To apply for admission to FIU Law’s JD program, please follow our checklist and be sure to carefully check upcoming application deadlines.
Important Deadline
The deadline for submission of a completed application is June 30. Applications received or completed after this date will only be considered as class space permits.
1. Submit an Application for Admission
A completed Application for Admission must be completed in full, signed and accompanied by a $20.00 nonrefundable application fee. Completed applications will be considered on a rolling basis beginning mid-September and early October.
FIU Law only accepts applications submitted via LSAC.
Visit the LSAC website to create an account. Follow the links to retrieve the FIU Law application from their list of ABA-accredited law schools. For questions or problems related to your LSAC account, contact them directly at LSACinfo@LSAC.org or 215-968-1001.
Supplemental documents may be attached to your LSAC application. If you need to submit additional electronic documentation after submitting your LSAC application, email lawadmit@fiu.edu.
2. Take the LSAT or GRE
All applicants seeking admission to FIU law must take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) or Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
Taking the LSAT
Students can register with the LSAC Credential Assembly Service. Please visit LSAC’s Take the LSAT page for more information.
Students must sit for the LSAT no later than June to be considered for admission in August of the same year. Please note FIU Law will not accept LSAT scores earned prior to June 2021.
Taking the GRE
Applicants sitting for the GRE, should select Florida International University College of Law as a recipient of the GRE results using the ETS school code: 4431. If you have already taken a GRE General Test, make sure there is a reportable GRE General Test score in your ETS account and order an Additional Score Report to be sent to FIU Law.
To register for the GRE, visit the GRE Test Registration page. You may qualify for the GRE Fee Reduction Program based on financial need.
Students must sit for the GRE no later than June to be considered for admission in August of the same year. The Admissions Committee will consider your highest GRE score, but will see all reportable scores (including both the GRE and LSAT).
JD-Next: Optional Test Score to Supplement Application
Applicants are encouraged to supplement their LSAT or GRE score with their JD-Next course completion. FIU Law will consider successful completion of the JD-Next course as part of the law school’s holistic decision-making process.
If you plan to include the JD-Next scores as a part of your application, please email us at lawadmit@fiu.edu to hold your application until the scores are received.
3. Send Official Transcripts
All candidates must have been awarded a baccalaureate degree from an accredited four-year institution. Official transcripts from each undergraduate, graduate and professional school you attended must be sent directly to LSAC.
Prior to matriculation, admitted students must request that their undergraduate, graduate and professional schools submit a final official transcript to LSAC.
4. Submit a Résumé or Curriculum Vitae (Optional)
Applicants have the option of submitting a resume/curriculum vitae in lieu of completing Parts C and D of the application.
Your résumé or CV should include examples of professional, academic, civic and extracurricular accomplishments, such as:
- Employment history
- Honors and awards
- Community service
- Extracurricular activities
- Foreign language proficiencies
- Military service
5. Letters of Recommendation
Applicants have the option of submitting one letter of recommendation. For current college students or recent graduates, the letter must be an academic recommendation. Letters of recommendation should attest to the applicant’s character and preparedness for law school. FIU Law prefers that all letters of recommendation be submitted through LSAC.
6. Personal Statement
The Admissions Committee requires a personal statement. In no more than three typed, double-spaced pages discuss your reasons for pursuing a legal education and your goals or future plans upon graduation. You may discuss obstacles you have overcome, with some examples from previous personal statements including:
- Language barriers
- Displacement from your home
- Discrimination Economic or family hardship
- Medical condition(s)
Committee Decision Making Process
FIU Law’s Admissions Committee seeks to enroll a diverse group of students who have demonstrated academic and personal achievement. FIU Law wishes to advance the intellectual growth of its students as well as their development of skills and values useful to the ethical, professional, and effective practice of law.
A prospective student’s academic record (undergrad GPA and LSAT or GRE score) weighs heavily in the evaluative process. In addition to these academic markers, the Admissions Committee also considers other factors, including leadership ability, commitment to public service, command of global issues, work history, military service, and any history of criminality or academic misconduct. Evidence of obstacles that an applicant may have overcome (English is not the applicant’s native language, discrimination, economic or family hardship, severe medical condition) are also considered. The Admissions Committee encourages each applicant to answer all questions candidly and with specificity.
Qualifications for Admission to the Bar
At FIU Law, every effort is made to admit students of high moral character. FIU Law reserves the right to question an applicant concerning the applicant’s prior record and conduct, insofar as it may be relevant to the character of the applicant.
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.
You are strongly encouraged to fully disclose – to both FIU Law and to the state bar for which you are applying – any incident(s) which may have a bearing on your eligibility for admission into the College of Law or a state bar respectively. The failure to disclose any incident that may reasonably be deemed to reflect on an applicant’s character and fitness to practice law may be viewed by both the Florida Board of Bar Examiners and FIU Law as a serious omission. Such omissions may be treated as a lack of candor on the part of the applicant, and may result in your application being rejected by FIU Law, or exclusions from the Florida Bar and other state bars.