Miami Law welcomes and encourages applications from students who have compiled strong records at other American Bar Association-approved law schools and wish to transfer. Applications are reviewed as soon as all required documents have been received.
While one standard indicator of potential for admission for transfer applicants is prior performance in law school, undergraduate records and LSAT scores are also considered in the admissions process. To be considered for transfer, Miami Law applicants are normally required to have at least a 3.00 law school GPA or to 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. Therefore, in order 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. Typically, 30 credits are required for transfer; however, if fewer credits comprise the entire first-year, full-time curriculum at the applicant's school, the application will be considered. Transferring with less than two years of law study remaining is highly unusual. While there is no part-time program offered at Miami Law, competitive transfer applicants from part-time programs who have completed the entire first-year, part-time curriculum at their home school may be considered for transfer into the full-time division. All previously stated factors are considered in the review process. Miami Law is committed to enhancing the diversity of its student body and encourages applications from members of all minority and underrepresented groups.
Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications and all supporting documentation as early as possible. Transfer applicants who have completed at least two semesters of law school may enroll for spring (January 4 application deadline), summer (May 1 application deadline), or fall (July 31 application deadline) semesters. Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis throughout the year.
READ SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR JD TRANSFER APPLICANTS
Miami Law's electronic application is available as part of an applicant's LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) registration and is a very convenient way to apply. All applicants are required to register for CAS. This easy and efficient option allows applicants to work on and save an application until it is ready for electronic submission.
Although applying electronically through LSAC is the preferred method, Miami Law will accept hard copy applications. Candidates who prefer to submit a paper application should email admissions@law.miami.edu.
Learn about the transfer application process and hear the answers to transfer FAQs by watching this video.
For more information about tuition and costs, please click here. Please visit our Financing Your Legal Education website for financial aid information. There are no merit-based scholarships available for transfer students.
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 either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The minimum required TOEFL score for admission is 580 paper-based, 237 computer-based, and 92 internet-based. The minimum required IELTS score for admission is 7.0. LSAC's institutional code to report the TOEFL score is 8395. No institutional code is needed for the IELTS. Scores from either test will be included in the authentication and evaluation feature of the CAS Report.
Although transfer students are not automatically eligible for membership on a law school review or moot court board on the basis of class rank at another law school, transfer students may still be able to participate in these activities at Miami Law. Any transfer student interested in joining one of our law journals should contact Farah Barquero at fbarquero@law.miami.edu. You may find additional information on the Law Review and Journals at the University of Miami webpage.
Miami Law encourages prospective transfer applicants who receive above a 3.0 GPA in their first semester of law school to apply for conditional admission upon receipt of their first semester’s grades. If an applicant’s cumulative law school GPA after their second semester is a 3.15 or above, and no other significant changes to the application occur, the applicant will then be fully admitted to Miami Law as a transfer. As an applicant, it is advantageous to apply for conditional admission because these applicants will likely receive their final admission decision sooner than applicants who wait until after receiving their second semester’s grades to submit the entire application, potentially allowing the applicant more time to onboard as a student and participate in activities at Miami Law like the writing competition or on-campus interviewing. If an applicant does not have above a 3.0 law school GPA after their first semester, an applicant may apply with only one semester of law school grades, but the Committee is unlikely to render a decision on the application. The Committee will likely wait to render a decision on the application until the applicant submits their second semester grades, to give the applicant an opportunity to raise their law school GPA above 3.0. Applications received with two semesters of grades will be considered for regular, not conditional, admission. Transfer applicants who have completed at least two semesters of law school may enroll for spring (January 4 application deadline), summer (May 1 application deadline), or fall (July 31 application deadline) semesters.
No more than 32 credits will be accepted for transfer to Miami Law. There are several types of courses that do not transfer:
No. Transfer students are not given a class rank at Miami Law and are encouraged to discuss how best to represent their class rank from their previous institution on their resume with their Career Development Office advisor. Though transfers are not eligible for a class rank, they may be eligible for cum laude-level Latin honors, Dean's List, and Book Awards.
Yes. To be invited to join one of our five law journals, transfer students must participate in the writing competition, which takes place annually in mid-May. Due to the timing of our writing competition, only conditionally admitted transfer students who have been conditionally admitted by the competition's registration deadline will be allowed to participate in the competition as rising 2Ls. If admitted after the writing competition takes place, interested transfer students have the opportunity to 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.
If you would like to learn more about the transfer program, please connect with the Office of Admissions. Leslie Greenwood, JD It is the policy of the University of Miami that no person within the jurisdiction thereof shall, on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other protected factor be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination or harassment (including all forms of sexual harassment and sexual violence) under any program or activity of the University, regardless of whether such program or activity occurs on-campus or off-campus. Retaliation against an individual who files a complaint of discrimination, opposes a policy/procedure/practice because he/she believes it to be discriminatory, or who participates in the investigation of a discrimination complaint, is prohibited.Contact Information
Associate Director of Admissions and Financial Aid
Phone: 305-284-6746
Email: lgreenwood@law.miami.eduNon-Discrimination Policy