application
All applicants are required to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), administered nationwide by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) each October, December, February, and June. South Texas will not consider an LSAT score from a test administered more that five years prior to the beginning of the semester for which application for admission is made. Applicants (except those with degrees from foreign institutions, as discussed below) must also register with the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS). Each applicant is responsible for making his or her own arrangements to take the LSAT and for submitting official transcripts of all undergraduate work to LSDAS for evaluation. Applicants must have earned a baccalaureate degree from a college or university listed in the Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education published by the American Council on Education. s

The Law Services Information Book, explaining the registration procedures for the LSAT and LSDAS, can be obtained by writing LSAC at Box 2000, 661 Penn Street, Newtown, Pa., 18940-0998, by calling LSAC at (215) 968-1001, or on the world wide web at www.lsac.org. Depending upon availability, the Information Book may also be picked up at South Texas in the admissions Office. Postage costs preclude South Texas from mailing the Information Book to applicants.

the admissions process
The admission process requires that each applicant (1) take the LSAT and register with LSDAS (as described above); (2) fully complete and sign the application for admission (located at the back of this bulletin) paying special attention to instructions about disclosures and updates; and (3) pay the $50, non­refundable application fee. In addition, each applicant must submit a resume of employment and a detailed personal statement setting forth the applicant's unique individual qualifications, interests, and aspirations for the study of law. The personal statement is preferred to be in a font size of 11 or larger and be double spaced.  It may be up to three pages in length. Two letters of recommendation also are required, a third will be accepted. The letters must be submitted through the Letter of Recommendation Service offered by LSAC. All other items will be discarded. The application, personal statement and resume should be post­marked no later than February 15 for fall consideration and October 1 for spring consideration. Deadlines are the same for full-time and part-time applicants.

PLEASE NOTE: Once an application has been submitted, it must become complete six weeks following the deadline. Applications that remain incomplete by this deadline will be ineligible for committee review.

Submitting letters of recommendation
South Texas requires that letters of recommendation be submitted through the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service that serves all member schools.

This service is included in your LSDAS Registration subscription. Your letters will be copied and sent to us along with your LSDAS Report. To use the service, follow the directions for submitting letters outlined in the 2004-2005 LSAT/LS­DAS Registration and Information Book, page 21. Be sure to fill out and give each person preparing a letter for you a letter of recommendation form from the LSAT/LSDAS Registration and Information Book.

Submitting an application

Applications submitted to Law School Admission Council for transmission to South Texas will be considered postmarked on the day they were electronically submitted. Subscriptions to LSACD and LSACD On the Web are available at www.lsac.org.

Subscriptions to LSACD and LSACD on the web are available at www.LSAC.org.



Foreign degree applicants

Applicants with degrees from foreign institutions are required to take the LSAT and register with LSDAS. Applicants are also urged to utilize the J.D. Credential Service (JDCAS).This is a service available as part of LSDAS at no additional expense to the applicant beyond the standard LSDAS fees. This service is for all applicants who have completed work at any foreign institution outside the U.S. and in Canada. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is not required of foreign applicants. The TOEFL cannot be substituted for the required foreign credential evaluation. Any student who is not a U.S. citizen and holds a temporary visa (FI-JI) is classified as an international student. In addition to meeting standard admission requirements, these applicants must submit:

• A copy of immigration documentation when submitting application
• Letter of Financial Backing (U.S. citizens and permanent residents are exempt) as foreign students are not eligible for scholarships, grants or financial aid.

Application evaluation
An admission decision cannot be made until an applicants file is complete. A complete application file (received by February 15 for fall and October 1 for spring) consists of the following items:

• Completed and signed application for admission (sent directly to us or through LSACD on the Web)
  
• $50 Application fee
  
• Official LSAT score received from LSDAS
  
• Official LSDAS evaluation received from LSDAS or foreign credential evaluation received from a recognized service
  
• Resume of employment
  
• Personal statement
  
• Two letters of recommendation
  
• Immigration document (if not a U.S. citizen

Applicants are encouraged to complete their files before the applicable deadline date to avoid any unforeseen problems. However, the majority of decisions are made following the application deadline. Many students are admitted primarily on the basis of their LSAT score and their cumulative undergraduate grade point average. A significant percentage of each class, however, is chosen on the basis of other factors, such as exceptional personal or academic achievement (not necessarily demonstrated in academic testing assessments); letters of recommendation; work, community service, or life experiences; leadership potential; a history of overcoming adversity and hardship; and a talent for communicating effectively. Every attempt is made to evaluate the applicant as an individual, a prospective student, and a future professional.

Transfer applicants
To be admitted with advanced standing, a transfer applicant must have earned credit for at least 24 semester hours at an ABA-accredited law school. The college will not award credit for more than 30 semester hours earned at another law school. Transfer applicants are required to submit the following: a completed and signed application for admission; the application fee; a copy of the applicant's most recent LSDAS evaluation report; an official letter of good standing from the law school from which the applicant is attempting to transfer; personal statement; resume; two letters of recommendation; and preferably, an official transcript reflecting all law grades earned. If you are waiting for your final grades, we ask that you send your application and supporting documentation before the June 15 deadline and an official transcript as soon as that is available. Decisions on transfer files cannot be made, however, until all the above items are received.

visiting applicants
A student from another ABA-accredited law school may apply to South Texas as a visiting student, subject to availability of space. Visiting students must submit an application for admission, an application fee, and a letter of good standing from their law school indicating that transfer credit will be accepted towards the student’s degree program. Visiting students will be required to pay registration fees and tuition in full at the time of registration. Visiting students are prohibited from applying as a transfer student once they have visited at South Texas.

Notices of critical importance
South Texas College of Law admits students of any race, color, national, or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, age, race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, or disability, or in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan program, and other school-administered programs.

South Texas College of Law does not represent, warrant, or claim that by attending or graduating from the law school an accepted applicant will pass the bar exam or be accepted to the bar in any state. In addition, South Texas College of Law does not represent, warrant, or claim that by attending or graduating from the law school or by subsequently being admitted to the bar of any state, an accepted applicant to the law school will become employed in a legal position or will receive a higher average starting salary than such applicant might otherwise be in a position to receive.

While every effort is made to provide accurate and current information, South Texas College of Law reserves the right to change, without notice, statements in the Admissions Bulletin concerning rules, policies, fees, curricula, or other matters. Publications of South Texas College of Law are not contractual. The faculty and administration may make changes at any time and may make them applicable to students enrolled before and/or after the changes are made.

Financial Aid Website:

http://www.e-fao.com/stcl/student

---

South Texas Home | News and Events | Message from the Dean | Perspective Students | Registrar | Centers of ExcellenceFaculty |  Student Organizations | Study Abroad | Stanley (Portal - restricted access) | Alumni and Development Services
Career Resourses Center  |  Continuing Legal Education | Employment Opportunities | Bookstore