Law School App Deadlines
The Fall 2019 Law School Application cycle is in full swing!
While you can use these deadlines to make sure your applications are timely, it is worth reminding everyone that, when it comes to law school admissions, earlier is generally better!
Below, I’ve compiled a comprehensive list of all regular law school application deadlines for students who will be starting their 1L year in Fall 2019.
Fall 2019 JD Regular Admissions Deadlines for Every ABA-Approved Law School
The table below represents the application deadlines for regular JD admissions only.
Most students apply via regular admission, but be sure to check with each school if you are planning on applying for early admissions. Some schools may have other deadlines for special application types (e.g., early admissions, transfer students, international students, etc.).
Rank | Law School | App Deadline | State | City |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Yale University | 2/28/2019 | CT | New Haven |
2 | Stanford University | 2/1/19 | CA | Stanford |
3 | Harvard University | 2/1/19 | MA | Cambridge |
4 | University of Chicago | 3/1/19 | IL | Chicago |
5 | Columbia University | 2/15/19 | NY | New York |
6 | New York University | 2/15/19 | NY | New York |
7 | University of Pennsylvania | 3/1/19 | PA | Philadelphia |
8 | University of Michigan—Ann Arbor | 2/15/19 | MI | Ann Arbor |
9 | University of California—Berkeley | 2/1/19 | CA | Berkeley |
9 | University of Virginia | 3/4/19 | VA | Charlottesville |
11 | Duke University | 2/15/19 | NC | Durham |
11 | Northwestern University | 2/15/19 | IL | Chicago |
13 | Cornell University | 2/1/19 | NY | Ithaca |
14 | Georgetown University | 3/1/19 | DC | Washington |
15 | University of Texas—Austin | 3/1/19 | TX | Austin |
16 | University of California—Los Angeles | 2/1/19 | CA | Los Angeles |
17 | Vanderbilt University | 4/1/19 | TN | Nashville |
18 | Washington University at St. Louis | 8/16/19 | MO | St. Louis |
19 | University of Southern California (Gould) | 4/1/19 | CA | Los Angeles |
20 | University of Minnesota—Twin Cities | 7/15/19 | MN | Minneapolis |
21 | University of California — Irvine | 3/1/19 | CA | Irvine |
22 | Boston University | 4/1/19 | MA | Boston |
22 | Emory University | 3/1/19 | GA | Atlanta |
24 | George Washington University | 3/1/19 | DC | Washington |
24 | University of Notre Dame | 3/15/19 | IN | Notre Dame |
26 | Washington and Lee University | 3/1/19 | VA | Lexington |
27 | Arizona State University (O’Connor) | 3/1/19 | AZ | Phoenix |
27 | Boston College | 3/31/19 | MA | Newton |
27 | University of Alabama | 8/1/19 | AL | Tuscaloosa |
27 | University of Iowa | 5/1/19 | IA | Iowa City |
27 | University of Wisconsin—Madison | 4/1/19 | WI | Madison |
32 | Indiana University—Bloomington (Maurer) | 7/15/19 | IN | Bloomington |
32 | Ohio State University (Moritz) | 8/1/19 | OH | Columbus |
32 | University of Georgia | 6/1/19 | GA | Athens |
32 | University of Washington | 3/15/19 | WA | Seattle |
32 | Wake Forest University | 3/1/19 | NC | Winston-Salem |
37 | William and Mary | 3/1/19 | VA | Williamsburg |
37 | Fordham University | 3/31/19 | NY | New York |
37 | University of California—Davis | 3/15/19 | CA | Davis |
37 | University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign | 3/15/19 | IL | Champaign |
41 | Brigham Young University (Clark) | 6/30/19 | UT | Provo |
41 | George Mason University | 4/30/19 | VA | Arlington |
41 | University of Arizona (Rogers) | 7/15/19 | AZ | Tucson |
41 | University of Florida (Levin) | 7/31/19 | FL | Gainesville |
45 | University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill | 5/1/19 | NC | Chapel Hill |
46 | University of Colorado—Boulder | 4/1/19 | CO | Boulder |
47 | Florida State University | 7/31/19 | FL | Tallahassee |
47 | Temple University (Beasley) | 3/1/19 | PA | Philadelphia |
49 | University of Maryland (Carey) | 4/1/19 | MD | Baltimore |
50 | Baylor University | 3/1/19 | TX | Waco |
50 | Southern Methodist University (Dedman) | 2/15/19 | TX | Dallas |
50 | University of Connecticut | 4/30/19 | CT | Hartford |
50 | University of Richmond (Williams) | 3/1/19 | VA | University of Richmond |
54 | Tulane University | 8/1/19 | LA | New Orleans |
54 | University of Utah (Quinney) | 3/10/19 | UT | Salt Lake City |
56 | University of Houston | 2/15/19 | TX | Houston |
56 | Yeshiva University (Cardozo) | 4/1/19 | NY | New York |
58 | University of California (Hastings) | 3/31/19 | CA | San Francisco |
59 | Penn State Dickinson | 6/30/19 | PA | Carlisle |
59 | Pepperdine University | 2/15/19 | CA | Malibu |
59 | Seton Hall University | 4/1/19 | NJ | Newark |
59 | University of Nevada—Las Vegas | 3/15/19 | NV | Las Vegas |
63 | University of Denver (Sturm) | 6/1/19 | CO | Denver |
63 | University of Oklahoma | 3/15/19 | OK | Norman |
65 | Case Western Reserve University | 4/1/19 | OH | Cleveland |
65 | Georgia State University | 6/1/19 | GA | Atlanta |
65 | Loyola Marymount University | 4/15/19 | CA | Los Angeles |
65 | University of Cincinnati | 3/15/19 | OH | Cincinnati |
65 | University of Kentucky | 3/31/19 | KY | Lexington |
65 | University of Miami | 7/31/19 | FL | Coral Gables |
65 | University of Missouri | 3/15/19 | MO | Columbia |
65 | University of Tennessee—Knoxville | 8/15/19 | TN | Knoxville |
65 | Villanova University | 4/1/19 | PA | Villanova |
74 | Loyola University Chicago | 7/1/19 | IL | Chicago |
74 | Northeastern University | 3/1/19 | MA | Boston |
74 | Pennsylvania State University Park | 3/31/19 | PA | University Park |
74 | Rutgers—Newark | 3/15/19 | NJ | Newark |
74 | University of Kansas | 8/6/19 | KS | Lawrence |
74 | University of Pittsburgh | 4/1/19 | PA | Pittsburgh |
80 | American University (Washington) | 3/1/19 | DC | Washington |
80 | Texas A&M University | 5/31/19 | TX | Fort Worth |
80 | University of Nebraska—Lincoln | 3/1/19 | NE | Lincoln |
83 | Brooklyn Law School | 5/15/19 | NY | Brooklyn |
83 | St. John’s University | 3/15/19 | NY | Queens |
85 | Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago-Kent) | 3/15/19 | IL | Chicago |
85 | University of New Hampshire | 3/15/19 | NH | Concord |
85 | University of Oregon | 3/1/19 | OR | Eugene |
88 | LSU — Baton Rouge (Hebert) | 7/1/19 | LA | Baton Rouge |
88 | Michigan State University | 4/30/19 | MI | East Lansing |
88 | St. Louis University | 5/1/19 | MO | St. Louis |
88 | Syracuse University | 7/15/19 | NY | Syracuse |
88 | University of Arkansas—Fayetteville | 4/15/19 | AR | Fayetteville |
88 | University of New Mexico | 3/1/19 | NM | Albuquerque |
88 | University of South Carolina | 3/1/19 | SC | Columbia |
95 | Lewis & Clark College (Northwestern) | 3/15/19 | OR | Portland |
95 | Marquette University | 3/15/19 | WI | Milwaukee |
95 | University of San Diego | 8/1/19 | CA | San Diego |
98 | Indiana University—Indianapolis (McKinney) | 7/1/19 | IN | Indianapolis |
98 | Stetson University | 5/15/19 | FL | Gulfport |
98 | Wayne State University | 7/1/19 | MI | Detroit |
101 | Drexel University | 8/1/19 | PA | Philadelphia |
101 | Florida International University | 7/1/19 | FL | Miami |
101 | University of Hawaii—Manoa (Richardson) | 7/1/19 | HI | Honolulu |
101 | University of Mississippi | 3/1/19 | MS | University |
101 | University of Tulsa | 7/31/19 | OK | Tulsa |
106 | Albany Law School | 8/1/19 | NY | Albany |
106 | SUNY Buffalo Law School | 3/1/19 | NY | Buffalo |
106 | University of Maine | 8/15/19 | ME | Portland |
106 | West Virginia University | 3/1/19 | WV | Morgantown |
110 | Catholic University of America | 6/30/19 | DC | Washington |
110 | Hofstra University (Deane) | 4/15/19 | NY | Hempstead |
110 | New York Law School | 7/1/19 | NY | New York |
113 | Cleveland State University | 5/1/19 | OH | Cleveland |
113 | Gonzaga University | 4/15/19 | WA | Spokane |
113 | Santa Clara University | 3/1/19 | CA | Santa Clara |
113 | Texas Tech University | 3/1/19 | TX | Lubbock |
113 | University of Louisville (Brandeis) | 4/15/19 | KY | Louisville |
113 | University of St. Thomas | 8/1/19 | MN | Minneapolis |
119 | Duquesne University | 3/31/19 | PA | Pittsburgh |
119 | University of Baltimore | 8/1/19 | MD | Baltimore |
119 | University of Idaho | 3/15/19 | ID | Moscow |
119 | University of Missouri—Kansas City | 3/1/19 | MO | Kansas City |
119 | University of Montana | 3/1/19 | MT | Missoula |
119 | Washburn University | 8/1/19 | KS | Topeka |
125 | Creighton University | 7/1/19 | NE | Omaha |
125 | CUNY | 5/15/19 | NY | Long Island City |
125 | Pace University | 6/1/19 | NY | White Plains |
128 | DePaul University | 4/1/19 | IL | Chicago |
128 | Howard University | 3/15/19 | DC | Washington |
128 | Mercer University (George) | 3/15/19 | GA | Macon |
128 | Seattle University | 7/13/19 | WA | Seattle |
128 | University of South Dakota | 7/1/19 | SD | Vermillion |
133 | Drake University | 4/1/19 | IA | Des Moines |
133 | Quinnipiac University | 8/1/19 | CT | Hamden |
133 | University of Wyoming | 6/10/19 | WY | Laramie |
133 | Vermont Law School | 4/15/19 | VT | South Royalton |
137 | University of Memphis (Humphreys) | 3/15/19 | TN | Memphis |
137 | University of Toledo | 8/1/19 | OH | Toledo |
139 | Belmont University College of Law | 7/15/19 | TN | Nashville |
139 | Chapman University (Fowler) | 4/15/19 | CA | Orange |
141 | University of Arkansas—Little Rock (Bowen) | 4/1/19 | AR | Little Rock |
141 | University of Dayton | 8/1/19 | OH | Dayton |
143 | Widener University Commonwealth | 5/1/19 | PA | Harrisburg |
144 | Northern Illinois University College of Law | 4/1/19 | IL | DeKalb |
144 | Suffolk University | 4/1/19 | MA | Boston |
144 | University of Akron | 3/31/19 | OH | Akron |
151 | Appalachian School of Law | 8/1/19 | VA | Grundy |
151 | Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School | 8/9/19 | GA | Atlanta |
151 | Ave Maria School of Law | 7/15/19 | FL | Naples |
151 | Barry University | 5/1/19 | FL | Orlando |
151 | California Western School of Law | 4/1/19 | CA | San Diego |
151 | Campbell University | 5/1/19 | NC | Raleigh |
151 | Capital University Law School | 5/1/19 | OH | Columbus |
151 | Charleston School of Law | 3/1/19 | SC | Charleston |
151 | Concordia University School of Law | 8/1/19 | ID | Boise |
151 | Elon University School of Law | 7/31/19 | NC | Greensboro |
151 | Faulkner University | 7/15/19 | AL | Montgomery |
151 | Florida A&M University College of Law | 5/31/19 | FL | Orlando |
151 | Florida Coastal School of Law | 8/26/19 | FL | Jacksonville |
151 | Golden Gate University School of Law | 4/15/19 | CA | San Francisco |
151 | Inter American University School of Law | 5/30/19 | PR | San Juan |
151 | John Marshall Law School | 4/1/19 | IL | Chicago |
151 | Liberty University School of Law | 7/15/19 | VA | Lynchburg |
151 | Lincoln Memorial University | 7/15/19 | TN | Knoxville |
151 | Loyola University New Orleans | 8/1/19 | LA | New Orleans |
151 | Mississippi College School of Law | 7/1/19 | MS | Jackson |
151 | Mitchell Hamline | 8/1/19 | MN | St. Paul |
151 | New England Law— Boston | 3/15/19 | MA | Boston |
151 | North Carolina Central University School of Law | 4/30/19 | NC | Durham |
151 | Northern Kentucky University | 7/31/19 | KY | Highland Heights |
151 | Nova Southeastern University–Shepard Broad College of Law | 7/15/19 | FL | Fort Lauderdale |
151 | Ohio Northern University (Pettit) | 8/1/19 | OH | Ada |
151 | Oklahoma City University | 8/1/19 | OK | Oklahoma City |
151 | Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, School of Law | 6/30/19 | PR | Ponce |
151 | Regent University School of Law | 7/31/19 | VA | Virginia Beach |
151 | Roger Williams University School of Law | 4/1/19 | RI | Bristol |
151 | Samford University (Cumberland) | 6/1/19 | AL | Birmingham |
151 | South Texas College of Law | 3/15/19 | TX | Houston |
151 | Southern Illinois University Carbondale | 4/1/19 | IL | Carbondale |
151 | Southern University Law Center | 5/1/19 | LA | Baton Rouge |
151 | Southwestern Law School | 4/1/19 | CA | Los Angeles |
151 | St. Mary’s University | 3/1/19 | TX | San Antonio |
151 | Texas Southern University–Thurgood Marshall | 7/15/19 | TX | Houston |
151 | Thomas Jefferson School of Law | 7/15/19 | CA | San Diego |
151 | Touro College–Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center | 8/7/19 | NY | Central Islip |
151 | University of Detroit Mercy School of Law | 7/1/19 | MI | Detroit |
151 | University of La Verne College of Law | 7/1/19 | CA | Ontario |
151 | University of Massachusetts–Dartmouth | 6/30/19 | MA | North Dartmouth |
151 | University of North Dakota | 7/15/19 | ND | Grand Forks |
151 | University of Puerto Rico | 3/30/19 | PR | San Juan |
151 | University of San Francisco | 2/1/19 | CA | San Francisco |
151 | University of the District of Columbia | 7/1/19 | DC | Washington |
151 | University of the Pacific (McGeorge) | 4/1/19 | CA | Sacramento |
151 | Valparaiso University Law School | 6/1/19 | IN | Valparaiso |
151 | Western Michigan University (Cooley) | 9/7/19 | MI | Lansing |
151 | Western New England University | 3/15/19 | MA | Springfield |
151 | Western State College of Law at Argosy | 7/1/19 | CA | Irvine |
151 | Widener University Delaware | 5/15/19 | DE | Wilmington |
151 | Willamette University (Collins) | 8/15/19 | OR | Salem |
It took me a ton of time to manually compile this comprehensive list… so if you’re someone who likes to share this sort of thing, I’d very much appreciate it if you’d give appropriate credit with a link back to this page. Thanks!
Joshua CravenFounder, Lawschooli.com
When Should I Apply To Law School?
The table above lists law school application deadlines for all ABA-approved law schools. These deadlines represent the absolute last date that you can submit your apps, but waiting to the last minute isn’t a good idea.
Law schools start accepting apps in early September
Law schools began accepting applications for fall 2019 admission as early as September 1st, 2018… and law schools begin reviewing applications shortly thereafter.
What is the Best Analog Watch for the LSAT? Click Here to Find Out
View PostMore people are applying to law school this year
It is still pretty early in the cycle, but year-over-year applicant volume is currently up 16% over last year at this point in the cycle, which would be a pretty significant jump if that trend continues. It’s worth keeping that in mind as well, because when law schools have a larger pool of applicants to choose from, they are able to be more selective.
Don’t wait until the last minute to apply to law school
Many undergraduate schools (particularly higher-ranked schools) tend to make decisions on all their applications in one giant batch. So when you were applying to get into undergrad, the timing of your application probably wasn’t a factor.
Law Schools Use a Rolling Admissions Process
Law schools, by contrast, admit students via rolling admissions, which means that they start handing out acceptance letters early—almost right after they start receiving them—and batches of acceptances keep flowing out continuously throughout the entire cycle.
Which means seats & scholarships are already being given to other students
Every seat that fills up in the meantime is one less seat for you. More scholarship money may be available to earlier applicants, and those with less competitive numbers are more likely to be admitted earlier in the cycle, when schools are looking to fill seats by offering acceptance to students that are very likely to attend. You can find a longer discussion of rolling admission policies here.
REMEMBER: Apply to law school early & often in order to maximize your opportunities!
Waiting until the last minute to apply & not applying to many schools are two of the biggest mistakes that I tend to see students make during the law school application process.
The law school application deadlines above are important to be aware of, but you should aim to have your applications submitted well before those deadlines approach.
One final note for anyone who happens to read this after missing a deadline: in recent years some law schools have been willing to bend their own rules and take students after their own deadlines have passed… so before you give up on X Law School, it may be worth reaching out to the admissions department to see if they’d be willing to make an exception for you.
Keep in mind, however, that as the applicant pool continues to expand as application volume increases, law schools are less likely to have seats left over for stragglers. It is also worth noting that this courtesy is generally only extended to students with exceptional numbers (both LSAT & GPA above median). These same students may be better off waiting a year and applying early the following cycle.
I improved my score by 25 points and got a 177 on the LSAT. Here's How I Did It
18 Comments
And let’s not forget that an increasing number of law schools are using the GRE now as an admissions criterion. I strongly advocate for this exam rather than the LSAT. When you have “logic games” as a section on a standardized test, you know that test is a joke. Law school is NOT a game, and neither is your future. Go GRE all the way!
Hello,
I am going to apply to Law School and the realistic plan is to start in 2021, but would love to start in 2020. I will not be able to start prepping for the LSAT until Sept 2019, when I will be able to prepare full time. I am planning on taking the Nov exam to see how it goes, but probably would retake to improve in Jan. I need a scholarship to attend as I am international and don’t qualify for federal loans.
Are the chances of getting into a top law school WITH a scholarship applying in Jan super low if my grades are just around the median? My GPA is 3,9, and have not started prep for LSAT so don’t know how I will do on that. The realistic option would be to retake the exam in Jan or Feb and then apply in Sept 2020 for a 2021 start, but I don’t know if I am being too pessimistic thinking Jan 2020 LSAT for a Sept 2020 start on scholarship is too late.
Thanks so much!!
Is it impossible to apply past the deadline for the upcoming semester?