Transfers & Visiting Students
Applicants who have completed at least one full-time year of work in another American Bar Association approved law school may, be admitted to advanced standing with credit for not more than one year of such work. No application for advanced standing will be considered until the Admissions Committee has received transcripts for all prior law school work. Transfers are considered for admission in Fall semester only. If a student has earned units beyond the approximately 30 units earned as a first-year student, those additional units will not be credited toward the Juris Doctor degree at UC Davis Law School.
Application Filing Period
June 1 - June 30 for admission in Fall semester. Transfers are not admitted for enrollment in Spring.
Required Materials Checklist
- Electronic Application.
- A letter of good standing from the dean of any law school previously attended, including class rank.
- At least one letter of recommendation from a law professor.
- Transcripts of all law school work.
- LSAT score - registration with the LSDAS is required.
- An official transcript from the school where you earned your undergraduate degree stating the date the degree was conferred.
- $75 non-refundable application fee (fee waivers are not available)
- Personal statement
The filing period for transfer applications is June 1 – 30 of the year for which transfer is sought. Transfer applications should not be submitted prior to June 1 so as not to overlap our 1L admission process.
No application for advanced standing will be considered until the Admissions Committee has received transcripts for all prior law school work.
Decisions will be made as soon as possible but usually begin around the end of June and will most likely continue throughout the month of July and possibly into the first week of August.
What factors are considered for admission as a transfer?
Prior law school grade point average is the primary factor considered. Applicants performing in the top 5%-10% of their 1st year class receive serious consideration. In exceptional cases, and based on the law school attended, applicants performing slightly lower in the class may be admitted. The LSAT score is considered but does not carry the same weight it does in the 1st year admission process.
How many students are typically admitted as transfers?
Transfers are admitted based on space-available. Offers are typically extended to 20 or 30 students. The applicant pool usually numbers about 90 to 100.
How many units must I complete in order to be eligible to transfer to UC Davis?
Applicants must have completed at least 30 semester units in order to receive serious consideration for transfer, unless the unit total for full-time first-year attendance at the prior law school is less than 30.
I have completed one year of study in a part-time evening program, am I eligible to apply for transfer?
If, by the time you submit the transfer application, you have completed the same number of units required to move to 2nd year status at your prior law school, you may apply for admission as a transfer.
I am currently enrolled at a California State approved law school. Am I eligible for transfer?
Only students who have completed the equivalent of a first-year full-time program at a law school approved by the American Bar Association may apply for transfer.
I am an international student, and I have completed an LLM degree at an ABA approved law school. Am I eligible to apply to transfer? How many of my LLM courses will be credited?
Only students who have completed the traditional first year of a Juris Doctor degree program at an American Bar Association approved law school may apply to transfer. No credits earned in an LLM program will be credited toward a Juris Doctor degree at the UC Davis Law School.
