We are accepting J.D. Applications until July 1, 2023
for the Fall 2023 entering 1L Class.
Thank you for your interest in CSU College of Law.
While admission to CSU College of Law is competitive, it need not be intimidating. The admission committee reviews all applications with care and sensitivity, taking into consideration academic performance, LSAT scores, work and life experience, and readiness for the rigors of legal education. At CSU|LAW, we are committed to enrolling academically talented and diverse students. In doing so, we recognize and embrace that academic talent and diversity can be identified in many interesting and exciting ways.
The College of Law promotes equal educational opportunity for persons of every race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, age, handicap or disability, sexual orientation, and veteran status.
Applicants demonstrating academic excellence and writing proficiency - but whose LSAT scores are at or below CSU|LAW’s published 25th percentile score - may be admitted through the Legal Career Opportunities Program (LCOP). Students admitted to Cleveland State University College of Law through the LCOP program are required to attend a summer program beginning in August.
Applicants are encouraged to apply early in the admission cycle, preferably by January 1. Completed applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis beginning in December.
J.D. APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
All applicants (full-time and part-time) are required to complete the following:
1. Successfully complete a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university prior to the start of law school classes. You may apply before you have completed your bachelor's degree, provided that your bachelor's degree is conferred before you enroll in the law school.
2. Complete, certify, and submit an electronic application for admission. Applications will be accepted through July 1.
3. Provide a minimum of two (and a maximum of three) Letters of Recommendation. Letters must be submitted through the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service. It is strongly recommended that if you are currently or were recently enrolled at a college or university, that at least one of your Letters of Recommendation be from a faculty member. For guidance on Letters of Recommendation, you may wish to view this video.
4. Provide an original Personal Statement that is your own work and represents your best writing. There is no specific topic that should be addressed; this is an opportunity for you to share with the Admissions Committee the information about you that you believe will assist the Committee in its decision. The Statement could include, among other things, what influences in your life have led you to seek admission to law school and to CSU College of Law specifically. If you have overcome unusual or challenging life circumstances including hardship, disadvantage, discrimination, or disability or have special circumstances that you would like the admission committee to consider, you are encouraged to describe those circumstances in either in your Personal Statement or as an attached Supplemental Addendum to your application. For guidance on Personal Statements, you may wish to view this video.
5. A current resume is required. You must attach a resume to your electronic application.
6. Character and Fitness. You are required to disclose and submit a statement of all relevant facts pertaining to any and all probations, suspensions, warnings, sanctions, and dismissals by any college or university for academic or non-academic reasons; criminal charges pending against you; convictions or granted deferred adjudications or diversions for any offense, felony or misdemeanor, including traffic offenses.
To be permitted to practice law, all applicants to the Bar must pass a character and fitness screening by Bar examining authorities in addition to passing the Bar exam itself. The screening is thorough and is designed to determine whether the applicant's past conduct justifies the trust of clients, courts, other lawyers, and the public. As part of this screening, you will be required to answer a Character and Fitness Questionnaire that asks about past incidents involving the law and other authorities. Any discrepancy between your law school application and the Character and Fitness Questionnaire or any independent examination of your record may result in an extensive investigation and potentially serious consequences both at the law school and at the Bar application stage. Therefore, you are urged to exercise the utmost candor and thoroughness in answering these questions.
If you are unsure whether to answer "Yes" to any question, we strongly recommend answering "Yes" and fully disclosing all incidents.
Failure to provide truthful and complete answers may result in revocation of an offer of admission, disciplinary action and/or dismissal by the law school, a charge under the CSU College of Law Honor Code, and/or denial of permission to practice law by the state in which you seek admission.
All matters must be reported, even if they were expunged or the records sealed under the laws of any state.
7. Take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) no later than April of the year you intend to enroll in law school. When more than one score is reported, CSU College of Law will consider the highest score.
CSU College of Law will also accept applications from applicants who have taken the GRE. For more guidance on submitting an application with a GRE score in lieu of an LSAT score, read this information.
8. Register for the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS). This service will be the clearinghouse for your LSAT score(s), academic transcripts, and Letters of Recommendation. CSU College of Law will request your law school report from the Law School Admission Council once your application is received.
PLEASE NOTE: You may submit your application before or after you take the LSAT. Your application file will not become Complete until we have received both the CAS Report - which contains your LSAT score(s), your letters of recommendation, and your transcripts - and your application. If you submit your application, it will be held until the CAS Report is complete. If you take the LSAT before you submit your application, your CAS Report will be sent to the law school only after your application has been submitted.
If English is not your native language and you have not received a degree from either a university in the United States or a university where English is the official language of the country and the language of instruction, then results from either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) are required. You can receive information about the TOEFL from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) website at www.ets.org and you can receive information about the IELTS from the website at www.ielts.org. Either a TOEFL score of greater than 100 on the internet-based test or an IELTS score of greater than 7 is normally required for admission.
Completed applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
New students will be admitted to begin their legal studies in the Fall semester only.
Completed applications should be submitted electronically. Supporting documents must be submitted as electronic attachments to the application.
Questions? Please contact our Office of Admission.
Phone: 216.687.2304 or 866.687.2304 (toll free)