In your own words, please submit a typed 2 page (double-spaced) personal statement explaining what motivated you to pursue a legal education, and what attracts you to the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law.

In your own words, please submit a typed 2 page (double-spaced) essay on what issue(s) are important to you and how you have demonstrated a commitment to pursuing social justice.

This section is optional.

You may submit an addendum to provide the Admission Committee with additional information that will assist in the holistic review of your application. An addendum may be appropriate to explain circumstances such as a lower-than-expected undergraduate GPA or LSAT score, interruptions in education or employment, significant academic trends, or other relevant factors that may have affected your academic or professional record.

The addendum should be concise, factual, and limited to information that provides meaningful context for the Admission Committee?s consideration. It must not exceed two (2) double-spaced pages.?

Please submit a current resumé.

The practice of law is a profession that demands the highest levels of honesty, integrity, and responsibility. In assessing applicants, law schools must evaluate not only academic potential but also the character and fitness of those seeking admission to the bar. As such, applicants are required to disclose information relevant to their background, including academic, professional, and personal matters that may reflect on their judgment, truthfulness, or ability to uphold the ethical and professional standards of the legal profession. Full transparency in responding to all inquiries is paramount.

Below are questions regarding your character and fitness to practice law.  Please be aware that your application will not be prejudiced simply because you answer Yes to any of the questions. UDC Law will evaluate your answers to the questions in the context of your entire application. We believe that your ability to reflect on the challenging life circumstances and the impact of those experiences on your path to a legal career adds tremendous value to your law school application and experience. If you answer Yes to any of the following questions, you must provide a statement which includes:

• the date(s) of the incident(s)
• the original charge or citation
• the specific nature of the incident
• a detailed explanation of the relevant facts/circumstances
• show the matter was resolved (including any reduced charges or lesser included offenses)
• any supporting documentation

Simply providing copies of supporting documents does not satisfy this requirement. You must also submit a detailed explanation. Your answers to these questions are confidential and will only be used for the determination of your character and fitness for admission to law school and to practice law, unless UDC Law is required to share this information pursuant to a court order or if required by a jurisdiction where you are sitting for a bar examination.

NOTE CAREFULLY: The Admission Committee wishes to emphasize to applicants that failure to disclose an act or event can be more serious than the act itself. [Many state bar associations require a candidate to reveal all criminal or disciplinary charges, even if expunged.] If in doubt, always err on the side of full disclosure. You must disclose all matters requested on this law school application, even if you have been advised otherwise by anyone else, including legal counsel. This means you must disclose matters even when an arrest did not lead to a charge, a charge was reduced or dismissed, you were acquitted or found guilty, adjudication was withheld, deferred, or diver

1. I acknowledge that I have fully read and understand the Character and Fitness instructions.

2. Have you ever been academically dropped, dismissed, suspended, warned, placed on academic or disciplinary probation, disciplined, expelled, or found in violation of student policy/honor code, from any post-secondary school, college, university, or professional school?

3. Have you ever been cited, charged with, arrested for, convicted of, or plead guilty or nolo contendere to a violation of any law? You must report all violations, even if those violations have been expunged. Repeated moving violations, unpaid parking tickets, or driving while intoxicated or impaired are viewed by some jurisdictions as serious offenses and should be reported here.

4. Have you ever been involuntarily separated from a job as a result of an accusation that involved fraud, embezzlement, misappropriation, or any other act of dishonesty?

5. Have you ever had a professional license suspended or revoked, or been subject to disciplinary action by a professional organization, association, or licensing board?

This section is optional.

Please submit your GRE test score.

This section is optional.

Please submit your JD Next Score.

Thank you for your interest in the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law (UDC Law). Please read all instructions carefully before submitting your application. The Admission Committee will not review your application until all materials have been received. If you have any questions regarding the application or any of the requirements, please contact the Office of Admission before you submit your application, at lawadmission@udc.edu. Applicants to UDC Law are required to apply and pay all applicable fees electronically through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) at www.lsac.org. Once you submit your application, LSAC will send an electronic version of your application to our office.  

Application Checklist

A completed electronic application will include the following:

• Personal Statement
• Justice Essay
• Résumé
• Answers to ALL questions in the Character and Fitness section (if applicable)
• Addendum explaining any Yesresponses to questions in the Character and Fitness section (if applicable)
• Letter of Academic Standing (prior law school matriculants)
• Statement of Readiness (previously disqualified or dismissed law school students)

In addition to the completed electronic application, the following items must be submitted via LSAC?s Credential Assembly Service (CAS):

• Official LSAT Score
• Official transcript(s)
• Two letters of recommendations (If you have been previously disqualified or dismissed from a previous law school, one letter of recommendation must be from a law school professor)
• Official TOEFL report (if applicable)

The information below will assist you in completing your UDC Law application.

Personal Statement

Your personal statement assists the Admission Committee in getting to know and understand you as a person. Your personal statement should detail your interest in UDC Law and explain how attending our institution will allow you to realize your dreams and aspirations. Your personal statement should be typed in a 12-point font, double-spaced, and no longer than two (2) pages. Your personal statement must be included in the Attachments section of the online application. 

Justice Essay

The Justice Essay is an opportunity for the Admission Committee to learn more about you and your interest in social justice. This essay allows you to provide the Admission Committee with insight on what issue(s) are important to you and how you have demonstrated a commitment to pursuing social justice. Your Justice Essay should be typed in a 12-point font, double-spaced, and no longer than two (2) pages. Your Justice Essay must be included in the Attachments section of the online application. 

Résumé

Submit a current resume that includes your employment history, extra-curricular activities, and community service. Your résumé should be no longer than two (2) pages and must be included in the "Attachments" section of the online application.

Character and Fitness

The practice of law is a profession that demands the highest levels of honesty, integrity, and responsibility. In assessing applicants, law schools must evaluate not only academic potential but also the character and fitness of those seeking admission to the bar. As such, applicants are required to disclose information relevant to their background, including academic, professional, and personal matters that may reflect on their judgment, truthfulness, or ability to uphold the ethical and professional standards of the legal profession. Full transparency in responding to all inquiries is paramount.

Please be advised that the information you provide will be treated as confidential and will be used exclusively for the purpose of evaluating your character and fitness for admission to law school, and ultimately, to the practice of law. This information may also be subject to review by bar examiners in the jurisdiction(s) where you seek admission. Inconsistencies, omissions, or misrepresentations in your responses could result in serious consequences, including the denial of certification for bar admission, even if the underlying conduct would not, in isolation, preclude admission.

Failure to provide complete and accurate information, or to update your responses if your circumstances change, may lead to the withdrawal of an offer of admission, dismissal from law school, or complications in your bar admission process. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek bar admission. Since jurisdiction rules and policies change, the National Conference of Bar Examiners strongly advises consulting the jurisdiction's bar admission agency directly for the most current information. Please visit https://www.ncbex.org/jurisdictions for all relevant bar admission agencies.

Once you submit your application and throughout your matriculation and graduation from UDC Law, you must timely disclose any matter that arises which would have required you to answer Yesto one or more questions in the Character and Fitness section at the time you submitted your UDC Law application.

LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS)

You must register with LSAC for the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) at www.lsac.org. Your file is not complete and will not be reviewed until UDC Law has received your CAS report, which includes an LSAT score, writing sample, letters of recommendation, and transcripts.

LSAT

All applicants for admission are required to take the LSAT. NOTE: If an applicant has an LSAT score on file at the time an application is submitted, and they are registered to take a future test, it is the applicant's responsibility to contact our office, via email, to request that we hold the application pending the release of new LSAT score. If a request to hold an application is not received, the Admission Committee will review the file with the current LSAT score. IMPORTANT: UDC Law will not accept LSAT scores from exams after the May 15th deadline.

Transcripts

After you register for CAS, you must submit a separate transcript, from all institutions you have attended, post high school, which includes:

• Undergraduate and graduate schools
• Law/medical/professional schools
• Schools attended for summer or evening courses
• Schools attended even though a degree was never conferred
• Schools from which you took college-level courses while in high school even though they were for high school credit
• Schools that sponsored your exchange or study abroad program

Transcripts must be sent directly from the institutions to LSAC. Transcripts issued to you or sent by you will be returned unprocessed. Be mindful, that most schools charge a fee for forwarding transcripts. Do not send transcripts directly to UDC Law.

Letters of Recommendation

Two (2) letters of recommendation are required in order for your application to be considered. Letters of recommendation should not be mailed or emailed directly to UDC Law . Your CAS report will not be released to UDC Law unless two (2) letters of recommendation are on file.

Prior Law Matriculants (Disqualified or Dismissed from a previous law school)

The University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law will consider admission of a limited number of students who have experienced extenuating circumstances that may have impacted their success in the first year of law school. To be considered for admission, a student who has been previously disqualified from another law school must have been separated from that law school for a period of two semesters from the date of the dismissal notification to the start date of the fall semester in which they are applying for.

Previously disqualified or dismissed law school students cannot transfer any credits from their prior law school and must adhere to all the rules and policies set forth for applying as a first-year JD applicant at UDC Law. You must submit all required documents from the above checklist, including the additional documents below. If you do not submit all required documents, it will delay the processing of your application.

You must also submit:

• Letter of Academic Standing from an appropriate law school official. (e-mail to lawadmission@udc.edu).
• Letter of recommendation - Must be from a previous law school professor.
• Statement of Readiness - A narrative that explains that you have reflected on the circumstances that led to the dismissal, the steps you have taken to address those challenges, and you have developed a realistic and well-organized plan for success.

International Applicants

UDC Law welcomes applications from citizens of other countries. International students, including those with DACA status, should follow the application procedures established for U.S. citizens.

Foreign Transcripts

UDC Law requires that foreign transcripts be submitted to LSAC for any post-secondary work outside the United States (including its territories) or Canada, to be evaluated. Exception: If the foreign work was completed through a study abroad or exchange program sponsored by a U.S. or Canadian institution, and the work is indicated as such on the home campus transcript. Please note: more time is usually required to receive foreign transcripts. Questions should be directed to LSAC at (215) 968-1001.

Language Proficiency

Applicants whose first language is not English must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and earn a minimum score of 550 on the paper-based test or 79/80 on the internet-based test. The test must have been taken within the last two years of the date of this application. Non-native English speakers who have been awarded a baccalaureate or graduate degree from a U.S. university are exempted from the TOEFL requirement. You must contact the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and request that your TOEFL score be sent to LSAC. You can contact ETS at www.ets.org.

Statement of Financial Resources

Any non-U.S. citizen seeking admission should be aware of the financial resources required to attend. The expected annual cost of law school and living expenses is approximately $58,665 for non-U.S. citizens. Should admission to UDC Law be offered, you must provide documentation that sufficient funds exist to meet the cost of attendance.

PLEASE NOTE: All application materials should be submitted no later than the application deadline of May 15th for the Admission Committee's consideration. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all required materials are received by UDC Law Office of Admission. All materials submitted by and on behalf of an applicant become the property of the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law and will not be returned. Please make copies of all submitted application materials.

Inquiries about the UDC Law admission process should be addressed to:

Office of Admission
UDC David A. Clarke School of Law
4340 Connecticut Avenue NW, 2nd Floor
Washington, DC 20008

Phone: 202.274.7341
E-mail: lawadmission@udc.edu
Website: www.law.udc.edu