Instructions for Transfer Applicants

The University of Miami School of Law seeks to enroll highly qualified students who would like to transfer from other American Bar Association-approved law schools. Applications are reviewed as soon as all required documents have been received.

The Admissions Committee considers a transfer applicant's prior performance in law school, letters of recommendation, personal statement, résumé, undergraduate records, and LSAT score(s). Miami Law transfer applicants must have at least a 3.00 law school GPA or be in the top third of their class at an ABA-accredited law school. Exceptions may be made for students from highly competitive institutions.

The usual number of acceptable transfer credits is 27 to 30. The maximum number of acceptable transfer credits is 32. Your application will be considered if your current first-year curriculum offers fewer than 27 credits. While Miami Law does not offer a part-time program, competitive transfer applicants from part-time programs who have completed their entire first-year, part-time curriculum at their institution may be considered for transfer into the full-time division. To earn a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Miami School of Law, a minimum of 56 additional credits over four full-time semesters is required. An applicant who has earned more than 32 credits is ineligible to apply as a transfer student but may apply as a visiting student.

Miami Law will begin receiving LSAC Flex Applications on November 1. Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis. Applications will be considered complete and ready for review after receiving all required documents. Transfer applicants must apply by July 31 to start in the fall semester.

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(s), 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 on the LSAC webpage. Miami Law's CAS school code is 5815.

Miami Law accepts LSAT, GRE, and JD-Next Exam official scores 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.  

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 should be sent to us through LSAC, or if an applicant's law school permits, via email to admissions@law.miami.edu.

All offers of admission are conditional upon receipt of an applicant's final first-year law school transcript and an official transcript from the applicant's undergraduate degree-granting 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 postsecondary 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 be complete International Credential 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 email to 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 is 92 on the internet-based test or 5.0 on the new scale. 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

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. Applicants should also include information regarding their interest in transferring to Miami Law. The Admissions 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.

Miami Law requires a letter from the Office of the Registrar or the Office of the Dean at your current law school indicating that you are in good standing after each semester. A final letter of good standing is required after the completion of your first year of law school.

If available, this letter should also state your class rank. If your current law school does not rank its students, the letter should state that fact.

Miami Law requires one letter of recommendation for transfer applicants, preferably from a law faculty member. The letter must be submitted through LSAC and will be sent to Miami Law as part of the CAS Report.

Applicants should respond fully and accurately to every question on the application. In evaluating applications, the Admissions Committee is primarily concerned with your potential for success in and contribution to the academic program and to the law school community. The Admissions Committee also 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 or administrative proceeding expunging/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 electronically 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 by 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) webpage to submit the application and refer to our Financing Your Legal Education webpage for more information.

Merit-based scholarships are not available for transfer students.

Transfer students are not automatically eligible for membership on journals, moot court, or mock trial based on class rank from another law school, nor does membership in one of these organizations at another law school automatically transfer to Miami Law. However, transfer students may earn an invitation to participate in these activities at Miami Law.

To be invited to join one of our five law journals, students must participate in the writing competition, which takes place annually in mid-May. Due to the timing of our writing competition, only deposited transfer applicants by the start of the competition will be allowed to participate as rising 2Ls. If admitted after the writing competition takes place, interested transfer students can participate in the writing competition in the subsequent year as rising 3Ls.

Moot Court does not bring on new members until the fall, so transfer students may try out alongside traditional rising 2L students.

More information will be provided about the selection process for each activity upon admission to the law school.

Transfer students and those granted at least 17 advanced standing credits are only eligible for cum laude degree honors. The GPAs of transfer students are not included in the class ranking. Full-time students who complete nine or more graded credits will be awarded a Dean's List certificate for any semester in which their GPA is in the top 20% of their class. Refer to the Student Handbook for more information.

Incoming transfer students will receive information from the Office of Career and Professional Development (OCPD), including instructions for accessing the Symplicity system to participate in recruiting and externship programs. They will be paired with an OCPD advisor to discuss their job search strategies and professional development opportunities.

Upon a transfer applicant's admission to the law school, the Law Registrar will evaluate and decide which and how many of the applicant's credits will be accepted. This transfer credit evaluation will be communicated to the applicant via email. The usual number of acceptable transfer credits is 27 to 30. The maximum number of acceptable transfer credits is 32. The Law Registrar has complete discretion in making the transfer credit determination. Their decision is final and cannot be appealed.

Miami Law offers many joint degree programs. It is possible to apply to any of our joint degree programs as a transfer student. 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. 

Academic accommodations is 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 Miami Law offers many 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.

Transfer applicants must submit a non-refundable $60 application fee via the LSAC Flex Application portal.

Transfer applicants may ask for an application fee waiver code by emailing admissions@law.miami.edu prior to submitting their application. 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.

The Admissions Team is available to answer your questions.
Web: www.law.miami.edu
Email: admissions@law.miami.edu
Phone: 305-284-6746
Mailing Address: Office of Admissions, P.O. Box 248087, Coral Gables, FL 33124-8087