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At our locations in Camden and Newark, you'll find close-knit environments, experience rigorous training, and cultivate relationships with great legal minds that you need to grow into your role as a lawyer—at a cost that's half that of other law schools in our region. Our breadth of curricular and experiential offerings means more opportunities for you to develop as a legal thinker and professional. And your Rutgers Law degree will establish your lifelong connection with a world-class research institution.

Welcome to Rutgers Law
  • Visit Campus
  • How to Apply
  • Financing Your Education
  • Specialized Programs
  • FAQ
  • Non-Discrimination Policy
  • Contact Us

We believe the best way to experience the vibrancy of Rutgers Law School is by enjoying a visit to our unique campuses. Guided tours of the Law School are offered with advanced registration. To schedule your visit, please complete the registration form of the campus you would like to tour below.

Tour Registration

Additionally, the Office of Admissions hosts in-person Information Sessions once a month on each campus. Information Sessions consist of a student-led tour of the Law School as well as an hourlong presentation by a member of our Admissions Office who will discuss the application process, experiential learning opportunities, student organizations, curriculum, and much more. To register for an Information Session, select the campus you would like to visit below.

In-Person Information Session Registration

Virtual Tour

FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS
Application Opens: September 1
Application Deadline: July 1

Applications must be submitted online via LSAC. Rutger Law School recommends all applicants to apply as early as possible. Applicants must participate in the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) and be registered with CAS during the application year. Decisions are made on a rolling basis, with the first wave of decisions rendered in mid-December.

For an application to be considered complete, it must include a:

  • Resume detailing professional, extracurricular, and community service experiences;
  • LSAT score from within the past five years;
  • Two (2) Letters of Recommendation;
  • Personal Statement (2-4 pages double-spaced) that can include military or professional experience, vocational or technical training, career success, history of overcoming hardship or disadvantage, your motivation for attending law school, or how you plan to use your legal education; and
  • CAS Report with official transcripts from any colleges, universities, junior or community colleges, and graduate or professional schools you have attended and earned grades that applied towards your degree.

Access your Online Application Status.

BINDING EARLY DECISION PROGRAM
Round 1 Application Deadline: December 1
Round 2 Application Deadline: March 1

If Rutgers is your first choice of law school, you may apply as an Early Decision applicant. Round 1 Early Decision applicants will receive a decision prior to January 1. Round 2 Early Decision applicants will receive a decision by April 1. The Early Decision option is binding: an applicant commits to attending Rutgers Law School if admitted.

TRANSFER STUDENTS
Application Opens: May 1
Application Closes: August 1

Current law students who have completed at least two semesters of law school are welcome to apply for transfer.  Rutgers accepts transfers only in the fall.  If you would like to apply to transfer, please follow the instructions on the LSAC website.

For a transfer application to be considered complete and reviewed, it must include a:

  • Law School Transcript, including at least two (2) semesters of grades earned at an ABA-accredited law school;
  • Letter of Good Standing from your current law school;
  • Personal Statement detailing why you are seeking to transfer to Rutgers Law School;
  • Resume detailing professional, extracurricular, and community service experiences; and
  • One (1) Letter of Recommendation from a law school professor.

Choosing Rutgers for law school makes financial as well as professional sense: with a cost that’s half that of other schools in our metropolitan region, you can afford to make career choices that aren’t circumscribed by burdensome debt. And whether the majority of your studies are based in Camden or Newark, your diploma will read “Rutgers Law School”—proof of both your own achievement and your enduring affiliation with a renowned research institution that has incredible momentum and global name recognition.

Among all law schools in the nation, U.S. News & World Report ranks Rutgers Law School  3rd among all law schools in the nation for lowest average debt and 2nd among public law schools (2023).

Rutgers Law School is also dedicated to supporting our students with financing their legal education. We do this successfully through student loans, work-study employment, scholarships, grants, and repayment programs. Summer funding is also available for certain public interest work. And as a direct student loan institution, our Financial Aid Office will guide you through the process to make the costs of your legal education as manageable as possible.

Rutgers Law School offers a variety of specialized programs to meet the needs of every student and to offer additional opportunities for law students. Whether you want to pursue a law degree along with an additional graduate degree through our dual degree programs or gain specialty certification, those opportunities exist for you at Rutgers Law School. Students who can demonstrate overcoming hardship or who would like to kick-start their law school experience the summer before their first year are welcome to learn more about those programs. Plus, undergraduate students at Rutgers University, Rowan University, Moravian College, Peirce College, and Westchester University may be eligible to fast track their legal careers through the BA/JD Program.

 

Who is eligible to apply to Rutgers Law School?
Applicants who have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university before the first day of school or who have an equivalent from a foreign institution are eligible. Applicants must also take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) and register with the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC).

What are the standards for admission?
A candidate is evaluated on a number of factors, including whether the person is likely to succeed, whether he or she would benefit from a legal education at Rutgers Law, and what contributions he or she would make to the legal profession and to the public as members of the bar.

How do applicants present their personal and academic credentials?
Rutgers Law School recognizes that numerical credentials, while useful, do not capture many important factors relevant to a full understanding of an applicant’s aptitude for, and commitment to, studying the law and upholding the values of the legal profession.

Accordingly, Rutgers Law School conducts a broad holistic review of each applicant’s credentials. This includes your UGPA and LSAT score, but it also includes the evidence you provide us concerning your motivation, determination, and ability to overcome adversity; your engagement in extracurricular and community activities; your employment experience; your commitment to serving others; your academic background, including schools attended, course selection, and major; your personal background, including social, economic, and family circumstances; your personal accomplishments; and your potential to contribute to the overall richness and diversity of our student body.

How do I apply?
All applicants apply online via the LSAC

Am I required to take the LSAT?
All candidates for admission are required to take the LSAT–offered nine times a year–and must register with the Credential Assembly Service (CAS). If there are multiple scores, the most weight is given to the highest score. Though you can apply to law school before taking the LSAT, your file cannot be reviewed by the Admissions Committee until it is complete, which includes the LSAT score.

Is there an application fee? 
In an effort to reduce the financial barriers faced by applicants when applying to law school, Rutgers Law School does not charge an application fee.

Are there qualifications for admission to the bar that I should know before I start law school?
There are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar, according to the American Bar Association. Applicants should learn what those requirements are in states they intend to practice, before matriculating in law school. Admission to law school does not necessarily indicate that an applicant will be certified as having the requisite character and fitness to practice law by the relevant bar authorities.

What if I am an international applicant?
All international students are required to take the LSAT. TOEFL is not required but applicants may submit TOEFL scores separately if they choose. Other requirements for Rutgers Law international applicants include the I-20 and the Rutgers Affidavit of Support Form. Applicants with current F-1 visas must submit a photocopy of their I-94 card and complete the required paperwork with an authorized official at their present institution for an F-1 transfer.

Does Rutgers Law School seek to attract applicants from underrepresented groups?
Through the Minority Student Program, offered at locations both in Camden and Newark, any admitted student, regardless of race or ethnic origin, who has a history of socio-economic, educational, or cultural disadvantages can request to be part of the Minority Student Program. A student simply needs to express an interest to be considered for the program on his or her application.

Once my file is complete, when should I expect a decision?
Applications are initially reviewed in the order in which they are completed. Some applications receive an immediate decision; others are held for further review later in the cycle.

How do I apply for financial aid or scholarships?
Rutgers University is a direct-loan institution, and to be considered for a loan, students must complete the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as possible or visit our financial aid page. First-year applicants are automatically considered for merit scholarships at the time of admission, and recipients will be notified.

How do I choose which location campus to attend?
Rutgers Law School has two equally dynamic New Jersey locations in Camden and Newark. Applicants are encouraged to visit both locations when tours are operating. Because the campuses are roughly 90 miles apart, most students will stay at one location or another, but after completing the first-year required courses, they are allowed to freely move between campuses. Through our state-of-the-art immersive learning classroom, students at either location can also take courses in the holodeck. Convenient on-campus housing is available in Camden and Newark. Applicants can indicate a preference for a campus on the application, and they will be asked for a final decision on where they wish to attend for the required curriculum when they submit their deposit after admission.

Because Rutgers Law School is a single institution with a single admissions decision process, applicants do not “apply to the Camden campus” or “apply to the Newark campus.” All applications, and all admissions, are to Rutgers Law School. Applicants are asked to indicate a non-binding location preference on the application, but are not asked to make a firm commitment to a specific campus until after admission. As noted above, that commitment applies only to the first year of study.

What can I expect in the first-year program and upper class curriculum?
First-year students can choose between a full-time day program or a part-time evening one. A special admission program is available for international lawyers seeking a J.D. In Camden, admitted students can enroll in Summer Jump Start, a summer course that allows them to take one less class in the fall. Upperclass students have extensive opportunities to take part in hands-on learning through legal clinics, pro bono projects, advocacy teams, and externships. In addition, there are certificate programs in Corporate and Business Law, Criminal Law, and Family Law, which allow students to develop expertise in a specific area.

Do you offer dual degrees?
Students can complete their Rutgers Law degree and earn an additional graduate degree with one of Rutgers University’s other distinguished graduate programs through our various dual-degree programs.

Rutgers University Policy Prohibiting Discrimination and Harassment
This Policy discusses the university's prohibitions against discrimination and harassment based upon membership in enumerated protected classes, as well as the prohibitions against retaliation based upon the exercise of rights pursuant to the policy. The scope of the policy, as well as definitions of harassment and discrimination, and process for reporting violations is set forth at the Rutgers University Policy Library: Policy 60.1.2 Policy Prohibiting Discrimination and Harassment

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education. Sex discrimination includes sexual harassment and sexual assault. While it is often thought of as a law that applies to athletics programs, Title IX is much broader than athletics and applies to many programs at Rutgers.

This policy also references the process for reporting violations of the policy. Additional information on Title IX is available from Rutgers Student Affairs Compliance & Title IX.

View the Rutgers University Student Code of Conduct‣

Learn more about how Rutgers Law supports students with disabilities

Email: admissions@law.rutgers.edu

Camden
Rutgers Law School
Office of Admissions
217 North 5th Street
Camden, NJ 08102
(856) 225-6102
Newark
Rutgers Law School
Office of Admissions
123 Washington Street
Newark, NJ 07102
(973) 353-5554

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