in extraordinary circumstances.

Application Checklist:

Online Application and Application Fee

Applying and paying the application fee with a credit card online via the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) constitutes your certification of the truthfulness of the information contained in your application. Your social security number is requested because it will be used to match your UK Rosenberg Law application with your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in the UK system. Your application will not be processed unless it is accompanied by (1) a personal statement written by you and (2) payment of the $50.00 application fee.

LSAT and LSAC's Credential Assembly Service (CAS)

All applicants must take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). All applicants must register directly with LSAC's Credential Assembly Service (CAS). You are urged to take the LSAT no later than December and submit all transcripts to the CAS no later than February 1. Your transcripts must be submitted through the CAS even if you are a UK undergraduate student. The April LSAT is the last acceptable test date for Fall admission. For more information visit: www.lsac.org.

Unless you have asked that your application be held pending receipt of certain letters of recommendation or other supplemental information, UK Rosenberg Law will consider your application complete when your CAS Law School Report and at least two (2) letters of recommendation have been received.

Race/Ethnicity Information

Information in this section will be used for reporting purposes only. Your response to the questions in this section will not be used in the admissions process and will not be available to anyone reviewing files as part of the application review process.

You may choose not to provide this information. Information about your race and ethnicity is requested in the format required by the U.S. Department of Education. For Department of Education purposes, you are "Hispanic or Latino" if you are Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. If applicable, you may select more than one race.

Transcripts

Transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions must be submitted through LSAC's Credential Assembly Service (CAS) and not sent directly to UK Rosenberg Law.

TOEFL

If English is your second language, you must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and have the official TOEFL score report mailed to the Credential Assembly Service (CAS). Under the TOEFL scoring system, you will be considered to have an acceptable grasp of the English language for the study of law with a score of at least 650 on the paper-based test (PBT), a score of 280 on the computer-based test (CBT), or a score of at least 114 on the internet-based test (iBT).

Letters of Recommendation

The Admissions Committee requires at least two (2) letters of recommendation from people with personal knowledge of your abilities and qualifications to study law. Candidates can submit up to four (4) letters of recommendation. We strongly encourage academic letters of recommendation from faculty members. Applicants must use the Letter of Recommendation Service that is part of the CAS.

First Year Students

First year students are accepted for the Fall semester only. After acceptance, one nonrefundable deposit (which will be applied toward your tuition) is required of all first-year students.

Residency

You are required to list your state of permanent residence for admission and tuition purposes. If you apply for Kentucky residency, it is your responsibility to make sure all required documentation has been received. For further information or if you have questions concerning your residency status, you should contact: Office of University Registrar at residency@uky.edu. To schedule a call or virtual meeting, please visit registrar.uky.edu/residency; or call 859.257.7157.

Changes

You should inform UK Rosenberg Law Admissions immediately of any change in your mailing address(es), email address(es), or telephone number(s). Please submit change by email to uklawadmissions@uky.edu.

Character and Fitness

Every American jurisdiction in which you may practice law after graduation from law school requires each applicant for admission to the bar to meet character and fitness requirements as a condition of eligibility for admission. These character and fitness requirements supplement the bar examination requirement. 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.

The character and fitness review requires truthful, accurate and complete reporting of all requested information related to past conduct that bar examiners may deem relevant to one's fitness to practice law. In most jurisdictions, the required disclosure includes (but is not limited to) information about all criminal arrests, charges, plea agreements, convictions, or instances of being taken into custody, as a juvenile or adult; all traffic violations, including parking violations; involvement as a party to civil litigation; acts of fraud, dishonesty or lack of candor; educational discipline or misconduct; failure to pay financial obligations; and substance abuse. Many jurisdictions require disclosure of all criminal arrests, charges, plea agreements or convictions, as a juvenile or adult, even where the record has been expunged. You are required to provide this character and fitness information as part of your application to the Rosenberg College of Law.

It should be noted that, while your law application and bar admission boards require a complete disclosure of requested information, in many instances past relevant conduct, particularly if isolated and/or not recent, has not resulted in denial or delay of admission to the bar in a particular jurisdiction of interest. (This is not to suggest or predict how any jurisdiction's bar admissions board would respond to any applicant's particular conduct disclosures going forward.)

A failure to truthfully, accurately and completely respond to a character and fitness inquiry, however, is commonly deemed a character and fitness violation in and of itself and may be more detrimental to bar admission prospects than the undisclosed or incorrectly disclosed underlying conduct.

Scholarships:

Merit Scholarships

All admitted candidates will be considered for Merit Scholarships based on their academic performance, undergraduate transcript(s), and LSAT score(s). In addition to the above criteria, the following will also be taken into consideration: educational disadvantage, low-income status, and/or other relevant experiences. No separate application is required. All Merit Scholarships are renewable with good academic standing. Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply before February 1st for priority consideration.

Ashland, Combs and Rosenberg Scholars

A limited number of candidates will be invited for an in-person interview for our top Merit Scholarships, which are the Bert Combs Scholarship (for Kentucky residents and nonresidents), the Ashland Inc. Legal Scholarship (for Kentucky residents only) and the J. David Rosenberg Scholarship. Candidates who wish to be considered for these scholarships must have a complete UK Rosenberg Law application no later than February 1. All invitations to interview will be extended by mid-February. Candidates will be selected to interview based on their academic performance, undergraduate transcript(s), LSAT score(s), and leadership roles.

UK Fellowships

UK students may be eligible for Fellowships offered to UK undergraduate students going on to graduate or professional school at UK. For Fellowship deadlines and other information visit: https://gradschool.uky.edu/funding/fellowships

An Equal Opportunity University:

The University of Kentucky complies with the federal and state Constitutions, and all applicable federal and state laws, regarding nondiscrimination. Students and applicants for admission to UK, or for financial aid or scholarship, will not be discriminated against because of race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, uniformed service, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, social or economic status, or whether the person is a smoker or nonsmoker, as long as the person complies with UK policy concerning smoking.

Efforts to comply with the laws and regulations applicable to people with disabilities are coordinated by the Equal Opportunity Office, as required by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Equal Opportunity Office; 13 Main Building, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506-0032; 859.257.8927

Questions concerning compliance with regulations may be directed to UK's Institutional Equity & Equal Opportunity Office, or to the Director of the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C.

Application requirements