The personal statement is an opportunity to share with the Admissions Committee your background, interests and experiences. Your personal statement demonstrates to the Admissions Committee not only how you write, a skill fundamental to success in the legal profession, but also how you think and how you have reflected upon and derived meaning from your life experiences. Although there is no specific topic or question for the personal statement, your narrative should at some point address your decision to pursue a legal education

Applicants may submit one or more of the following option statements to provide to the Admissions Committee additional insight when reviewing their application. Each optional statement may not exceed one (1) double-spaced page with minimum 11-point font size and 1-inch margins.

Optional Statements: Please address any information that you believe your application would be incomplete without and that sheds more light on your unique potential to succeed in the J.D. program and contribute to the University community and the field or profession.

Civil dialogue and reasoned debate over contested ideas are core values both for the practice of law and in legal education. In light of this, Texas Law is interested in learning about experiences you may have had engaging with ideas with which you disagreed, and how such experiences have impacted you.

Please include an attachment with the additional GRE scores you are reporting.

If your academic performance for one or more academic terms was markedly different from that of others, please explain. Please make any other comments about your college transcript(s) or your preparation for college that you believe will help the Admissions Committee in evaluating your application.

Your statement may not exceed one (1) double-spaced page with a minimum 11-point font size and 1-inch margins.

At the law school you matriculated at, were you under less than good academic standing? If you answer "yes", please explain fully on a separate sheet, and upload the attachment. In addition, please explain your reasons for withdrawing from the law school and upload the attachment.

Candidates sometimes seek to establish that their academic potential is inaccurately reflected by standardized tests or that one LSAT or GRE score is more representative than another. If you believe this to be true in your case, please explain.

Your statement may not exceed one (1) double-spaced page with a minimum 11-point font size and 1-inch margins.

If there are any gaps in your résumé or education, please provide further explanation.

Have you ever been separated from any branch of the US armed forces under less than honorable conditions? If you answer "yes", please explain fully.

Please provide a résumé detailing any significant vocational, avocational, extracurricular, or community activities; graduate work or degree; honors and awards; any service in the Armed Forces; publications, or other information that you believe the Admissions Committee should consider in evaluating your application. Please specify dates of employment, location (city and state), job descriptions, and major areas of responsibility. Your résumé may not exceed three (3) pages. Résumé or education gaps may be explained in a separate addendum.

Please read carefully. In addition to the 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.

Because of the high ethical standards to which lawyers are held, the failure to disclose an act or event such as the ones described below is often more significant, and leads to more serious consequences, than the act or event itself. Failure to provide truthful answers, or failure to inform the Admissions Office of any changes to your answers, may result in revocation of admission or disciplinary action by the Law School, or denial of permission to practice law by the state in which you seek admission.

Although an affirmative answer to either question below does not necessarily preclude or even prejudice admission to The University of Texas School of Law, persons who have been convicted of offenses other than minor traffic violations may have difficulty in gaining admission to the Bar. The Texas Board of Law Examiners and state bar organizations often require that you include your law school application as part of your application for admission to the Bar.

1. Have you, within the last 10 years, been arrested, cited or ticketed for, charged with any violation of the law; or, have you ever been convicted of an offense, placed on probation, or granted deferred adjudication or any type of pretrial diversion; or, are you currently the target or subject of a grand jury governmental agency investigation? If you answer "yes", please provide a full explanation that includes a narrative description, cause, and outcome of each reported event, and upload the attachment. You must report: any such offenses involving alcohol or drugs. any failure to appear conviction resulting from an offense. any conviction for failure to maintain financial responsibility (legally required auto insurance). You may exclude only Class C misdemeanor traffic violations. While an applicant does not need to disclose information about a juvenile or criminal record that has been sealed or expunged, it is up to each applicant to ensure that their offense is in fact expunged and/or sealed under the relevant state law. If an applicant fails to disclose information that is not in fact expunged or sealed, the applicant may be subject to disciplinary action by the University.

Please note: according to Rule IV(d) of the Rules Governing Admission to the Bar of Texas, an individual "who has been convicted of a felony in Texas or placed on probation for a felony with or without an adjudication of guilt in Texas, or who has been convicted or placed on probation with or without an adjudication of guilt in another jurisdiction for a crime which would be a felony in Texas" shall not be permitted to file a Declaration of Intention to Study Law or application to the Texas Bar for a period of five years after the completion of the sentence and/or period of probation. The rules and further information are available through the Texas Board of Law Examiners.

2. Have you ever been dropped, suspended, warned, placed on academic or disciplinary probation, disciplined, expelled, requested or advised to resign from any postsecondary school, college, university, professional school, or law school? If you answer "yes", please provide a full explanation that includes a narrative description, cause, and outcome of each reported event, and upload the attachment.

To be considered for admissions as a first-year student, an applicant must register with the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) and the Credential Assembly Service (CAS), take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) or Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and demonstrate that they have earned a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. university, or the foreign equivalent whose program has been deemed of comparable quality, prior to the start of the first fall semester at Texas Law. Further, all applicants must have achieved a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 2.20, as calculated by LSAC (unless the applicant was enrolled as an undergraduate under the Academic Fresh Start option pursuant to Section 51.931 of the Texas Education Code).

Application Deadlines September 1: Application opens November 1: Early Decision deadline March 1: Regular Decision deadline For all deadlines, the applicant must have a valid LSAT and/or GRE score received in order to be evaluated for admission. These deadlines are non-negotiable.

Standardized Tests LSAT: Texas Law will consider all LSAT scores for the past five years and will report the highest score to the American Bar Association. GRE: Applicants who are submitting a GRE score should request all scores for the past five years from Educational Testing Service (ETS) using code 2717. Please note that the most recent score must still be valid at the time you submit your application.

Early Decision Admission Texas Law offers a binding Early Decision (ED) admission program. This program is designed only for those applicants who have carefully determined that Texas Law is their top choice and should they be admitted, the applicant agrees to withdraw pending law school applications from further consideration and decline any other admission offers immediately. An admitted ED applicant will be required to submit an enrollment deposit and Letter of Intent (LOI). If that applicant does not submit the deposit and LOI by the deadline or fails to comply with the other program requirements, the admission offer will be withdrawn, and the applicant will no longer be considered for enrollment during the current admission cycle. All applicants who elect to apply under the ED program must agree to the ED Binding Admission Agreement portion of this application.

Dual Degree Applicants The University of Texas at Austin offers a number of graduate and professional degree programs that applicants may pursue dual enrollment. Students interested in pursuing a dual degree must apply to and be accepted by the law school and the other degree program independently.

Statement of Non-Discrimination and Equal Education Opportunity The University of Texas at Austin (University) is committed to providing an educational and working environment for students, faculty, and staff that is free from discrimination and harassment based on race, color, sex, pregnancy, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, gender expression, religion, age, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability, genetic information, military status, or any other legally protected basis. This Policy prohibits such conduct.

This Policy also prohibits retaliation against someone because the individual reported under this Policy, opposed an unlawful practice, participated in an investigation, or requested supportive measures. Finally, this Policy prohibits failing to cooperate in good faith, filing false complaints or providing materially false information, interfering with this Policy's processes, abusing the investigation process, or failing to report incidents reasonably believed to constitute discrimination, harassment, or retaliation.

This Policy does not cover prohibited conduct of a sexual nature. Procedures for reporting sexual assault, interpersonal violence, stalking, and sexual harassment, are addressed by Handbook of Operating Procedures (HOP) 3-3031. While these are forms of sex discrimination, their sexual nature removes them from the purview of this Policy.

Inquiries regarding this Policy may be directed to the Department of Investigation and Adjudication (DIA) at 512-471-3701 or dia@austin.utexas.edu.

Title IX Reporting and Support Disclosure The Title IX Office uses information provided in reports to reach out to individuals in need, provide them with support, and let them know options available to them related to a formal grievance process. For students, examples of support include academic accommodations, safety support, and connection with other campus and community resources.

Texas Education Code, Section 51.252 requires all employees of Texas universities, including faculty, to report to the Title IX Office any information regarding incidents of sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, or stalking that is disclosed to them. Texas law requires that all employees who witness or receive information about incidents of this nature (including, but not limited to, written forms, applications, one-on-one conversations, class assignments, class discussions, or third-party reports) must report it to the Title IX Office. Before talking to a faculty or staff member about an incident of this nature, please be aware that they will be required to report this information.

For more information about reporting options and resources, please visit: https://titleix.utexas.edu, contact the Title IX Office via email at: titleix@austin.utexas.edu, or call 512-471-0419.

Applicant Responsibility and Accuracy of Information Applicants are under a continued obligation to notify the law school immediately of any and all circumstances and events that may occur from the date an application is submitted to the first day of enrollment that may change any of the responses to their application. Texas Law reserves the right to rescind an offer of admission if the candidate fails to maintain satisfactory scholastic standing for work in progress, if final records fail to show completion of courses and/or degrees required for admission or if the admission decision was based on incomplete, inaccurate, omitted or misleading information furnished by the applicant. In addition, the law school may also report its findings to LSAC's Misconduct and Irregularities Committee.

Character and Moral Fitness Applicants who have been convicted of a felony or other serious crime are eligible for admission into the law school; however, because state bar associations often prohibit persons with criminal records from being admitted to the bar regardless of their degrees or training, it may be impossible for such individuals to practice in some states.

In addition to the 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.

Application Procedures To apply for admission, please submit the following required materials:

Application Fee: A $70 nonrefundable application fee will be collected through LSAC at the time the application is submitted.

Personal Statement: The personal statement is an opportunity to share with the Admissions Committee your background, interests and experiences. Your personal statement demonstrates to the Admissions Committee not only how you write, a skill fundamental to success in the legal profession, but also how you think and how you have reflected upon and derived meaning from your life experiences. Although there is no specific topic or question for the personal statement, your narrative should at some point address your decision to pursue a legal education. Your personal statement may not exceed two (2) double-spaced pages with a minimum 11-point font size and 1-inch margins.

Résumé: Please provide a résumé detailing any significant vocational, avocational, extracurricular, or community activities; graduate work or degree; honors and awards; any service in the Armed Forces; publications, or other information that you believe the Admissions Committee should consider in evaluating your application. Please specify dates of employment, location (city and state), job descriptions, and major areas of responsibility. Your résumé may not exceed three (3) pages. Résumé or education gaps may be explained in a separate addendum.

Letters of Recommendation: Two (2) letters of recommendation (LORs) are required. These letters should be submitted directly to LSAC using their Letters of Recommendation Service. An application will be considered complete and ready for review only when all of the required items have been received. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure all application materials have been submitted and received at the law school.

Optional Materials Applicants may submit one or more of the following optional statements to provide to the Admissions Committee additional insight when reviewing their application. Each optional statement may not exceed one (1) double-spaced page with a minimum 11-point font size and 1-inch margins.

Optional Statements: Please address any information that you believe your application would be incomplete without and that sheds more light on your unique potential to succeed in the J.D. program and contribute to the University community and the field or profession. Civil dialogue and reasoned debate over contested ideas are core values both for the practice of law and in legal education. In light of this, Texas Law is interested in learning about experiences you may have had engaging with ideas with which you disagreed, and how such experiences have impacted you.

Undergraduate Performance: If your academic performance for one or more academic terms was markedly different from that of others, please explain. Please make any other comments about your college transcript(s) or your preparation for college that you believe will help the Admissions Committee in evaluating your application.

Standardized Test Performance: Candidates sometimes seek to establish that their academic potential is inaccurately reflected by standardized tests or that one LSAT or GRE score is more representative than another. If you believe this to be true in your case, please explain.

Résumé/Education Gaps: If there are any gaps in your résumé or education, please provide further explanation.

Interview Opportunity During the application process, the Admissions Committee will invite you to complete a virtual interview as part of your evaluation. Further instructions are provided through e-mail after the initial processing of an application.

For any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at:

The University of Texas School of Law 727 E. Dean Keeton Street Austin, TX 78705 (512) 232-1200 admissions@law.utexas.edu law.utexas.edu/

PLEASE RETAIN THESE INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOUR RECORDS.