General Admissions Questions
Residency Questions
Financial Aid Questions
Notification of Status Questions
Foreign Student Questions
Transfer and Visiting Student Questions
Joint Degree Programs Questions
General
Admissions Questions
Q: What
do I need to apply?
A: You need a bachelor's degree from an accredited university and a
current LSAT score, the current UH Law Center application, a personal
statement, letters of recommendation, and a list of extracurricular
activities and/or a resume. Applicants educated in the U.S. must
also register with LSDAS.
Q: When
is your deadline?
A: The regular decision deadline is February
1st for the part-time program and February 15th
for the full-time program. The early decision
deadline is November 1st. It is to your advantage
to submit your application as early as possible.
Transfer applications are only accepted for the
Fall, and the deadline is July 15. Deadlines for
visiting students are one semester before the
desired visit. For intended summer visits, the
deadline is April 15. For fall, the deadline is
July 15. For spring, the deadline is November
15.
Q: Do you offer spring admission?
A: No. Enrollment for entering full-time
students begins in late August, and entering part-time
students begin in late May.
Q: What undergraduate major should I pick?
A: We require that you have at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited
university. The exact major is NOT important. You should select
a major that interests you because you are more likely to earn better
grades in such a program. Additionally, we recommend that you take
courses that will help you develop your writing skills. We have
accepted people with degrees in journalism, theology, economics,
marketing, nursing, and engineering, so obviously there is no prescribed
program.
Q: When
should I take the LSAT?
A: If you take the LSAT no later than the December exam date prior
to the February deadline, the applicant will be guaranteed consideration.
We will try to evaluate February LSAT scores, but we cannot guarantee
our ability to do so. Applicants who will need a student visa must
take the LSAT no later than December.
Q: How
long is my LSAT score valid?
A: If your LSAT is on the 120-180 scale,
the score is valid for five years.
Q: How does UHLC consider multiple LSAT scores?
A: We will consider your highest LSAT
score as we review your application. However,
all LSAT scores will be reported to us by LSDAS.
Q: Do
I need to register with LSDAS?
A: Yes. All applicants to UHLC are required
to register with the LSDAS; foreign educated applicants
will submit their foreign transcripts to the LSDAS
JD Credential Evaluation Service for evaluation.
For information on LSDAS go to http://www.lsac.org.
Q: When
should I apply?
A: We will accept applications for 2008 admission
after September 1, 2007. We have a modified rolling
admissions process, which means that files are
reviewed, and some acceptance letters go out,
prior to the February 15th deadline.
Q: What
if my grades or LSAT are below the median?
A: We admit below the median. If you are within the range where we
have admitted in the past, you have a competitive chance. Your personal
statement, letters of recommendation, and resume will be very important.
Q: What
is the lowest LSAT you will accept?
A: We do not have a set minimum. This
year the lowest LSAT we accepted was in the low
140's. The median was a 162. Accepted applicants
with lower LSAT scores tend to have higher GPAs
and strong personal statements, letters of recommendation,
and work experience/ evidence of leadership.
Q: What
is the lowest GPA you will accept?
A: We do not have a set minimum GPA. This year the lowest GPA we accepted
was in the 2.30 range. The median was a 3.6. Accepted applicants
with lower GPAs tend to have higher LSAT scores and strong personal
statements, letters of recommendation, and work experience/ evidence
of leadership.
Q: Will
you look at my graduate grades?
A: We will look at them as a subjective factor, but not as closely
as the undergraduate grades. First, not all applicants earn graduate
degrees, so it is better for us to use the undergraduate GPA. Second,
there is some grade inflation in some graduate programs.
Q: Other
than grades and LSAT, what do you look for?
A: Our admissions committee takes the
personal statement very seriously. You should
approach it as an opportunity to interview with
the committee. You may write about your special
skills, advanced degrees, work experiences, personal
challenges you have overcome, and professionally
related extracurricular activities. Make sure
that you do not restate your resume. In a separate
statement of no more than 1 page, you may want
to explain any blemishes in your record. Also,
remember to proofread your information very carefully!
Q: How
long should the personal statement be?
A: It should be 3 pages double-spaced.
Q: Do
you have provisional admissions?
A: No.
Q: I
am ___ years old (over the average age of law students). Will my
age work against me in the application process?
A: No. The University of Houston Law Center wants to have all kinds
of people as part of its law school. As a non-traditional student,
you can play up your experience and wisdom in your application.
Q: I
have committed a crime. Can I take the bar?
A: If you have committed a felony, you must wait 5 years after you
have served your sentence to register for the bar. Although you
can register for the bar, this does not necessarily mean that you
will be admitted to practice. If you have committed crimes less
than a felony, there is no waiting period. Always feel free to contact
the Board of Law Examiners. http://www.ble.state.tx.us/
Residency Questions
Q: How
many out-of-state students do you accept?
A: As a state institution, our nonresident enrollment is limited to
35 percent of the student body.
Q: How
tough is it to be accepted as an out-of-state student?
A: Since about 33 percent of our applicants are from outside Texas,
it is roughly as competitive for out-of-state applicants to be admitted
as it is for in-state residents.
Q: How
is residency determined?
A: If you have lived in Texas all your life but left to attend school
outside Texas, you are probably a Texas resident. If you have moved
here and have been gainfully employed in Texas full-time for one
year prior to the start of classes, you are probably a Texas resident.
If you moved here to attend school or you have not worked full-time
for one year, you are probably not a Texas resident. If you have
a more detailed question, contact the main campus office of residency
at (713) 743-9033. Your application will be reviewed with the eye
toward residency determinations, and you will be notified of any
changes in your residency status. If you want to appeal your residency
status, complete the residency questionnaire. http://www.uh.edu/enroll/rar/forms.html
Texas
Higher Education Coordinating Board: www.thecb.state.tx.us
Financial
Aid Questions
Q: How
do I apply for financial aid?
A: You can complete the FAFSA after January 1st. That gets the process
started. The University of Houston will not make a decision on your
financial aid until you have been admitted into a degree program.
We will automatically mail you any additional information that you
need to apply. You can complete the FAFSA online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/.
You should not wait until you have been admitted to complete the
FAFSA.
Q: How
do I find a lender?
A: Once you have received a financial aid award, there will be loan
applications included. If you have undergraduate loans, you may
want to stay with the same lender.
Q: How
do I apply for scholarships?
A: Each entering full-time student is
automatically considered for a scholarship. There
is no separate application. All applications are
reviewed with an eye toward granting a Dean's
Scholarship, renewable based on performance for
the three years you are here. It is good to apply
early, however, because some university and system
scholarships have nomination deadlines in early
February. If your file is not complete, we cannot
nominate you.
Letters of Recommendation Questions
Q: Are
letters of recommendation required?
A: No, but they are highly recommended.
You may submit up to three letters. Remember,
it is more important to get a letter of recommendation
from someone who knows you,your character, and
intellect well, than it is to get a letter from
someone with a "high profile." We would
rather hear from your professors, clients, or
employers than from an attorney, judge or political
officeholder who does not know you well.
Q: How
and where should letters of recommendation be addressed?
A: They may be addressed to the members of the Admissions Committee.
Letters may be submitted using the LSDAS letter of recommendation
service. Go to http://www.lsac.org/ for more information. If
your writer insists upon mailing the letter directly to us, send
it to:
University
of Houston Law Center, Office of Admissions, 100 Law Center, Houston,
Texas, 77204-6060.
Q: Should
the letters be sent to you directly?
A: We prefer that you use the LSDAS recommendation service. If the
letters are included with the application, they must be sealed in
a separate envelope and signed on the back by the recommender. If
an applicant is concerned about receipt of a letter, he or she should
check with the recommender.
Notification of Status Questions
Q: Will
my file be reviewed before it is complete?
A: No. We do not look at the file until an LSDAS report has been received.
It is imperative that you comply with all Law Services' requirements
so that they can send out the LSDAS report without delay. To check
the status of your LSDAS file click here. https://www8.lsac.org/login/newuser.asp
Q: What
if my address changes?
A: It is incumbent upon the applicant to notify us of address changes.
Q: When
will I be notified?
A: Decisions are made on a rolling basis,
and all decisions will be made by mid-May. We
understand that some schools may notify you, and
therefore require a deposit from you, earlier
than that. You will need to decide whether to
play it safe and put down a deposit on a school
you may not attend. We cannot act more quickly
on your application because you heard from another
school first.
Q: If I am not accepted during the early
decision process, will my application be held
and reviewed for regular decision?
A: Because the same review process is utilized
for both early and regular decision applications,
we will not hold early decision applications for
re-review in the regular decision process.
Q: My application has been waitlisted.
When will I receive a final decision? May I submit
additional information? Is the waitlist ranked?
A: The Admissions Committee will begin to review
applicants on the waitlist after all decisions
have been mailed, generally in late May to mid
June. The waitlist is not ranked. Candidates on
the waitlist will receive a second full-file review
by the Committee, so candidates are encouraged
to submit additional new information, such as
updated resumes and statements of interest. No
set number of seats in the entering class are
reserved for candidates on the waitlist, and decisions
to admit candidates from the waitlist are made
on a space available basis.
Q: If
I am accepted as a part-time student, can I switch to full-time
at some point in the program?
A: After you complete your first-year curriculum as either a full-
or part-time student, you may petition the Associate Dean for Student
Affairs to be reclassified. These requests are granted on a space-available
basis.
Q: What
is your policy on deferment?
A: These are done on a case-by-case basis. If you feel your situation
is compelling, you should submit a written request for deferment
to the Assistant Dean for Admissions and outline your reason(s)
for seeking a deferment. We will notify you of the decision by email.
Foreign Student Questions
Q: I
am an attorney in another country. Do I have to get a J.D. to take
the Texas bar?
A: If you are not licensed in your country,
you must definitely get a J.D; however, after
your first year of law school, you may be able
to receive 30 hours of credit for your prior law
school work.
If you
have practiced in your country for 5 years of the last preceding
7 years; from a common law country; or have an LL.M., then you may
take the bar. Contact the Board of Law Examiners to confirm the
rules (512) 463-1621 or http://www.ble.state.tx.us/
Transfer and Visiting Student Questions
Q:
How difficult is it to transfer to the Law Center?
A: It is very competitive. Transfer applicants are accepted on a space-available
basis. You will need to be in the top 5- 10 percent of your
class at your current school to be competitive. We also consider
the competitiveness of your law school, whether you would have been
admitted here had you applied, and your reasons for seeking transfer
admission.
Q: Can
I take classes at the Law Center if I am not a student there?
A: If you are a student in good standing at an ABA-accredited law school,
you may apply to visit. However, be advised that you will be given
lowest priority at registration, so do not count on finishing up
your degree with a host of bar classes here.
Q: Can
I audit a class?
A: Only if you are an attorney
licensed
in Texas or a graduate student in another department at the University
of Houston who will receive credit toward your degree.
Q: How
does a licensed attorney audit a class at the Law Center?
A: Contact the Associate Dean for Student Affairs at 743-2182 for more
information.
Joint Degree Programs Questions
Q: What
joint degrees do you offer?
A: We offer a J.D./M.B.A. with UH; a J.D./M.P.H. with the UT Health
Science Center; a J.D./M.A. in History with UH, a J.D./M.S.W. in
Social Work with UH, a J.D./ M.D. with Baylor College of Medicine,
a J.D./Ph.D. in Medical Humanities with the University of Texas
Medical Branch in Galveston, and a J.D./Ph.D. in Criminal Justice
with Sam Houston State University.
Q: How do I get into a joint degree program?
A: For all of the joint degree programs, you need to apply to both
our program and theirs and be accepted by both. Click here for more details on the dual degree programs.
