Rolling admissions at UC Davis means the Admissions Committee reads files and makes decisions on a continual basis. Applicants are urged to apply and complete their files as early as possible although individual decisions are not based on the date the application was received. Applicants are informed of decisions beginning in December and continuing through the month of April. Applicants applying on or near the deadline are competing for significantly fewer seats. A complete file includes the application, $75.00 fee, personal statement, LSDAS or JD CAS report, and 2 letters of recommendation. International applicants are required to provide a TOEFL score. Applications are accepted beginning October 1 and the deadline for receipt of all documents required to complete the file is February 1. Applications are evaluated only after the file is considered complete.
A bachelor's degree or an equivalent degree from a college or university of approved standing is required and must have been earned prior to the time the applicant begins studies at the School of Law.

Applicants are required to use the LSDAS recommendation service. In most cases when there is little or no difference between scores, multiple scores are averaged. In exceptional cases where it is apparent that a significant difference exists between scores, the Admission Committee will consider carefully the explanation provided by the applicant. If warranted, the highest score will be used to reach a decision on the file. This is in keeping with past practice of the UC Davis Admission Committee. The highest score will be the recorded score on all admission materials. The Admissions Committee has access to all scores submitted and, therefore, is aware of any 'significant' increase or decrease. A change of five points or more is considered significant. Applicants should provide an explanation of any significant change in LSAT score. All applicants must take and submit a Law School Admission Test (LSAT) score. For admission in fall 2008, scores earned prior to October 2004 or after December 2007 are not valid. Applicants who take the test in December are not at a disadvantage but are encouraged to submit the application and complete all other requirements of the LSDAS or JD CAS so that when the score becomes available it is the last item required to complete the file. Applicants may submit a score from the February 2008 LSAT administration ONLY if a valid score meeting the requirements detailed above have been satisfied. The February 2008 score would then be considered a timely retake. February scores generally become available in March, toward the end of the admission process. Applicants planning to retake in February should notify the Admission Office in writing of their intention to do so if they do not want the application file evaluated prior to receipt of the February score. Though it is not required, most applicants choose to include a resume with the admission application. A section of the application form asks for work experience and should not be omitted even if a resume is submitted. A personal statement is required of all applicants. The statement is usually 2-4 pages in length, double-spaced, normal margins and 12 point font. There is no required format or content specifications for the personal statement, but applicants should assume that this is the only information the Admission Committee will have about them beyond the information provided on the application, the LSDAS or JD CAS report and in the letters of recommendation. Because interviews are not part of the admission process at UC Davis, the personal statement should be viewed as your opportunity to communicate directly with the Admission Committee. In addition to the LSAT and GPA, the Committee will consider rigor of undergraduate major, school at which degree was earned, significant work experience, community involvement, graduate study, and economic or educational disadvantage. All information in the personal statement and letters of recommendation are given very careful consideration. Deferrals of admissions are not granted, regardless of circumstances. The applicant pool is large and the entering class is very small; therefore, it is important to have all seats available at the beginning of each admission cycle. Applicants who have earned their undergraduate degree at UC Davis are not given any advantage, nor do they face a disadvantage in the admission process. Davis graduates are considered exactly the same as graduates of any other undergraduate school although UC Davis is one of our major feeder schools. View our student profile page for a listing of the currently admitted class' undergraduate institutions. Although UC Davis is a public institution, residency is not a factor in the evaluation process. Non-residents are not required to submit higher GPA/LSAT credentials in order to receive serious consideration. The answer to this question varies by individual circumstance. Prospective applicants can use the website link below to obtain additional information available at the UC Davis Registrar's webpage. (This is the campus registrar's site not the law school registrar.) Martha Amesquita is the Residency Deputy for the UC Davis campus. She is the only person who can answer specific questions and determine residency. Due to an exceedingly heavy workload, it is often extremely difficult to contact the Residency Deputy. Contact information is provided below for students whose residency questions are not answered by the information found on the website. http://registrar.ucdavis.edu/faq/slr/
Questions of a more specific nature than that included in the law school bulletin should be referred to:

Tuition and fees are listed on the Financial Aid section of this website (Cost of Attendance) and are subject to change without notice. A complete breakdown of the fee information can be found at http://www.ormp.ucdavis.edu/budget/brm/studentfees/index.html. Two forms are required of applicants seeking financial aid from UC Davis School of Law. The Free Application for Federal Student Assistance (FAFSA) may be obtained from any college or university. It is available in December and can be filed after January 1st. The FAFSA must be received by the processor before March 2, 2008. Failure to meet the deadline will affect the type of aid received. The Need Access Application is required of all financial aid applicants. The Need Access Application must be completed and filed by March 2, 2008.
Interviews are not part of the evaluation process. Your personal statement should include all information you want the Admission Committee to consider. Applicants educated outside the United States, Canada or Puerto Rico are required to register with LSAC's JD CAS service. This service will provide the School of Law with a credential evaluation report making it unnecessary to register with WES or a similar evaluation service. Information about JD CAS can be found at www.LSAC.org . International applicants educated outside the United States and for whom English was not the primary language of instruction, should provide a TOEFL score as part of the required admission materials. The TOEFL score should be reported to the Law School Admission Council so that it can be included with the JD CAS report sent to the law school. If a Certificate of Eligibility is required for a student visa issued by UC Davis, the student will be asked to complete a Certification of Finances form showing the availability of sufficient funding to cover all living and educational expenses. Financial aid is available to US citizens and permanent residents of the United States. The School does not provide merit scholarships or TA positions for international applicants. The application fee waiver is a form of financial aid and as such is not available to non-citizens. Every applicant to the 3-year full-time Juris Doctor degree program should expect to fulfill the same requirements. Credit is not given for similar coursework completed as part of an LLM program. Combined degree programs are available. Applicants apply to the UC Davis Graduate School of Management for the MBA and to the Department of Graduate Studies for the master of arts or master of science. Combining the JD with Phd studies is not an available option. Separate applications should be submitted to each department because the evaluation and decision process are performed independently. If admitted to both programs, the applicant is required to enroll at the School of Law for the first year. For this reason, many combined degree program applicants apply for the masters program during the first year of law study. The first year is completed exclusively at the law school, the second year exclusively at the other program, the third and fourth years are completed simultaneously. The law school is the only UC Davis department that follows a semester schedule. Our preference is for recommendations written by professors or others who can provide insight into the applicant's preparation for law study and past performance in an academic situation. If you cannot get a professor to write a recommendation you might ask an employer or another person who knows you and your academic capabilities. You may call the admission office and make an appointment to speak with a staff member, attend one of our 'drop-in' group information sessions, or get on-line answers to questions by sending an e-mail message to . You may also write or telephone the Admission Office (see School Directory).