How To Apply

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Prospective students may apply for spring or fall admission into the J.D. program. Applications are available online at LSAC.org. Additional information is available on our website under FAQs. If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Admission by phone, 843.377.2143, or by email.

Requirements for Admission

Bachelor’s Degree

The Charleston School of Law requires all applicants to have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited school prior to enrolling. A final transcript should be sent to LSAC from each degree-granting school denoting the degree was conferred. If a transcript is not received in a timely manner after the start of classes, October 15 for fall enrollees and within four weeks of the date classes begin for spring enrollees, the student will be administratively withdrawn from classes and their offer of admission revoked.

LSAT/CAS

All applicants must take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) sponsored by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) for the purpose of assessing the applicant’s capability of satisfactorily completing the educational program. LSAT scores are valid for five years, and in the case of multiple scores, the Charleston School of Law will use the high score. LSAC has partnered with Khan Academy to offer free LSAT prep. Applicants are also required to register with the Law School Admission Council’s (LSAC) Credential Assembly Service (CAS). A current CAS Report is required to complete a file.

Qualifications for Admission to the Bar

In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

Accepted students who reveal on their admission application any criminal conduct issues of concern can take proactive steps to address the issue by contacting the appropriate persons. Many jurisdictions will review a provisional application for admission to the bar. Information on character and fitness standards for various jurisdictions is available at the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ website: www.ncbex.org.  Students are encouraged to meet with the Assistant Dean for Academic and Bar Success or the Associate Dean of Students and to contact the bar in that state(s) to determine its character and fitness and bar admission requirements.

When responding to the character and fitness questions on the School of Law’s application for admission, applicants must include all disciplinary actions, charges, convictions, and traffic violations. Parking tickets may be excluded. However, applicants must disclose all traffic violations to include those they consider to be minor. In accordance with the application for admission to any Bar, applicants must provide a complete record of all instances in which you have been arrested or taken into custody or accused, formally or informally, of the violation of a law, including instances that have been expunged by Order of the Court, and including juvenile offenses whether or not the records are sealed. Applicants must disclose each instance, even though the charges may have been dismissed or you were acquitted; or adjudication was withheld; or a conviction was reversed, set aside, or vacated; or the record was sealed or expunged; or the applicant participated in a pretrial intervention program.

If applicants answer “yes” to any of the Character and Fitness questions on the admission application, they must attach a detailed explanation for each of those questions providing dates, locations, charge, disposition, and any sanctions imposed. Including a copy of a driving record or criminal record without providing a detailed explanation is not sufficient. The explanation(s) must be submitted electronically as an attachment(s) under the “Attachments” section of the application.

Because of the high ethical standards to which lawyers are held, the failure to disclose an act or event such as the ones described below is often more significant and leads to more serious consequences than the act or event itself. If applicants have questions about whether an incident or charge should be disclosed, err on the side of full disclosure.

Applicants and current students have an ongoing duty to inform the Office of Admission of any changes in the information in their law school application and to the Character and Fitness questions to include any new information. That duty begins at the point of submission of the application and continues throughout the entirety of their law school career. Failure to provide truthful answers or failure to inform the Office of Admission of any changes or updates to answers may result in revocation of admission, disciplinary action by the School of Law, recission of the law degree, and/or not being allowed to take the Bar Exam.

In no event, however, will the Charleston School of Law admit applicants who do not appear capable of satisfactorily completing its educational program and being admitted to the bar.

Application Steps

Applicants must complete the following:

  • Create an account with the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) online at LSAC.org.
  • Register and take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) by contacting LSAC online at LSAC.org. Free LSAT prep is offered by Khan Academy.
  • Complete and electronically submit an application for admission. Applications are available at LSAC.org.
  • Register with LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service (CAS). Registration is available online at LSAC.org.
  • Submit two letters of recommendation. Applicants must use the LSAC letter of recommendation (LOR) service. At least one letter should be written in the past year.
  • Submit a personal statement, including reasons for wanting to attend law school. Personal statements should be submitted online at LSAC.org.
  • Submit a current resume with your application to LSAC at LSAC.org.
  • Request transcripts from all colleges or universities attended. Transcripts should be submitted by the school(s) directly to LSAC’s CAS. A final transcript denoting that a degree has been granted must be sent to LSAC prior to October 15 for fall enrollees and within four weeks of the date classes begin for spring enrollees, but preferably before law school matriculation.
  • If you have previously enrolled in a J.D. program at a law school, you are also required to submit (a) a transcript from your prior law school to LSAC, (b) a letter of standing from your prior law school, and (c) a letter of recommendation from one of your law school professors to LSAC.
  • Check application status.  Once your application is submitted, click here to check the status.

Transfer Applicants

Application Information for Transfer Students

Applicants applying for transfer admission must apply online at LSAC.org and indicate your application status as “transfer.” Applicants applying to transfer must submit the following items:

  • A completed transfer application. Applications are available at LSAC.org
  • Two letters of recommendation, at least one of which is from a faculty member at the school currently attending.
  • A letter of standing from the Dean, or appropriate official, at the current law school, including class rank. The letter should be written after all current law school grades are finalized, indicating your academic standing and eligibility to return.
  • LSAC CAS Law School Report sent directly from LSAC.
  • An official transcript from the law school currently attending. The transcript must reflect all courses and grades during the first year of law school and should be sent directly by the school to LSAC’s CAS.
  • A statement as to why you seek to transfer.
  • A final transcript from the undergraduate degree-granting institution and, if applicable, the graduate degree-granting institution denoting that a degree has been granted. The transcript(s) must be sent to LSAC prior October 15 for fall enrollees and within four weeks of the date classes begin for spring enrollees, but preferably before law school matriculation.

Transfer of credit and credit for prior education or experience

Transfer applicants from an ABA-approved law school may apply to transfer to the Charleston School of Law for either fall or spring semester.  In compliance with ABA Standard 509, the Charleston School of Law will accept transfer credit from other ABA-approved law schools, provided the student has earned a grade of “C” or better.  Students who seek to transfer to the Charleston School of Law are advised that typically a maximum of 30 credit hours will be accepted on transfer and apply toward a degree from the Charleston School of Law. No credit will be given for prior experience. For more information about policies relating to transfer students, please follow this link.

Visiting Students

Application Information for Visiting Students

Law students currently enrolled in ABA-accredited law schools who wish to take courses at Charleston School of Law must submit the following:

  • Visiting application for admission. Applications are available at LSAC.org
  • Letter of standing and permission from the Dean of the applicant’s current law school.
  • LSAC CAS Law School Report.
  • A letter stating the reason for visiting status.

International Applicants

Application Information for International Students

Transcripts

The Charleston School of Law requires that foreign transcripts, academic records, mark sheets and degree certifications be submitted through LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service (CAS). Be sure that all educational records are submitted in the original language.  If the transcript or other documents are not in English, a translation must be included. More time is usually required to receive foreign transcripts. If you completed any post-secondary work outside the U.S. (including its territories) or Canada, you must use CAS for the evaluation of your foreign transcripts. The one exception to this requirement is if you completed the foreign work through a study abroad, consortium or exchange program sponsored by a U.S. or Canadian institution, and the work is clearly indicated as such on the home campus transcript. This service is included in the CAS registration fee.

TOEFL Scores

An International Credential Evaluation will be completed by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), which will be incorporated into your law school report. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score report is required for each applicant whose native language is not English, or if English was not the language of instruction at the school where the applicant received his or her degree (baccalaureate equivalent). You must contact the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and request that your TOEFL score be sent to LSAC. LSAC’s TOEFL code for the CAS is 0058. Your score will be included in the International Credential Evaluation document that will be included in your law school report.

Applicants with Foreign Law Degrees

Applicants who have earned a law degree from a foreign law school may apply to the Charleston School of Law. Upon written request of an admitted applicant, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs may grant credit toward a Charleston School of Law J.D. degree for credits earned as part of the individual’s foreign law degree. Any credits transferred under this section must be consistent with Standard 505 of the American Bar Association’s Standards of Approval for Law Schools. The request may be made at any time after the J.D. candidate has been admitted, but it must occur at least one semester before the student intends to graduate from the Charleston School of Law.

Auditing A Class

Application Information for Auditing a Class

Applicants with an adequate background of experience or study, who have special need for a limited acquaintance with a field of law, may be permitted to enroll in one or more classes at the School of Law upon application with an accompanying statement of interest and a $50 application fee.

Click here to access the non-degree student application to audit course(s). Please follow the instructions on the form, complete all sections, and return to the Office of Admission by mail, fax or email.

Unless the applicant seeks admission as a regular student, his/her status and privileges are those of an auditor, and he/she will not receive credit for attendance or work done. Should someone who has previously audited a class enroll as a full- or part-time student, no credit will be granted for course work earned prior to matriculation. Auditors are billed at the current per credit hour rate. Courses taken as an audit will not count toward graduation should a candidate enroll as a degree-seeking student at the School of Law. For more information, please contact the Office of Admission by phone, 843.377.2143, or email, info@charlestonlaw.edu.

Alumni interested in auditing a class should click here.

Scholarships

The Charleston School of Law offers both merit and need-based scholarships. Your application to the School of Law is your application for merit scholarships. To learn more about scholarship opportunities and to access the need-based scholarship application, please visit our Scholarships information page.

More Information

If you would like to receive information on the Charleston School of Law, please complete the request information form, email the Office of Admission, or call 843.377.2143.

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, The Charleston School of Law is mandated to issue an Annual Campus Security Report outlining School of Law security policies and reporting campus crime statistics.  The report may be found online here.

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