University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law

The limit is a strong preference rather than a hard cap: the admissions FAQ (law.hawaii.edu/admissions/admissions-aid-faq/) answers 'How long should my personal statement be?' with 'We strongly prefer that your personal statement stay within the 500-word limit.' The how-to-apply page states the same requirement in shorter form ('Personal Statement: compose a 500-word personal statement on a subject of your choice'). Neither the application instructions nor the FAQ publishes formatting rules (font, spacing, margins), and neither mentions generative AI. The school publishes no diversity, perspective, or background statement prompt anywhere on its admissions pages — a silence, not a statement that none is accepted.

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Listed without an 'optional' qualifier among the application's 'Major components' on the detailed instructions page, alongside the application fee, personal statement, resume, and addenda, so it is recorded as required. The shorter application-overview list on law.hawaii.edu/admissions/how-to-apply/ does not mention it — that page is silent on the essay rather than contradicting this one. 'Approximately 250 words' is the only length guidance published. Fit with the school's mission is weighted in review: the FAQ says the school places 'particular emphasis on admitting applicants who have meaningful ties to the state, a demonstrated interest in our areas of expertise, or a strong alignment with our mission,' naming Native Hawaiian Law, Pacific-Asian Legal Studies, International and Comparative Law, and Environmental Law.

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The instructions page invites addenda in one line without naming topics; the admissions FAQ (law.hawaii.edu/admissions/admissions-aid-faq/) supplies both the style guidance and the occasions. Style: 'You'll have the opportunity to included addenda if you need to provide additional context to other sections of the application. Typically these should be concise (no more than two paragraphs), directly address the heart of the matter or question at hand, and should not include superfluous information (no photographs, irrelevant case documents, third-party materials, etc.).' Occasions the FAQ names: significant differences between multiple test scores ('You may want to explain significant score differences in an addendum'); a cancelled or absent LSAT score ('If you want to explain the circumstances surrounding your cancellation or absence, please attach an addendum'); a gap between the transcript GPA and the LSAC-assembled GPA ('You may provide an addendum to explain significant discrepancies'); and, on the how-to-apply page, a request to waive the TOEFL/IELTS/Cambridge requirement on grounds not already listed. Character and fitness questions are answered on the application form itself and must be answered fully for the file to be complete, but the pages do not describe a separate C&F addendum. An applicant previously dismissed from another law school 'must address the circumstances surrounding your dismissal on your application' and have a letter of standing sent directly to lawadm@hawaii.edu. No length limit beyond the two-paragraph guidance.

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No page_limit is recorded because the school publishes none — neither the application instructions nor the FAQ states any length, format, or page cap. The same one-line instruction appears on law.hawaii.edu/admissions/how-to-apply/.

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'Make sure that two (minimum) to three (maximum) academic or professional letters of recommendation are sent to LSAC. Please do not ask for letters of recommendations from family members or from persons who do not know you well.' The FAQ (law.hawaii.edu/admissions/admissions-aid-faq/) repeats the counts — 'We require two letters of recommendation, but you may submit up to three' — and adds who should write them: 'Your letters should be completed by professors, instructors, or other persons who are familiar with your academic work. We understand that if you have been out of school for a number of years, it may be difficult to find an academic recommender. If that is the case, you may ask an employer or supervisor to write a letter of recommendation for you.' Letters travel through LSAC's Letter of Recommendation Service and must be assigned to the school in the LSAC account or LSAC will not forward them. Reapplicants may reassign the same letters, swap them, add a third, or request fresh ones. Letters are part of the CAS report the school requires before review.

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'Make sure that two (minimum) to three (maximum) academic or professional letters of recommendation are sent to LSAC. Please do not ask for letters of recommendations from family members or from persons who do not know you well.' The FAQ (law.hawaii.edu/admissions/admissions-aid-faq/) repeats the counts — 'We require two letters of recommendation, but you may submit up to three' — and adds who should write them: 'Your letters should be completed by professors, instructors, or other persons who are familiar with your academic work. We understand that if you have been out of school for a number of years, it may be difficult to find an academic recommender. If that is the case, you may ask an employer or supervisor to write a letter of recommendation for you.' Letters travel through LSAC's Letter of Recommendation Service and must be assigned to the school in the LSAC account or LSAC will not forward them. Reapplicants may reassign the same letters, swap them, add a third, or request fresh ones. Letters are part of the CAS report the school requires before review.

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Registration with the LSAC Credential Assembly Service is required of every applicant, including GRE-only applicants: 'You must still register for this even if you will not be applying with an LSAT score.' The complete CAS report must reach the school by the deadline and includes the LSAT score and writing sample (if applicable), all undergraduate and graduate/professional transcripts, at least two letters of recommendation, and English proficiency documents if applicable. Applicants must list high school and every undergraduate and graduate institution attended, including community colleges. Degree requirement (Step 1): 'Ensure you will earn a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning in the United States or an equivalent degree from a university-level institution in a foreign country before August 2027.' Online undergraduate degrees are accepted if the institution is regionally accredited. Admitted students must send a final official transcript to LSAC before August 1. English proficiency: applicants with a bachelor's or graduate degree from an institution in the United States, Canada (excluding Quebec), the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, or Singapore are exempt; others may submit TOEFL (UH school code 8395; 100+ traditional scale, 5.0+ banded scale starting January 2026), IELTS 7+, or Cambridge English 185+, with April the latest acceptable TOEFL administration and scores older than three years not accepted. This page's Step 3 gives an older and stricter TOEFL rule (LSAC institution code 0058, department code 03; minimum 100 iBT or 600 paper; valid two years; exemption list of the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Australia, England, and English-speaking African countries) that does not match the how-to-apply page's current list — both are recorded here rather than reconciled.

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'An admission test is required as part of the JD application and cannot be waived. We accept LSAT or the GRE, without preference.' The FAQ (law.hawaii.edu/admissions/admissions-aid-faq/) closes the list explicitly: 'First-year JD candidates must have an LSAT or GRE score. We do not accept other exams for admission purposes, including the GMAT, JD-Next, or international law school entrance exams.' LSAT: 'We will use your highest reportable LSAT score in our evaluation'; the committee sees all reportable scores. GRE: send scores from all administrations in the last five years via ETS school code 2381 (different from the UH Manoa campus code); 'We will use your highest section scores ("superscore") when submitting multiple tests in our evaluation.' Applicants submitting both 'will have their highest scores evaluated' — per the FAQ, 'we will consider your stronger test and the highest score(s) of that test.' For GRE-only applicants the school manually waives the LSAT requirement of the CAS report after the application is received. Scores are reportable for up to five years after the test date. No minimums: 'No, we do not set arbitrary cutoffs. We will evaluate your application holistically and in its entirety.' Last acceptable administrations: the January LSAT for the February 3 priority date and the April LSAT for the May 1 final deadline; GRE takers are advised to test several weeks before the deadline since scores post roughly 10-15 days after the test. Applications may be submitted before scores arrive if the applicant flags a pending score, but no file is reviewed until it is complete. Merit scholarship awards do not differentiate between GRE-only and LSAT applicants.

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$75, nonrefundable, paid through LSAC (the same $75 appears in the school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 report). Waivers are unusually broad and are granted through the school's own Fee Waiver Request Form, which must be submitted and the code received before the application is transmitted through LSAC — 'We cannot refund application fees you have already paid.' Per law.hawaii.edu/admissions/how-to-apply/application-fee-waivers/, the school waives the fee for graduates of a Hawai'i high school; graduates (or soon to be) of a Hawai'i college or university, 2- or 4-year; U.S. military veterans and service members; Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, City Year, and Teach For America members and alumni; Truman Scholars; people who have served their communities through another established public service organization or program; and people 'engaged in activities and/or employment manifesting a strong commitment to justice and the public interest.' Need-based requests must be accompanied by a valid LSAC fee waiver letter, and an LSAC fee waiver emailed to lawadm@hawaii.edu earns an application fee waiver code. Requests based solely on religious mission commitments are not eligible, and the school offers no CAS fee waivers. Reapplicants get the fee waived on request before submitting. Students already enrolled in law school are not eligible for an LSAC fee waiver.

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Invitation-only and rare; applicants cannot request one. Site wording: 'Interviews: In rare cases, the admissions office may reach out to an applicant to request an interview. These will be conducted via Zoom only. Applicants themselves may not request an interview.' The FAQ (law.hawaii.edu/admissions/admissions-aid-faq/) gives a slightly wider format — 'These will be conducted via Zoom or phone only' — and redirects applicants to campus visits instead. Both are for the JD program; the AJD and LLM tabs of the how-to-apply page carry their own separate interview language ('Once all application materials are received, the Admissions Committee may request a Zoom interview before making their decision'). The pages do not say whether the interview is evaluative or how many applicants receive one.

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