Transfer Applicants

Transfer students may apply to begin their studies in either the fall or spring semester. Although there is no absolute deadline for transfer applications, we suggest that you submit your application to the Office of Admissions by December 1 for spring admission or July 15 for fall admission.

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 law school professors or other 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. If you are unable to obtain an academic recommendation, 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) subscription. 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. 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 must register with the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) and have official transcripts sent directly to LSAC from each undergraduate and graduate institution attended. Further information can be obtained from the Law School Admission Council (LSAC).

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 (CAS). 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 JD Applicants webpage.

All transfer applicants must submit the results of either an LSAT or GRE exam.

Applicants who take the LSAT will have their test results reported as part of their Credential Assembly Service (CAS) report. Applicants who take the GRE must arrange for an official score report to be sent directly from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) 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.

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.

All transfer applicants must submit official law school transcripts and letters of good standing from all previously attended law schools directly to the Office of Admissions. Photocopied documents and unofficial copies provided to the applicant by the law school are not acceptable and will not be considered.