JD Applicants

Each applicant must have earned (or will have earned within the first quarter of law school) a baccalaureate degree from an accredited U.S. university (or its equivalent from a foreign institution). You should arrange to have all post-secondary transcripts included with your CAS report when you apply. 

Every Baylor Law student is required to submit official transcripts from each institution of higher education in which the student was enrolled prior to matriculation at Baylor Law to verify all academic credits undertaken and all degrees conferred. If the transcript(s) included with the law school application is/are the final transcript(s), nothing additional is needed.  For Fall starters, all transcripts are due by October 15. For Spring and Summer starters, all transcripts are due by the Monday of the fourth week of class. Unless an exception is approved by the Associate Dean on the basis of extraordinary circumstances, a student will not be allowed to enroll in the second quarter of law school until all transcripts are received.  

Each applicant must take the LSAT. The Admissions Committee will see all reported scores from the prior five test years. You should take the LSAT (and have a reported score) prior to the application deadline for the quarter for which you are applying. 

We require one letter of recommendation but will accept up to three letters. Letters from professors, employers, or other individuals who can attest to your ability to enter a rigorous, professional program are beneficial. A letter from someone who does not know you well is of no value and does not enhance your file.

You should request your letter(s) in advance of the application deadlines, and your letter(s) must be submitted through the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service. We cannot accommodate any requests to hold application files awaiting additional letters of recommendation.

Baylor Law does not have an application fee. 

Baylor Law operates on a quarter system and enrolls entering students in three of its four quarters: Spring (February), Summer (May), and Fall (August). The application pool for the Fall class is larger than the application pool for the Spring and Summer classes, making admission into the Fall class more competitive. An applicant can apply for admission to more than one quarter at a time. To apply to more than one quarter, submit a separate application for each quarter for which you want to be considered.

There is one slight exception to the requirement that you apply for each quarter separately: our Fall application asks if you would like to be considered for the following Spring if you are not admitted to the Fall term. If you answer “yes,” your Fall file will be reactivated (i.e., copied) in June or July, and you will receive separate consideration for the following Spring term. The copy is a point-in-time process, so if you plan on submitting a CAS report (e.g., a new LSAT score or new transcript), you must let us know prior to the reactivation point and must submit a new application.

Baylor Law offers optional interviews. Click here for more information. 

In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission 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 that jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners. 

Since you are applying for admission to a program that may prepare you for an occupational license, Texas law requires that Baylor notify you of your potential ineligibility to obtain a license due to prior criminal convictions. Additional information can be found at statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/OC/htm/OC.53.htm.

See additional information about licensure here: https://professionaleducation.web.baylor.edu/state-authorizations-licensure/professional-licensure-disclosure-program/juris-doctor.

Baylor University does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, citizenship, immigration status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, genetic information or the refusal to submit to a genetic test, past, current or prospective service in the uniformed military service, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, Texas, or local law (“Protected Characteristics”). These Protected Characteristics are interpreted consistently with relevant and applicable law.

Baylor University admits students of any Protected Characteristic to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of any Protected Characteristic in employment or in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

The University is controlled by a predominantly Baptist Board of Regents and is operated within the Christian-oriented aims and ideals of Baptists. Baylor is also affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, a cooperative association of autonomous Texas Baptist churches. Baylor’s commitment to equal opportunity and respect of others does not undermine the validity and effect of the constitutional and statutory protections for its religious liberty, including, without limitation, the religious organization exemption under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the religious exemption to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, among others.

As a religiously controlled institution of higher education, the University prescribes standards of personal conduct. While the University does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, per se, it does regulate conduct that is inconsistent with the religious values and beliefs that are integral to its Christian faith mission. See the Baylor Statement on Human Sexuality at https://www.baylor.edu/risk/doc.php/343044.pdf. This policy statement is neither intended to discourage, nor is it in fact applicable to, any analytical discussion of law and policy issues involved, or to discussions of any recommendations for changes in existing law. Discussions of these matters are both practiced and are welcomed within our curriculum.

For additional information, visit the Baylor University Student Policies & Procedures webpage.