University of San Diego School of Law

Required, and listed among the application components on the JD Application Checklist. Length is a stated requirement, not guidance: 'Our office requires that your personal statement to be between 2-3 pages, double spaced with 12 point font and traditional margins' — page_limit records the 3-page ceiling; the floor of 2 pages is not representable in this schema. The page then offers four things the applicant 'may also wish to address': 'Why you wish to study law, setting forth your special qualifications'; 'How you plan to use your legal training'; 'Reflect on your experiences and highlight your individual skills, strengths, and perspectives.'; and 'Any additional information you deem important for the admissions committee to consider'. The 'criteria for selection set forth above' referenced in the prompt are the factors listed earlier on the same page: other graduate study; work experience and community or professional service; awards and distinctions; personal recommendations; maturity and character; geographical background; undergraduate and graduate institutions and major; time elapsed since undergraduate work; demonstrated motivation, discipline, and leadership ability; demonstrated success in completing a demanding educational program or activity; demonstrated success in overcoming hardship, discrimination, a social or economic disadvantage, or physical disability; and demonstrated evidence of future promise. The pages say nothing about generative AI.

Verified 2026-08-18 · source page

USD's application carries two optional essays, but the school does not publish their prompts anywhere on its own website — the prompt text lives only inside the LSAC application form, so no verbatim prompt is recorded here. All the Additional Application Information page says is: 'The USD School of Law application includes two specific optional essay prompts. An applicant may submit a response to one or both essays if they assess that either prompt is personally relevant and that the information provided would assist in a comprehensive review of their application.' Submission mechanics are published: 'Optional essays should be included with the original LSAC.org application. If the application was sent, optional essays may be supplied as a .pdf document to jdinfo@sandiego.edu. An applicant's full name, and LSAC Number "L Number" should accompany the submission.' No word or page limit is published for either essay. Because the prompts are unpublished, neither essay could be typed as a perspective_statement or a why_x_essay; this single optional_essay block stands for both, and the taxonomy assignment should be revisited once the fall 2027 LSAC form is available.

Verified 2026-08-18 · source page

Optional, in two published forms, neither with a length limit. (1) Test-score discrepancy, from the JD admissions FAQ: 'The highest LSAT, GRE, or JD Next score will generally be used to evaluate applications for admission and scholarship consideration. Note, all scores are relevant to the application review process. Therefore, if it is your assessment that discrepancies between test scores require an explanation, a separate addendum can be included with your application.' (2) Program preference, also from the FAQ: 'You must initially apply to either the full-time or part-time program. However, at any point prior to a final decision, you have the option of stating in an optional addendum that you are willing to accept the other program if not admitted to your first choice program. Decisions are subject to space availability and academic considerations. Note, all decisions are final when rendered and there is no formal appeals process.' Neither the JD admissions page nor the Additional Application Information page invites a GPA addendum, and neither uses the word 'addendum' for character and fitness — recorded as silence, not as a prohibition. Separately, disclosure is a continuing obligation rather than an addendum: 'Applicants are required to promptly update their admissions application - in writing - with any moral character disclosures that were not previously disclosed, from the time of application submission until a final decision is made. This obligation remains in effect for admitted students and persists through matriculation and throughout law school.'

Verified 2026-08-18 · source page

'Letters of recommendation are required by the School of Law.' Counts: 'For first-year applicants, we require you to submit at least 2 letters and we ask that you send no more than three.' Letters must be submitted through LSAC's CAS and are forwarded to USD with the CAS report; 'Letters of recommendation should be from professors or individuals who can evaluate some significant aspect of the applicant's academic background and/or work experience. If the candidate has been out of undergraduate school less than 5 years, we prefer letters from academic sources.' Transfer and visiting applicants follow separate rules on their own pages. Waitlisted candidates may add one letter beyond the three: per the JD admissions FAQ (sandiego.edu/law/admissions/jd/), 'we will also accept 1 additional external letter from candidates placed on the waitlist. If you have already submitted your 3 letters of recommendation through LSAC, you can request to have an external letter added to your file.'

Verified 2026-08-18 · source page

'Letters of recommendation are required by the School of Law.' Counts: 'For first-year applicants, we require you to submit at least 2 letters and we ask that you send no more than three.' Letters must be submitted through LSAC's CAS and are forwarded to USD with the CAS report; 'Letters of recommendation should be from professors or individuals who can evaluate some significant aspect of the applicant's academic background and/or work experience. If the candidate has been out of undergraduate school less than 5 years, we prefer letters from academic sources.' Transfer and visiting applicants follow separate rules on their own pages. Waitlisted candidates may add one letter beyond the three: per the JD admissions FAQ (sandiego.edu/law/admissions/jd/), 'we will also accept 1 additional external letter from candidates placed on the waitlist. If you have already submitted your 3 letters of recommendation through LSAC, you can request to have an external letter added to your file.'

Verified 2026-08-18 · source page

'A resume is a required component of the application process. Applicants must submit a comprehensive resume as part of their application that provides insight to academic, professional, and personal achievements, as well as commitment to service and the community.' No page_limit is recorded because the stated length is a recommendation rather than a cap: 'It is recommended your resume does not exceed one to two pages, using traditional and professional font and 12 point font size. Your resume should be logically organized into distinct sections, detailing your experiences in reverse chronological order.' The JD Application Checklist lists the component slightly more loosely as 'Current resume or list of employers.'

Verified 2026-08-18 · source page

CAS registration is required of everyone, including reapplicants, and USD's LSAC/CAS code is 4849; applicants should allow roughly six weeks for CAS processing. 'Transcripts are required for all higher education programs attended, including community colleges, undergraduate schools, graduate schools, study abroad, and certificate programs... This requirement applies even if attendance in a higher education program was for one academic semester, quarter, or less. Failure to provide a missing transcript will result in an application status of "Incomplete" and therefore, cannot be processed for review.' Transcripts cannot be accepted directly from applicants. Study-abroad transcripts need not be sent separately if the credits are clearly indicated on the home campus transcript, though the committee may still request them; applicants unable to upload international transcripts to CAS may use Parchment. Applicants with a foreign undergraduate degree must use the JD Credential Assembly Service for Foreign-Educated Applicants. Eligibility, per the JD Application Checklist at sandiego.edu/law/admissions/jd/: 'A Bachelor's degree from a college or university of approved standing prior to law school matriculation (no required discipline of study).' English proficiency for JD applicants, from the JD admissions FAQ: TOEFL sent through CAS with a suggested minimum of 600 paper-based, 100 internet-based, or 250 computer-based; waivers may be requested in writing to jdinfo@sandiego.edu if an official language of the applicant's country is English, if they studied law at an English-only institution, or for other extenuating circumstances. The JD pages mention TOEFL only — IELTS appears solely on the LLM international page — recorded as silence about IELTS for JD applicants. After admission, an official final transcript showing a degree conferral date is due to the Admissions Office before the first day of classes (the admitted-student pages date it August 1 for the prior cycle), and ABA Standard 502(d) sets an October 15 backstop for fall matriculants; a student without it is automatically withdrawn absent extraordinary circumstances.

Verified 2026-08-18 · source page

Three tests are accepted, not two: 'All applicants for admission are required to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), the GRE General Test or the JD Next Program.' Validity is five years, and the JD Application Checklist states the pre-application requirement as 'A valid Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), GRE General Test, or JD Next score less than five years old.' Score reporting: 'Applicants are required to submit all valid LSAT exam scores if they are on file with LSAC. If an applicant has both LSAT and GRE or JD Next scores, they may choose not to have their GRE or JD Next score considered for review. However, if an applicant only has valid GRE exam scores on file with ETS or JD Next scores with Aspen Publishing, they are required to certify that any subsequent LSAT exam taken and the resulting score will be reported to the USD School of Law Office of Admissions.' GRE specifics, from the JD admissions FAQ (sandiego.edu/law/admissions/jd/): all valid scores from the past five years must be reported, an application is not complete until an ETS score report arrives, the ETS code is 3126, applicants list a seven-digit test registration number for each test taken in the past five years, and 'the last score we can accept for consideration - without exception - is from the June administration of the GRE exam.' An applicant submits under one test — 'You can only submit an application for admission using one or the other standardized test (LSAT or GRE)' — but may send a GRE score afterward as additional material for review; LSAT-holders must apply through LSAC and use CAS. A CAS report is required regardless of which test is used. Multiple scores: the highest LSAT, GRE, or JD Next score is generally used for admission and scholarship, though all scores are considered. EDP applicants may use any of the three tests. The pages do not publish a minimum score, and say nothing about an LSAT Writing sample.

Verified 2026-08-18 · source page

Invite-only and one-directional — applicants cannot request one. From the JD admissions FAQ: 'Applicants may not request an interview with the Admissions Committee; however, the Committee may request additional documentation and/or invite an applicant to interview at any stage of the process, including during the waitlist period. These requests support the Committee's holistic evaluation of academic readiness, fit with the law school community, and potential for success in the legal profession.' The page does not say what share of applicants are invited, whether the interview is live or recorded, or whether declining an invitation affects the decision. The campus visit days and virtual tours described on the admitted-student pages are recruiting events, not evaluative interviews.

Verified 2026-08-18 · source page

USD charges no JD application fee. The only place the school states this is its 2025 ABA Standard 509 report, which lists 'Application fee' as 0 (the same report gives the financial aid deadline as March 1). Neither the JD admissions page, the Additional Application Information page, nor any other JD admissions page mentions an application fee, a fee amount, or a fee waiver at all — that silence is recorded as silence, and the $0 figure is taken from the certified 509 rather than inferred from the website's omission. Because no fee is charged, the question of waivers does not arise on USD's pages.

Verified 2026-08-18 · source page