How to Apply

UC Davis School of Law is well-known for offering a top-quality legal education in a supportive and accommodating environment, and King Hall has a long tradition of welcoming transfer students from other law schools. Each year, the King Hall community benefits immeasurably from the intellectual contributions of dozens of students who join the UC Davis School of Law student body as second-year transfers. The Law School is committed to helping those students find the educational opportunities they need to succeed in their chosen career paths.

To be eligible for admission to UC Davis School of Law as a transfer student, you must have completed at least one full-time year of study in another American Bar Association-approved law school. Students in good standing may be admitted to UC Davis School of Law with credit for not more than one year of study. No more than 30 previously earned units may be credited toward the Juris Doctor degree at King Hall. Transfer students are admitted for the Fall semester only with applications being accepted from (generally) January 1 - June 30 of the year for which admission is sought.

Early Admission

Those applicants who demonstrate high academic performance during the fall semester may receive offers of admission prior to the completion of the first full year of law school studies. Such offers of admission are contingent upon completion of the first year within the top one-third of the class or the School of Law reserves the right to reconsider the offer of admission.

Information Sessions

To learn more about the transfer process, including the application and evaluation of candidates, please join us for a virtual information session. 

Application Filing Checklist

  • Electronic Application (you will need to first login with your LSAC account information to access these links)
  • Transcripts of all law school work (must include at least one full-term of graded courses)
  • Letter(s) of good standing from the dean(s) of any law school(s) previously attended
  • Letter from current law school indicating class rank
  • One letter of recommendation from a law professor
  • Personal statement (not to exceed two pages, double-spaced)
  • Résumé
  • LSAT or GRE score - CAS registration
  • Undergraduate transcripts (Note: Pursuant to ABA Standard 502 (d) governing law school admissions, all matriculating students must supply an official transcript denoting conferral and date of conferral of a bachelor's degree by October 15. Failure to submit an official transcript may result in disenrollment. Disenrolled students may still be responsible for any tuition and fees incurred to date.)

   There is no application fee for either the transfer or the visiting student application. 

   The transfer application period is January 1 - June 30 for admission in fall. Transfer students matriculate in fall semester only.

   The visiting student application period is April 15 - July 15 for the upcoming full academic year and the upcoming fall semester. It is November 1 - December 1 for the upcoming spring semester.