Penn State Dickinson Law

Required, but the site publishes no prompt. The How to Apply page lists it as a step whose entire text is: 'Draft and edit your personal statement.' No topic, question, word limit, page limit, or formatting requirement appears there or anywhere else on dickinsonlaw.psu.edu — recorded here as the site's silence, not as an absence of instructions inside the LSAC application form itself. The linked Application Tips page (dickinsonlaw.psu.edu/admissions/jd-admissions/how-to-apply/application-tips) offers only general advice — 'The personal statement is your chance to share your story. In many cases, this is your interview to law school.' — and expressly frames itself as generic: 'Keep in mind that each individual law school may have its own set of requirements, so always read instructions carefully.' RE-READ 2026-10-07 against the How to Apply page: unchanged.

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The step is headed 'Write supplemental essay(s).' No word limit, page limit, or formatting requirement is published, and more than one may be submitted. This single invitation is the school's only published supplemental-essay opportunity: there is no separately named diversity or perspective statement and no 'why Penn State Dickinson Law' essay anywhere on the site — the diversity topic exists only as the clause 'explains how you add to the diversity of our community' inside this general prompt. The page adds, immediately after: 'Consistent with the Supreme Court's 2023 rulings in the Harvard and UNC cases, Penn State Dickinson Law will continue to conduct holistic application review to identify candidates who possess the skills to succeed in our program of legal education alongside values that align with Penn State Dickinson Law's commitment to institutional antiracism geared to fulfilling the promise of equal justice under law.' RE-READ 2026-10-07 against the How to Apply page: unchanged.

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Optional, and not established as a school-specific requirement. The How to Apply page folds addendum-type material into its general supplemental essay invitation ('addresses any discrepancies between your LSAT and GPA'). The only page that uses the word 'addendum' is the Application Tips page linked from How to Apply, which says: 'If an important area of your application, such as grades, LSAT score, or gaps in undergraduate education need further explanation, consider submitting an addendum. If you have a character and fitness issue, this is often mandatory.' That page presents itself as general law-school-application advice ('each individual law school may have its own set of requirements'), so the 'often mandatory' character-and-fitness line is not stated as a Dickinson Law rule. No length limit is published. RE-READ 2026-10-07: unchanged.

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'We require a minimum of two letters and will accept a maximum of four letters.' The page suggests asking 'your professors and/or work supervisors.' Letters travel through LSAC's Credential Assembly Service, which 'compiles your transcripts, letters of recommendation, and LSAT score(s) (if applicable) and sends a comprehensive packet of these necessary documents to each law school to which you apply.' The site publishes no deadline for letters separate from the application deadline and does not require any letter to be academic. RE-READ 2026-10-07 against the How to Apply page: unchanged.

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'We require a minimum of two letters and will accept a maximum of four letters.' The page suggests asking 'your professors and/or work supervisors.' Letters travel through LSAC's Credential Assembly Service, which 'compiles your transcripts, letters of recommendation, and LSAT score(s) (if applicable) and sends a comprehensive packet of these necessary documents to each law school to which you apply.' The site publishes no deadline for letters separate from the application deadline and does not require any letter to be academic. RE-READ 2026-10-07 against the How to Apply page: unchanged.

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Required. The How to Apply step reads in full: 'Create your résumé.' No page limit, word limit, format, or required content is published — recorded as the site's silence. The Application Tips page offers only general advice: 'don't fret if you do not have legal experience. Recent undergraduates should use this piece to showcase their activities and involvement in college.' RE-READ 2026-10-07 against the How to Apply page: unchanged.

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'Regardless of which standardized test score you plan to submit, all applicants must register for the Credential Assembly Service (CAS).' Applicants are separately told to 'Request transcripts from all prior colleges and graduate programs.' The same step notes that 'LSAC requires candidates to have at least one LSAC writing sample on file for the LSAT to be considered complete'; a candidate whose writing sample is still pending may email the school to request expedited review, and if granted must supply the sample within a reasonable time after being notified of the decision. Separately, after admission the school requires an official transcript sent directly from the undergraduate registrar to Penn State Dickinson Law, and per the admitted-student FAQ (dickinsonlaw.psu.edu/admissions/jd-admissions/admitted-students/faqs) students who fail to provide a final degree-conferral transcript within thirty days after the first day of classes 'will fall out of good standing and will be withdrawn from their courses and dismissed from law school.' The site states no minimum GPA and no English-proficiency requirement for J.D. applicants. RE-READ 2026-10-07 against the How to Apply page: unchanged.

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Both accepted, but not interchangeably. 'Penn State Dickinson Law accepts both the LSAT and GRE, and we encourage applicants to take whichever standardized exam best suits them. A valid LSAT or GRE score is one earned within the past five years.' GRE scores go through ETS using Designated Institution code 0545, and GRE-only applicants 'must submit all GRE scores from the last five years. Applicants are not permitted to select GRE results individually.' THE ONE-WAY GRE RULE IS GONE — CHANGED 2026-10-07. The closed cycle's page said 'a GRE score may be utilized only when a reportable LSAT score does not exist. If an applicant has a reportable LSAT score on file, a GRE score will not be considered in lieu of an existing LSAT score,' and warned that an LSAT received after a GRE-based admission 'may require reevaluation of Penn State Dickinson Law's offer of admission and scholarship.' Both sentences have been removed. In their place: 'In alignment with Penn State Dickinson Law's holistic review process, all test scores submitted with an application for admission will be considered, including in cases where an applicant submits an LSAT score and a GRE or other test score.' So an applicant holding both scores no longer has the GRE set aside, and 'or other test score' leaves room for tests the page does not name. A file stays incomplete while a registered future LSAT is outstanding, and the school will not hold a complete application for a future score without a written request. The page's cycle-specific cutoff had not been updated as of 2026-10-07 and still reads: 'All valid test scores must be submitted to Penn State Dickinson Law by June 1, 2026, our application deadline. We will not hold any application for a score from the June 2026 LSAT administration.' The site does not mention JD-Next by name. For scale, the 2025 ABA Standard 509 report shows 213 of the 215 fall 2025 first-year students were LSAT admissions enrollees and 2 were GRE admissions enrollees. RE-READ 2026-10-07 against the How to Apply page.

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There is no application fee. 'we've waived our application fee to help reduce the cost of applying to law school,' and the LSAC apply link is labeled 'APPLY without an application fee!' The school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 report independently lists 'Application fee 0'. The site does not say whether the waiver is permanent or granted cycle by cycle, and there is therefore no fee-waiver application to describe. RE-READ 2026-10-07 against the How to Apply page: unchanged.

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By invitation and conditional, not a standard step: 'If our admissions team requires additional information while reading your application, you may be invited for a virtual interview.' The site does not say what share of applicants are invited, whether the interview is live or pre-recorded, who conducts it, or what happens if a candidate declines. RE-READ 2026-10-07 against the How to Apply page: unchanged.

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