Guide to Law School Transfer Admissions

Making the decision to transfer law schools is never an easy one. Transferring to a different law school after 1L year can reshape your entire legal journey (for better or for worse), and it’s important to consider all of the possibilities before making that choice.

Below is a guide that students considering transferring should take into account before moving forward with their application, including the pros and cons of transferring and the differences in the transfer application cycle.

Pros of Transferring Law Schools

As a transfer student, there are some pros to making a law school change during your career. While they should always be weighed against the cons, many of these make a strong case for changing programs.

Complete a More Reputable Program

If you weren’t admitted to your reach schools when you first applied, transferring may give you the option to try again with a stronger application. After spending a semester or two with a different program that you were accepted into, you can take advantage of transfer admissions to enter your dream school. You also may have realized that the law school that you’re currently enrolled in doesn’t have the resources that you had hoped, which can be another push to go to a better-ranked school.

It is worth noting, however, that a good law school according to the rankings is not always a good law school for you. If you are going to transfer solely for the sake of going to a higher-ranked school, you may want to reconsider.

Relocate to the Area You Will Be Working

Sometimes law firms will start scouting out students early in their law school career, especially for summer associate programs. If you were accepted into one of these programs that is in a different area, then it may be worth relocating to a program closer. If you realized that you want to work in a different area than where you are currently attending law school, then relocating may also be a good option for you. This gives you direct access to potential employers in the area and they can start establishing a network of contacts. It also means that you may be better prepared to take the bar exam in that state.

As a reminder, however, you do not have to go to law school in the place where you plan to practice. It may be easier to some degree, but you should still be able to have a successful career if you go to school in a different state or area.

More Compatible With Your Lifestyle

Some students need to make a transfer to accommodate their lifestyle so that they can be successful. Not all programs are the same, and some have more in-person demands that cannot be met by all students. Transferring to a more flexible program may be the right answer for a student who needs more flexibility.

It is also important that a law school meets your needs socially. If you are finding that there is a lack of community for you where you are currently enrolled or you don’t like the social life options in areas off-campus, that may be an indicator that transferring schools will be better for you. This is particularly important for BIPOC and other marginalized students; that community will help bolster you throughout law school, and not having it can be incredibly difficult.

Alumni Community Access

One of the biggest resources available for law school students is the alumni community. The legal field relies on networking and that has a foundation in alumni relations. While a student may be transferring to a program of equal quality, they could secure a stronger alumni network base. Make sure to do research on a school’s alumni programs, including how they stay in contact with alumni, what events they have once you graduate, and more.

We stress your alumni community because this is the alumni network that you will have for the rest of your life. It’s not just someone a network you can tug on while you’re in law school, but you can still use those connections thirty years after you graduated.

Cons of Transferring Law Schools

While there are some good reasons to make the transfer to a new law school program, there are a few downsides that you should be aware of before deciding to make a change.

Breaking Relationships with Faculty Members

Because law school programs admit small cohorts each academic year, relationships with instructors begin right away. Becoming established in these relationships help build networking opportunities in the future when looking for internships and full-time employment. When a student decides to transfer out of a program, that relationship may not be as secure as it once was. If you hope to maintain these relationships, you will have to put in active effort once you transfer, while also putting active effort into creating new relationships with your new school’s faculty members.

That leads us to another con, which is restarting when it comes to relationships with faculty. Faculty members will welcome you with open arms, but there still may be a harder barrier to cross than students they may have already had during 1L year.

Rebuilding Community

On a similar note, transferring means that you will have to restart when it comes to friend groups, student organizations, and other communities that you may find while in law school. If you weren’t having a successful time building community at your first law school, this may be a good opportunity, but it can still be intimidating.

When it comes to student organizations or journals, sometimes you will be set back because of different nominations or inductions during 1L year. These kinds of extracurricular activities are essential for building your resume and networking, so ensure that you are ready to put in potential extra work to join organizations and potentially gain leadership roles.

Potentially Not Enjoying Your New Program

It is important to understand that just because you have changed your program does not mean that your law school experience will suddenly be amazing. There is a lot that goes into a good law school experience — the people you’re with, the programs you have access to, the life you have outside of law school, etc. You can’t guarantee that going to a different law school will put all of these things into the right place. After all, you likely went into your first program assuming that everything was going to be perfect.

If you’re planning to transfer, it is essential that you take stock of why you really want to transfer. This will help you answer some of these pros and cons yourself. Is it that you don’t feel a sense of community with your classmates? Is it because the school doesn’t have a strong program for the specific area of law you’re interested in? Is law school simply not what you expected and maybe you should consider other paths? Understanding why you want to transfer law schools is key to understanding if transferring is actually the right option for you.

Going Through the Admissions Process Again

You may be reading that subtitle and thinking that you already knew you would have to go through the process again, but it’s important to fully consider what that might look like for you. How was your application process the first time? Are you prepared to put in the same amount of effort again, on top of other responsibilities like school, work, or other commitments? Many students tell us that applying was really difficult for them the first time around because of the amount of time that goes into it. If you’re not willing to put the same effort into your transfer applications, you may not get the results you hope for.

Listen to our podcast episode on transfer admissions with Kristi Jobson, the Assistant Dean for Admissions and Chief Admissions Officer at Harvard Law School, on our podcast or a shortened version on our blog.

I reviewed the pros and cons and still want to transfer. What do my next steps look like?

Your experience applying to law school as a transfer applicant will likely be different than your experience as a first-year applicant. Admissions is looking for different things in a transfer applicant, which makes you a different candidate entirely as a transfer than you may have been when you applied to that school a year before. Your application materials will also look slightly different than they did your first time applying.

Current Program Transcript and LSAT Scores

While your undergraduate transcripts will be required, an official transcript from your current program is also required. This transcript should show any earned grades and in-progress courses if the school provides that format. If in-progress courses are not listed on the transcript, make sure a current schedule is added, as well. If you apply before you have grades back from your first semester, make sure you are updating the admissions committee with your grades as soon as you receive them.

The GPA on the current transcript will be utilized heavily in their decision. In first-year admissions, the LSAT is used as an indicator of what your grades may look like in law school; as a transfer applicant, admissions is looking at the real deal and weighing that more heavily. That said, your most recent LSAT scores should be uploaded into the transfer application so that they can be reviewed. 

Updated Admission Essay(s)

As a transfer student, your admissions essays need to reflect the reasons why transferring is essential for you and your career goals. You should not be submitting the same essays that you submitted as a first-year applicant. Especially if this is a law school you’ve applied to before, they will have your original essays on record and they did read them. You want to show how you have grown since you last applied and what makes you sure that transferring to their school is right for you.

Another great topic to discuss is a change in career goals. If you decided that you’re interested in a specific area of law that your current law school doesn’t have a great program for, explain what excites you about the school you’re applying to’s program. However, you should not use this space to talk badly about the law school that you are currently attending. It should be entirely focused on the experiences that led you to want to transfer and how transferring will help you blossom.

Reminder: We always suggest that students submit all optional essays if possible to give admissions a better picture of you.

Current Resume

Your current resume should include all of your educational backgrounds, including the current program you’re attending. Any internships, volunteering positions, awards, or other opportunities should be up-to-date.

Letters of Recommendation

In most cases, it is customary to submit two to three letters of recommendation for the new program. While a student can use letters written when they were initially admitted, obtaining current letters of recommendation from current instructors will further encourage the transfer committee to consider that student. This is exceptionally important in cases where students are attempting to transfer to a more reputable program. Directors and supervisors at current internships are also great options for new letters of recommendation. 

Essential Addendums

If there are any gaps in the resume, transcript, or other documents, the student can supply addendums for review. These items should be used strictly to support the application and clarify any potential concerns. They should not be long and drawn out, causing more confusion. Simply explain the situation at hand, give all of the essential details, and make sure not to shift blame onto something else.

Final Thoughts

Making the decision to transfer law schools is not an easy choice to make. There are a lot of different factors to consider, with everything from finding friends to finding a strong program for the area of law that you’re interested in.

Our team of law school admissions consultants can help you decide if transferring is right for you and help you with applications if it is! We offer one-off strategy calls, where we can discuss your options and help you get more personalized advice and feedback on this pro-con list together. Once you decide to apply, we offer a comprehensive transfer admissions package with sliding scale pricing to make it affordable for many! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to hello@smontgomeryconsulting.com to help you get started.