JD A to Z at the U

The Academic Achievement Program (AAP) supports students in developing the analytical, writing, and examination skills needed for law school success through collaboration among faculty, administrators, and students. AAP offers workshops and one-on-one support as well as coordinates the Dean's Fellows Program.

Contact the Academic Achievement Program if you have any questions.

Review the law school academic calendar for important dates and deadlines

Academic accommodation 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. 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 the legal education journey.

AccessLex is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing financial literacy education to law students. All incoming 1L students are required to follow and complete the Max 1L Course: Financial Foundations and view a recorded information session before Orientation - 1) MAX 1L Pre-Course Skills Assessment, 2) Building Financial Capability, 3) Financial Goals for Future Lawyers, 4) Building Your Law School Budget, 5) The Power of Interest, 6) Summer Financial Planning, 7) My Law School Financial Plan, and 8) MAX 1L Post-Course Knowledge Assessment. To get started, register for your free AccessLex account at AskEDNA.AccessLex.org. You do not need a University of Miami email address to register. Once signed in, you can access the financial education curriculum. You can skip ahead and view any of the content or modules on the site at any time.

Contact Anne Cruz-Alvarez in the Office of Admissions if you have any questions.

Miami Law has partnered with bar review leader BARBRI to offer JD students a host of comprehensive resources throughout law school and during bar exam preparation. Additional information about the BARBRI Miami Pass Program will be shared at Orientation and throughout your time at Miami Law. For this summer, all incoming 1L students are encouraged to participate in the optional Lawyering Fundamentals course. Visit the BARBRI LF FAQs webpage for more information.

Contact the Academic Achievement Program if you have any questions.  

If you are planning to ride your bicycle and/or electric scooter on campus, you must register it with the UM Police Department. Visit the Bicycle/Scooter Safety and Registration webpage for more information.

Contact the Department of Parking and Transportation at 305-284-3096 if you have any questions.

The book list is compiled by the Law Registrar’s Office and submitted to the University of Miami Campus Bookstore (1306 Stanford Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146, 305-284-4101) and Book Horizons (1110 South Dixie Highway, Coral Gables, FL 33146, 305-665-6161) before each semester.

Please note that the law library provides online access to numerous study aids, so there is no need to purchase them in advance.

In some instances, it is possible that the UM Bookstore and/or Book Horizons are selling a different edition of a book than the one your professor requires for class. Students are responsible for ensuring they purchase the correct title and edition of each book. We recommend that students not rely solely upon ISBNs when purchasing books.

Students may view the book list and the first class assignments on CourseLink for all courses taught at Miami Law. Visit the Course Registration Resources webpage and select "Course Catalog Listing" for more information.

The Cane Card is the official photo identification card of the University of Miami and must be carried with you at all times while on campus. This card serves as an access key card for many campus buildings. 

New UM students: Once your new University of Miami email address is activated in mid-July, you will receive an email in your UM mailbox prompting you to upload a picture for your Cane Card to the Cloudcard system. The deadline to upload your picture is July 24. If you submit your picture by the deadline, you will receive your Cane Card during Orientation. If you miss the deadline, you may go in person to Canes Central beginning Orientation week. Bring a valid photo ID and be prepared to have your picture taken.

Former UM students: You may not receive the Cane Card email, as you have a previous photo on file. If you need a new photo, you may go in person to Canes Central beginning Orientation week.

Law students view their academic records on CaneLink. You do not need to register for your 1L courses—that will be done automatically for you. Among other things, students use CaneLink to order official transcripts, view financial aid, pay tuition bills, and edit personal contact information. Please ensure your contact information and emergency contact information on CaneLink are up to date once you have solidified your law school housing.

Important: You may be prompted to review the University’s Financial Responsibility Statement (FRS) in CaneLink. If the FRS message pops up when you log in to CaneLink, please read the statement and click I Agree. Otherwise, the current hold on your account will prevent course registration. Review the FRS knowledge article for more information.

We encourage you to read the rules of admission to the bar of the state where you intend to practice law. The National Conference of Bar Examiners provides information on each state's requirements regarding character, fitness, and other qualifications. Applicants have a continuing duty throughout the admission process to report any changes in the information provided in the application to ensure that it remains complete and accurate. The failure to provide honest and accurate information throughout the law school admission process may result in a delay or denial of admission to the bar.  

The University of Miami School of Law reserves the right to withdraw an offer of admission under various conditions. This includes instances where an admitted student engages in behavior that brings into question their academic honesty, maturity, or moral character, or if they engage in conduct that constitutes a violation of the applicable Miami Law Student Handbook or Honor Code. 

Contact Riva Medina in the Office of Admissions if you have any questions regarding disclosures or amendments to your Miami Law application. 

Contact Associate Dean Alexis Martinez if you wish to discuss character and fitness disclosures for a specific state bar. 

The University of Miami Counseling Center (UMCC) provides a wide array of effective multidisciplinary psychological services for all currently enrolled students struggling with mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety, campus adjustment issues, and relationship problems.

Contact UMCC for educational resources on wellness, self-care, and preventative measures. 

Coordinated through the Academic Achievement Program, Dean's Fellows are upper-level students who help facilitate 1Ls in independent learning by focusing on learning strategies, organizational skills, time management, and exam preparation throughout the first year. 

Beginning in mid-July, students may sign up for direct deposit to receive their student refunds in an authorized savings or checking account of their choice. This is the fastest and most secure method to receive student refunds. To enroll, visit the "Financials" menu in CaneLink, then select the "Direct Deposit/Bank Account" option. Visit the Student Accounts webpage for more information.

After matriculation in mid-July, you will receive an email from the University of Miami Information Technology (UMIT) department with the subject line “Action Required: Log in to Your University of Miami Email.” This message will include instructions for accessing your UM email account. If you would like to update your email alias to an easy-to-remember email address (such as your name) or if you were previously affiliated with UM and want to add law.miami.edu to your email address, please submit a request through UMIT's Service Portal.

Contact UMIT at 305-284-6565 if you need further assistance.

First-year law students are not permitted to work during the 1L school year, except with permission from the Dean of Students. Students seeking authorization to work should email deanofstudents@law.miami.edu to discuss their circumstances.

Any student who is a US citizen or an eligible non-citizen may apply for federal financial aid by submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The code for the University of Miami School of Law is E00532. If you intend to seek federal financial aid, please submit your FAFSA to Miami Law as soon as possible. If you are applying for private education loans, please review the University of Miami's preferred lender list. More information about the financial aid process at Miami Law is available on our Financing Your Legal Education webpage.

Please be advised that Student Accounts will start processing refunds during the first two weeks of classes. This means you will need to plan to pay for your setup expenses (books, rent/security deposit, etc.) out of pocket. Please budget accordingly.

Cost of Attendance (COA) Forms

The Cost of Attendance (COA) forms allow students who intend to borrow loans to provide documentation to determine whether an increase in their total COA is warranted. Submitting a form does not guarantee approval, and denials are not appealable.

The Grad/Law UM Health Insurance COA Request Form specifically relates to the expense associated with enrolling in the University’s Health Insurance Plan. The premium for the University’s Health Insurance Plan is not included in the COA. Therefore, students may request a COA increase to cover this expense. Please note that the yearly cost of health insurance is added to the fall semester bill. Please note that this form should not be submitted until the cost of the UM Health Insurance appears on your bill.

The Grad/Law COA Review Form allows students who intend to borrow loans to request a COA increase for extenuating circumstances. The circumstances are detailed on the form as follows: emergency health-related living expenses, dependent care expenses (daycare/after-school care), computer repair or replacement, additional educational expenses such as additional required books and supplies that exceed the current allotment, computer software required for degree conferment, instruments required for a degree program, required travel for educational purposes (i.e., required for degree conferment), and private health insurance.

Both forms will be available on the Resources webpage.

Loan Revision Form

If a student does not need the full amount of the unsubsidized loan offered, they can complete the Grad/Law Loan Revision Request Form to reduce the amount. Do not use the Loan Revision Form to decrease the amount to $0. In that case, simply click “decline” on CaneLink next to the unsubsidized loan. The Federal Loan Revision Calculator can be used to assist you with calculating the origination fees.

The 2026-2027 Grad/Law Loan Revision form will be available on the Resources webpage.

Title IV Authorization

Title IV federal funding is another term for federal financial aid. Upon disbursement, Title IV federal loan funds will be applied to tuition and mandatory student fees. After these charges have been paid, there may be an excess of federal loan funds. These excess funds may be used to pay other pending University charges (e.g., University student health insurance fees, parking fees, library fines, etc.), but students must first authorize the University to do so by submitting a Title IV authorization or permission. If you wish to provide Title IV authorization, please follow the instructions outlined on the Title IV knowledge article.

Contact Anne Cruz-Alvarez in the Office of Admissions if you have any questions. 

Florida Bright Futures Scholarship (FBFS) recipients who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in seven or fewer semesters or 105 or fewer semester hours may be eligible to receive this scholarship in the first semester of law school. Either log in to your account on the FBFS website or contact the Florida Department of Education, Office of Student Financial Assistance, at 888-827-2004 or osfa@fldoe.org to determine if you have eligibility remaining. You can request that any remaining eligibility be transferred to the University of Miami. If you have not used Bright Futures for over a year, ask whether a Reinstatement/Restoration Online Application is required. Notify Anne Cruz-Alvarez in the Office of Admissions if you are using FBFS funds.

To have any remaining Florida Prepaid (FLPP) funding applied to your account, please follow the instructions provided on the Florida Prepaid College Program page.

To have an external scholarship applied to your account, ask the awarding organization to mail the check to the University of Miami using the address provided on the Pay By Mail webpage. Please have the awarding organization include your student ID on the check to ensure that the check is credited to your account. Your student ID number (starting with a 5) may be found by logging into CaneLink, clicking on My Profile, and clicking General Information.

Law students can use the Herbert Wellness Center starting on August 10. You must use your Cane Card to enter the building. The Wellness Center Fee is mandatory for all full-time law students enrolled in the fall/spring semesters. Visit the Student Membership webpage for more information

Contact the Herbert Wellness Center at 305-284-5433 if you have any questions. 

All domestic law students enrolled in six or more credit hours per semester and all international students are required to have adequate health insurance coverage. All students will be automatically enrolled in the University’s student health insurance plan. Please note that the cost of the student health insurance plan is not included in your Cost of Attendance. Visit the Student Health Service webpage for more information.

Domestic students with adequate healthcare coverage of their own can request to waive the University-sponsored insurance. Students must submit a waiver request via the Gallagher student portal. To submit your waiver, please have your student ID (starting with a 5) and current insurance card ready. Students will need to access their UM email for verification to submit your waiver. Students will receive a waiver approval or denial based on their insurance coverage within 5 business days of their submission. Waiver requests can only be made after matriculation in mid-July. A health insurance waiver request must be renewed each academic year.

Contact the UHCSR Customer Service at 1-833-931-0533 or the University of Miami's Student Health Service at 305-284-9100 if you need further assistance or have specific questions about the insurance plan.

Although on-campus housing is not available to law students, there are many off-campus options around/close to campus. For assistance with your housing search, please refer to our Miami Law Housing and Living webpage. If you are looking for a roommate, please fill out our Roommate Referral Form, which includes students ranging from incoming 1Ls to LLMs.

Contact Joe Matthews in the Office of Admissions if you have any questions. 

All students must have the vaccinations listed on the Required Immunizations webpage. Students must complete an immunization form and email it to studenthealth@miami.edu by July 25. 

Contact the Student Health Service at 305-284-9100 if you have any questions.

The Student Technology Help Desk team will host virtual IT setup sessions in the summer to help you get connected to our CaneNetWireless network, install print drivers, set up your UM email on your phone, and provide other similar services. They can also help you download a free Microsoft Office software suite to your laptop. They will hold office hours around Orientation to help you get set up. You may also refer to these IT instructional videos at your convenience.

Contact the Student Technology Help Desk at 305-284-5297 or 305-284-8887 if you have any questions. They are located in Room C118 on the ground floor of the Law Library.

Laptops are required for law students. If you are planning to purchase a new laptop and want to know if it will meet our minimum requirements, or if you want to see if your current laptop meets our minimum requirements, visit the Computer Requirements for Law School webpage. If you plan on taking your law school exams on a laptop, you must use the Exam 4 software. You may check the minimum system requirements for Exam 4, including a list of hardware configurations not supported by exam-taking software.

During Orientation, you may select any available locker at the law school and attach your own lock. You do not need to report your locker number to anyone at the law school.

All 1Ls will be assigned to a mentoring pod. The pods will match groups of 1L students with upper-level law students and alumni mentors to strengthen connections within the community and provide 1L students with access to professional development opportunities. Additional information will be emailed to you in August.

The Office of Career and Professional Development (OCPD) looks forward to working with you throughout law school and beyond. To assign you to your career advisor, please complete the OCPD 1L Career and Practice Area Interest Survey by August 3. To learn about the expectations and responsibilities between Miami Law students and the OCPD team, review this OCPD Advising Compact.

Contact the Office of Career and Professional Development if you have any questions.

Mandatory 1L Orientation will be held from August 10 to August 14. Information will be posted on the Orientation webpage periodically throughout the summer. Keep an eye out for additional Orientation requirements that must be submitted prior to August 10. Classes will begin with your Legal Communications and Research Skills class (“LComm”) on August 14. Your other 1L classes will begin on August 17.

In July, you will receive an email from the Department of Parking and Transportation with the specific date and time your student type may begin purchasing a parking permit online. At that time, you will log in to the Parking Portal using your Login ID and password, enter the make, model, and license plate number of the vehicle you wish to register, and select from the permit options available to you. If your preferred lot is not available (i.e., Red Lot), you may contact the Parking Office to request placement on a waitlist for a specific permit color.

As a law student, please be aware that the Purple Lot is designated for employees only. Students are not permitted to park in the Purple Lot before 4:00 pm, and doing so will result in a citation for parking in a restricted lot.

Visit the Parking and Transportation webpage or their Contact Us webpage if you have any questions.

The University's Transit Program offers incentives and discounts to full-time students using Brightline, Metrorail, Tri-Rail, and Metrobus.

Visit the Transportation Options webpage for more information.

The University of Miami, although a secular institution, is determined to accommodate those students who wish to observe religious holy days. It seeks to reflect its awareness of and sensitivity to religious holy days whenever possible when scheduling University activities. The following provisions are meant to apply equitably to all religious groups and to provide opportunities to all to meet their religious obligations.

1. Except as specifically provided to the contrary, this policy is binding on all students in undergraduate programs. Schools offering graduate or professional programs, including undergraduate professional programs, are strongly encouraged to adhere to these policies to the maximum extent practicable.
2. Any student absent from class in observance of a religious holy day shall not be penalized in any way for an examination or assignment missed during the period of absence. Absence in observance of a religious holy day does not relieve students from responsibility for any part of the course work required during the period of absence. Students who are absent on days of examinations or class assignments shall be offered a reasonable opportunity to make up the work without penalty, if the student previously arranged to be absent. Nothing in this policy shall preclude faculty members from limiting the number of student absences to a reasonable number of absences for any reason. The faculty member has discretion to determine how the make-up obligation will be fulfilled. A faculty member who penalizes a student contrary to these provisions may have committed unprofessional conduct, and thus may be subject to a complaint to the Committee on Professional Conduct under the provisions of Section B4.9 of the Faculty Manual.
3. It is the student’s obligation to provide faculty members with notice of the dates they will be absent due to observance of religious holy days, preferably before the beginning of classes but no later than the end of the first three class days. For religious holy days that fall within the first three class days, students must provide faculty members with notice no later than two class days before the absence. Missing a class due to travel plans associated with a particular religious holy day does not constitute an excused absence. Absences due to observance of religious holy days that are not pre-arranged with the relevant faculty member within the first three class days may be considered unexcused, and the faculty member may therefore prevent the student from making up examinations or assignments missed during the period of absence.

You will receive your section assignments by email the week before Orientation. Your section assignment will dictate your class schedule, which may be viewed on CaneLink in August.

All incoming students are required to complete the Sexual Assault Prevention for Graduate Students online training. Additional information will be emailed to you in July.

A student ticket to attend the University of Miami home games requires purchase and opting in to the athletic fee. Review this knowledge article to learn how to opt in to the athletic fee.

Visit this Miami Hurricanes Student Tickets webpage for more information.

If you have not already done so, please submit your official final undergraduate transcript indicating the awarded bachelor’s degree and conferral date to the Law School Admission Council’s Credential Assembly Service by July 15.

If you are requesting your transcript through Parchment, please type “LSAC” in the Parchment search engine box instead of “University of Miami School of Law.” If you are requesting your transcript through the National Student Clearinghouse, please select “Educational Organization” and search for “Law School Admission Council.” After LSAC processes your transcript, they will forward it to us electronically.

Contact Riva Medina in the Office of Admissions if you have any questions. 

Review the tuition and fee rates and the billing information provided by the Office of Student Accounts. The first billing notification will be sent out on July 13 and the payment due date is August 6.

Contact Anne Cruz-Alvarez in the Office of Admissions if you have any questions. 

The Veterans Services certifying officials are in the Office of the University Registrar to assist veterans and dependents of veterans who are entitled to VA educational benefits. Review the Veterans Resource Guide to learn about the services that are available.

The Veterans Resource Center provides support and guidance to student veterans for the successful transition from military service to campus life. They also connect veterans and military-affiliated students to academic and other University resources through collaborative programs and engagement activities with campus partners and alumni.

Contact the Veterans Resource Center at 305-284-8727 if you have any questions or Associate Director Jack Townsend who serves as the law school's liaison.

You will receive an email from the law library with registration instructions for Westlaw, Lexis, and other legal information resources before Orientation. Please complete the registration before your initial LComm class.

Contact Robin Schard from the Law Library if you have any questions. 

Join our Class of 2029 University of Miami School of Law WhatsApp Community. We will post announcements throughout the summer about upcoming events, important deadlines, and Orientation details.