Admissions: Admission Requirements

Applicants for admission must possess a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university prior to enrollment in the Moritz College of Law. There is no single major or undergraduate field of study required of an applicant.

Applicants for admission must register for and take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and must subscribe to the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS). The LSAT is offered four times annually: September, December, February, and June. Registration materials for the LSAT may be requested via www.lsac.org or by phone at (215) 968-1001. We will accept February test scores. LSAT scores are only good for five years. When reviewing a file, the Admissions Committee takes the highest LSAT score into consideration. Applicants are encouraged to take the LSAT in June, September, or December in the year prior to the desired date of entry.

The Moritz College of Law admits new students for the fall semester only. Applications for admission may be submitted between September 15 and March 15 preceding the autumn term of enrollment. Typically, the Admissions Committee will begin reviewing application files in December, and the first round of decision letters is mailed by January 20. Applicants are considered on a rolling basis. Please be mindful that students whose applications are received later in the admissions cycle will likely face an increasingly competitive admissions environment. If the class is filled prior to the review of all applicant files, applicants will be considered for placement on the wait list.

The following items are required to complete the application for admission:

1. Letters of Recommendation: Two letters of recommendation are required in support of the application for admission. These should be from persons, excluding relatives, who know you personally, have recent knowledge of your academic performance and activities, and can speak of you in personal terms. Academic letters are most valuable and carry the greatest weight in the admission process. Therefore, we suggest that you submit letters from professors under whom you have studied, or from your employer, if you have been out of school for a number of years. Applicants should arrange for letters of recommendation to be sent directly to the Law School Admission Council, as the college relies upon the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service.
2. Personal Statement: The Personal Statement is especially valuable to the Admissions Committee. Applicants are encouraged to develop thoughtfully an essay of not more than three typewritten pages (12 pt. font, double spaced).
3. Application Fee: A $60 application fee is required of all U.S. applicants and is non refundable. The application fee may be paid by check or money order and should be made payable to The Ohio State University. The application fee for international applicants is $70.
4. LSDAS Report (includes LSAT scores and copies of college transcripts) This report is sent by LSAC automatically after LSAC has processed your transcripts and you have a reportable LSAT score on file with them.

Once an offer of admission is made, a deposit must be submitted in order to reserve a seat in the class. Applicants who are admitted prior to March 15 have until April 15 to submit this deposit. Applicants admitted March 16 or later are required to submit the deposit within three weeks of the date on the admission letter.