The personal statement you submit may address any number of topics, such as your motivation to earn a law degree, particular career goals you may have, relevant information about your personal or professional background, and your interest in Michigan State University College of Law. Your personal statement should be no more than three double-spaced pages.

This section is optional.

Applicants may submit supplemental statement(s) to provide additional clarification for any other aspect of their application.  This may include the optional diversity statement and any other necessary addenda to explain GPA, LSAT score(s), etc.

This section is optional.

The required addendum should describe what school you attended, the dates you attended, what program you were enrolled in, and any explanation as to your academic performance.

You must provide a résumé of up to two pages in length.

As part of the Admissions process, we require applicants to answer questions which mirror those commonly asked by state bar authorities in the law licensure process. Your answers in this application must be consistent with your future bar application, but admission to law school does not guarantee admission to the bar of any jurisdiction.

If you answer "yes" to any question in this section, you must submit an addendum with your application. Addendum?s should include a brief description of each incident, including its date and location (city/state), and a full account of the outcome, including, if applicable, the location of the court with jurisdiction over the matter. We recommend obtaining and keeping official documentation of the final disposition or relevant police reports from each incident for your records which, in some cases, may be required by the Admissions Committee.

Affirmative answers to the questions below do not necessarily preclude or prejudice admission to MSU Law. However, a failure to adequately disclose information required by this section could result in withdrawal of your offer of admission, dismissal after matriculation to MSU Law, or denial of the opportunity to take a state bar exam. Please contact our Office of Admissions with any questions about what you must disclose or how to format that information.

Applicantsmustinformthe MSU COL OfficeofAdmissionsofanychangestotheircharacterandfitnessrecord(e.g., amendments, updates, or new incidents) before matriculation at MSU Law. Once enrolled, students must notify the MSU Law Associate Dean for Academic Affairs of any changes to their character and fitnessrecord.

1. Have you ever been cited, arrested, taken into custody for, indicted for, charged with, convicted of, or pled guilty to violation of any law or been the subject of a juvenile delinquency or youthful offender proceeding? (MSU Law requires disclosure of all traffic violations excluding parking violations, although repeated parking violations should be included if they resulted in misdemeanor charges. The entry of an expungement or other order sealing or purporting to authorize any person to deny the existence of such matters does not relieve your duty to disclose the matter in this application).

2. Have you ever been subjected to disciplinary or academic action by a college or university (such as reprimand, probation, or suspension) or are there any disciplinary or academic charges or investigations pending or expected to be brought against you? Your response to this question must include disclosure of any such actions related university dormitories or housing.

3. Have you ever been subject to disciplinary action by an employer, suspended from practice, reprimanded, censured, removed, or disciplined by any professional organization or state agency, military discipline action or charged with reviewing professional conduct?

4. Are any of the issues listed above still pending? Examples include incidents that resulted in you being on presently active probation or court supervision.

5. Have you ever filed bankruptcy or been in default on any loans (including student loans)?

This section is optional.

Please feel free to attach a short supplemental Tribal Affiliation Statement with additional information.

Application for Admission:

First Year Juris Doctor (JD) Law Student Application

Thank you for your interest in Michigan State University College of Law (MSU Law). Applicants may apply to the first-year Juris Doctor program before completing their bachelor's degree, but must have earned a bachelor's degree or be participating in an approved 3+3 pathway program before enrolling. All applicants must take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and register with the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC).

MSU Law reviews each application holistically and considers all materials submitted on behalf of each applicant. In addition to academic performance, standardized test scores, letters of recommendation, and written materials, we consider the experiences, perspectives, and qualities each applicant would bring to the law school community. Our goal is to enroll students who will contribute meaningfully to MSU Law and to the legal profession.

Please answer each question fully and accurately. If you need additional space, you may upload additional documents in the Supplemental Addenda section to complete or elaborate on your responses.

Required Application Components

1. Completed Application Form: Applicants must complete and submit the application form fully and accurately.
2. LSAT Score: Applicants must have a valid LSAT score on file with LSAC at the time their law school application is submitted.
3. Transcripts: Official transcripts from all institutions attended must be submitted through LSAC's Credential Assembly Service (CAS). Applicants must earn a four-year undergraduate degree, or the foreign equivalent, from an accredited institution before enrolling at MSU Law.
4. Letters of Recommendation (LOR): MSU Law requires two letters of recommendation and will accept up to four. Letters must be dated, signed, and submitted through LSAC's LOR Service. Letters should speak to the applicant's relevant skills, qualities, and potential for success in law school. Letters from relatives are not permitted.
5. Resume: Applicants must submit a one- to two-page professional resume. Legal experience is not required to apply or be admitted to MSU Law. Please do not include a photo.
6. Personal Statement: Applicants must submit a personal statement as an original example of written expression. This is an opportunity to share information you believe is important to your candidacy, including your intellectual, personal, or professional experiences and interests. You may also wish to discuss how you would contribute to the MSU Law community and the legal profession. Please limit your statement to two to three double-spaced pages, using 12-point font and one-inch margins.
7. Supplemental Addenda: You may submit supplemental addenda to provide MSU Law with relevant information that is not included elsewhere in your application. Supplemental addenda must be uploaded with your application before submission through LSAC. You may respond to more than one topic. Please limit each supplemental essay to one double-spaced page and include a title, if appropriate. You may use a supplemental addendum to address:
   • Circumstances that affected your academic or standardized exam performance, including how you addressed or overcame those obstacles.
   • A detailed explanation for any yes answer in the Character and Fitness section.
   • A significant challenge you have faced and the steps you took to overcome it.
   • A strength or quality you possess that others may not immediately see or recognize.
   • Anything not reflected in your application file that you would like to share with MSU Law.
8. International Applicants: Applicants must submit a TOEFL score of 5.0 or higher or an IELTS score of 7.0 or higher if English is not their first language and they have not earned a baccalaureate or graduate degree from a U.S. educational institution, or if their coursework was not taught in English. Applicants who completed post-secondary coursework outside the U.S. or Canada must use LSAC's JD Credential Assembly Service (CAS) to evaluate their university transcripts.
9. Application Fee: A $60 application fee is required. If you are unable to pay the fee, you may request a fee waiver by contacting [admiss@law.msu.edu](mail: admiss@law.msu.edu) before submitting your application through LSAC. Application fees are nonrefundable after the application has been submitted.

State Bar Application

Admission to law school does not guarantee eligibility for admission to the bar. In addition to passing a bar examination, applicants must meet the character, fitness, and other requirements established by the jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission. These requirements vary by jurisdiction and may include standards that affect an applicant's ability to sit for a bar examination or be admitted to practice law. Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they may seek admission and to contact that jurisdiction directly with any questions. Contact information for relevant agencies is available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.