How to Apply

Application Period

We will begin accepting applications for Fall entry on September 15.  The priority application deadline is March 15. The final application deadline is July 15. Scholarships are available for eligible candidates.

Application Fee

There is no fee to apply for the J.D. program.

Application Submission

Your application should be submitted online at www.LSAC.org. All applications must include:

• Responses to all required questions
• Personal statement
• Resume
• Supplemental statements as needed
• The LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) report
• A minimum of two, maximum of three, recommendations

Transfer Students

At UNH Franklin Pierce, we are happy to welcome incoming transfer students to join our intimate learning community!

Students seeking to transfer from their law school must apply online at www.LSAC.org. The Fall semester priority application deadline is July 15. All transfer applicants, will be evaluated for merit-scholarships.

The Admissions Committee will review your transfer application after receiving a letter of good standing from your prior law school. Transfer applicants must provide an updated CAS report indicating law school matriculation. We strongly encourage one to two letter(s) of recommendation from a law school professor. An official transcript from your law school is required prior to matriculation.

To obtain credit for elective or required courses, a grade of C or better must be earned. Up to 28 law credits will transfer in to UNH Franklin Pierce. Transfer students must complete four full-time semesters in residence at UNH Franklin Pierce. For more guidance, we encourage our prospective transfer students to review the Academic Rules.

The Admissions Team looks forward to the opportunity to connect with you to learn more about your academic and career aspirations and to support you through the admission process.

Visiting and Exchange Students

Students interested in seeking visiting student status at UNH Franklin Pierce may fill out the visiting student application. Visiting students must be in good academic standing and have permission to transfer credits back to their home institution.

International Students

UNH Franklin Pierce requires international applicants with foreign transcripts to submit all transcripts through the LSAC CAS. All undergraduate work outside the United States (including its territories) or Canada must be evaluated by CAS.

Foreign lawyers who have earned an undergraduate or graduate law degree from a law school outside of the United States are eligible for advanced standing. Please select applicant type “transfer” on your LSAC application.

Personal Statement

We want to hear from you. Your personal statement of two pages (double-spaced) is required and must be submitted electronically. We’d like you to tell us why you are applying to law school and why UNH Law specifically. What motivates you to become a lawyer? This is your opportunity to share what makes you unique. Share your abilities, your character and your experiences. We consider this statement seriously in our decision-making and expect it to be concise and well-written.

Resume

A detailed resume is required and must be submitted electronically.

In addition to work history, it should include your internships, academic honors, extracurricular activities, community service, hobbies and other special interests or accomplishments.

Applicants not working or attending school are encouraged to disclose activities during that time.

Supplemental Statement

Please include any statement of extraordinary circumstance(s) that could not be appropriately included in the personal statement or elsewhere in the application. The admissions committee is interested in an applicant's relevant life experience and learning more about your background. This statement should not exceed one page (double-spaced).

Supplemental statements and addenda are required for character and fitness disclosures.

All statements must be submitted electronically.

Recommendations

Two recommendations are required and must be submitted directly by the person writing the recommendation through the LSAC CAS. UNH Law will accept no more than three recommendations per applicant.

Recommendations may be in the form of a letter or evaluation. At least one letter is strongly preferred and should be submitted by a teacher or employer who is able to address academic fitness and/or work habits. If you are a recent graduate, you should provide one letter or evaluation from a professor who can attest to your academic ability.

We discourage using personal friends and relatives as references.

Everyone must register with the CAS at www.LSAC.org.

You must have transcripts from each post-secondary college or university attended sent directly to the CAS. This includes community college credits and/or undergraduate institutions attended as a high school student for credit. In addition, applicants may submit graduate degree transcripts.

Anyone enrolling at UNH Law is required to submit an official transcript, which indicates conferral of the bachelor's degree, directly from his/her undergraduate degree-granting institution to the office of admissions. (Final transcripts supplied to the CAS are considered official and do meet ABA requirements.)

All first-year J.D. applicants are required to submit either a valid LSAT score or GRE score to be considered for admission, unless that student qualifies for the UNH Law Wildcat Scholars admission program. A valid test score is from an exam taken within five years of the planned enrollment date at UNH Law. Applicants may apply prior to taking the test but must disclose the future date for application processing purposes.

The application will not be complete until a valid test score is available.

The GRE school code is 3396.

Applicants whose native language is not English and received an undergraduate degree from a country in which English is not the native language must provide a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score, taken within two years from the time of application submission.

The TOEFL school code is 3396.

Undergraduate students at the University of New Hampshire who will matriculate at UNH Franklin Pierce within 12 months of graduation, may be considered for admission without an LSAT score if they obtained an ACT or SAT score within the 85th percentile of the test administration and have a cumulative GPA of a 3.5 or higher. To be consider for admission as a UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law Wildcat Scholar, applicants must participate in an on-campus interview with the Law Admissions Committee and submit the following:

• LSAC Application
• Responses to all required questions
• Personal statement
• Resume
• Supplement statements as needed
• The LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS report)
• A minimum of two academic letters of recommendation
• An official ACT, or SAT score report
  • ACT Code: 7843
  • SAT Code: 7532
• Email to admissions@law.unh.edu requesting consideration.

A bachelor's degree, or its equivalent, from an appropriately accredited college or university must be conferred to an applicant prior to matriculation at UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law.

Applicants are expected to read the questions on this portion of the application carefully and contact the office of admissions with questions.

Applicants who check "yes" on any of these questions are required to attach an addendum to their application which provides full disclosure with the offense charge, the date it occurred and disposition related to each event.

Applicants have a continuing duty to disclose character and fitness issues that may arise between the time of application submission and matriculation.

In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness and other qualifications for admissions to the bar in every U.S. Jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

A student shall be classified as in-state or out-of-state for tuition purposes at the time of his or her first admission to the University System unit, based on their permanent residence at the time of application.  To qualify for In-State tuition status a student [or his/her parents if a dependent] must physically reside in New Hampshire for no less than twelve continuous months prior to the term for which In-state status is desired and must reside in New Hampshire for some purpose other than attending the University. Students may apply for in-state status by contacting the University Registrar.

UNH Law is an unlimited Yellow Ribbon program school. We are committed to making law school affordable for eligible veterans. Tuition waivers and/or scholarships will be applied for admitted applicants upon review of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Certificate of Eligibility for Veterans education benefits.

The first of its kind in the country, the Daniel Webster Scholar (DWS) Program is a groundbreaking, practice-based program focused on graduating client-ready lawyers. Students who successfully complete the program will be certified as having passed the New Hampshire Bar examination. Students begin DWS coursework in their 2L year. To be considered for DWS, you must submit your J.D. application prior to February 1. Applicants who indicate their interest in DWS on the J.D. application will receive additional information regarding the selection process.

Joint Degrees

J.D./LL.M. IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OR J.D./LL.M. IN COMMERCE AND TECHNOLOGY

The registrar will consider an application for a joint degree after a student completes the first semester of law school. Students who are interested in pursuing a joint degree should apply for regular admission to the J.D. program only. Notices regarding these joint degree programs will be made during your first year.

Dual Degrees

J.D./MBA, J.D./M.P.P., OR J.D./M.S.W.

UNH Law and the University of New Hampshire offer these dual degrees. Interested applicants should apply to the J.D. program during the application cycle, September 15 - March 15, and to the MBA, M.P.P. or M.S.W. program separately. To qualify for a dual degree, candidates must apply before the deadlines, be admitted to both programs, and meet a 1L cumulative grade point minimum.

The LSAT will serve as the required standardized test for the J.D., MBA, M.P.P., and M.S.W. programs.

Please indicate on your J.D. application if you are interested in applying for a dual degree.

Applicants must read the certification carefully and certify that the information contained in the application is complete, accurate and true. Any false or misleading statement, or any misrepresentation in the application or any supplemental materials found to be fraudulent may be the basis for denial and may be reported as misconduct through the LSAC.

Application Review

Your application will be reviewed by the admissions committee within approximately 4-to-6 weeks after completion (receipt of application, recommendations, transcript, essays, resume, certification, application fee and LSAT score).

You may check your status online, and we will notify you via email during the process. Please keep our email (admissions@law.unh.edu) in your address book, and apprise us of any changes in your contact information.

Scholarship Consideration

All applications will be considered for scholarships.

Privacy

Members of the admissions staff and the admissions committee at UNH Law will discuss an application for admission only with the applicant.

Non-Discrimination Statement

The University of New Hampshire School of Law does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, age, sex, pregnancy, marital status, disability, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, veteran’s status, genetic predisposition or any other legally protected status in admission to and employment in its programs and activities.

FULL NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT

Inquiries regarding UNH Law's non-discrimination policies should be directed to the assistant dean for student affairs, University of New Hampshire School of Law, 2 White Street, Concord, NH 03301; (603) 228-1541.