Juris Doctor Admissions Requirements

Non-Discrimination Policy

The University does not permit discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, ancestry, national origin, religious creed, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, color, physical or mental disability, marital status, military or veteran status, or medical condition, under any program or activity under its control. In a continuing effort to enrich its academic environment and provide equal educational and employment opportunities, the University actively encourages applications from members of all groups that are under-represented in higher education.

Admissions

Applicants are encouraged to apply before the deadlines to take advantage of a rolling admissions policy. As part of the commitment to make law school a feasible reality, admissions decisions for qualified students are made on an ongoing basis to give students as much time as possible before starting the program. All applications must be on file by the deadline in order to ensure a timely admissions decision. This includes the completed application form, personal statement, official transcripts, and any other supporting documentation. Law School Admission Test (LSAT) scores are requested by the JFK School of Law at National University from the Law School Admission Council.

Transcripts and other documents may also be accepted through the Credential Assembly Service (CAS).

Application Information

Applications to the JFK School of Law at National University’s Juris Doctor degree program (JD program) are reviewed by the Admissions Committee. The selection of applicants for admission to the JD program is based upon a combination of factors including, but not limited to, academic record, LSAT score, maturity, work experience, professional promise, personal statement, writing ability, special interests, and non-academic accomplishments. Admission decisions are made independent of the need for financial aid. All applicants must acknowledge that they have read and will abide by the policies outlined in the University’s Enrollment Agreement and the included JFK School of Law at National University’s Professionalism & Conduct Agreement.

Applicants for Admission

To be eligible for admission to the JD program, all applicants (regardless of the category of admission they fall under with the exception of “Special Status”) must have a completed application including official transcripts and personal statement and (1) a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university; or (2) an associate of arts or science degree from an accredited university; or (3) a minimum of 60 undergraduate college-level credits completed with a “C” or better.

All letters of acceptance to the JD program by the Admissions Committee are conditional upon 1) review of official transcripts by the Office of the Registrar and 2) acceptance of sufficient undergraduate credits to satisfy this requirement.

Applicants for Standard Admission

To be considered for standard admission to the Juris Doctor program, applicants must have (1) a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university; or (2) an associate of arts or science degree from an accredited university; or (3) a minimum of 60 undergraduate college-level credits completed with a “C” or better, and a completed application including official transcripts and a personal statement.

It is not required, but it is recommended that potential students also submit a Resume and/or Letters of Recommendation and an official LSAT score.

All letters of acceptance to the JD program by the Admissions Committee are conditional upon 1) review of official transcripts by the Registrar’s office and 2) acceptance of sufficient undergraduate credits to satisfy this requirement.

Applicants for Admission with Special Status

Applicants who do not meet the above education criteria for admission with regular status may be considered for admission with special status. A special status student is one who, through life, work, and experience, has demonstrated a level of accomplishment and maturity required to succeed in law school. For special status students, it is required that applicants have an official LSAT score.

In addition to a completed application, including official transcripts, personal statement, and an official LSAT score, special status applicants must also (1) submit at least two letters of recommendation attesting to their apparent ability to study law and (2) achieve an LSAT score at or above the 50th percentile. After completion of the first year of law study, special status students must take and pass the First-Year Law Students’ Examination administered by The Committee of Bar Examiners.

Applicants for Admission with Advanced Standing

Applicants who have previously attended law school may apply for admission with advanced standing. Such applicants must fulfill the same application requirements as beginning students, stated above, and demonstrate that they are in good standing at the law school last attended through submission of an official letter from the school’s dean or registrar and an official transcript. Applicants with prior law school experience at an unaccredited school will be considered for admission with advanced standing only if they have passed the First-Year Law Students’ Examination.

The Academic Standards Committee will determine the amount of allowable transfer credit in accordance with the Rules and Guidelines set forth by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State of California Only academic courses completed within the previous 36 months prior to enrollment and in which a good-standing level grade was attained will be considered for transfer credit.

Applicants Previously Dismissed from Law School

An applicant who is not in good standing at their prior law school for any reason must demonstrate that they possess the requisite ability to succeed at the study of law and that the prior academic disqualification was caused by extraordinary circumstances not likely to reoccur. The applicant must present credible evidence that the disqualification was not caused by the applicant’s lack of capability to satisfactorily study law but resulted from a traumatic event or serious hardship that prohibited the applicant from performing at their normal level. If more than two years have elapsed since disqualification, an enhanced potential to succeed in the study of law must be demonstrated.

Transfer credit will only be considered if the student was advanced to the second year in good standing at the prior law school, subject to the same restrictions stated in the above section for applicants with advanced standing. 

Any applicant who was previously disqualified from another law school must submit an official transcript and a letter of standing from their previous law school with their application to be considered.

Applicants for Non-Degree

Students currently in good standing at other accredited law schools may apply as non-degree students.

Applicants for admission as non-degree students must submit the application and a letter or e-mail to the dean indicating the course(s) the applicant wishes to take and the applicant’s qualifications for understanding the coursework and contributing to classroom discussion. Non-degree applicants may be required to submit additional documents to establish eligibility for admission. Non-degree applicants who are attending law school elsewhere must also submit a letter from the dean or registrar of their current law school verifying enrollment and good academic standing, stating which course(s) the applicant has the approval to take, and confirming that the current school will award credit if the student passes the course(s). Admission on such basis is at the discretion of the dean.

Documents may be required to establish eligibility to enroll.

International Applicants

The JFK School of Law at National University admits international students who meet the requirements set by the University, The Committee of Bar Examiners of The State Bar of California, and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

The JFK School of Law at National University requires the following documents before such an admission decision will be made: enrollment application, Certification of Finances, official TOEFL report with a score of 80+, an in-depth autobiography, and official transcripts sent directly from all institutions previously attended. Certified translated copies of transcripts are required if the original transcripts are not in English. The Committee of Bar Examiners of The State Bar of California requirements note that if an applicant’s undergraduate transcripts are unattainable or evaluation shows, they are NOT equivalent to a U.S. Bachelor’s degree, and the applicant student can submit a transcript from a US master’s degree, or doctorate degree, which shows completion of least 60 semester credits (or 90 quarter credits) or higher, an Undergrad Evaluation is not required.

In addition, the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California requires an evaluation of prior academic work by an approved credential evaluation service.

The USCIS requires that international students seeking F-1 non-immigrant status must show proof of adequate funds to meet the expenses of studying and living in the United States.

The Certification of Finances form is available from the Office of International Education.

The applicant may be requested to schedule an interview with a faculty member once all required documentation has been submitted.

Incomplete Application Files

Incomplete application files are held for one year from the term of application. Applicants who did not complete the application process within one year of the term of the original application must reapply.

Address for Submission of Transcripts

Transcript Requests from Other Institutions

Official transcripts should be sent by the issuing institution directly to: 
Office of the Registrar
National University
9388 Lightwave Avenue
San Diego, CA 92123

The Office of the Registrar will not accept transcripts “issued to student” as official documents unless they are in a sealed envelope from the issuing institution. Electronic transcripts sent directly from the issuing institution to records@nu.edu will be considered official. The Office of the Registrar will not accept electronic transcript links that are forwarded from the student. Electronic transcripts not received from the issuing institution will not be considered official.

Upon request, the University will process the initial request for all domestic transcripts (excluding test scores), for institutions that accept electronic Third Party Orders, including payment of associated transcript fees, on the student’s behalf. If a transcript has not arrived within two weeks, it becomes the student’s responsibility to ensure that the University receives the document(s). Students must provide documents that are outstanding to ensure receipt within the required time frame.

The University will not process requests for foreign transcripts/documents. Students who have attended institutions in foreign countries or who have a high school proficiency must acquire official transcripts/documents.

Transcripts from other institutions presented for admission or evaluation become a part of the student’s academic file and may not be returned to the student or copied for distribution.

Technical Requirements

The minimum technology requirements for the JD program are outlined below. If a student has additional personal needs, the student may wish to upgrade from the listed minimum requirements. In addition, students must also be able to navigate the internet. Students are responsible to check NCUOne and their University-issued student email accounts on a regular basis, including electronic communications sent via email and/or the NCUOne LMS messaging system, and to advise the University of any related problems.

Requirements to run Examsoft Software: 

Please refer to the Examsoft requirements at: https://examsoft.com/resources/examplify-minimum-system-requirements/.

Recommended hardware requirements:

• Intel P4 (minimum of 2 Ghz) or faster processor
• Minimum 2GB or greater is recommended
• Minimum 40 GB of free hard disk space, 50 GB or greater is recommended
• Minimum of 56 Kbps or faster modem, Broadband (high-speed at 144 Kbps or faster), DSL, Cable or better is recommended
• Color monitor, keyboard, mouse and access to a printer
• Web Camera, headset, and speakers (for required synchronous activities in LMS and proctored exams)

Recommended software applications for PC systems:

• Minimum of Microsoft Windows 10 is recommended
• Minimum of Microsoft Office 2010 or above is recommended
• IE 8, Firefox 3.6 or Safari 4.0
• Adobe Reader 10 or latest version and Adobe Flash Player 30
• High-quality antivirus software

Recommended software applications for MAC systems:

• MAC OS X is recommended 
• Microsoft Office 2011 for MAC or above
• Firefox 3.6 or Safari 4.0
• Adobe Reader 10 or latest version and Adobe Flash Player 30
• High-quality antivirus software

Transfer Credit

The Dean’s Office makes determinations about what credits will be accepted for transfer from other institutions, or will be applied from previous work at JFK. Such determinations are discretionary, and the Dean’s Office is not required to accept credits for transfer. Determinations are made pursuant to the Rules and Guidelines of the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California. 

Students may be eligible to transfer a maximum of 54 credits completed at an ABA-accredited or California State Bar-accredited law school, and for courses in which the student received a grade in good standing at the awarding law school of C or better or the equivalent, except that for a student who has passed the First Year Law Student’s Examination, credit may be given for Torts, Criminal Law and Contracts, even if the grade would be less than required for good standing.

No credit may be awarded for work completed at a registered, unaccredited law school unless that student has passed the First Year Law Students’ Examination, and no credit shall be awarded beyond the first year of study for that student and prior to passing the examination unless they passed the exam within three administrations of becoming eligible to take it.

Transfer credit will not be awarded for any courses taken more than 36 months prior to enrollment unless good cause is shown and documented; the student acknowledges their responsibility to keep their knowledge current to pursue licensure; and it is still possible for the student to complete their legal education within the 84 months required by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State of California. 

Students who are transferring to the JFK School of Law at National University may only receive credit for whole courses, in an amount not to exceed the credit granted by the awarding law school. Additionally credit may not be for numerically graded, required courses if the credits from the administering institution are not equivalent to the number of credits required for completion of the JD degree program. Further, if the student takes a required course for credit greater than that required by the JFK School of Law at National University, the student will receive transfer credit only for the number of units required by the JFK School of Law at National University (e.g., Trial Advocacy is a three-unit course at the JFK School of Law at National University; thus, a student may receive only three units of transfer credit, even if the Trial Advocacy course taken at the other institution is worth more than three units). Students may not apply the excess unit(s) to any other coursework, required or elective.

Grades earned in coursework taken at another institution will not be calculated in the student’s JFK School of Law at National University cumulative grade point average.

When applying for the California Bar Examination, students should be aware that The Committee of Bar Examiners of The State Bar of California may require them to send official transcripts from all law schools attended. Therefore, official transcripts sent directly from any other law school might be necessary even though NU accepted the units for transfer.

Transferability of Credits and Credentials Earned at Our Institution

The transferability of credits you earn at National University is at the complete discretion of an institution to which you may seek to transfer. Acceptance of the credits or degree you earn in your program is also at the complete discretion of the institution to which you may seek to transfer. If the credits, degree or certificate that you earn at this institution is not accepted at the institution to which you seek to transfer, you may be required to repeat some or all of your coursework at that institution. For this reason, you should make certain that your attendance at this institution will meet your educational goals. This may include contacting an institution to which you may seek to transfer after attending National University to determine if your credits, degree or certificate will transfer. 

Student’s Right to Cancel

Students have the right to cancel the Enrollment Agreement and obtain a full refund of charges through attendance in Week 2 (day 14 of the first semester). Applicants who wish to cancel an enrollment agreement must contact their Academic and Finance Counselor before attending Week 3 (day 15 or beyond) of your first semester. Cancellation or Withdrawal will be effective on the date that the notice is received.

The University reserves the right to cancel or terminate the agreement if the applicant does not attend their first semester, does not meet basic academic requirements during provisional admissions periods, violates the Student Code of Conduct and/or JFK School of Law at National University’s Professionalism & Conduct Agreement, fails to make satisfactory academic progress, fails to make payment in accordance with the terms of the student finance agreement, and/or fails to meet attendance requirements as outlined in this Catalog.

If students obtain loan(s) to pay for their educational program, they have the responsibility to repay the full amount of the loan plus interest, less the amount of any refund that is owed under the refund policy.

Cancellation of Admission

Admission is canceled if the admitted applicant does not start courses within one year of acceptance to the university. Applicants must re-apply after one year.

Readmission