Admissions
The goal of Rutgers 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. The faculty 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, the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) score, undergraduate grade-point average (UGPA), educational and employment experiences, community service, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, and extraordinary family circumstances.

The faculty has also directed the committee to implement a unitary admissions system under which every applicant can choose to compete for admissions with primary emphasis placed either on numerical indicators, such as LSAT and UGPA, or on nonnumerical indicators, such as experiences and accomplishments. For more than 40 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. 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 socio-economic background.

Under the nonnumerical method of evaluation, less, though still significant, emphasis is placed on LSAT scores and UGPA. Approximately 2,700 applications for admission are received each year. While New Jersey residents account for nearly 65 percent of all enrolled students, all parts of the United States and more than 25 foreign countries are represented in each class. Of the total school enrollment of about 800 students, approximately 38 percent are members of minority groups. Many students come with advanced degrees in a variety of academic disciplines, work experience, and community service. 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, personal interviews are not part of the application process. 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.