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Transfer Admission

Expanded J.D. Transfer Openings

Recently increased opportunities for Harvard Law students to study off-campus through joint degree and foreign study programs make it possible for us to admit more transfer students than in the past. In the last two years we admitted as many as 25 transfer students and we expect to admit 25-30 this year.

Please note that the information that follows may change, particularly application time frames or required application materials.

Eligibility

Applicants for transfer admission must have completed one year of full-time study in a J.D. program (or one third of total credits required in a part-time J.D. program) at a United States law school that is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). Students may apply for transfer to begin the second year of J.D. studies in the fall semester only.

Competition for Transfer Admission

The competition for transfer admission is high. Many successful transfer candidates typically place very near the top of their first-year law class and would have also been admitted or wait-listed as first-year students on the basis of their pre-law-school credentials. Given the small number of transfer spaces available and a comparatively large and accomplished transfer applicant pool, some applicants who meet these characterizations cannot be offered admission.We cannot make estimates of an individual's chances for admission.

How to Apply

Transfer application materials are available between April 15 and July 15, and the deadline for applying is July 15.

LSAC Online Transfer Application is Located Here

Printable Applications

A completed transfer application includes:

  1. The transfer application form.
  2. A personal statement which should address your reasons for applying for transfer admission. A need to be located in the Cambridge area may be relevant and should be discussed in your personal statement if applicable.
  3. Two letters of recommendation, at least one of which must be from a law professor at your current law school. Please use the forms included in the transfer application package.
  4. College Certifications from all schools that have awarded you a degree and from your current law school.
  5. A current copy of your LSDAS report, which may be ordered from the Law School Admissions Council. Your LSDAS registration period will extend for five years from your original registration date.
  6. Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work.
  7. Law school grades for the entire first year. Although we prefer an official transcript, we realize that it may be difficult in some cases to obtain one until late summer. Therefore, we will consider photocopies of your grade reports or some other account of your grades. Although we may be able to reach a tentative decision to admit on the basis of unofficial grades, we are not able to offer admission to any applicant without first receiving an official transcript.
  8. An application fee of $75.00, payable to Harvard Law School.
If you applied to Harvard Law School for the first-year class within the last three years, that application should be in our files, and some of those materials may be used to complete your transfer application, including college certifications for schools attended prior to law school and letters of recommendation. (N.B., although you may use one letter from a previous application in your transfer application, you must still provide a letter of recommendation from a professor at your current law school.) If you would like to use materials from a previous application to Harvard Law School, include a request with your transfer application on a separate sheet indicating which materials you would like to use.

Deadline for Submission of Materials

The deadline for completing transfer applications is July 15, but we encourage you to complete your application as early as possible. Sending all materials (or as many as possible) together in one envelope greatly speeds the processing and consideration of your application. You may request that recommendations, certifications, etc., be sent to you with the sender's signature across the seal. You may then forward these materials to us unopened. If schools or recommenders prefer, these materials may be sent directly to our office.

Harvard Law Review

The Harvard Law Review encourages transfer applicants to apply for membership on the Review. If you wish to be considered for membership, you MUST participate in the Writing Competition, which will take place from May 16 to May 23, 2007. All prospective transfer students may participate in the competition, including those who intend to apply and have not yet done so and those who have applied and have not yet received a decision. You will be notified of the results of the Writing Competition in late July.

Those admitted transfer students who are selected to join the Harvard Law Review must return to Cambridge by mid-August to begin work on the first issue of Volume 121. Further instructions will be posted later in the spring at Membership Details site.

If you are interested, please e-mail Jennifer Heath in late March for more information.