The University of Akron School of Law

The prompt is quoted from the personal-statement page, which introduces it as 'the personal statement prompt pulled straight from our application.' A HARD PAGE CAP: 'The personal statement should be typed, double-spaced, and should be no longer than two pages,' and the JD Program page agrees: 'You must submit a personal statement of not more than two pages, double-spaced. The general theme is why you want to pursue a law degree.' Recorded as page_limit 2. The three numbered contents are offered, not required ('may include but need not be limited to'). ONE INSTRUCTION PULLS AGAINST THE PROMPT and changes what this file used to say: the prompt invites 'special circumstances,' but the same page's list of don'ts says 'Do not use your personal statement to talk about your LSAT score, or a bad semester you had. Instead, these kinds of things can be addressed in an optional addendum. Please keep all attachments and addenda as brief as possible.' So score and grade explanations belong in the addendum, not here. Generative AI is named: 'Do not plagiarize your personal statement or get someone else (or ChatGPT) to write your personal statement for you.' A SEPARATE, OPTIONAL WHY-AKRON STATEMENT now exists — see why_x_essay. RE-CURATED 2026-10-07: Akron rebuilt its admissions pages. The application-requirements and application-process pages this file was first sourced from now 404; their content is consolidated on the JD Program page (law/admissions/apply.dot) with prompts and advice split onto personal-statement.dot, letters-of-recommendation.dot and helpful-tips.dot. Every requirement below was re-read against the new pages, and sentences that did not survive the rebuild were dropped rather than carried.

Verified 2026-10-07 · source page

NEW AS OF 2026-10-07 — the August file found no why-Akron question anywhere. The JD Program page now lists, under Optional Application Components: '"Why Akron?" Statement — In approximately one page (double-spaced) or less, you can share why you have chosen to apply to Akron Law. We recognize you have many options when choosing a law school, and the Admissions Committee is interested in what has attracted you to Akron Law.' page_limit 1 is recorded on the ceiling phrase 'or less', with the hedge 'approximately' quoted rather than dropped (the Capital precedent in docs/CURATION.md). OPTIONAL IN NAME, ENCOURAGED IN PRACTICE: the optional components are introduced with 'The following application components are optional, but most applicants submit them. It is strongly suggested that all applicants include this information with their applications,' and 'If an application is otherwise complete and these components are missing, the Admissions Committee will still consider the application complete and review it for a decision.'

Verified 2026-10-07 · source page

AN OPEN-ENDED ADDENDUM: 'If there is anything else you would like to include with your application, you may do so in an addendum. You can upload this addendum in either of the Optional Addendum attachments at the end of the application. Please limit the size of such attachments, as the Admissions Committee typically reviews 1,000 to 1,500 applications per application cycle.' No page or word limit — 'please limit the size' is guidance, not a cap. The personal-statement page names the addendum as the home for score and grade explanations: 'Do not use your personal statement to talk about your LSAT score, or a bad semester you had. Instead, these kinds of things can be addressed in an optional addendum.' (The application-volume figure differs between pages — 1,000 to 1,500 here, 1,500 to 2,500 on the helpful-tips page — which changes nothing for an applicant.) CHARACTER AND FITNESS IS A SEPARATE, MANDATORY WRITING OBLIGATION WHEN TRIGGERED: 'If you answer any of these questions affirmatively, you must provide an explanation, which must include the information outlined on the next page. You may attach this statement of explanation to your application electronically or email it separately to lawadmissions@uakron.edu.' The disclosure standard is unusually aggressive: 'Even if the charges were dismissed, adjudication was withheld, a conviction was reversed, a conviction was set aside, a conviction was vacated, a conviction was expunged, or the record sealed, you must provide disclosure. Contrary advice by legal counsel DOES NOT exempt you from this requirement. The charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, driving under the influence of drugs, and reckless driving must be disclosed as criminal charges.' A continuing duty runs to enrollment: 'You are under a continuing obligation to notify the Admissions Office of any changes in your answers to these questions up until the time of your enrollment.' Required is false because the obligation is conditional on an affirmative answer. RE-CURATED 2026-10-07: Akron rebuilt its admissions pages. The application-requirements and application-process pages this file was first sourced from now 404; their content is consolidated on the JD Program page (law/admissions/apply.dot) with prompts and advice split onto personal-statement.dot, letters-of-recommendation.dot and helpful-tips.dot. Every requirement below was re-read against the new pages, and sentences that did not survive the rebuild were dropped rather than carried.

Verified 2026-10-07 · source page

'All applicants must submit a résumé with their application. This can include work history, student organization involvement, internship experience, volunteer service, and any awards or special recognition you have received.' Content is suggested, not prescribed; no page limit or format is published. The helpful-tips page asks for concision across all attachments: 'please keep in mind that the Admissions Committee will read between 1,500 and 2,500 applications in an application cycle, so you must provide complete information, but you must also be concise.' RE-CURATED 2026-10-07: Akron rebuilt its admissions pages. The application-requirements and application-process pages this file was first sourced from now 404; their content is consolidated on the JD Program page (law/admissions/apply.dot) with prompts and advice split onto personal-statement.dot, letters-of-recommendation.dot and helpful-tips.dot. Every requirement below was re-read against the new pages, and sentences that did not survive the rebuild were dropped rather than carried.

Verified 2026-10-07 · source page

'A Law School Admission Test (LSAT) or Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score not more than five years old from the time of application.' BOTH SCORES ARE NOW CONSIDERED — CHANGED 2026-10-07: 'Please note: If you have taken both the LSAT and the GRE, we will consider both scores.' The old requirements page said 'we will consider whichever score is higher' and classed anyone who had sat the LSAT as an LSAT applicant even after a GRE; neither statement survives the rebuild. Within the LSAT, the FAQ still says 'If you have taken the LSAT more than once in the last five years, we will use your HIGHEST LSAT score,' and a retake reopens a deferral or denial: 'If you apply early in the application cycle and are deferred or denied, and then you re-take the LSAT at a later date in the same application cycle, the Admissions Committee will automatically reconsider your application file when your new LSAT score arrives.' JD-NEXT IS A SUPPLEMENT ONLY: 'Akron Law has recently received a variance from the ABA to accept scores from the JD-Next program as part of our application process. However, at this time, we do not accept JD-Next scores in lieu of the LSAT or GRE. Therefore, all applicants must still submit a valid score from either the LSAT or the GRE as part of their application to Akron Law. Applicants who have taken the JD-Next program can also submit JD-Next scores to us and our admissions committee will consider those scores along with the LSAT or GRE score as part of the holistic review that every application receives.' NO MINIMUM: 'We will review all completed application files for admission, regardless of the grade point average or LSAT score associated with them.' CONFLICT FOR INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS, recorded rather than resolved: the FAQ says 'All international applicants to the traditional (3-year) J.D. program, regardless of level of education or prior experience, MUST TAKE THE LSAT. There are no exceptions to this policy,' while the JD Program page accepts the LSAT or the GRE from every applicant with no carve-out. An international applicant planning to use the GRE should confirm with admissions first. Applicants to the 2-year JD for foreign-trained attorneys 'are not required to take the LSAT.' RE-CURATED 2026-10-07: Akron rebuilt its admissions pages. The application-requirements and application-process pages this file was first sourced from now 404; their content is consolidated on the JD Program page (law/admissions/apply.dot) with prompts and advice split onto personal-statement.dot, letters-of-recommendation.dot and helpful-tips.dot. Every requirement below was re-read against the new pages, and sentences that did not survive the rebuild were dropped rather than carried.

Verified 2026-10-07 · source page

'You must submit official transcripts from every college or university where you have earned college-level credit. These transcripts must be sent directly from the college or university to LSAC. LSAC will not accept transcripts (even official sealed copies) from the applicant.' The CAS report is a required component: 'LSAC will assemble, verify, and evaluate all of your transcripts and letters of recommendation.' No minimum GPA is published. ENGLISH PROFICIENCY, from the FAQ: 'Required scores on the TOEFL IBT (internet based test) are a 102 and 610 for the PBT (paper based test).' 'Required score on the IELTS is a 7.5.' 'Effective Fall 2023, TOEFL/IELTS waivers will not be granted for international/non-native English speaking students.' (The August file quoted a post-2026 TOEFL band of 5.5 from the old requirements page; that figure is not on any current page.) RE-CURATED 2026-10-07: Akron rebuilt its admissions pages. The application-requirements and application-process pages this file was first sourced from now 404; their content is consolidated on the JD Program page (law/admissions/apply.dot) with prompts and advice split onto personal-statement.dot, letters-of-recommendation.dot and helpful-tips.dot. Every requirement below was re-read against the new pages, and sentences that did not survive the rebuild were dropped rather than carried.

Verified 2026-10-07 · source page

OPTIONAL AT AKRON, listed under 'Optional Application Components' with the rest of that group: 'The following application components are optional, but most applicants submit them. It is strongly suggested that all applicants include this information with their applications. If an application is otherwise complete and these components are missing, the Admissions Committee will still consider the application complete and review it for a decision.' So a missing letter will not hold a file. WHO SHOULD WRITE: 'Letters of Recommendation (LORs) may be from professors, employers, colleagues, or others. Applicants who are currently enrolled in an academic program are strongly encouraged to submit LORs from professors. Applicants who have graduated but have significant work experience should seek LORs from employers, colleagues, or clients. All letters of recommendation must be submitted to LSAC as part of your CAS report.' The letters page warns against 'Celebrity Letters': 'If the letter is essentially a personal recommendation, it will carry little weight, no matter who writes it.' NO MAXIMUM IS PUBLISHED ANY MORE: the August file recorded count_accepted 3 from the old page's 'one to three letters'; no current page states a number, so count_accepted is no longer recorded. RE-CURATED 2026-10-07: Akron rebuilt its admissions pages. The application-requirements and application-process pages this file was first sourced from now 404; their content is consolidated on the JD Program page (law/admissions/apply.dot) with prompts and advice split onto personal-statement.dot, letters-of-recommendation.dot and helpful-tips.dot. Every requirement below was re-read against the new pages, and sentences that did not survive the rebuild were dropped rather than carried.

Verified 2026-10-07 · source page

NOTHING TO PAY ONLINE: 'While LSAC charges fees associated with the application process, please note that Akron Law does not charge an additional application fee' (JD Program page), and 'The University of Akron School of Law does not charge a separate application fee for applications submitted online' (helpful-tips page). The 509 certifies 'Application fee 0'. A PAPER APPLICATION STILL COSTS $35, per the FAQ: 'If an applicant chooses to print the application and mail it to us (as opposed submitting the application electronically), a $35 application fee is also required before the application will be reviewed.' No waiver process is published. RE-CURATED 2026-10-07: Akron rebuilt its admissions pages. The application-requirements and application-process pages this file was first sourced from now 404; their content is consolidated on the JD Program page (law/admissions/apply.dot) with prompts and advice split onto personal-statement.dot, letters-of-recommendation.dot and helpful-tips.dot. Every requirement below was re-read against the new pages, and sentences that did not survive the rebuild were dropped rather than carried.

Verified 2026-10-07 · source page