J.D. Applicants

Status Checker

Overview

The J.D. (Juris Doctor) at Harvard Law School is a three-year program of study that first gives students the intellectual foundations for legal study and practice, and then gives students the opportunity to focus their studies on areas of particular interest through advanced classes, clinics, and legal writing projects.

Eligibility

All applicants must hold or expect to hold a bachelor’s degree (or international equivalent) prior to August of the year for which they apply to enter (except in cases where all requirements are met prior to September and degree conferral occurs after September).

Applicants may apply for admission to Harvard Law School through the regular J.D. application no more than three times. Applications submitted via the Junior Deferral Program (JDP) and the J.D. Transfer pathways do not count towards this cap.

Ineligible candidates who submit an application will not be considered for admission and will not receive an application fee reimbursement.

Apply

Application Timeline

  • Apply for Admission

    The application for Fall Term 2023 enrollment is now closed. We expect the application for Fall Term 2024 enrollment to be available through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) website in September 2023.

  • Submission Deadline

    The application for Fall Term 2023 enrollment closes on February 20, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

  • Decision Release

    The J.D. Admissions Office will begin releasing decisions for Fall Term 2023 applicants in January 2023. We aim to notify all applicants of their admission decision by early April.

    Applications are reviewed approximately in the order in which they are completed. We appreciate your patience with the process of providing individual consideration to each application.

    Visit our blog for more information on important dates for the 2022–2023 application cycle.

Application Toolkit

We compiled the application resources, information, and advice from across our website to help you put together an application that best reflects your abilities and readiness for Harvard Law School.

Application Toolkit

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Recruitment Events & Information Sessions

Learn more about the law school admissions process and HLS community through our online resources and in-person events this fall.

Connect with Admissions

1L Class Profile

Meet the Class of 2025

HLS 1L Profile and Facts

J.D. Admissions Blog

  • Featured image for Announcing Dates for the 2023 Junior Deferral Program (JDP) Application Cycle article

    Announcing Dates for the 2023 Junior Deferral Program (JDP) Application Cycle

    The Junior Deferral Program (JDP) application launches in less than a month! Our office looks forward to reviewing applications for the 2023 JDP cycle. We want to provide you with an expected timeline for this year’s cycle to maintain transparency and to help applicants plan ahead as they navigate their summers. Here is our expected

    March 10, 2023

  • Featured image for The Waitlist Before May 1 article

    The Waitlist Before May 1

    With our first release of waitlist decisions today, I thought it might be a good time for a post addressing this in-between stage before May 1. Waitlisted applicants often ask: what should you do between now and May 1?

    February 15, 2023

  • Featured image for Student Voices: The Armenian Law Students Association (ALSA) article

    Student Voices: The Armenian Law Students Association (ALSA)

    The Armenian Law Students Association (ALSA) at Harvard Law School, led by co-presidents Gayane Matevosyan J.D. ’23 and Arman Smigielski J.D. ’23, cultivates an environment where Armenian students on campus can celebrate their cultural heritage, raise awareness about issues affecting the Armenian community, and host guest speakers who share valuable insight about their advocacy efforts

    February 13, 2023