A personal statement of two pages (double-spaced) is required and must be submitted electronically. The statement should address your rationale for applying to law school in general, UNH Franklin Pierce Law specifically, and provide insight on what motivates you to become a lawyer. The personal statement is your opportunity to share your unique abilities, character, and experiences with the Admissions Committee and to distinguish yourself from other applicants. The committee weighs this statement heavily in the decision-making process and expects it to be a concise, well-written document.

This section is optional.

If there are special circumstances in your personal history which are not addressed in other parts of your application and you would like to bring these to the attention of the Admissions Committee, please submit a Supplemental Statement addressing these matters. Your Statement may include topics such as overcoming adversity or obstacles (economic, social, educational, disability, etc.) or membership in a linguistic or racial minority. The Admissions Committee pays close attention to these Statements and considers them when awarding Opportunity Scholarships.

This Statement should not exceed one page (double-spaced). Please submit as an electronic attachment.

Required.

Please tell us, briefly, your reason for applying to the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law. (maximum characters 750)

A detailed résumé is required and must be submitted electronically. In addition to work history, it should include extracurricular activities, internships, academic honors, community service, hobbies and other special interests, abilities, or accomplishments. If you have not been working or going to school, please indicate how you have spent this time.

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. Under New Hampshire law, applicants are not required to include expunged and annulled offenses. Applicants bear the responsibility to ensure that each charge has actually been annulled by a court of law. Applicants should not rely on statements from third parties in deciding whether to disclose an offense. New Hampshire Bar Admissions information may be found online at http://www.courts.state.nh.us/nhbar/index.htm. Applicants answering "yes" to any of the following questions must attach a separate addendum detailing the date, specific offense(s) charged, all relevant details, and disposition related to each incident.

For the following questions, DO NOT include offenses for which the record of your arrest, conviction, or sentence was annulled after a petition brought by you pursuant to statute was granted.

1. Have you ever been cited for, arrested for, charged with, or convicted of any felony, misdemeanor or violation? (Note: Traffic offenses are not addressed in Question 1. They are addressed in Question 2.)

2. Have you been cited for, arrested for, charged with, or convicted of three or more motor vehicle violations during the past fifteen years? (Omit parking violations).

3. Have you ever been cited for, arrested for, charged with, or convicted of any alcohol or drug-related traffic offense?

4. Have you ever been subject to any academic or disciplinary probation, warning, suspension, dismissal, expulsion, or been requested to withdraw from any college, university, graduate, or law school?

5. Have you ever been dismissed or discharged due to employment-related misconduct?

6. Have you ever been disciplined by any professional association or licensing authority and/or had a professional license denied, suspended, or revoked?

Application for 2025-2026

UNH Franklin Pierce Law Admissions
Two White Street
Concord, NH 03301
Tel (603)513-5300
admissions@law.unh.edu
law.unh.edu

At UNH Franklin Pierce Law, we conduct an individualized, holistic review of your application with careful consideration given to academic achievements, work experience, extracurricular activities, and personal qualities that will make you a successful law student and future member of the legal profession.

The Admissions Committee is looking for qualified candidates willing to make a strong commitment to their legal studies, who exhibit sound judgment and are committed to cooperation, and mutual respect. UNH Franklin Pierce Law seeks motivated students from a variety of backgrounds who will take full advantage of the broad range of experiential opportunities offered and contribute to the dynamic UNH Franklin Pierce Law community.

There is no JD application fee for Fall 2026.

All applications must include:

• Responses to all required questions
• Personal statement
• Resume
• Supplemental statements as needed
• The LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Report
• A minimum of two recommendations

Transfer Students

Transfer students are required to submit a letter of good standing from their prior law school. Transfer applicants must provide an updated CAS report indicating law school matriculation. We strongly encourage one to two letter(s) of recommendation from a law school professor. An official transcript from your law school is required prior to matriculation.

International Students

UNH Franklin Pierce Law requires international applicants with foreign transcripts to submit all transcripts through the LSAC Credential Assembly Service Authentication and Evaluation (CAS A&E). All undergraduate work outside the United States (including its territories) or Canada must be evaluated by CAS A&E.

Applicants whose native language is not English and who received an undergraduate degree from a country in which English is not the native language must provide a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score, taken within two years of applying.

Application Period

UNH Franklin Pierce Law accepts applications for Fall admission only. We accept applications on a rolling basis beginning September 1. Our priority deadline is March 15, but we will continue to accept applications until the class is full. Please note that students applying for early admission to the Daniel Webster Scholar Program must complete their application by February 1.

No Application Fee

There is no fee to apply for the JD program.

Personal Statement

A personal statement is required and must be submitted electronically. The statement may address an applicant's interest in law school generally, interest in UNH Franklin Pierce Law specifically, the applicant's motivation to become a lawyer, or any other relevant topic. The personal statement is an opportunity for the applicant to share unique abilities, character, and experiences with the Admissions Committee. The committee weighs this statement heavily in the decision-making process and expects it to be a concise, well-written document.

Resume

A detailed resume is required and must be submitted electronically. In addition to work history, it should include the applicant's internships, academic honors, extracurricular activities, community services, hobbies and other special interests or accomplishments. Applicants are encouraged to account for any gaps in work experience or school attendance.

Supplemental Statement

Please include any statement of extraordinary circumstance(s) or other relevant information that could not be appropriately included in the personal statement or elsewhere in the application. The Admissions Committee is interested in learning about an applicant's background and relevant life experience. This statement should not exceed one page (double-spaced) and must be submitted electronically.

LSAC CAS Report

All applicants must register with the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) at www.lsac.org. Applicants must have transcripts from each post-secondary college or university attended sent directly to the CAS. This includes community college credits and/or undergraduate institutions attended as a high school student for credit, graduate degree transcripts, and transcripts at any institution where credits were attempted but not earned for any reason.

Applicants enrolling at UNH Franklin Pierce Law are required to submit an official transcript, which indicates conferral of the bachelor's degree, directly from the undergraduate degree-granting institution to LSAC prior to matriculation.

Standardized Tests

The LSAT or GRE is required and all applicants must have a valid score to be considered for admission. A valid score is one earned within five years of the planned enrollment date at UNH Franklin Pierce Law. Applicants may apply prior to taking the test but must disclose the future date for application processing purposes. Note, all applicants who have previously taken the LSAT must report any scores received within the last five years.

The ETS GRE school code is 3396.

Applicants whose native language is not English and who have attained an undergraduate degree from a country in which English is not the native language must provide a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score, taken within two years from the time of application submission. The TOEFL/IELTS school code is 3396.

Undergraduate Degree

A bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an appropriately accredited college or university must be conferred to an applicant prior to matriculation at UNH Franklin Pierce Law. Applicants must list all institutions where undergraduate credit was received.

Recommendations

Two recommendations must be submitted directly by the recommender through the LSAC CAS. Recommendations must be in the form of a letter and should be submitted by teachers or employers who can address academic fitness and/or work habits. Applicants who are recent graduates should provide one letter from a professor who can attest to academic ability.

Character & Fitness

Applicants are expected to read the questions on this portion of the application carefully and contact the Office of Admissions with questions. Applicants who check "Yes" on any of these questions must attach an addendum to their application which provides full disclosure as to the date, nature of the offense, and disposition related to each event.

Applicants have a continuing duty to disclose character and fitness issues that may arise between the time of application submission and matriculation. 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.

We review all applications holistically with the greatest focus on your recent conduct. We welcome applicants who have made and learned from mistakes. We are asking about these things because honesty and candor are necessary characteristics for lawyers. This does not mean that you need to have been always honest in the past. It does mean, however, that you need to be honest on your law school application, with your law school, and in your commitments as a law student and as a lawyer. This is a necessary component of having the requisite character and fitness to practice law.

New Hampshire In-State Tuition

Admitted students who have been legally domiciled in NH continuously for at least twelve months immediately prior to registering for the term in which in-state status is claimed will be eligible for in-state tuition. Admitted students who claim in-state status on the application will be contacted by Admissions prior to July 10 to supply appropriate evidence of domiciliary.

Veteran Funding

UNH Franklin Pierce Law is an unlimited Yellow Ribbon program school; we are committed to making law school affordable for eligible veterans.

Joint Degrees

JD/LLM in Intellectual Property, JD/LLM in Commerce & Technology:

The Admissions committee will consider an application for a joint degree after a student completes the first semester of law school. Students who are interested in pursuing either of these joint degrees should apply for regular admission to the JD program only; notices regarding these joint degree programs will be made during your first year.

Dual Degrees

JD/MBA, JD/MPP or JD/MSW:

UNH Franklin Pierce Law and the University of New Hampshire offer dual degrees: JD/MBA, JD/MPP, JD/MSW. Applicants interested in these dual degree programs should apply to the JD program during the application cycle, September 1 - March 15, and to the MBA, MPP or MSW program separately. The LSAT will serve as the required standardized test for the JD, MBA, MPP and MSW programs. Please indicate on your JD application if you are interested in applying for a dual degree. To qualify for a dual degree, candidates must apply before the deadlines, be admitted to both programs, and meet a 1L cumulative grade point minimum. Dual degree candidates to the MBA, MPP or MSW can apply now or during the second semester of their first year of law school.

Current UNH Undergrads

Students currently enrolled at the University of New Hampshire undergraduate school may qualify for two unique admission programs: UNH Law Wildcat Scholars and the BA/JD 3+3.

For more information visit:

UNH Law Wildcat Scholars: https://law.unh.edu/wildcatscholars
English/Law 3+3: https://cola.unh.edu/english/english-law
History/Law 3+3: https://cola.unh.edu/history/program/history-major-bachelor-arts-historylaw-33-option

Certification

Applicants must read the certification carefully and certify that the information contained in the application is complete, accurate and true. Any false or misleading statement, or any misrepresentation in the application or any supplemental materials found to be fraudulent may be the basis for denial and may be reported as misconduct through LSAC.

Application Review

Application review begins in mid-November. Your application will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee within approximately 4-6 weeks of completion (receipt of application, recommendations, transcript, essays, résumé, certification, and LSAT score). We will notify you via e-mail during the process; please keep our e-mail (admissions@law.unh.edu) in your address book and apprise us of any changes to your contact information. In addition, your application status will be posted on LSAC's Application Status Online.

Scholarship Consideration

All admitted applicants are automatically considered for scholarship assistance. Scholarship awards are communicated along with the offer of admission. Scholarships are renewed annually so long as the student remains in good academic standing.

Privacy

Members of the Admissions Staff and Admissions Committee at UNH Franklin Pierce Law will discuss an application for admission only with the applicant.

Non-Discrimination Statement

The University of New Hampshire is a public institution with a long-standing commitment to equal opportunity for all. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, or disability in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its programs, services, or activities. Inquiries regarding discriminatory harassment should be directed to the Director of Civil Rights and Equity at unh.civilrights@unh.edu.