Our Application Process

Students are eligible to apply for transfer admission (or visiting status) if they’ve completed at least 24 credit hours as a J.D. degree student at a law school accredited by the American Bar Association. 

For Transfer applicants: Credits for courses satisfactorily completed as a J.D. degree student at an ABA-approved law school may not exceed one-third of the total credits required by the law school.
Therefore, the maximum number of credit hours that can be transferred to the law school from another ABA-approved law school is 30. Pass/fail or satisfactory/unsatisfactory grades will not be accepted. The Registrar and Academic Dean will identify which courses and credits will transfer if admitted, and this will be disclosed at the time of acceptance.

Fall Deadline:  July 1 
Spring Deadline:  January 15

• Official transcript from the current law school
• A letter of good standing with class rank from the appropriate dean at the current law school
• A letter from the law school registrar or academic dean confirming that coursework satisfactorily completed at UB School of Law will be accepted for credit at the student’s current school (Visiting applicants only)
• One letter of recommendation from a law professor
• Official copy of the applicant’s LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Law School Report.
• Résumé – You must submit a résumé listing employment, extracurricular and/or public-service activities, honors, awards, and special interests related to your academic career to date. Indicate offices held.
• Personal Statement – The Admissions Committee values good writers and, in fact, considers the personal statement a key component of the application process. In addition to addressing your reasons for pursuing admission as a transfer or visiting applicant, please include information or commentary that you believe will assist the Admissions Committee in evaluating your candidacy. You may refer to concrete examples drawn from your background including experience in other countries or cultures, employment, community activities, educational, and intellectual experiences you believe will be helpful to the committee. Your response should not exceed 2 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font.

Pursuant to policy established by the State University of New York (SUNY), the University at Buffalo School of Law does not make inquiries into the criminal records of applicants for purposes of admission. 

Important Note: Admission to the University at Buffalo School of Law is based on our judgment of your ability to successfully complete a course of legal study. However, neither admission to nor graduation from UB School of Law constitutes a judgment that you are eligible for admission to practice law; that is a decision for state bar authorities, not law schools. A criminal record can be an obstacle for bar admission. It is your responsibility to make sure that you are eligible for admission to the bar, and we encourage you to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which you intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners. 

Post-Admission: Successful applicants may be asked to declare their criminal history, including any prior felony conviction(s), post-admission, if and when they seek campus housing or apply to participate in certain other activities that require such checks (i.e. study abroad programs and experiential courses that involve working at outside organizations or in settings that require criminal background checks). Certain responses could, but not necessarily, impact ones' ability to pursue the aforementioned opportunities.

The nonrefundable application fee is $85. Applicants who are economically disadvantaged may request an application fee waiver. Please submit the request to law-admissions@buffalo.edu prior to completing the application. If you have been granted an LSAC fee waiver, UB School of Law's application fee is automatically waived.

University at Buffalo School of Law follows a "rolling admissions" process. Transfer and visitor file review begins as early as mid-December for spring applicants and mid-May for fall applicants. Applicants are notified of their decision within 4-6 weeks via email, as well as in the password-protected Applicant Status Page.

Accepted transfer and visiting students who wish to confirm their enrollment at University at Buffalo School of Law are required to submit a non-refundable tuition deposit by the date noted in their formal acceptance letter. Transfer students will have access to a Confirmation of Admission statement (noting transfer credit) prior to their payment deadline.

Transfer students must include the School of Law’s Title IV code (002837) on their FAFSA. If accepted for admission, the student must contact the financial aid office at their current law school, as well as their lenders, to notify them that they will be attending the University at Buffalo School of Law. Please note that financial aid from the student’s current law school does not transfer with him or her. Students will be considered for financial aid through UB after they have been accepted. 

Note:  Financial aid for visiting students is awarded through the student's current law school.

Transfer students are encouraged to participate in our August interview program. The Office of Admissions works closely with the Career Services Office to prepare transfer students for interviews.

Accepted transfer students are welcome to compete for a place on the Buffalo Law Review. 

New transfer and visiting students are required to attend new student orientation to learn about the School’s policies and procedures and to ensure a smooth transition to UB School of Law.