The number of well-qualified applicants to the Law School is beyond its capacity. The policy of the Law School is to select the most highly qualified applicants, based upon college grades, scores on the LSAT, and other evidence of probable success as a law student and as a lawyer. The Law School Admissions Committee, a five-member faculty committee, relies entirely on the written material in the applicant's file. The Law School Admissions Office is eager to answer any questions an applicant may have, but interviews are not a part of the admissions process.
When an application is submitted, it is reviewed by members of the Law School Admissions Committee, who decide which of the qualified applicants will be given offers of admission to the Law School, which applicants will be placed on the waiting list, and which are to be denied admission.
Some applicants who are offered admission will elect not to attend the Law School. When a sufficient number of those accepted have notified the Law School that they will not be attending, additional offers of admission are made to applicants who were placed on the waiting list. When all the available places in the Law School are committed, any applicants who are then on the waiting list are notified that they will not be offered admission.
The committee applies the following criteria in considering the applications, carrying out the procedures and policy outlined above, and making decisions:
As a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA), and as a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS), the J. Reuben Clark Law School provides equal opportunity in legal education for all persons, including faculty and employees with respect to hiring, continuation, promotion and continuing faculty status, applicants for admission, enrolled students, and graduates, without discrimination or segregation on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability. Because of the Law School's religious affiliation and purpose, ABA standards and AALS regulations as applied to the Law School require equal opportunity on the basis of sexual orientation but not on the basis of conduct. All members of the Law School community are required to comply with the Brigham Young University Honor Code, which requires chastity outside of marriage and fidelity in marriage. The Law School, as is permitted by ABA standards and AALS regulations, also prefers faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in employment.
During the admissions process, a numerical prediction index is created from a combination of the cumulative undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) and the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) score. This prediction index provides a starting place for comparison of the large number of applicants. The numerical indicators, statistically proven to correlate with academic performance in law school, can be determinative in the absence of other significant factors; however, many other factors are considered in the selection of applicants for admission.
Along with the prediction index, the following non-numerical factors may be considered in evaluating academic qualifications for law school:
a. Letters of Recommendation: A careful, thoughtful letter from a teacher or employer sometimes tells us enough about the applicant's ability for us to judge his or her prospects for academic success to be better than mere numerical factors suggest.
b. College Grading and Course Selection Patterns:If an applicant followed an unusually easy or difficult pattern of courses, this is taken into account. An occasional exercise of a college pass/fail option does not affect evaluation of the UGPA. However, a heavy load of ungraded, pass/fail, or credit/no credit work tends to impeach whatever UGPA remains and forces a regrettably high reliance on the LSAT score. Such a case creates a need for careful and candid letters of evaluation from the applicant's college teachers.
c. LSAT Writing Sample: The writing sample provided as part of the LSAT examination is reviewed and compared to the personal statement. Good writing skills demonstrated in the sample are given favorable consideration by members of the committee.
d. Graduate Study: The fact that an applicant has a graduate degree does not significantly increase the quality of law school performance in most cases. However, exceptional, recent graduate work combined with a strong LSAT may suggest that a weaker college record earned several years earlier should not be relied upon.
In addition to the nonnumerical factors, which may persuade the committee to modify or even occasionally disregard the prediction index in judging an applicant's anticipated academic performance, there are other nonacademic factors that can have substantial influence on the admissions decision.
It is important that the Law School educational process be enriched by the experiences of individuals who come from historically disadvantaged minority groups or from unusual cultural backgrounds, or who have suffered economic and educational disadvantage. Unless these attributes are given weight in admissions decisions, the Law School will not adequately prepare students for the diverse society that awaits them; and many talented and able people will be excluded from the student body and the profession.
In identifying some of the nonacademic factors that should be taken into account to obtain a diverse student body, the following list is suggestive rather than inclusive. However, regardless of the weight to be given these factors, they will not outweigh a judgment that a particular applicant's credentials, taken as a whole, represent an unacceptably high academic risk. Only those judged to be fully qualified academically will be accepted. Examples of factors that may be significant in individual cases include the following:
a. Personal or diversity.
b. Geographic diversity.
c. Time between college graduation and application to law school.
d. Diversity of experience, e.g., work experience, college activity, political activity, community service, or other life experience that may add additional and unusual perspective to the Law School student body. Because it is not possible to admit all who meet the requirements for admission, the J. Reuben Clark Law School reserves the right to reject any applicant for any lawful reason.
Some applicants choose to take the LSAT more than once. The committee recommends a retake only if an applicant expects a major improvement. Inasmuch as some gain can be expected on a repeat, the difference is usually only by a few points. However, the highest score will be considered for admission. The Law School is now required by the ABA to report the highest score rather than an average.
Candidates for the JD degree may apply for admission with advanced standing, awarded for work completed at another ABA-approved law school. Such applicants must be academically eligible to continue as regular, full-time students in the school last attended. Because only a few vacancies occur each year and many applications for transfer are received, the applicant must be within the top third of his or her law school class and have a compelling reason for transferring. Students who have completed their first year of law study at another law school may be considered for transfer. Students with more than one year of law study may be permitted to attend the Law School only as visiting students. These visiting students transfer credits earned at the J. Reuben Clark Law School back to their other law schools for application toward graduation requirements there. Specific information regarding transfer or visiting status may be obtained by contacting the Law School Admissions Office, 340 JRCB, Provo, UT 84602-8000, admissions@lawgate.byu.edu.
Please be aware that there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in each state. We encourage you, before matriculation in law school, to determine what those requirements are in the state(s) in which you intend to practice. You may obtain this information from the relevant state bar association.
A few states request that persons who intend to apply for admission to the bar of that state register with their state committee of bar examiners around the time they enter law school. Many students who have not determined which state bar they will take after completing law school elect to pay a late fee rather than register at that early date. However, all students should obtain information well in advance of their graduation date about the state bar where they intend to practice law to allow timely application compliance. Information on state bar requirements may be obtained from the Law School's director of student records, Brigham Young University, 240 JRCB, Provo, UT 84602-8000.
Accepted applicants will be asked to indicate whether or not they plan to attend the Law School. In addition, a $200 non-refundable tuition deposit is required of each accepted applicant to hold a place in the entering class. The deposit must be sent directly to the Law School. The tuition deposit will not be required until after April 1, and is credited toward tuition for those who enroll. Applicants who have indicated that they plan to attend and have paid their tuition deposit, will receive further instructions during the summer regarding registration procedures. Note: Law students are subject to all rules, regulations, and policies of Brigham Young University as outlined in the BYU Undergraduate Catalog and the current class schedule. Students are charged with the responsibility to know the information regarding tuition and fees contained in these university-wide publications, which are available in the main reception area (the Fish Bowl) for checkout and review.
