Application Deadlines

Regular

FEBRUARY 29, 2024

Early Decision

NOVEMBER 15, 2023

We will accept applications for the 2023–2024 academic year between August 28, 2023, and February 29, 2024. Filing of the application form alone is sufficient to meet the regular-decision deadline of February 29.

However, because we use a rolling admissions process (that is, we review applications in the order in which they are completed), applicants are encouraged to submit Michigan’s application form and all supporting documentation as early as possible in the admissions season. 

Applicants who submit supporting materials after the February 29 deadline may be at a disadvantage.

  • Required Application Materials

    The following materials are necessary to complete an application. Once these materials are received, an application will be submitted for review; further materials may be added later, but we cannot delay the submission of the file for initial review while we wait for additional materials. 

    • Valid LSAT score, taken between June 2018 and January 2024; scores from later tests will be considered but may hinder chance of admission.
    • Current LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) registration
      • Send all undergraduate transcripts directly from the undergraduate institution(s) to CAS.
      • If international work is completed through a study abroad, consortium, or exchange program sponsored by a U.S. or Canadian institution, and the credits for that work are clearly indicated as such on the home campus transcript, you do not need to send the international transcript.
      • Send all graduate transcripts directly from graduate institution(s) to CAS.
    • Completed application form for the University of Michigan’s J.D. program. For advice about how to answer particular questions on our application, you may find it useful to check out our annotated screenshots of the LSAC FlexApp.
    • Application fee or fee waiver
      • All applications for admission must be accompanied either by a $75 application fee or by a fee waiver. The application fee may be paid for with a credit card via LSAC. If you cannot use a credit card, you may instead mail us a check drawn on a US bank, made payable to the University of Michigan. We cannot accept cash. 
      • We offer several types of application fee waivers. We waive the application fees of candidates who meet any of the following criteria: 
        • US military members and veterans 
        • Corps members and alumni of City Year, AmeriCorps, and Teach for America
        • Applicants who demonstrate serious financial hardship (including, but not limited to, any candidate who receives an LSAC Fee Waiver)
      • To request a fee waiver based on any of these criteria, please visit this page on our website. If your request is granted, we will email you a fee waiver coupon number that can be entered on the payment page at the time you transmit your application through LSAC. Please be assured that requesting a fee waiver has no bearing on our admissions decisions; the application reviewers will not have that information available to them. We employ a need0blind admissions process and welcome and encourage applicants from all socio-economic backgrounds. 
      • We also give application fee waivers through LSAC's Candidate Referral Service, based on candidates' LSATs and UGPAs, We send letters and emails to recipients to make them aware they've been selected, and the waiver will appear automatically in LSAC's application checkout. To be considered for a CRS waivers, you must have an active CRS account indication your intended enrollment year, as well as both an LSAT/LSAT-Flex score and a self-reported or LSAC calculated UGPA. 
    • One to three letters of recommendation
      • Send directly to Michigan Law School by the recommender or by a college placement office, or through the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service.
      • Each letter must be accompanied by a signed declaration of the applicant’s intent regarding access to the letter.
    • Personal statement and any optional essays
    • Certification that application is true and accurate. You may sign the certification on the application or, if you submit electronically, use the electronic certification option. (If you prefer, you may instead sign a hard copy of the Certification Letter and mail it directly to the Law School, even if you otherwise apply electronically through LSAC.)
  • Application Timeline

    We know that applying to law school can be stressful, which is why we try to be as transparent as possible about our process. This timeline can help you understand what to expect from our office once you’ve submitted your application.

    Event

    Admissions Office Response

    Timeframe

    Application submitted

    Email acknowledgment

    Within 1 business day

    Application begins being processed in the Admissions Office

    Email sent from Admissions Office with status-check log-in

    Within 5-7 business days of acknowledgment email

    Application complete and under review

    Online status checker will change to "complete"

    Within three weeks of status-check email, OR Admissions Office receipt of all materials (including LSAC report), whichever comes last

    Decision

    Communication sent from Admissions Office

    Typically within 10 weeks of file’s completion

  • Applicants with Disabilities

    Prospective Applicants

    If you think you may be entitled to accommodation on the LSAT, whether extra time for a learning disability or some adaptation for a physical disability, you should certainly apply to the Law School Admissions Council; forms are available on the LSAC's website

    Often applicants worry that accommodation will reflect negatively on them in the application process, but due to changes in LSAC practices, accommodated scores will no longer be “flagged,” and whether you received accommodations will therefore not be evident to admissions offices. 

    Further, if you are entitled to accommodation and do not utilize it, it is likely that your score will be negatively affected; while we would take into account any contextual information you provide about why the score may not be predictive for you, you would nonetheless be better off simply to have a more favorable score in the first instance. 

    For a detailed FAQ on the subject of accommodated testing, visit the LSAC's website. Please be aware that the accommodation process can be time-intensive, and it would be to your benefit to apply for accommodation well in advance of when you intend to sit for the test.

    If you apply for accommodation but the LSAC does not grant it, we would encourage you to provide us with any information that you think would allow us to more accurately gauge your score. Likewise, we encourage you to provide us with any information about your disability that you think is relevant to an evaluation of your academic background, work history, or any other element of your admissions materials.

    Admitted Applicants

    Michigan Law is strongly committed to supporting those of our students who have physical or learning disabilities. If you think you may be entitled to special disability accommodations from the Law School, please read these instructions for information about how to apply.  

    It is very helpful if you contact us as early as possible following admission in order to allow us enough time to work closely with you to address any concerns you may have.