Admissions

The goal of the School of Law-Newark is to produce lawyers who are well qualified for the legal profession as well as representative of all segments of society. Law is practiced in a changing, dynamic environment, involving real people and current issues in society. The faculty of the School of Law-Newark recognizes that having a student body with a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, and accomplishments enriches the intellectual experience of law school for all students and provides better preparation for the practice of law.

The faculty has directed the admissions committee to consider a broad range of factors, including, but not limited to, LSAT score, undergraduate grade-point average (UGPA), educational and employment experiences, community service, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, and extraordinary family circumstances. Generally, admission to the school is based primarily on the LSAT score and the UGPA with significant emphasis placed on work experience, personal and academic achievements, and the contribution the applicant will make to the overall diversity of the school.

However, for more than 35 years, the faculty has recognized that the LSAT and UGPA may not be the best predictors of success in law school and the legal profession for all applicants. Therefore, every applicant may choose to compete for admission with primary emphasis placed either on numerical indicators, such as LSAT and UGPA, or on nonnumerical indicators, such as experiences and accomplishments, personal and academic achievements, community service, extraordinary family circumstances, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic background. Under the nonnumerical method of evaluation, less, though still significant, emphasis is placed on LSAT scores and UGPA. Please refer to the Application for Admission for additional information about the admissions evaluation process.

Approximately 3,600 applications for admission are received each year. Of these, about one-fifth apply for the part-time evening program. While New Jersey residents account for nearly 70 percent of all enrolled students, all parts of the United States and 30 foreign countries were represented in the class entering in 2006. Of the total school enrollment of about 800 students, approximately 38 percent are members of minority groups. Over 35 percent of the students in the 2006 entering class are older than 25 years of age, and about 16 percent of the day students and 42 percent of the evening students have advanced degrees.

The minimum academic requirement for admission to the law school is completion of the program for the bachelor's degree in a college or university accredited by the appropriate regional accrediting association. In exceptionally compelling cases, an applicant may be admitted upon the completion of three-fourths of such a program. Generally, these students have extraordinary credentials and present a special need to accelerate their program.

Because of the number of applicants, interviews cannot be conducted with each applicant. Open meetings are held throughout the year to answer questions of general interest and to explain admissions procedures. Contact the admissions office or check the website for the meetings schedule.

Beginning students, both full time and part time, are admitted in the fall semester only.

Applicants who have been dismissed for academic reasons from another American Bar Association-accredited law school may not apply for admission as first-year students unless they have been away from law study for at least three years.