Transfer Application Instructions: University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Office of Admissions and Financial Aid
3501 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6204
215.898.7400
JD ADMISSIONS AND FINANCIAL AID INFORMATION
We welcome your interest in Penn Carey Law and provide this information to guide you through
the admissions and financial aid processes.
Applicant Eligibility Requirements
All applicants must hold a bachelor's degree to be eligible to enroll in the Juris Doctor (JD)
program. Applicants for the JD degree are admitted for the fall semester on a full-time basis
only. All applicants must take an approved standardized test (either the Law School Admission
Test (LSAT), the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), or the Graduate Management Admission
Test (GMAT)) and must register with the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) through the Law
School Admission Council (LSAC). (See Test Administration and LSAC Credential Assembly
Service information below.)
Transfer (Advanced Standing) Admission
Students enrolled in a part-time or evening division program at any time during their first
year of law school are not eligible to apply to Penn Carey Law for transfer. Transfer
applications will be considered only when the student has successfully completed all the courses
required in the full-time 1L year of the home school. The number of credits transferred will equal
the number of credits successfully completed in that program; transfer students who are deficient
in any 1L courses required at Penn Carey Law (Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts,
Criminal Law, and Torts) will be required to complete those courses as part of their upper-level
coursework at Penn Carey Law. The law school from which the applicant seeks to transfer must
be able to certify that the applicant has completed all requirements and credits for that school’s
full-time first-year program. Applicants must fulfill the first-year course requirements at their
host law school by the completion of the spring semester. Transcripts reflecting grades for all
courses taken must be submitted to the Office of Admissions by June 30.
Applicants for advanced standing must be in good standing at a law school that is both a member
of the American Association of Law Schools (AALS) and approved by the American Bar
Association (ABA). We begin receiving applications for advanced standing on May 1. All
applicants for advanced standing must submit the application form by June 15. Supplemental
application materials may follow later, such as letters of recommendation and law school
transcripts, but all required application materials must be received by June 30. Applicants for
advanced standing will not be reviewed until we have received transcripts for both fall and
spring semesters of the first year of law school. Decisions are made on a rolling basis beginning
in mid to late June.
Applicants for advanced standing are required to provide the same documents that are required
for first-year applicants (i.e., completed application form, application fee, personal statement,
résumé, and the LSAC Credential Assembly Service Law School Report, which includes
academic transcripts from all institutions attended and two letters of recommendation--preferably
from law professors). Additionally, applicants for advanced standing must provide a letter of
good standing from the law school dean, or appropriate administrator, at the current law school.
This letter of good standing must cover the fall and spring semesters and therefore, should not be
obtained until the completion of the spring semester.We do not provide a form for the letter of
good standing; the letter can be generated in whatever format the home law school uses. The
letter of good standing is not the same as a dean’s certification letter or letter of class rank. The
letter of good standing must be emailed from an authorized administrator at your home law
school directly to us at [email protected].
Transfer applicants are required to submit their application and letters of recommendation
electronically through the LSAC electronic application service. Official law school transcripts
should also be submitted through LSAC, but we will accept law school transcripts sent directly
to Penn Carey Law only if they are sent via an approved electronic transcript service to
[email protected]. In addition, we will not accept unofficial transcripts or grade
reports. Finally, we will not accept emailed copies of transcripts.
Transfer applicants are not eligible for need-based financial assistance (grants).
Transfer applicants are not eligible for an application fee waiver.
Standards for Admission
The admissions process at Penn Carey Law is highly selective. Last year, we received over 6,000
applications for the approximately 250 places in the first-year class. Students who apply to Penn
Carey Law come from every state in the nation, from many countries around the world, from
more than 200 undergraduate institutions, and from a broad range of academic, ethnic, cultural,
professional, and economic backgrounds.
There is no pre-law educational requirement or even a specific recommended course of study for
admission to Penn Carey Law. Strength of character, breadth of knowledge, and intellectual
maturity constitute the base upon which our legal education builds. As such, Penn Carey Law
seeks to enroll individuals who have demonstrated outstanding academic success, who are
intellectually curious, and who possess superior writing, oral communication, and analytical
skills. Importantly, we also seek individuals who will positively contribute to the Penn Carey
Law community, and ultimately, to the legal profession, based on their diverse personal and
professional experiences, and any challenges or obstacles that they may have overcome.
The Admissions Committee considers numerous factors in the admissions process, including the
student's academic record, course selection and grade trends, standardized test scores, letters of
recommendation, leadership, community service, extracurricular activities, professional and life
experiences, and the applicant's examples of written expression (standardized test writing
samples, personal statement, and optional essays). Importantly, the Admissions Committee bases
its decision on all material submitted on behalf of each candidate. Though an applicant's
academic record and standardized test scores are factors in the review process, they are not the
sole factors. We do not have numerical "cut-offs" in the application process, nor do we employ
the use of an admissions index.
Due to the large number of applications from all over the country and other parts of the world,
the admissions committee does not grant requests for evaluative or individual informational
interviews as part of the review process. However, we invite all applicants to visit the Penn
Carey Law website to become more familiar with the Law School, the University campus, and
Philadelphia. Furthermore, we encourage applicants to ask any questions by email to
How to Apply
We require you to submit an application using the following format:
LSAC Electronic Application available at LSAC.org
Application Requirements and Instructions
Application Form
Please provide complete information for each question on the application in the spaces provided.
You may attach additional pages (as an upload in Attachments) to complete or elaborate on this
information. Please answer all questions fully and accurately. A copy of your law school
application will be retained for a minimum period of three years. For those students who
matriculate, a copy of your application will be sent to the Committee on Character and Fitness
when you apply to take a state bar examination or seek admission to the bar. Please be advised
that there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar and that as an
applicant, prior to matriculation, you should determine what those requirements are in the
state(s) in which you intend to practice. More information is available at the National Conference
of Bar Examiners: http://www.ncbex.org/.
Please answer all questions on the application form unless otherwise noted.
Application Fee
The application fee is $80 (nonrefundable). You have a choice of paying the application fee by
debit or credit card. When you pay the application fee through LSAC with a debit or credit card,
you will also sign your application with the electronic signature option. Transfer applicants are
not eligible for an application fee waiver.
Test Administration and LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS)
Every applicant must take an approved standardized test and must register with the Credential
Assembly Service (CAS). You may register for the LSAT and/or the Credential Assembly
Service online at LSAC.org or by phone at 215.968.1001. You may register for the GRE here;
Penn Carey Law’s school code for GRE score reporting is 4122. You may register for the
GMAT here; Penn Carey Law’s school code for GMAT score reporting is G56-RV-81. We will
not accept test-taker score report copies.
All valid and reportable LSAT test scores, taken June 1, 2017, or thereafter, are considered as
part of your application. Please report the highest LSAT score obtained on the application form
in the Standardized Test section. We do not require that all GRE and/or GMAT test scores, taken
within the last five years prior to your file being completed, be reported and submitted as part of
your application. If an applicant has taken the LSAT and has a reportable LSAT score, an
applicant may choose whether or not to share GRE and/or GMAT test results. If you would like
your GRE and/or GMAT test scores to be considered in addition to your LSAT score(s) then
please fill out the GRE/GMAT Standardized Test section of the application form and we will
request those score reports from ETS and/or GMAC. At its discretion, the Admissions
Committee may evaluate your application based on the highest score.
Each applicant must also register with the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) and
arrange to have all transcripts sent from each college or university attended to LSAC. When we
electronically receive your application, we will automatically request your Credential Assembly
Service Law School Report, and LSAC will send it electronically to us. The CAS Law School
Report includes your LSAT score(s) and LSAT writing sample(s) if you have taken the LSAT,
copies of your academic transcript(s), an undergraduate academic summary, letters of
recommendation, and other information. Please note that your law school report will NOT be
released by LSAC until all required transcripts have been received and processed by LSAC.
Penn Carey Law requires that any international transcripts be submitted through the LSAC
Credential Assembly Service (CAS) for applicants who completed any postsecondary work
outside the US (including its territories) or Canada. You must use this service for the evaluation
of your international transcripts. The exception to this requirement is if you complete the foreign
work through a study-abroad, consortium, or exchange program sponsored by a US or Canadian
institution, the duration of the program is not more than one year, and the work is clearly
indicated as such on the home campus transcript. This service is included in the Credential
Assembly Service registration fee. An international Credential Evaluation will be completed by
the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), which
will be incorporated into your Credential Assembly Service Law School Report.
To use the CAS, log in to your online LSAC account and follow the instructions for registering
for the service if it has expired. Be sure to print out a Transcript Request Form for each
institution and send it promptly to them. More time is usually required to receive international
transcripts.
Applicants are reminded to monitor their LSAC account to ensure that the account is current so
that their law school report will be released to us on a timely basis.
Recommendation Forms and Letters
Penn Carey Law requires that you submit your letters through the LSAC Letter of
Recommendation Service. Your CAS law school report will not be released to us until at least
two letters of recommendation are on file with LSAC and targeted to Penn Carey Law. This
service is included with your Credential Assembly Service registration. You must use the letter
of recommendation form available online through the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service
for each letter submitted to LSAC. Please do not send letters directly to Penn Carey Law.
Letters of recommendation from individuals who can comment on your intellectual capacity and
analytical and written communication skills are extremely useful in a rigorous selection process.
Therefore, we require two letters of recommendation from individuals who have served as recent
academic instructors or advisors. Note that we will accept up to four letters of recommendation;
however, your application is deemed complete with two letters of recommendation.
Personal Statement
The admissions committee requires that every applicant submit an original example of written
expression. The purpose of this personal statement is to provide you with as flexible an
opportunity as possible to submit information that you deem important to your candidacy. You
may wish to describe aspects of your background and/or interests--intellectual, personal, or
professional--and how you will uniquely contribute to the Penn Carey Law community and/or
the legal profession. Please try to limit your statement to two pages, double-spaced, label it as
"Personal Statement", and include your name and LSAC account number on each page.
Optional Essays
If you wish, you may write an additional essay on any of the following topics. These optional
essays allow you an opportunity to provide the admissions committee with additional relevant
information that you were not able to include in your personal statement. You may answer more
than one essay topic if you so choose. Please include your name and LSAC account number on
each page and try to limit optional essays to one page, double-spaced.
• These are the core strengths that make Penn Carey Law the best place to receive a
rigorous, collaborative, and engaging legal education: genuine integration with associated
disciplines; transformative, forward-looking faculty scholarship; highly-regarded
experiential learning through clinics and our pro bono pledge; innovative, hands-on
global engagement; and a manifest commitment to professional development and
collegiality. These qualities define Penn Carey Law. What defines you? How do your
goals and values match Penn Carey Law's core strengths?
• Penn Carey Law is committed to achieving an expansive and inclusive law school
community that brings a diverse range of ideas, experiences, and perspectives to our
classrooms. Tell us how your lived experience informs who you are today.
• Describe a significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to
overcome this challenge.
• What strength or quality do you have that most people might not see or recognize?
• What don't we see in your application file that you would like to share with the
Admissions Committee?
Applying for Joint-degree Programs
Penn Carey Law leads in cross-disciplinary education of law students. Every year, a number of
our applicants and students apply to more than 20 formal joint-degree programs, either
contemporaneously with the Penn Carey Law application or in the first or second year of their
law study. Additionally, on an ad hoc basis, students have successfully combined graduate study
outside of these formal programs in other graduate and professional schools at the University of
Pennsylvania. If you are interested in supplementing your legal education with study at other
programs/schools at the University, we encourage you to discuss that interest with their
Admissions Department. Note that you must apply individually to each program; admissions
decisions are made by each program independently. You will find a list of most of our available
formal joint-degree programs on the Application for Admission. Additionally, detailed
information regarding each program may be found on our website at
https://www.law.upenn.edu/crossdisciplinary/jointdegree/. If you are applying to another
graduate program, or intend to, please provide the information requested in the Application Data
section of the Application Questions.
Application Status/Questions
The Penn Carey Law Office of Admissions is committed to serving our applicants as efficiently
and effectively as we can during the application process. Please be advised that it takes
approximately one to two weeks from the date that we receive the application and the Credential
Assembly Service Law School Report to process and complete the application file. We will
notify you of the date upon which we receive your application and inform you of any missing
documents upon receipt of your Credential Assembly Service Law School Report. We will also
notify you of the date upon which your application is complete. Once your file is complete, it is
placed in a queue for the admissions committee and files are evaluated on a rolling basis. The
evaluation process may take up to four weeks from the date upon which the application is
completed, though you may receive a decision much sooner. Applicants will be able to check the
status of their application at any time using Application Status, Penn Carey Law's online
application status checker. To access the online status checker, you can go to our website at
https://www.law.upenn.edu/admissions/how-to-apply.php. Your LSAC account username and
password are used to access the application status checker. Please be sure that you have allowed
adequate time for your application to be processed, completed, and evaluated before calling the
Office of Admissions to check on the status of your decision.
Email Notification
Please note that an email address is required. We communicate via email with applicants
regarding the status of their application; thus, it is imperative that you provide an email address
on your application and it remains current throughout the admissions process. You will be
notified by email when your application is received, again when your application file is
complete, and possibly at other times to update you on the status of your application.
Please promptly notify us of any changes to your email address or any changes to your other
contact information. Applicants should be aware of their service provider's procedures for spam
filtering that may affect delivery of any email communications sent from the Office of
Admissions. Steps should be taken to ensure that messages will be delivered promptly.
TUITION AND FINANCIAL AID
Cost of Education (2023-2024)
Tuition $71,266
Learning Support Fee $1,178
General Fee $3,802
Health Clinical Fee $688
Sub-Total Tuition and Fees: $76,934
Living Expenses Budget (2023-2024)
Room and Board $19,560
Books and Supplies $2,500
Health Insurance $4,210
Miscellaneous $1,784
Transportation $944
Sub-Total Living Expenses: $28,998
Budget Grand Total $105,932
(*This is the prior academic year budget. Budget will be finalized in July for 2024-2025.)
The General fee is a partial contribution toward the support of the Student Health Service,
graduate student activities, recreational facilities, the physical development of the University,
and other services not directly associated with specific courses. The Trustees reserve the right at
any time to amend the regulations concerning tuition, fees, and method of payment and to make
such changes applicable to students currently enrolled in the University as well as to new
students. Tuition and fees are adjusted annually. The living expenses estimate will vary
according to personal lifestyles.
Applying for Financial Aid
Financial assistance is available to qualifying applicants in the form of the Public Interest Loan
Repayment Assistance Program, and federal and private student loans. Admission decisions at
Penn Carey Law are made without regard to an applicant's financial need.
Toll Loan Repayment Assistance Program (TolLRAP)
Penn Carey Law is committed to promoting the pursuit of public interest careers, and TolLRAP
offers generous repayment assistance, on an annual basis, to Penn Carey Law graduates working
in public sector careers. A full description of TolLRAP can be found on our website at
https://www.law.upenn.edu/admissions/financing/.
Loans
Various federal and private loans are available to help students fund their education at Penn
(repayment terms and interest vary). Students can borrow through the Federal Direct, Federal
Direct Graduate PLUS, and other student loan programs. Application and program details can be
found at https://srfs.upenn.edu/financial-aid/loan-types.
International Students
International students may apply for loans from private student loan lenders. Please note that
student loans for international students require a U.S. cosigner. U.S. federal student loans are
not available to international students. More information on private student loans can be found
on Penn’s website at https://srfs.upenn.edu/financial-aid/loan-types.
International students are eligible to participate in our Toll Loan Repayment Assistance Program
(TolLRAP).
