Application Process

You should complete, electronically certify, and submit your application to the Office of Admissions as soon as possible after September 15, and preferably before the suggested application deadline. First-year applicants are considered only for the current year and only for entry in the fall semester. Students admitted to the fall entering class may elect to begin their studies early through the optional summer start program.

Priority Application Deadline: January 15

Applicants who submit all required application materials by January 15 will receive an admissions decision no later than February 15. Applicants may be admitted, denied admission or placed on the waitlist for further consideration later in the application cycle.

Suggested Regular Application Deadline: March 15

Although the Admissions Committee will continue to consider applications throughout the spring and summer, we strongly suggest that you submit and complete your application file as early as possible in the admissions cycle and preferably before the suggested application deadline.

Suggested Application Deadline for Spring LSAT Registrants: May 15

We will accept scores from the spring administrations of the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), however your file will be reviewed later in our admissions cycle. We encourage applicants to take the test on one of the earlier dates.

A personal statement is required of all applicants. The Admissions Committee believes that all relevant factors should be considered when evaluating each application. You may want to use the personal statement to elaborate on significant personal or professional accomplishments, to describe your reasons for pursuing a law degree, to discuss the social, physical, or economic obstacles you may have had to overcome, to explain a particular part of your transcript or application, or to provide supplemental information that will help the Admissions Committee evaluate your application. The statement should be written in your own words and should be approximately two to three typewritten pages in length. 

A résumé and addendum may accompany the personal statement. You may also submit an optional essay of no more than one page describing the reasons for your application to Chicago-Kent.

Applicants to the part-time day division must also submit a Part-time Day Supplemental Statement in addition to the personal statement. This statement may be submitted in section 1 of the Chicago-Kent online application.

Letters of recommendation play a useful role in the selection process, and the Admissions Committee requires all applicants to submit at least one letter. You may submit a maximum of two letters of recommendation with your application. The most helpful letters are written by professors who have taught you in substantive, upper-level college or postgraduate courses and who can provide candid and thoughtful evaluations of your academic ability and potential for the study of law. We realize that some applicants, especially those who have been out of school for a number of years, may have difficulty finding an academic recommender. If that is the case, letters from employers or others who have worked closely with you will be helpful.

We recommend that your letters be submitted through the LSAC Letter of Recommendation service that is included in your Credential Assembly Service (CAS) registration. To use this service follow the directions for submitting letters outlined on LSAC's website. If you choose not to use the LSAC Letter of Recommendation service, you may use the Chicago-Kent College of Law Letter of Recommendation Form available in the "Forms" section of the Chicago-Kent online application. You do not need to use the Chicago-Kent form if you use the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service.

Federal law gives students in attendance at Chicago-Kent the right to review letters of recommendation submitted on their behalf, unless that right is waived. While applicants are not required to make such a waiver, they are advised that some people may not be willing to provide a recommendation in its absence. The letter of recommendation forms have a place to mark your preference. Please mark them before giving them to your recommenders. Any additional letters submitted on your behalf must contain a statement regarding your waiver preference.

All candidates, including those submitting GRE scores, must register with the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) and have official transcripts sent directly to the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) from each undergraduate and graduate institution attended. Further information can be obtained from the LSAC website.

International Transcripts

Applicants who have completed more than one year of postsecondary work outside the United States (including its territories) or Canada must have their academic records translated and evaluated, at their own expense, and sent to Chicago-Kent. Applicants must submit their transcripts through the LSAC Credential Assembly Service. Applications will not be reviewed without a complete CAS report.

Applicants are exempted from this requirement if the total amount of work completed at all international institutions combined is the equivalent of one year or less of undergraduate study in the United States, its territories, or Canada. This exemption includes international work completed through a study-abroad, consortium, or exchange program sponsored by a U.S. or Canadian institution, where the work is clearly indicated as such on the home campus transcript.

Chicago-Kent may grant advanced standing to applicants who hold a first degree in law from a non-U.S. law school. Chicago-Kent may grant up to 29 credit hours based on the applicant's prior legal study. For further information, please see the International J.D. Applicants webpage.

All applicants must submit the results of either an LSAT or GRE exam taken within the last five years.

Applicants who take the LSAT will have their test results reported as part of their Credential Assembly Service report. Applicants who take the GRE must arrange for an official score report to be sent directly from the Educational Testing Service to Chicago-Kent. The institution code for Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent's parent university, is 1318. No department code is required.

If an applicant has taken the LSAT, that score will be the primary test for admissions purposes and the GRE score (if provided) will be considered as supplemental information. If an applicant has only taken the GRE, the Admissions Committee will consider each individual section score with particular weight given to the quantitative score.

If an applicant takes the LSAT more than once, the Admissions Committee may consider the average score, the more recent score, or the higher score, depending on individual circumstances. Preference is typically given to the highest score earned. Unless otherwise instructed, we will forward your application to the Admissions Committee as soon as we have at least one official LSAT score on file.

If an applicant takes the GRE more than once, the Admissions Committee will consider each individual score, with preference given to the highest score earned. Applicants who are applying with only a GRE score must submit the results of all GRE exams taken within the past five years.

Applicants who wish to reapply for admission must submit the current application form, an updated personal statement, and all other required application materials. The LSAT/GRE need not be retaken if the test was taken within the last five years. However, applicants must have an active subscription with the LSAC Credential Assembly Service and purchase a new report, making certain that the report includes an analysis of all undergraduate credits earned.

Each applicant will have access to Applicant Status Online (ASO), which provides real-time access to check the status of the application throughout the admissions process. The ASO portal is integrated with each applicant's existing LSAC account and does not require separate login credentials. Applicants are responsible for making sure that their files are complete and should check ASO to confirm that the Office of Admissions has received all of the required application documents. The Office of Admissions also uses email as a primary method of communicating with applicants. Please be sure to check your email regularly.

Admissions decisions are announced in writing only and will be released online, both through ASO and email, beginning November 1. Information about applicants is not released to third parties. Decisions are made continuously until the Admissions Committee has reviewed all completed applications. The Committee does not review applications that are incomplete.

Decisions on completed applications may take anywhere from two weeks to several months. The period of time varies according to the total number of applications received, when in the admissions cycle the file is completed, and the time required to review an applicant's qualifications and evaluate them on their own merit and in comparison to the rest of the applicant pool.

After an applicant's file has been reviewed by the Admissions Committee, a decision is made to admit, deny admission, or place the applicant on the waitlist for further consideration later in the admissions process. Applicants are advised of the decision, including placement on the waitlist. Candidates whose qualifications place them in the middle of the applicant pool are more likely to receive a waitlist decision.

Admission is subject to approval by the dean, pursuant to policies established by the faculty of the law school and the officers and trustees of Illinois Institute of Technology.

Each applicant who is accepted is required to submit a $750 nonrefundable tuition deposit. The deposit may be paid in two installments and is due on the dates stated in the acceptance letter. Applicants who submit the deposit in full by the first deposit deadline may pay a discounted total deposit of $600. These deposits guarantee a place in the entering class and are applied to the first semester's tuition. Applicants who miss a deposit deadline risk losing their seats in the entering class as well as any scholarship offers that may have been made to them.

A medical form and final official transcripts are required from all entering students.

Applicants who have been admitted but whose circumstances have changed may ask to defer their admission for one year. A limited number of one-year deferrals are granted each year based on pressing circumstances. Deferrals are not automatic and, if granted, a nonrefundable deposit is required to hold a place in the following year's entering class. To request an admissions deferral, you must submit a written request by mail or email to the Office of Admissions and include an explanation of the reasons for your request.

Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology reserves the right to change without notice any statement in this application or its instructions concerning, but not limited to, rules, policies, tuition, fees, curriculum, and courses. Changes will be duly published.

If your address or contact information changes, please fill out a Change of Address form to update your information with the Office of Admissions.

If you have questions about the admissions process, we encourage you to contact the Office of Admissions at 312.906.5020 or admissions@kentlaw.iit.edu.