Syracuse University College of Law

The apply page lists the required written materials and gives the personal statement exactly one specification: 'Personal Statement (2 page maximum)'. NO PROMPT, topic, or formatting rule (font, spacing, margins) is published for it anywhere in the J.D. admissions section — apply, J.D. Admissions, FAQs, Early Decision FAQs, class profile, part-time, international students, Fast Facts — recorded here as the site's silence, not as an absence of guidance. The closest thing to guidance is the 'Decision Process' section of the J.D. Admissions page (law.syracuse.edu/admissions/j-d-admissions/), which describes what the committee weighs: 'The committee also considers subjective factors, such as undergraduate institution attended, graduate study in another discipline, work experience, leadership ability, and community service. The committee determines an applicant's level of motivation by reviewing personal experiences indicating determination, patience, and perseverance. Past successes in addressing personal challenges, such as poverty or disability, are viewed as important indicators of motivation.' Applicants would need to read the prompt inside the LSAC application or contact lawadmissions@syr.edu.

Verified 2026-08-31 · source page

JDINTERACTIVE APPLICANTS ONLY. The apply page's list of written materials ends with 'Why JDi Statement (if applying to JDinteractive program)' — required for applicants to the online/hybrid JDinteractive program, not applicable to on-campus J.D. applicants, which is why it is recorded as not required at the school level. That one line is the whole of what the site publishes: no prompt text, no page or word limit, and no formatting rule appears on the apply page, on the JDinteractive microsite (jdinteractive.syr.edu, including its Apply Now and FAQs pages), or anywhere else in the admissions section. Recorded as the site's silence.

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The apply page lists 'Optional Addenda (see application for details)' among the written materials and publishes no further detail — no topics, no examples, no length limit; the details live inside the LSAC application. Recorded as the site's silence. ONE ADDENDUM IS MANDATORY FOR GRE APPLICANTS, on the same page: 'Applicants must also submit with their application an addendum explaining their choice to take the GRE over the LSAT.' Separately, the page carries a character-and-fitness note rather than an addendum: 'Admissions decisions will not be affected by participation in or disciplinary action associated with peaceful, meaningful protest. We still ask applicants to disclose any action to comply with rules set forth by most state's board of bar examiners.'

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Apply page: 'Obtain 2-4 letters of recommendation and submit through the CAS. Statements from persons familiar with your qualifications for the study of law, especially professors under whom you have studied or employers if out of law school for more than 2 years, often prove helpful.' The admissions FAQ (law.syracuse.edu/admissions/frequently-asked-questions/) fixes the required floor at two: 'Syracuse requires two letters of recommendation. These should be primarily from professors if the student is still in school, or from employers if the student graduated some time ago. We require applicants to have their recommendation letters sent through the CAS (Credential Assembly Service).' The Waitlist FAQs add that for waitlisted applicants 'additional letters of recommendation or relatively minor updates to your academic or employment history are unlikely to impact our decision.'

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Apply page: 'Obtain 2-4 letters of recommendation and submit through the CAS. Statements from persons familiar with your qualifications for the study of law, especially professors under whom you have studied or employers if out of law school for more than 2 years, often prove helpful.' The admissions FAQ (law.syracuse.edu/admissions/frequently-asked-questions/) fixes the required floor at two: 'Syracuse requires two letters of recommendation. These should be primarily from professors if the student is still in school, or from employers if the student graduated some time ago. We require applicants to have their recommendation letters sent through the CAS (Credential Assembly Service).' The Waitlist FAQs add that for waitlisted applicants 'additional letters of recommendation or relatively minor updates to your academic or employment history are unlikely to impact our decision.'

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Listed among the required written materials as simply 'Resume'. No page limit, formatting rule, or content guidance is published anywhere in the J.D. admissions section — recorded as the site's silence.

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'Register with the Law School Admission Council's Credential Assembly Service (CAS)' and 'Obtain transcripts of all previous college or university study and submit through CAS.' Degree requirement, per the J.D. Admissions page (law.syracuse.edu/admissions/j-d-admissions/): applicants 'must have been awarded a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution, completed three-fourths of the credits leading to a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution, or apply through an approved 3+3 agreement after successfully completing three years of undergraduate study.' English proficiency, per the apply page: applicants whose native language is not English must show proof, with a recommended 'TOEFL score in the range of 4.5+ on the TOEFL iBT exam, or 90+ (exam taken prior to January 21, 2026), or an IELTS score in the range of 7.0' (both figures are quoted as published — the 4.5+ and 90+ reflect the old and new TOEFL scales); TOEFL School Code 2823; the exam 'can be waived for applicants who completed a four-year undergraduate degree or a two-year master's degree at an institution whose primary language of instruction is English.' The international students page (law.syracuse.edu/admissions/j-d-admissions/international-students/) adds that foreign transcripts must go through LSAC's J.D. Credential Assembly Service for an AACRAO Foreign Credential Evaluation — except work done through a study abroad, consortium, or exchange program sponsored by a US or Canadian institution and clearly indicated as such — and that TOEFL/IELTS scores must be no more than two years old; it states the waiver slightly differently, for those who completed 'a four-year undergraduate program or a minimum of two years of graduate work in a U.S. college or university.'

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LSAT or GRE; JD-Next is not a substitute. Apply page: 'JD-Next scores are accepted only as a complement to your LSAT or GRE score, not in lieu of these scores.' LSAT: 'You must have taken or be expecting to take the LSAT by June of the year you wish to enroll. The College of Law recommends that you take the LSAT no later than February of the year you wish to enroll. Scores from tests taken in March and later will be considered, but may delay the admission decision. The final test scores we can consider will be from the June administration. LSAT scores cannot be more than five (5) years old from the date of application.' A declared 'Future Test Date' places the application on HOLD until the score arrives, though an applicant with at least one score on file may ask to be evaluated before a future test. 'You must have at least one (1) LSAC writing sample on file for your application to be considered complete,' and the J.D. Admissions page notes the committee reads it: 'The LSAT Writing Sample is reviewed to assess the applicant's skill level, writing ability, and preparedness to start learning to "write like a lawyer."' Multiple scores, per the admissions FAQ: 'we will use the highest LSAT score to calculate student's index score when it is taken multiple times. We will, however, see all attempts at the LSAT and consider each score when reviewing the application.' GRE: must be taken 'by May 15th of the year you wish to enroll,' scores no more than five years old, 'must include all test scores in the last five years,' Syracuse University school code 4913, applicants must email lawadmissions@syr.edu on submitting, and 'Applications without full GRE score reports and a GRE essay are unable to be considered for admission.' GRE applicants must also file an addendum explaining the choice of the GRE over the LSAT (recorded separately under addendum).

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$75.00 USD, per the admissions FAQ; the same $75 figure appears in the school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 report. Waivers are granted on request: 'Yes. To request a fee waiver, a student should email lawadmissions@syr.edu and provide the reason for needing the application fee waived and provide full name and LSAC account number. If granted, the Office of Admissions will individually assign a fee waiver for students through the electronic LSAC database so that the application fee will be automatically waived when s/he applies.' The apply page itself publishes no fee amount.

Verified 2026-08-18 · source page