University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

A GENUINE PROMPT, not an open invitation -- McGeorge is one of the few schools in this data set that asks a specific question rather than inviting applicants to write about themselves generally. The instruction is exact: 'The Personal Statement prompt is “Tell us about a person or event that impacted/influenced your life.” The statement must be 1-3 pages, double-spaced, 12 pt. font, and contain 1" margins. An applicant's personal statement is an opportunity to provide information that the applicant believes should be considered by the Admissions Committee. Please list the prompt at the top of your personal statement for Committee review.' page_limit is recorded as 3 because 'must be 1-3 pages' is a binding range, not guidance; one page is the stated floor, which the schema cannot represent and is noted here instead. TWO PROCEDURAL TRAPS: the prompt must be reproduced at the top of the document, and 'Personal statements that do not follow the format requirements will be sent back for correction' -- so a statement reused from another school in the wrong font or spacing costs time in a rolling cycle. Why-us and background material belong elsewhere; see the why_x_essay and perspective_statement entries.

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One of three optional prompts McGeorge groups under the heading 'Optional Essays: Diversity, Adversity Statements and Addenda'. Applicants choose freely among them: 'Applicants may attach a response to one or more of the following questions in addition to the required Personal Statement.' All three share one format rule: 'These statements should be no more than two pages, double-spaced, 12-pt font, with 1" margins.' McGeorge is stricter about format than most schools in this data set -- it warns on the same page that 'Personal statements that do not follow the format requirements will be sent back for correction' -- so the two-page cap is recorded as a real page_limit rather than guidance. Because the required personal statement is pinned to a single narrow question about a person or event, this is the only place a 'why McGeorge' case can be made -- an applicant who wants to argue fit has to opt in to this essay.

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The second of the three optional prompts under 'Optional Essays: Diversity, Adversity Statements and Addenda', and one of the more explicitly enumerated diversity prompts still published -- it names race, ethnicity, disability, LGBTQIA+ status and economic disadvantage directly rather than gesturing at 'perspectives'. Optional; the school neither encourages nor discourages it beyond listing it. All three share one format rule: 'These statements should be no more than two pages, double-spaced, 12-pt font, with 1" margins.' McGeorge is stricter about format than most schools in this data set -- it warns on the same page that 'Personal statements that do not follow the format requirements will be sent back for correction' -- so the two-page cap is recorded as a real page_limit rather than guidance.

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The third of the three optional prompts, and the only one McGeorge actively recommends: 'Addenda are also recommended to explain any discrepancies in the application.' All three share one format rule: 'These statements should be no more than two pages, double-spaced, 12-pt font, with 1" margins.' McGeorge is stricter about format than most schools in this data set -- it warns on the same page that 'Personal statements that do not follow the format requirements will be sent back for correction' -- so the two-page cap is recorded as a real page_limit rather than guidance. The resume instructions point here too, for gaps: 'Explain any periods of time after high school not accounted for by submitting an addendum or making a quick note in the gap on the resume.' CHARACTER AND FITNESS IS SEPARATE AND REQUIRED WHEN TRIGGERED, with an unusually pointed warning about inconsistency: 'All questions must be answered. A “No” response that proves inconsistent with entries on official transcripts raises issues of misconduct or irregularities in the admission process that may be referred to the Law School Admission Council under its policies.' Where there is something to report: 'Candidates with a record of involvement in criminal matters and civil matters must provide a full, descriptive statement including active dates, facts, and disposition of the matter,' and such candidates 'must also contact the Bar Associate in the state(s) they plan to practice confirming that the details they provided are sufficient to satisfy requirements for that jurisdiction.' The page also reproduces ABA Standard 504 in full.

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Listed among the items needed to complete the application. NO PAGE LIMIT IS RECORDED, deliberately: 'Please note that resumes no more than 2 pages are recommended' is a recommendation, not a cap, per docs/CURATION.md. The content guidance is among the most detailed of any school here: 'Provide a Resume of full-time employment and other activities, starting with the most recent. Include dates, name(s) of employer(s), and position(s) held. List the hours worked per week and academic honors received since entering college. List extracurricular activities, hobbies and community service. Describe the nature and extent of employment during college and include volunteer work. Please include summers. Explain any periods of time after high school not accounted for by the preceding educational and employment history. However, all high school information should be omitted.' A SITE BUG WORTH KNOWING, recorded rather than tidied away: the section headed 'Letters of Recommendation' opens by repeating this resume guidance almost verbatim ('Provide a resume of full- and part-time employment and other activities...') before reaching any actual letter guidance. The duplicated block is where the two-page recommendation and the gap-addendum instruction appear, so a reader skimming for letter requirements will hit resume text first. The two copies differ slightly -- one says 'full-time employment', the other 'full- and part-time employment' -- and the fuller version is quoted here.

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'Two (2) letters of recommendation submitted through your LSAC CAS account. (Up to three letters are allowed).' ACADEMIC LETTERS ARE PREFERRED, and McGeorge labels the preference in capitals on the page: 'Academic letters of recommendation offer the most relevant assessment of the skills that are necessary for success in law school. Letters of recommendation from professors, teaching assistants and/or advisors who have had the opportunity to assess academic, time management, research, writing, and analytical skills are necessary and preferred.' The professional alternative is gated on a specific length of time out of school, which is longer than most schools require: 'Applicants who have been out of school for five or more years may submit letters of recommendation from individuals who have supervised, evaluated, analyzed and/or critiqued their work. When submitting professional letters of recommendation, keep in mind that the admissions office will be looking for an assessment of some of the same skills identified above: time management, research, writing, and analytical skills.' A HARD PROCESS GATE, stated explicitly: 'Please note that LSAC will not release an applicant's CAS report to McGeorge until they have received a minimum of two letters of recommendation. The application will remain incomplete and will not be reviewed until the applicant's file is complete.' So a missing second letter stalls the entire file, not just the letter requirement.

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'Two (2) letters of recommendation submitted through your LSAC CAS account. (Up to three letters are allowed).' ACADEMIC LETTERS ARE PREFERRED, and McGeorge labels the preference in capitals on the page: 'Academic letters of recommendation offer the most relevant assessment of the skills that are necessary for success in law school. Letters of recommendation from professors, teaching assistants and/or advisors who have had the opportunity to assess academic, time management, research, writing, and analytical skills are necessary and preferred.' The professional alternative is gated on a specific length of time out of school, which is longer than most schools require: 'Applicants who have been out of school for five or more years may submit letters of recommendation from individuals who have supervised, evaluated, analyzed and/or critiqued their work. When submitting professional letters of recommendation, keep in mind that the admissions office will be looking for an assessment of some of the same skills identified above: time management, research, writing, and analytical skills.' A HARD PROCESS GATE, stated explicitly: 'Please note that LSAC will not release an applicant's CAS report to McGeorge until they have received a minimum of two letters of recommendation. The application will remain incomplete and will not be reviewed until the applicant's file is complete.' So a missing second letter stalls the entire file, not just the letter requirement.

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THREE ACCEPTED TESTS, in a stated hierarchy rather than as equals: the checklist item is 'LSAT score, Graduate Record Exam (GRE)*, or JD-Next*', with the footnote 'We will accept the GRE or JD-Next if the applicant does not have a valid LSAT score.' So the GRE and JD-Next are fallbacks for applicants without an LSAT, not free alternatives -- an applicant who has sat the LSAT cannot set that score aside. ROUTING DIFFERS BY TEST: 'Please note that all GRE scores from the last five (5) years must be submitted through the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Our school code for the GRE is 3095. JD-Next scores must be sent to us through Aspen Publishing.' A FIVE-YEAR WINDOW measured from enrolment applies to all three: 'LSAT, GRE, and JD-Next scores must be from administrations within five years prior to the year of enrollment,' and 'All scores from exams taken in the last five years must be submitted. Please list all scores on the application.' FUTURE TESTS FREEZE THE FILE: 'if an applicant indicates that they will take an exam in the future or are registered for a future test, we will mark the file as incomplete until that test score is released. It is an applicant's responsibility to notify our office if their plans regarding testing dates change.' LSAT Writing is required separately -- the checklist names 'LSAC Writing Sample', and a complete CAS report must include 'an LSAT score and LSAC Writing Sample, GRE, or JD-Next score'. Per-cycle cut-offs are published and differ by test: June 2027 LSAT, June 2027 GRE, or May 2027 JD-Next for fall 2027 entry. The 509 shows the LSAT dominating: of 213 first-year enrollees, 209 are LSAT admissions enrollees and 4 are GRE admissions enrollees, with GRE percentiles withheld under the ABA's under-10 floor. NOTE A MISMATCH WORTH FLAGGING: the site accepts JD-Next, which requires a variance from ABA Standard 503, but the 509 prints no JD-Next row at all. That is consistent with simply having had no JD-Next enrollees in the fall 2025 class, but it means the variance is not visible in the filing -- the same shape of gap recorded for Hofstra and CUNY in docs/CURATION.md, in a milder form.

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'Transcripts of all prior college and university coursework must be sent directly to LSAC,' with CAS registration required alongside the test. A bachelor's degree is one of the listed application items. A HARD POST-ADMISSION REQUIREMENT WITH A STATED CONSEQUENCE: 'an official transcript with degree posted is required to be submitted to LSAC before the first day of classes for all students who do not provide the final transcript in their CAS report when they initially apply. Per ABA Standard 502, applicants who do not comply with the final transcript requirement may be administratively withdrawn from the Law School.' PRIOR LAW STUDY must be disclosed with documentation: 'If an applicant has attended or is currently attending another law school, they must furnish official transcripts from the school and a certification of good standing with class rank from the dean or other appropriate law school official.' INTERNATIONAL: foreign transcripts go 'directly to LSAC Credential Service which is included in the CAS subscription fee,' with an AACRAO foreign credential evaluation integrated into the CAS report. TOEFL is required of an applicant 'who did not complete their bachelor's degree from an English-language college or university, and for whom English is not their primary language,' and also of 'recent immigrants who have completed their education outside of the United States where English was not the language of instruction.' McGeorge publishes actual minimums, which many schools do not: 'A minimum score of 600 for the paper-based test, 250 for the computer-based test, or 100 for the internet-based exam is required,' sent from TOEFL directly to LSAC. No IELTS alternative is offered. No minimum GPA is published.

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THERE IS NO APPLICATION FEE. McGeorge's 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report certifies the application fee as $0.00, and no page fetched on 2026-08-18 -- the JD deadlines and requirements page with its full application checklist, the JD programs pages, or the ABA required disclosures page -- mentions an application fee, an amount, or a fee-waiver process. Recorded as required: false because there is nothing to pay and nothing to waive; the site's silence and the 509's certified zero agree, so this is not a case of a charge going unmentioned. Note that McGeorge does not accept paper applications at all -- 'McGeorge does not accept hardcopy applications' -- so there is no alternative filing route that might carry a fee. LSAC's own CAS and registration fees are separate and are not addressed.

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Recorded as the site's silence, not as a statement that McGeorge does not interview. No page fetched on 2026-08-18 -- the JD deadlines and requirements page with its full application checklist and status-and-decision section, the JD programs pages, or ABA required disclosures -- mentions an admissions interview of any kind, evaluative or informational, by invitation or on request. The application checklist enumerates ten items and no interview appears among them, and the description of how files are handled ('The admissions committee will review files in the order that they were completed... Please allow four-to-12 weeks to receive an admission decision') describes a paper review with no interview step. The only in-person contact offered to prospective applicants is the 'Come Meet Us' page, which is not described as part of the evaluation.

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