How To Apply

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 at the end of the first full year of law school, 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 official transcript denoting a degree has been conferred from the undergraduate degree-granting institution and, if applicable, the graduate degree-granting institution. All transcripts should be sent directly by the school(s) to LSAC’s CAS.

Transfer of Credit and Degree Requirements

Transfer applicants are accepted for either fall or spring semester.  Applicants who have completed the equivalent of the first year of law school, typically 30 credit hours, from an ABA-approved law school may apply to transfer to the Charleston School of Law. No more than 30 credit hours will be accepted on transfer and apply toward a J.D. from the Charleston School of Law. Only courses in which a grade of “C” or better was earned will be accepted on transfer. The Charleston School of Law provides this information pursuant to ABA Standard 509. For more information about policies relating to transfer students, please follow this link.

Credit for prior education or experience

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.

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.

The priority deadline for applying as a visiting student is 45 days preceding the term for which enrollment is sought. The application file must be complete no later than 15 days preceding the term for which enrollment is sought. An application is considered complete when all supporting documents have been received by the Office of Admission.

Application Information for International Students

Transcripts

The School of Law requires that foreign transcripts be submitted through the LSAC CAS. 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 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.

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.

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.

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.