The transfer admission process seriously considers those
applicants who have demonstrated sufficient capacity to
successfully complete the program of studies, i.e.
those who have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.0 (B) or
higher through their first year of attendance at another
ABA-accredited law school. Transfer applicants must have
completed at least one full year of law school (with a minimum
of 22 credits) and may transfer in no more than 43 credits, or half
of the 86 credits required to graduate. Students may apply
with more than 43 credits but risk losing those additional credits
upon matriculation at St. John's. Transfer applications are
accepted to our full-time and part-time program beginning
in the fall and spring semesters.
Transfer Application Checklist
Applying for transfer to the School of Law requires the
following:
- A St. John's University School of Law
application submitted via the LSAC
website, containing a statement of the applicant's reasons
for seeking transfer admission to St. John's in lieu of a
traditional personal statement;
- An official transcript, sent through the
LSAC's CAS or directly to the Admissions Office from the
applicant's current law school;
- Special transcript note: Fall transfer applicants must
submit a transcript that includes spring semester grades. We
do not require a transcript with fall semester grades for spring
transfer applicants.
- A letter from the Dean or appropriate law
school official sent directly from the applicant's current law
school certifying that the applicant is in good standing at his or
her current law school;
- Special letter of good standing note: For fall transfer
applicants, the letter must be dated after the completion of the
spring semester. For spring transfer applicants, the letter
may be dated any time during the fall semester.
- An official copy of the applicant's CAS
report sent by the LSAC; and
- A minimum of 2 (maximum of 3) letters of
recommendation.
There is no application fee to apply for
transfer. No action will be taken on a transfer
application until all of the above materials have been received.
Faxed copies of any of the above documents are not acceptable and
will not expedite the completion and review of your
application.
Transfer Application Deadline
The priority application deadline is December
1 for spring transfer and July 1 for fall
transfer. Transfer applications are evaluated on a
rolling basis.
Transfer Scholarships
Scholarships are available to incoming transfer students.
To be considered for a scholarship, please include an addendum to
your application with a copy of the scholarship award you
receive from your current law school. A .pdf file
of your original offer letter, your financial aid
package, or other similar documentation will suffice.
Additionally, transfer students are eligible to receive Academic
Achievement Awards. Historically, Academic Achievement Awards
are offered to those who begin their career at St. John's with no
scholarship award but who demonstrate outstanding academic
performance (i.e. ranking in the top 25% or higher of their
class based on their transfer equivalent rank) after their first
full year at St. John's. Consideration for Academic
Achievement Awards occurs each May.
Transfer Credits
Admitted transfer students will be notified of the number of
credits that St. John's will accept for transfer in their
acceptance letter. Admission with advanced standing is
subject to conditions the faculty may impose. Differences in
programs and courses, as well as scheduling difficulties, may
result in the loss of some credit, although most applicants find
that the vast majority or all of their credits transfer seamlessly,
provided they have earned grades of C or higher.
Transfer Writing Competition and Other Co-Curricular
Eligibility
Transfer students entering in the fall or spring semester may
participate in a transfer writing competition to apply for
invitation to any of St. John's journals. The transfer
writing competition typically takes place in early August, so those
transferring in the spring must wait until August to
participate.
Transfer students entering in the fall or spring semester are
eligible to participate in the Dispute Resolution Society's "boot
camp" in August, from which several members may be
selected.
Transfer students entering in the fall or spring semester are
eligible to participate in the Polestino Trial Advocacy Institute
("PTAI") mock trial teams and trial skills boot
camp. No tryout is necessary to participate in PTAI's
internal trial team, and to be a part of the external trial team,
transfer students may try out in early fall. The week
before classes begin in August, transfer students may take
advantage of PTAI's summer trial skills boot camp free of charge to
help prepare for PTAI external team tryouts.
Further details will be provided to transfer students upon
admission transfer students regarding co-curricular
eligibility.
Transfer Career Development
Transfer students are eligible to participate in the Office of
Career Development's fall recruitment programs, beginning in
mid-August. Admitted transfer students will receive
information about Career Development in their acceptance
letter.