JD Application Instructions

The University of Miami School of Law seeks to enroll highly qualified students who will thrive in a collegial and academically rigorous environment and become the next generation of leaders, public servants, and successful practitioners. Miami Law engages in a highly individualized, holistic review of each applicant's file to determine how the applicant will contribute to the law school community and the applicant's likelihood of academic and professional success. We seek applicants with strong academic credentials, evaluating such factors as educational history, standardized test scores, cumulative undergraduate grade point average, evidence of strong writing and analytical skills, and rigor of undergraduate institution and major. We also seek students who demonstrate a broad range of experiences and perspectives, considering professional background, public service engagement, leadership, strength of character, and extracurricular activities.

Miami Law will begin accepting LSAC Flex Applications on September 1, 2025. Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis throughout the year. Applications will be considered complete and ready for review as soon as all required documents have been received. Completion of the application and supporting documents by December 15, 2025, or earlier, is strongly advised to place applicants in the best position for admission and scholarship consideration. Applications received after December 15 will continue to be processed and reviewed on a seat-available basis. The deadline for receiving applications is July 15, 2026.

Applicants who are certain that Miami Law is their top choice for law school may apply through our Binding Early Decision Program. Candidates who wish to apply to this program must indicate interest on the general JD application and submit it, along with all supporting documents and the Binding Early Decision Program Agreement, no later than November 3, 2025. Applicants will be notified of their admission and scholarship award, if any, no later than November 24, 2025. More information about this program is available under the Forms section of the application.

Miami Law requires each applicant to register with LSAC's Credential Assembly Service (CAS). LSAC creates a CAS Report, a compilation of the candidate's undergraduate, graduate, and professional school records, admissions test score(s), writing sample, letters of recommendation, and other relevant materials. 

Transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended must be sent to LSAC. Information about this service can be found at www.LSAC.org. Miami Law's CAS school code is 5815.

Miami Law accepts LSAT, GRE, and JD-Next Exam official scores dated after June 2021 to fulfill our assessment requirement. If you have taken different types of assessments, you must submit all reportable scores as part of your application.

LSAT scores will automatically be reflected on the CAS Report. GRE scores must be submitted via the ETS portal using Miami Law's school code: 2751. JD-Next Exam scores must be submitted directly from JD-Next, upon the applicant's request that the score be shared with Miami Law.

If you indicate an intent to take a future test on your application but already have at least one test score of any type on file, you must inform us in writing if you would like to have your application marked as complete for review with your current score(s). Otherwise, your application will remain incomplete until the future score is reported to Miami Law.

Applicants must submit transcripts for all academic work undertaken, whether at the undergraduate, graduate, or professional level (including credit and non-credit courses). These transcripts must be sent to us through LSAC. Transcripts for any work completed after an applicant has fulfilled all the requirements for CAS submission, such as transcripts for the final semester or summer session of undergraduate work, should be sent to us through LSAC.

All offers of admission are conditional upon receipt of the applicant's official transcript conferring a bachelor's degree awarded by an institution accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or an equivalent degree from an international institution (see International Transcript Submission). International transcripts sent to LSAC will be forwarded to Miami Law upon matriculation.

Miami Law requires that international transcripts be submitted to LSAC for authentication and evaluation. Applicants completing more than one year of post-secondary work outside the U.S. (including its territories) or Canada must use this service for the evaluation of their international transcripts. This service is included in the CAS registration fee. The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) will complete an international credit evaluation, which will be incorporated into the CAS Report. Students applying to the Juris Doctor program must have a bachelor's degree awarded by an institution that is accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or an equivalent degree from an international institution. The evaluation from LSAC will determine if international degrees meet this requirement. Questions about the CAS Report should be directed to LSAC by emailing LSACinfo@LSAC.org or by calling 215-968-1001. 

Applicants whose native language is not English and whose undergraduate education is from outside the U.S. are required to submit the results of an English language proficiency test. Miami Law will accept scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), and Duolingo English Test (DET).

• The minimum required TOEFL score for admission (internet-based) is 92. LSAC's institutional code to report the TOEFL score is 8395. The TOEFL score will be included in the authentication and evaluation feature of the CAS Report.
• The minimum required IELTS score for admission is 7.0. No institutional code is needed for the IELTS. The IELTS score will be included in the authentication and evaluation feature of the CAS Report.
• The minimum required DET score for admission is 125. DET scores must be submitted directly to admissions@law.miami.edu

Miami Law requires a minimum of two and accepts a maximum of four letters of recommendation. Submission instructions are available here. An application will not be considered complete until two recommendation letters have been received. Recommendation letters must be submitted through LSAC and will be sent to Miami Law as part of the CAS Report

Applicants are required to include a personal statement that best reflects their individual accomplishments and life experiences as they relate to the applicant's interest in becoming part of the legal profession, such as professional background, leadership roles, public service, civic engagement, specific interest in the law, or unique circumstances. The Admission Committee will carefully review this information to reach a decision on the application. Please ensure the statement is double-spaced, contains at least 500 words, and does not exceed two pages. While review by others is acceptable, this statement should be written solely by the applicant without the use of generative artificial intelligence programs. Please use the Attachments section of the application to upload the personal statement.

Applicants are required to include a résumé detailing their education, employment, skills, honors, awards, and accomplishments. Please use the Attachments section of the application to upload the résumé.

Applicants should respond fully and accurately to every question on the application. The Admissions Committee places high value on the honesty and integrity required in the practice of law. The care and candor reflected in the responses on your application are significant factors in the Committee's evaluation. You should be aware that, in conducting character and fitness investigations, bar authorities frequently request copies of candidates' applications for admission to law school to determine whether they have supplied erroneous or incomplete information in the admissions process. If discrepancies are found, bar authorities may conclude that they undermine a candidate's credibility and call into question a candidate's fitness for admission to the bar. Therefore, Miami Law places upon applicants the continuing duty to notify the law school of any changes to information required by the Character and Fitness questions on the application for admission. This responsibility begins when you submit your application for admission and continues throughout your time as a law student.

You are required to answer the application's Character and Fitness questions completely, irrespective of any statute, administrative rule, court order, or legal/administrative proceeding expunging or sealing the information from any record or purporting to authorize any person to deny the existence of such matters. Receipt of advice from any source (including legal counsel) that such information need not be disclosed does not release you from the duty to disclose or justify a failure to disclose. Please note that your duty to disclose extends to warnings and sanctions imposed as a result of violation of any rules in university dormitories and off-campus housing. Pending matters or charges expected to be brought against you must also be disclosed.

If you are unsure about the nature or the ultimate disposition of a particular charge, you are advised to make full disclosure of the charge. A subsequent finding that you failed to disclose relevant information is often more detrimental than the incident requiring disclosure itself.

For any affirmative answer to the Character and Fitness section of the application, applicants are required to submit a statement that includes the date, location, and a detailed explanation and resolution of each incident. After initial review of your application, the Admissions Committee may request additional documentation.

Members of the Miami Law community are expected to conduct themselves in ways that will reflect credit upon themselves, the School of Law, the University, and the legal profession. Students aspiring to the bar are required to demonstrate good character and fitness, to respect the rights and privileges of others, and to abide by the law and the regulations of the University and the School of Law, including the Honor Code and the Student Handbook.

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. Applicants with criminal convictions may find it difficult to gain admission to the bar of some states. State bar authorities are concerned about the candor of prospective lawyers and, thus, with applicants' truthfulness in supplying and updating information requested on law school applications. Applicants failing to disclose on their law school applications a crime for which they have been convicted may experience, on that ground alone, unusual delays or other problems in being admitted to the bar.

Visit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) page to submit the application. Click here for more information.

All merit-based scholarships for incoming students are awarded by the Office of Admissions. If admitted, your application will be automatically considered by the Scholarship Committee. Scholarships are highly competitive and granted to admitted students on a rolling basis. The majority of scholarships are awarded between January and April of each admission cycle or until the scholarship funds are exhausted. If you are awarded a scholarship, you will receive an email notification from the Scholarship Committee. Competitive applicants who wish to be optimally positioned for scholarship consideration should complete their applications by the priority deadline of December 15, 2025.

Miami Law offers many joint degree programs. It is possible to apply to any of our joint degree programs before or during the first or second year of law school. Each degree within a joint degree program has a separate application process and timeline and may or may not accept the LSAT as the required standardized test for their program. Applicants are advised to consult with the program coordinator or admissions office associated with each degree.

Admission to one degree program does not guarantee or imply admission to another degree program. Applicants must submit all required admission materials and test scores as indicated in each degree's admission instructions. Please indicate on all applications the intent to apply as a joint degree applicant.

The University of Miami offers a 3+3 Dual Degree Program in Law, which allows qualified University of Miami undergraduate students with strong academic credentials to complete their bachelor's and Juris Doctor degrees in six years (three years of undergraduate and three years of law school). For program requirements and additional instructions, please review the 3+3 Dual Degree Program webpage.

Academic accommodations are a fundamental component of academic success, ensuring that every student has equal access to learning opportunities. At Miami Law, we are dedicated to providing a supportive academic environment. After admission, students who require academic accommodations are strongly encouraged to contact Accessibility Services to initiate the interactive process. This collaborative approach allows Accessibility Services and students to work together to identify appropriate accommodations tailored to each student's specific needs, ensuring optimal support throughout their legal education journey.

Applicants must submit a non-refundable $60 application fee via the LSAC Flex Application portal. If an applicant has received a fee waiver from LSAC or Miami Law, the waiver will be automatically applied to the applicant's LSAC account.

If your mailing address, email address, or legal name changes at any time, please email us promptly at admissions@law.miami.edu. For legal name changes, you must submit supporting documents.

A confirmation email will be sent to the applicant within 72 hours upon Miami Law's receipt of the application. This email will include the link to LSAC's Applicant Status Online (online status checker). Click here for more information.