University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law

Required. The published range is 500 to 750 words; word_limit records the upper bound, and the FAQ (law.louisville.edu/admission/faq) treats it as binding — the statement 'should adhere to the word limit (500 to 750 words) we have set.' No page limit or formatting spec is published. The FAQ adds guidance rather than a second prompt: 'The personal statement should share new information about you. A personal statement that simply restates an applicant's résumé or other submitted materials adds little to the application as a whole,' and it suggests considering 'the path that has led to your decision to apply.' Generative AI is addressed once, in the application-materials certification: 'While soliciting and incorporating feedback from other people or artificial intelligence may be appropriate in completing your application, presenting the product of other such entities as your own independent work may result in denial of your application for admission or revocation of your admission to Brandeis Law.'

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Called the 'Brandeis statement' and described as 'a secondary essay written in response to the following prompt' — required of every first-year applicant, not optional. Typed here as why_x_essay because it is school-specific and asks how the applicant would engage with this particular school's mission, but the school pushes back on that framing: per the FAQ (law.louisville.edu/admission/faq), 'Be aware that the prompt is not exactly a "Why Brandeis Law?" prompt, and it is certainly not asking you to write a book report on Louis Brandeis!' Range 250 to 500 words; word_limit records the upper bound. 'Your Brandeis statement should clearly and specifically answer the prompt as provided,' and it 'should serve as a complement to your personal statement, but the two should not be redundant of each other.' The 'mission of Brandeis Law' phrase in the prompt links to the school's Mission Statement page (law.louisville.edu/people-mission). Brandeis Law publishes no perspective/diversity statement of any kind — this is the only secondary essay.

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Two distinct written attachments live under this type; the 250-word cap belongs to the first only. (1) The optional addendum: 'If you choose to do so, you may provide a brief addendum regarding any aspect of your application not addressed elsewhere that you feel is necessary to explain for the Admissions Committee. The addendum should be no longer than 250 words unless exceptional circumstances warrant a longer explanation. You are not required to provide an addendum.' The FAQ gives examples — 'an addendum might explain an irregular fluctuation in your GPA or a notable gap in your education or work history' — and warns it 'should not be treated as an additional personal statement.' (2) The character-and-fitness disclosure, which is conditionally required and has no published length limit: 'If you answer "Yes" to any of the questions in the Character and Fitness section of your application, you must provide a written disclosure that addresses each such answer. Your disclosure should be a narrative in your own words, including all relevant details, dates and outcomes. Please do not provide any court records or other similar documentation unless requested.' Applicants carry a continuing obligation to amend those answers after submission. Kentucky, like most jurisdictions, requires a copy of the law school application to accompany the bar petition. Separately, the FAQ notes that GRE or JD-Next results, which cannot substitute for the LSAT, 'may' be shared in an addendum to be considered alongside the LSAT.

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'You must provide at least two letters of recommendation, and you may provide a third letter of recommendation if you so choose. The Admissions Committee expects letters to be academic or professional in nature and strongly encourages any applicant currently or recently enrolled in an academic program to submit at least one letter from a faculty member who has taught the applicant in a traditional classroom setting. Personal letters of recommendation, such as those from friends or family members, are strongly discouraged.' Delivery is strict: letters must be sent to LSAC directly by the recommenders and then assigned to Brandeis Law in the applicant's LSAC account — 'Letters of recommendation received via any other means will not be accepted.' The FAQ adds that the committee reads letters 'both for the insight of the authors and as a test of your judgment in choosing those authors,' and allows that applicants long out of school may rely on professional letters from direct supervisors or employers.

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'You must provide at least two letters of recommendation, and you may provide a third letter of recommendation if you so choose. The Admissions Committee expects letters to be academic or professional in nature and strongly encourages any applicant currently or recently enrolled in an academic program to submit at least one letter from a faculty member who has taught the applicant in a traditional classroom setting. Personal letters of recommendation, such as those from friends or family members, are strongly discouraged.' Delivery is strict: letters must be sent to LSAC directly by the recommenders and then assigned to Brandeis Law in the applicant's LSAC account — 'Letters of recommendation received via any other means will not be accepted.' The FAQ adds that the committee reads letters 'both for the insight of the authors and as a test of your judgment in choosing those authors,' and allows that applicants long out of school may rely on professional letters from direct supervisors or employers.

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Required as part of a complete application. No page limit is recorded because the school publishes guidance rather than a cap: 'Most applicants' résumés can fit on a single page if formatted thoughtfully, though a second page may be reasonable for applicants with significant work histories.' The FAQ (law.louisville.edu/admission/faq) goes one step further — 'résumés longer than two pages are not recommended' — and adds that the application asks for a résumé, not a curriculum vitae, that pages 'need not be double-spaced,' and that an objective statement 'is unnecessary and typically unhelpful.' Appropriate content includes education and work history plus extracurricular activities, awards and recognitions, military service and community involvement.

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Official transcripts from every undergraduate and graduate institution ever attended must go through LSAC's Credential Assembly Service, 'including institutions from which you have not received a degree, such as those where you earned transfer credits or those where you earned dual enrollment credits while in high school.' 'Transcripts sent directly to Brandeis Law or to the University of Louisville cannot be accepted.' Allow up to two weeks for LSAC to process CAS materials; the law school does not see them until LSAC releases them (law.louisville.edu/admission/apply/process). A bachelor's degree from an accredited postsecondary institution is required before enrolling, and applicants may apply with an 'in progress' transcript — but an applicant who had already earned the degree by September 15, 2025 must show it as conferred for the file to be complete. Final transcripts showing degrees conferred are due to the Office of Admissions by July 15, 2026, with extensions available; 'Under no circumstances may a student remain enrolled beyond October 5, 2026, without a final undergraduate transcript on file.' International applicants: foreign postsecondary records must be submitted through CAS if the degree came from an institution outside the U.S., Canada and their territories, or if directly enrolled foreign coursework exceeds the equivalent of one year of U.S./Canadian undergraduate study; TOEFL iBT is 'strongly encouraged' — not required — for applicants whose second language is English and who were educated where instruction was not in English, and no IELTS alternative or minimum score is published (law.louisville.edu/admission/apply/international).

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LSAT only, and this is stated rather than merely omitted. FAQ (law.louisville.edu/admission/faq): 'Will you accept the GRE or JD-Next in place of the LSAT? No, Brandeis Law requires the LSAT and does not accept any alternative test as a substitute for the LSAT. If an applicant would like to share their results from another test in their application materials, they may do so in an addendum, but those results will be considered in tandem with the applicant's LSAT results rather than in lieu of them.' Validity: 'You must have a reportable score on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), where LSAC defines the "reportable score period" as the current testing cycle, beginning in June, and the previous five testing cycles.' An LSAT Argumentative Writing or LSAT Writing sample must be on file with LSAC for the score to be released. An application may be submitted before a score exists but is not complete until LSAC releases it. To wait for a future administration an applicant files a Review Delay Request, which pushes 'ready for review' to the specified score release and can forfeit a deadline. Retakes: the committee sees every score in the reportable period and 'may consider the number of times you have taken the LSAT'; reporting to the ABA uses the highest score. 'Once a final decision has been rendered for your application, the Admissions Committee may amend its decision in light of a new LSAT score but is under no obligation to do so.' The 2025 ABA Standard 509 report lists LSAT as the only admission test with reported enrollee data. No minimum score: 'there is no set minimum required LSAT score or undergraduate GPA.'

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There is no application fee, and none to waive. Application-process page: 'Brandeis Law does not charge an application fee.' FAQ (law.louisville.edu/admission/faq): 'Brandeis Law does not charge an application fee, so there's nothing to waive! When you go to apply, you will see the fee listed as $0. We see it as an equity issue and believe there's no sense in creating an artificial barrier to applying for anyone.' The school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 report independently lists 'Application fee 0.' The separate LSAC Credential Assembly Service report fee is outside the school's control: 'We neither assess nor collect any part of the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) report fee, so it's not something we have any authority to waive. LSAC charges the fee, so only LSAC can waive it.'

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Recorded as a silence, not as a policy. Nothing on the admissions landing page, the How to Apply page, the Application Process page, the Application Materials page, the Admissions FAQ, or the Connect with Us page mentions an interview in any form — invited, evaluative, optional, or recorded. The Application Process page describes review as a file-only process ('Applications are queued for review in the order in which they are confirmed as complete... once an application is under review, a decision is typically rendered within three weeks') without listing an interview step, but the school never states that it does not interview. The only in-person contact the site offers prospective students is optional and non-evaluative: a visit, admissions counseling, or a one-time class observation arranged through law.louisville.edu/admission/connect.

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