Prospectus - Levin College of Law - University of Florida

as the difficulty of prior academic programs,
academic honors, letters of recommendation
from instructors or graduate training
may provide additional information about
academic preparation and potential. In some
cases, demonstrated interest, prior training
or a variety of experiences may indicate that
an applicant is particularly well-suited to take
advantage of specialized educational opportunities.
Information about work experience, leadership,
community service, overcoming prior
educational or socioeconomic disadvantages
or commitment to serve those for whom legal
services have been unavailable or difficult
to obtain may show that an applicant is in a
unique position to add to the diversity of the
law school community or to make significant
contributions to the practice of law.
TIMING OF ADMISSIONS DECISIONS
Applicants are notified of a decision as
early as November and notifications continue
through late April. The Admissions
Committee uses a modified rolling admissions
process. Files are reviewed in the
order in which they are completed, but
decisions are not necessarily made in the
order in which applications are received
and reviewed. With more than 3,200 applications,
the Levin College of Law uses
a holistic and comparative review process,
and many files are held for additional review
throughout the admissions cycle.
The Levin College of Law’s Application
Status Online allows applicants to
view their current application status, contact
information, receipt of materials such
as the resume, admissions statement, and
letters of recommendation and provides
applicants with a record of announcements
from the Levin College of Law
Office of Admissions. Please visit Application
Status Online at www.law.ufl.edu/admissions/applicationcheck.shtml.
INELIGIBILITY FOR ADMISSION
Applicants who have received a law degree
(or bachelor’s degree combined with a
law program) from a U.S. institution are not
eligible for admission to the Levin College
of Law.
A written request must include an
explanation of the new information as
well as valid reasons warranting reconsideration,
and should be submitted to
the Assistant Dean for Admissions, University
of Florida Levin College of Law,
141 Bruton-Geer Hall, P. O. Box 117622,
Gainesville, FL 32611-7622. The request
should be marked “Request for Reconsideration.”
J.D. APPLICATION PROCESS
I. REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Levin College of Law LSAC
Electronic Application
J.D. applicants are required to
use the Levin College of Law LSAC
electronic application available at
www.LSAC.org.
LSAT and CAS Report
All applicants are required to take
the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).
LSAT scores are valid for five years. In
the absence of documentation that a
candidate was ill, or that some other
unusual condition occurred during one
of the tests, all LSAT scores are considered.
Applicants should discuss score
differentiation in an addendum.
PREPARATION FOR LAW SCHOOL. Because legal careers are so varied, law
schools do not recommend any particular undergraduate major, but instead
expect students to possess the skills necessary for effective written and oral
communication and critical thinking. For additional information about prelaw
study, law school and the legal profession, consult the Official Guide to
ABA-Approved Law Schools, published annually by the Law School Admission
Council (LSAC) and the American Bar Association. The guide is available during
registration for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) or at www.lsac.org.
JURIS DOCTOR APPLICANTS
J.D. APPLICATION DEADLINE -
FALL 2012 ADMISSION
File and complete by March 15
Notification by mid-to-late April
Applicants must take the LSAT
no later than February 2012
SELECTION PROCESS
The Admissions staff and the Faculty Admissions
Committee base their selection on
the applicant’s academic credentials, including
LSAT score, UGPA, level of writing skills,
breadth of studies, and on other criteria,
including, but not limited to, the applicant’s
work and other life experience, leadership
experience, depth of particular interest, and
any other aspect of an applicant’s background
suggesting a suitability for the
study and practice of law.
PRIOR LAW SCHOOL ATTENDEES
Applicants who have attended another
law school must submit a written statement
describing their attendance, a complete
transcript, and a statement from their dean
indicating class rank and certifying they are in
good standing and eligible to return to the
institution as a continuing student. Those not
in good standing or ineligible to return as
a continuing student are not eligible to apply
to the Levin College of Law. In addition,
credit is not given for correspondence courses
or other work completed in residence at a
non-ABA accredited law school.
PETITIONING FOR RECONSIDERATION
Applicants who have been denied admission
can request reconsideration only in cases
where the applicant has learned of significant
additional information that was not available
at the time of the original application. The
Admissions Committee’s original decision
would have been based upon all academic
and nonacademic information included in
the original application. Information about
events, such as grades or awards, occurring
after the March 15 file completion deadline
cannot be considered. The Committee’s
decision on a petition for reconsideration is
final and is not subject to further appeal.
Applicants are required to register
with LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service
(CAS), which centralizes and standardizes
undergraduate academic records and
provides them to the law schools to which
candidates apply. Registration is valid for
five years from the date that the LSAT/
CAS registration form is processed. Applicants
must ensure that undergraduate
transcripts from each college, university
or high school/university dual enrollment
program attended are on file with the
CAS, and that they have selected the University
of Florida Levin College of Law as
one of the law schools to which the CAS
Law School Report should be sent. Sending
a transcript from only one institution
attended is not sufficient even if the tran-
PROSPECTUS 49