University of Nevada, Las Vegas — William S. Boyd School of Law

Boyd folds a 'why Boyd' element into the personal statement rather than requiring a separate why-X essay — the prompt asks for the applicant's 'specific interest in pursuing a Boyd Law degree,' and no standalone why-X prompt appears anywhere on the admissions pages. The J.D. landing page states the same limit without the topic list: 'A personal statement no longer than three typed pages (double spaced, 12-point font, one inch margins).' The Selection Criteria section says the Committee considers the applicant's background in totality 'through the applicant's required personal statement and the optional statement about the applicant's background and lived experiences,' and separately weighs 'Personal Courtesy and Professional Integrity ... as evidenced through the application materials, including the personal statement.' AI: per the FAQ (law.unlv.edu/admissions/faqs), 'When you apply, you certify that you did not receive undue assistance from AI platforms' — an applicant 'may use AI to check grammar and spelling, after the applicant has written their personal statement or other components of the application. AI may also be appropriate to brainstorm ideas. But an applicant may not use AI to write the personal statement, addendum, or other components of the application.'

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Boyd gives this statement no name of its own on the application-requirements page; the J.D. landing page (law.unlv.edu/admissions/jd) still lists it among 'Any optional addenda (i.e. diversity statement, explanation of extenuating factors affecting academic performance, or answers to Character and Fitness questions),' the only surviving 'diversity statement' label on the site. It maps to the Selection Criteria heading 'Individual Background,' under which 'The Committee will consider the applicant's background in totality, including any disadvantages and significant barriers overcome, lived experiences that inform the applicant's view of the law, past service and/or leadership in the applicant's communities, and/or the applicant's plans to use their law degree in addressing the needs of underserved communities.'

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Conditional, not optional in the ordinary sense: required of applicants to a part-time program, irrelevant to full-time applicants, so `required` is recorded as false. No length limit is published beyond 'brief.' Boyd runs three J.D. programs — per the FAQ, 'a full-time day program, a part-time day program, and a part-time evening program' — plus a part-time hybrid program 'pending Council acquiescence, with the first class enrolling in August 2027.' Applicants must choose one program per cycle. Admission standards do not differ: 'The Admissions Committee uses the same standards for admission to the day and evening programs,' and the hybrid FAQ says its 'application requirements and admission standards are the same as for the full-time program.'

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Two invitations, neither with a published length limit. (1) Character and fitness — required when triggered: the application-requirements checklist calls for 'If needed, an explanation for a "yes" answer to any of the Character and Fitness questions.' The Selection Criteria section adds that the Committee 'will also consider any history of criminality or academic and professional misconduct.' The school's character-and-fitness page (law.unlv.edu/admissions/jd/application-requirements/bar-character-fitness-evaluation) imposes a continuing duty to amend: if an applicant amends answers after submitting, or the school learns of unreported information, the admissions committee 'may convene to re-evaluate the applicant's admission status' and 'may decide to revoke an offer of admission,' with a five-business-day notice and an appeal to the Dean; the school also reserves the right to revoke an offer at any time before matriculation. (2) Academic-performance addendum — the J.D. landing page lists among optional addenda an 'explanation of extenuating factors affecting academic performance.' A third, narrower addendum applies only to LSAT-Alternate Admission applicants, who 'must submit a brief addendum with their application informing the admissions committee of which standardized test score they will be submitting' (ACT/SAT for UNLV Direct Admission, GRE/GMAT for Dual Degree Admission). Per the FAQ, AI may not be used to write an addendum.

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'Between one and four letters of recommendation from professors, employers, supervisors, or other professional references. We strongly encourage applicants to submit at least one academic letter of recommendation. Recommendations from professors, professional colleagues, or supervisors who can speak to an applicant's academic, intellectual, or professional abilities are often the most helpful. Letters from friends, family members, or social acquaintances will not be considered. Recommendations must be submitted through the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Letter of Recommendation Service. Do not have recommendations sent directly to the Boyd School of Law.' The J.D. landing page phrases the same rule slightly more softly — 'Recommendations from friends, family members, and other such acquaintances are strongly discouraged' — while the FAQ repeats the 'strongly discouraged' wording; the application-requirements page's flat 'will not be considered' is the stricter and more recent statement and is recorded here.

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'A résumé including educational background, work experience, honors, and community service activities.' No page limit is published — the school states none, so no page_limit is recorded. The Selection Criteria section explains what the résumé feeds: 'Non-academic Accomplishments. The Committee will consider evidence of significant accomplishments in extracurricular activities, employment, military service, and community service.'

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Applicants must 'Register for, and maintain an up-to-date file with the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS). It is the responsibility of applicants to ensure that an official transcript from each institution they have attended is sent by that institution to CAS. Do not have transcripts sent directly to the Boyd School of Law.' Degree requirement: applicants must 'Have earned a bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university, or be on track to graduate before law school classes begin. The bachelor's degree may be in any discipline or major.' The J.D. landing page adds: 'If you're admitted while still completing your senior year, we will verify your final transcript before you begin classes.' The admissions pages say nothing at all about foreign transcripts, LSAC's International Credential Evaluation, TOEFL, or IELTS — recorded here as the site's silence, not as a statement that no English-proficiency requirement exists. Applicants are also told to 'Use a permanent, non-college email address in the application as their primary email address,' because deactivated college accounts cause missed admissions communications.

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LSAT only, and the school says so explicitly rather than by silence. Per the FAQ (law.unlv.edu/admissions/faqs): 'The law school does not currently accept the GRE, so you are required to submit a valid LSAT, unless you qualify under LSAT-Alternate Admission'; 'The law school does not currently accept JD-Next'; and 'Because the law school does not currently accept the GRE or JD-Next, please do not send GRE or JD-Next score reports to the law school or submit them as part of your admission application. They won't be reviewed.' Validity: 'LSAT scores older than five years are not considered valid, according to the Law School Admission Council (LSAC)'; the score arrives with the CAS report. 'We don't waive the LSAT.' Timing: 'Scores from the February test administration will be timely to meet our March 15 application priority deadline.' EXCEPTION — LSAT-Alternate Admission (law.unlv.edu/admissions/jd/application-requirements/lsat-alternate-admission), offered since the fall 2017 cycle under the ABA rule permitting up to 10% of a class to be admitted without the LSAT, in two tracks. UNLV Direct Admission: open to UNLV undergraduates who 'scored at or above the 85th percentile on the ACT or SAT; and achieved an LSAC-calculated cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.85 or above; and are either attending UNLV at the time of admittance to the law school or have graduated no earlier than twelve months prior to the date of matriculation,' considered 'until they constitute 10 percent of that school year's incoming class.' Dual Degree Admission: for JD/MBA, JD/MSW, or JD/PhD applicants who 'scored at or above the 85th percentile on the GRE or GMAT within the past five years' and hold a 3.85 LSAC-calculated UGPA — note this is the only route by which a GRE score is read at all, and it does not make Boyd a GRE school. In both tracks, official scores go directly to the law school's admissions office, taking the LSAT at any time before matriculation makes an applicant ineligible for the alternate route, and alternate admits 'are not eligible for deferments.' The school 'reserves the right to modify the conditions for this process, including the required percentile score and undergraduate GPA, for each admission cycle.'

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'A $50 non-refundable application fee,' paid through LSAC; the same $50 appears in Boyd's 2025 ABA Standard 509 report. Waivers are granted on request and are handled by named staff rather than a form: per the FAQ (law.unlv.edu/admissions/faqs), 'While we're unable to provide CAS fee waivers, we're happy to provide an application fee waiver. Contact Lindsey Slavin or Wayne Pirtle for an application fee waiver. Be sure to provide us with the email address you used to register with LSAC.'

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Invite-only, and applicants may not ask. Per the FAQ: 'No. Applicants may not request interviews. The Admissions Committee may invite selected applicants to interview as part of the evaluation process. While applicants may meet with an admissions officer for informational purposes, those meetings are not considered in the admissions review unless they are formal interviews requested by the Committee.' Campus tours, class visits, and online information sessions (law.unlv.edu/admissions/connect) are recruiting events, not evaluative interviews. Note the Selection Criteria section nevertheless weighs an applicant's conduct in 'interaction with the Boyd Law community, including the Admissions Office.'

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