Admission to the Law School

General Application Procedures

The Law School enrolls first-year students only in August.

To be considered for admission, all applicants (regular decision or early decision) must follow this procedure:

1. Application and Fee. The applicant must submit a law school application, along with the $50.00 application fee. This fee is not refundable and is not credited toward other fees in the event of admission. (This fee may be waived at the discretion of the administration).
2. Law School Admission Test (LSAT).

   Each applicant must take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), which is administered by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). A Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Report will be requested by the Law School. The results of a test taken more than five years prior to the date for which the applicant seeks admission will not be considered in the absence of unusual circumstances.

   Applicants may contact LSAC at (215) 968-1001 or lsac.org. The Elon University School of Law LSAC code number is 5500.

3. LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service (CAS). Each applicant must register with the CAS, so that Elon Law will receive a current Law School Report. It is the applicant’s responsibility to meet all of LSAC’s requirements and to ensure that Elon Law receives a completed CAS report.
4. Resume. Applicants who have a resume should include it with their application. Even if a resume is submitted, however, the applicant must still respond to all questions on the application.
5. Letters of Recommendation. The applicant must provide at least two (2) letters of recommendation. It is recommended that these letters be forwarded to CAS, which will then forward them to the Law School. A letter may be sent directly from a recommender to the Law School when it addresses an applicant’s fitness for Elon’s particular program.
6. Interview. The law school conducts interviews of candidates who are competitive for admission. This is part of the school’s holistic approach to evaluating candidates and allows the candidate and law school to learn more about each other than brochures, web sites, or application documents can reveal. Applicants who are invited for an interview will meet with a faculty member or administrator. In-person visits to the law school are preferred, as they allow the applicant to tour the facility with a student admissions ambassador, speak with current students, potentially sit in on a class and get a true sense of the Elon Law community. Recognizing that many applicants are located in other states, the law school also offers telephone and Skype interviews. Every applicant who is ultimately admitted will have an interview, though every applicant will not necessarily be invited for an interview. All applicants and prospective students, whether invited for an interview or not, are welcome to visit the law school to speak to an admissions professional and/or a student admissions ambassador.

The application and supporting materials should be submitted through LSAC. Additional application materials or addenda should be submitted to the Elon Law Admissions Office, 201 North Greene Street, Greensboro, North Carolina 27401. Phone: (336) 279-9200; Fax: (336) 279-8199; E-mail: lawadmissions@elon.edu. Requests for more information and questions should also be directed to this office.

The Law School will attempt to notify an applicant if a required item is missing from the application file. However, the applicant remains ultimately responsible for ensuring that the application file is completed in a timely fashion.

Applicants should retain copies of their law school applications, since many state boards of law examiners request copies of applications in connection with taking a state bar exam.

All materials submitted in support of an application become the property of the Law School.

Regular Decision - Rolling Admission Option

Under this option, applicants will be considered and admission decisions made periodically throughout the year. Those applicants who select the Regular Decision-Rolling Admission option, who do not select an option, or who applied Early Decision but did not fulfill its requirements or whose decision was deferred, will be considered under the Regular Decision-Rolling Admission option. It is expected that most admission decisions will be made by April 1. However, applications will be accepted and considered as long as spaces are available in the entering class. Applicants admitted under the Regular Decision-Rolling Admission option must submit a non-refundable deposit of $250 by April 15, or within 2 weeks of their admission, whichever is later. A second $500 non-refundable deposit must be submitted by May 15, or within 2 weeks of their admission, whichever is later. These deposits will be credited toward fall tuition.

Early Decision Option

The Early Decision option is available for prospective students who, after careful consideration of their future plans and a thorough investigation of a variety of law schools, have concluded that Elon Law will provide them with the legal education that best fulfills their needs and expectations. Applicants who are certain that Elon Law is their first-choice institution are encouraged to apply as Early Decision candidates.

Early Decision candidates must submit their applications by December 1, and all items necessary for completion of the application must be received by December 15 (except December LSAT results, which will be accepted through January 15). Only completed applications are considered for admission. An application is considered complete when all required documents have been received including: the application itself, the application fee, a CAS report, the personal statement, two letters of recommendation, and the character fitness statement (if necessary). Early Decision candidates must take the LSAT no later than the December test date to be considered for this option. Applicants should also consider, and incorporate into their application timelines, the time it will take for their CAS reports to be processed and transmitted to the Law School.

Early Decision candidates agree that they will not submit an early decision application to any other law school. Early Decision candidates will be notified by the end of December whether their application for admission has been accepted, denied or deferred for further review, in which case it is kept active and considered along with all other applications under the Regular Decision-Rolling Admission option. It is anticipated that some candidates deferred for further review at the Early Decision stage will ultimately be offered admission through the Regular Decision-Rolling Admission option. If an Early Decision applicant is denied admission or the decision is deferred for further review, the applicant may continue being considered for admission to law schools to which he/she had previously applied and may initiate applications to additional law schools.

Early Decision candidates agree that, if admitted to Elon Law under the Early Decision option, they will withdraw any pending applications to other law schools and not submit any additional applications. The accepted Early Decision candidate will submit a non-refundable deposit of $750 to Elon University within two weeks of admission. This deposit will be credited toward tuition.

Applicants admitted under the Early Decision option will be notified of the receipt of a law school scholarship prior to their deposit deadline; however, other financial aid awards, including loan packages, will not be determined until later in the spring.

The Law School reserves the right to provide other law schools with the names of applicants accepted under its Early Decision option.

Procedure for Accepted Applicants

In addition to submitting the enrollment deposits described above, all accepted applicants must submit an Enrollment Confirmation Form and scholarship agreement (if applicable).

During the application phase, applicants will submit their postsecondary school transcripts to CAS, and the Law School will receive copies of these transcripts from CAS. While this is sufficient for the application phase, accepted applicants must submit an official transcript indicating the award of a bachelor’s degree prior to enrolling in Elon Law. Generally, applicants must have received a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution prior to enrollment in the Law School. In rare instances, the school may, consistent with ABA Standards, admit exceptionally well-qualified applicants who have successfully completed three-fourths of the work acceptable for a bachelor’s degree.

Transfer/Visiting Applicants

Elon Law accepts applications for transfer and visiting students. In addition to complying with the general admission procedures, a transfer applicant must submit a letter of good standing and a transcript from their current law school, one of which should indicate the applicant’s current class rank. A student from a law school approved by the American Bar Association may be admitted to advanced standing as a candidate for a degree. To receive a law degree from Elon, a student must complete two-thirds (2/3) of the course work required for the degree at Elon. Because Elon’s program incorporates leadership training not available at most law schools, accepted transfer students may be required to attend the leadership development portions of first-year orientation, as well as the first and second year leadership courses, if applicable. With the approval of the Admissions Committee, it may be possible for students from other law schools to matriculate at Elon as visiting students. Visiting students must have the permission of their home law school and must be in good academic standing there. They are limited to one year in residence at Elon. Visiting students will not be eligible for an Elon degree. In addition to complying with the general admission procedures, a visiting applicant must submit a letter of good standing and permission to visit and a transcript from their home law school, one of which should indicate the applicant’s current class rank.

International Applicants

In addition to complying with the general admission procedures, international applicants must submit their foreign transcripts through the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS). If applicants have completed any postsecondary work outside the United States (including its territories) or Canada, they must use this service for the evaluation of their foreign transcripts. The one exception to this requirement is if they have completed the foreign work through a study abroad, consortium, or exchange program sponsored by a United States or Canadian institution, and the work is clearly indicated as such on the home campus transcript. This service is included in the CAS subscription fee. A Foreign Credential Evaluation will be completed by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), which will be incorporated into the CAS report. If the Admissions Committee determines that an applicant must submit a TOEFL score, the applicant must contact the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and request that the TOEFL score be sent to LSAC. LSAC’s TOEFL code for the CAS is 0058. The applicant’s TOEFL score will be included in the Foreign Credential Evaluation document that will be included in the CAS law school report. To use the CAS, applicants should log in to their online LSAC account and follow the instructions for registering for the service. A Transcript Request Form should be printed out for each institution and sent promptly to them. More time is usually required to receive foreign transcripts. Questions about the CAS should be directed to LSAC at (215) 968-1001, or LSACInfo@LSAC.org.

Admitted international students are eligible to receive scholarship awards from the law school. Due to U.S. government regulations, federally-sponsored financial aid is not available to international students. However, international students with an eligible co-borrower may apply for alternative loans with private lenders.