To apply to this program, you must meet one of the following:

  • Have earned a JD degree from a law school in the United States that is a member of the Association of American Law Schools or approved by the American Bar Association.
  • Have earned a foreign law degree from a school that is accredited within its country similar to accreditation by the American Bar Association.  If the home country bar exam does not require a specific degree to allow one to practice law, applicants should either be experienced members of the bar, have completed the first university degree in law, or have completed a multi-year master's program in law with a course of study of at least three years.

APPLICATION

  1. Apply online with LSAC. The application deadline is April 1.
  2. Statement of Purpose: The statement of purpose form is part of the online application.  All applicants must complete the statement of purpose.
  3. Letters of Recommendation: You must submit three letters of recommendation.  At least two should be from law professors who can comment on your critical thinking, writing skills, and potential for success in law school.  They should give some idea, if possible, of where you stand in class rank.  Letters of recommendation, along with transcripts, should provide evidence that applicants are serious students with a solid record of academic and professional achievement.
  4. Official Transcripts: Official copies of academic records of coursework completed in colleges, universities, technical institutes, and professional institutions are required, in English, regardless of the duration of study or of whether you obtained a degree.  The College of Law participates in LSAC's Credential Assembly Service.   You are responsible for submitting to LSAC an official transcript from each institution you have attended.
  5. TOEFL or IELTS: International students whose first language is not English must take the TOEFL or IELTS and submit their score.  Applicants who have completed a bachelor's degree in the US, or an equivalent degree at an accredited English-language university in Australia, Canada (excluding Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, or the United Kingdom are exempt from this requirement.  Most students accepted to the program have TOEFL scores above 92 (Internet)/580 (written), an overall IELTS score of at least 7.0 with no subsections below 6.5. Waiver of the TOEFL or IELTS requirements is not normally granted. The University's code for all exams is 6681.  For more information, visit www.ets.org/toefl.  Additionally, non-native speakers of English will be tested for language skills at matriculation and may be required to take English as a Second Language classes before or concurrently with law courses.
  6. Financial Statement: If you are admitted to the program, you will need to submit evidence of adequate financial support to cover the costs of one full year of study at the University of Iowa.  You should complete the financial statement with your application to move through the visa process more quickly.  Your admission cannot be finalized without completing this form to show the financial ability to provide the necessary support.

Additional information about the program is available under Academics.