Cleveland State University College of Law invites students from any law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) to apply as transfer students. Transfer students must be in good standing at their respective law school. Transfer students are not required to complete a minimum number of credit hours prior to application, but completion of one full academic year, including legal writing, is recommended. The primary factor in the admission decision is prior law school performance as determined by grades and class rank; however, undergraduate grades and LSAT scores will also be considered.

Transfer students may apply for admission into the full-time or part-time (day or evening) program.

To earn a JD degree from CSU College of Law, a transfer student must complete at least 60 credit hours at CSU College of Law.

Transfer applicants must submit:

•  A completed application, you may apply online or via the Law School Admission Council at www.lsac.org. There is no application fee for applications submitted electronically
• Personal statement
• An original Credential Assembly Service report (LSDAS report)
• An official transcript of completed law school work
• A letter of good standing from their law school dean
• An official class rank after all law school work is completed

Letters of recommendation may also be submitted but are optional.

TRANSFER APPLICATION DEADLINES

Transfer applications are accepted on a rolling basis for the fall, spring or summer semester. 

TRANSFER OF CREDITS

CSU College of Law will do a full evaluation of your transcript in order to determine how many credit hours will be granted toward the CSU College of Law JD degree. Transfer credit is given for the successful completion of courses equivalent to those offered by CSU College of Law.

The number of transferred credit hours granted toward your JD degree at CSU College of Law depends upon the value of the course at the law school from which you are transferring. For core courses, if the credit hours requested are different between your law school and CSU College of Law, the lower number of credit hours is granted. Below is a sample chart for core classes:

For elective courses, you are generally granted the credit hours your law school provides. Whether core or elective, only those courses with final grades of 2.0 or higher are eligible for transfer.