FAQs
Applying to the School of Law
To promote access to legal education at UC Irvine Law, we do not charge an application fee. Therefore, a fee waiver is not necessary. We are unable to grant CAS Report fee waivers; however, they are available through the Law School Admissions Council's Law School Admissions Council’s fee waiver program.
Application volume can vary from year to year. Please see the current class profile for the most recent application volume information.
Admission rates change each year depending on the applicant pool. In a typical year, UC Irvine Law will make offers of admission to approximately 1 out of every 8 applicants was admitted. Please refer to our current class profile for the exact admission rate.
Applicants must have earned a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher education before the start of the law school semester and must submit a valid LSAT or GRE score. For detailed information about application requirements and all components of the admissions process, please review the Application Instructions page.
Application requirements for international applicants are the same as applicants applying in the United States. International students must complete their bachelor’s degree, submit their transcripts to the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC), and have a valid standardized test score (LSAT or GRE) to apply. We do not require a TOEFL score or any other language proficiency test.
We do not offer a part-time, accelerated, or online program. Our J.D. program is a full-time, in-person, three-year day program.
Yes. Please see the relevant page regarding applying as a Transfer Student or Visiting Student for more information about those processes and timelines.
The secure application form and instructions will be available through the LSAC Electronic Application System beginning on September 1. Please review the Application Instructions for deadlines. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so we recommend applying earlier rather than later.
Students are admitted only for fall entry to the law school. There is no mid-year admission to the 1L program.
Early Decision Round 1 applicants are reviewed first and will receive a decision by late December 2026. Early Decision Round 2 applicants will receive a decision in mid-March 2027. Regular decision applications should not expect a decision until after January 1 regardless of when the application is submitted or marked as Complete.
To a certain extent, yes. The Admissions Committee reviews applications on a rolling basis, making admission decisions once applications arrive and are considered complete and "Ready to Review". While each application is reviewed on its merits regardless of when it is submitted, the reality is that the class begins to take shape and fill up as the application deadlines approach for Early Decision and Regular Decision. Therefore, applicants are encouraged to submit the best version of their application as early as possible.
UC Irvine Law offers a Binding Early Decision (ED) program with two application rounds. ED Round 1 applications are due November 15 and ED Round 2 applications are due February 1. All required materials, including the CAS Report and Early Decision Certification, must be received by the applicable deadline. Please see the Application Instructions for more information.
While the committee recognizes the excellent education that students receive at UC Irvine and other UC campuses, there is no preferential treatment offered to graduates of UC Irvine or other UC campuses in the application review process.
The committee has no preference between applicants applying after taking time off or for those who apply right out of college. We believe that the best time to start law school is whenever you are ready to start law school. Some people are ready to start as soon as they graduate college. Others may wish or need to take a gap year (or more). Some applicants may be ready to start law school after several years (sometimes decades) in the workplace. The most important factor is that you apply when you are ready to start law school.
We strive to admit a diverse group of people to join the vibrant exchange of ideas and viewpoints in our classrooms. Our admission policy gives equal consideration to a variety of factors in addition to numerical indicators. These include graduate work, special academic distinctions, life experiences, difficulty of the academic program, work experience, history of overcoming educational or socioeconomic disadvantage, and significant achievement in non-academic activities or public service. Applicants can highlight their life experiences throughout the application, including an optional Inclusive Excellence Essay.
There is no specific major required for admission into law school. UC Irvine Law consistently admits applicants from all majors, including the social sciences, arts, humanities, and STEM. Students should take courses and pursue undergraduate degrees that interest them and excel in their academic pursuits. Regardless of major, we recommend anyone interested in applying to UC Irvine Law to develop core skills in oral & written communication, analytical reasoning, program solving, and reading complex materials critically.
Post-baccalaureate transcripts consist of all courses taken after your bachelor’s degree is granted. While this coursework is often from graduate or professional schools, this may include undergraduate courses taken after the date the bachelor’s degree is granted.
While post-baccalaureate courses are not included in the undergraduate GPA, the Admissions Committee values the experiences and skills a graduate or professional education provides an applicant and values that viewpoint in our classroom. These transcripts are evaluated as a part of the overall educational history of the applicant and can be used to give additional context to the applicant’s academic journey. However, holding a graduate degree does not necessarily offer an applicant a competitive advantage.
While Letters of Recommendation from faculty typically highlight your academic abilities, professional letters from supervisors and colleagues familiar with your aptitude and ability to overcome challenges are also acceptable. We discourage letters from purely personal sources.
LSAT and GRE
Please see the current class profile for the most recent LSAT and GPA quartiles.
For information on LSAC’s fee waiver, please visit the LSAC website. For the GRE fee reduction program, please visit the ETS website.
UC Irvine Law is unable to offer fee waivers for CAS, LSAT, and/or GRE.
UC Irvine Law will only accept official score reports for one standardized test, either the LSAT or the GRE. However, we do not accept both. If you have a valid LSAT score on file, we will not accept the GRE.
Applicants are encouraged to select one exam or the other for their application. The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) automatically reports all LSAT scores from the past five years as part of the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) report sent with your application for admission. If an LSAT score appears on your application, the LSAT score will govern consideration of your application as it is what the law school reports to accrediting and assessment agencies.
Applicants applying only with the GRE must submit all GRE scores, including the writing section, from the past five years through ETS and cannot withhold any scores or writing sections.
UC Irvine Law will only accept official score reports for one standardized test. Therefore, applicants who have taken both the LSAT and GRE should not submit an official GRE Score Report from ETS.
Applicants submitting a GRE score in lieu of a LSAT score are evaluated in the same manner as those applying with a LSAT score. If an applicant has an LSAT score, the LSAT score will govern consideration of the application. UC Irvine Law will only accept an official score report for one standardized test. Therefore, if you have taken the LSAT, we will not accept a GRE Score Report.
The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) automatically reports all LSAT test scores from the past five years in the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) report it provides to the law school. To maintain parity in the requirements between LSAT and GRE applicants, applicants must also submit all valid GRE test results from the last five years via ETS. Applicants may not choose which results they will share. Failure to comply with this policy may result in a withdrawal of an offer of admission or other disciplinary action.
The Admissions Committee will use the highest score for a final decision, and this will be the recorded score for all reports and publications. However, the Committee will have access to all scores and will consider them in their evaluation (applicants submitting GRE scores must have all their scores from the last five years sent to the law school by ETS). For the GRE, the Committee will look at each exam individually in determining the highest score and will not super score the GRE. Applicants are encouraged to address any discrepancies in scores or extenuating circumstances in an addendum.
The Admissions Committee reserves the right to re-review any application that was granted admission with a GRE score and subsequently presents a LSAT score at any time during the application cycle. This reevaluation may result in a withdrawal of admission regardless of any SIR deposits that have been submitted or other actions taken by the applicant to secure their attendance at UC Irvine Law.
The last LSAT administration eligible to make your file complete is April 2027. The GRE must be taken by April 20, 2027. Applicants must still submit the application by the close of the application period regardless of the date of the standardized test or when the score will be reported. Applications that become complete with later exams may be excluded from consideration.
We will accept any past LSAT score on record with LSAC. Generally, LSAC keeps LSAT scores for five years. For a detailed time, please refer to LSAC's website on LSAT Scoring. We will also accept any past GRE score on record with ETS. Similarly, ETS keeps GRE scores for five years.
Yes. All applicants, regardless of whether they are taking the LSAT or the GRE, must register for the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) and submit their transcripts and Letters of Recommendation through the CAS.
Law school applicants should take the general GRE test.
Yes, applicants can submit their applications early if they have a pending standardized test score. Keep in mind that if you have a valid LSAT score on file and your application is otherwise complete, your file can be sent forward to the Admission Committee for review. If you wish to postpone review of your application due to a pending future standardized test score (LSAT or GRE), you must submit a written request to admissions@law.uci.edu within one week of submitting your application.
If you retake the GRE, you must inform UCI Law (UC Irvine Law) by emailing admissions@law.uci.edu so we know to download a revised score report from ETS. Additional LSAT Scores will automatically be downloaded from LSAC upon release.
Once your file is in review, we cannot honor a request to hold for future standardized tests. Your Online Status Checker will have the most up-to-date information.
The GRE must be taken no later than April 20, 2027 to be considered for Fall 2027 admission. Applicants must still submit the application by the close of the application period. Applications that become complete with exams after April 20, 2027 may be excluded from consideration. UC Irvine Law will consider subsequent GRE scores taken after April 20 so long as a decision has yet to be rendered on the application. If you retake the GRE, you must inform UC Irvine Law by emailing admissions@law.uci.edu so we know to download a revised score report from ETS.
UC Irvine Law does not carry documents over from prior cycles. You must obtain a new GRE Score Report and CAS Report.
After You Apply
Early Decision Round 1 applicants will receive a decision in late December 2026. Early Decision Round 2 applicants will receive a decision in mid-March 2027. Regular decision applicants who have a complete file by the priority deadline of March 31, 2026 will receive a decision no later than May 15, 2027.
Applicants can expect to receive a response via email. Please make sure to adjust your spam filters to ensure you receive messages from UC Irvine Law. Decisions will also be available on the Online Status Checker. You are responsible for all information and deadlines conveyed via email and for having an accurate email address on file.
Applicants are encouraged to use LSAC's Online Status Checker to review the current application status information.
One-year deferrals are granted on a case-by-case basis to applicants applying via the Regular decision track (Early Decision applicants cannot defer). Historically, the Admissions Committee has granted a deferral to an admitted student for compelling reasons, such as unforeseen hardships or extraordinary opportunities. The admitted student must (1) pay their initial seat deposit(s) that hold their seat in the entering class to which they have been admitted and (2) submit a written request stating the reasons a deferral is necessary. Please note that any merit scholarship awarded will not automatically carry over.
If the Admissions Committee grants the deferral, the admitted student is required to submit an updated CAS report before being reevaluated for scholarship funds consistent with the incoming class that cycle. Deferred students may then be required to submit an additional seat deposit on the dates outlined in their scholarship notification letter. All deposits are non-refundable and applied towards the first tuition bill. If the deferred student withdraws, all deposits paid are forfeited.
The Admissions Committee reserves the right to set a deadline for the receipt of deferral requests. Therefore it is important to read all emails from the admissions office. Historically, the Admissions Committee will not review deferral requests after mid-July.
The landscape of law school applications changes from year to year, making it hard to predict how the application review process will play out. However, in the last several years we have utilized a waitlist. Admission offers from the waitlist vary from year to year based on enrollment needs. More information about the waitlist process will be communicated to those placed on the waitlist.
The review process begins new every year and re-applicants are reviewed without prejudice.
Unfortunately, admissions staff are unable to provide individualized guidance on reapplying to UC Irvine Law. We can discuss generally the approach to reapplying once the new admissions cycle begins.
The Admissions Committee accepts appeals of an original deny decision (not a waitlist release). Please contact admissions@law.uci.edu for information about the process, deadlines, and requirements.
Tuition, Aid, and Housing
The most current breakdown of J.D. Cost of Attendance for both California residents and non-California residents, including tuition, fees, and estimated living expenses, is located under Tuition & Aid on our Admissions pages.
A variety of information about financial aid resources, including merit-based scholarships, targeted fellowships, federal and private loans, need-based grants, and educational benefits for Veterans are available in our Types of Aid section.
Incoming 1L JD students who submit their SIR Deposit and apply for housing by the housing application deadline are guaranteed on-campus housing at UC Irvine. Most students live in either the Palo Verde or Verano housing complexes, which are unfurnished and close to the law school. Privately-managed apartment complexes are also available on-campus and offer additional amenities in the unit.
Students admitted after the housing deadline may have a different process to obtain graduate housing. That process will be provided at the necessary time.
Experience UC Irvine Law
UC Irvine Law is in coastal Southern California, about 40 miles south of Los Angeles and 80 miles north of San Diego. You can find the best route to get here on our Maps &Directions page. We are also conveniently located just 2 miles from John Wayne Airport, a full-service international airport serving Orange County.
The Admissions and Student Financial Services offices are located on the 4th Floor (Room 410) of the Multi-Purpose Academic & Administrative Building (MPAA). Please refer to the Experience UC Irvine Law page of our website for information about opportunities to connect, both virtually and in-person.
Miscellaneous
The innovative collaborations are listed at the Pathway to UC Irvine Law website, where you can learn more about the available programs. If you have any questions, you can contact Ben Kwak, Associate Director of Admissions and Pipeline Initiatives, at bkwak@law.uci.edu.
Yes, the School of Law offers students the opportunity to pursue concurrent graduate degrees, for example, an MBA through the Paul Merage School of Business along with a JD at UCI Law (UC Irvine Law). Applicants interested in pursuing a concurrent degree need to apply to both programs separately. An application should only be made to the law school for the term you plan to start law school studies. Once accepted to both programs, you will work with staff to create an individualized plan of study.
UC Irvine and UC Irvine Law aim to provide the support and resources necessary to ensure all our students thrive and are successful in their law school career and beyond. There are many offices and programs ready to assist undocumented UC Irvine Law students.
Undocumented students have access to the UCI Dream Center and the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center who provides free immigration-related legal services to students. In addition to the overall UC Irvine resources, undocumented students at UC Irvine Law will also find a myriad of student organizations, a robust Academic Skills Program, mental health resources, and a knowledgeable Student Financial Services office with experience assisting undocumented students navigate the financial aid and scholarship landscape, including The California Dream Act.
Yes. UC Irvine Law's Admissions Ambassadors are available to connect with prospective students and share their insight and experience. Please note that conversations with Admissions Ambassadors will have no bearing on your admissions decision.
First-year students may not engage in employment during any semester in which they are enrolled, except in the capacity of a faculty research assistant, unless they obtain permission from the Assistant Dean for Student Services. First-year students are strongly discouraged from working more than 10 hours per week. In no case shall a first-year student be employed for over 20 hours per week. No upper-level student shall engage in employment for more than 20 hours per week.