Transfer Application Components

Transfer Application Components

• Online Transfer Application

  To apply for transfer admission, please submit the application and required materials via the HLS Transfer Application Portal. 

  The 2023 application is now closed. The Fall Term 2024 transfer application will open in May 2024.

   

• Application Fee

  We require a nonrefundable application fee of $85.00, payable to Harvard Law School.

  If payment of the application fee would pose a financial hardship, we recommend applying for a need-based fee waiver directly from HLS by completing the HLS Transfer Fee Waiver Request Form.

  The HLS Fee Waiver Request Form for those applying for Fall Term 2024 enrollment will open in May 2024 and will close in early June 2024. We cannot accommodate any fee waiver requests made after that date.

  HLS Transfer Fee Waiver Request Form

• Resume

  We require a resume as part of the application. Please limit your resume to one or two pages in length. Please include your expected summer activities even if you have not officially begun the position.

  The following links are to sample resumes from successful applicants in prior years. You do not have to follow the formatting used in these resumes, but all three are examples of well-organized, easy-to-read drafts.

  • Sample 1
  • Sample 2
  • Sample 3
• LSAT or GRE Score

  All transfer applicants to the J.D. program must submit any LSAT and/or GRE scores utilized for their 1L application.

• Official Transcripts

  We require transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work, including your first-year law school grades.

  You must submit an unofficial scanned copy or electronic version of transcripts at the point of application. Transcripts from study abroad programs are not required if the courses, grades, and credits appear on the transcript for your degree-granting institution. Ensure that the name of the institution, your name, and other identifying marks are clearly legible in any copy you submit.

  You will also need to submit your law school grades for the entire first year. We realize that it may be difficult to obtain Spring semester grades until after the application deadline. Please provide a tentative grade report at the point of application submission, and then promptly provide a complete 1L grade report when is available. You will be able to upload this grade report via your application status checker.

• Letters of Recommendation

  Two letters of recommendation are required, but you may submit up to three. At least one letter of recommendation must be from a law professor at your current law school. Additional letters should come from faculty members or employers who have had an opportunity to evaluate you carefully and individually over a sufficient period of time to make a reasonable evaluation.

  Our experience is that two thoughtfully selected recommenders are likely to be more effective than several chosen less carefully.

  Your reference writers should submit their letters via the Letter of Recommendation module accessed through the HLS Transfer Application Portal.

• Written Statements

  Every applicant must submit both a Statement of Purpose and a Statement of Perspective, responding to the prompts below. Each Statement must be one to two pages in length, using double-spacing, one-inch margins, and a font size that is comfortable to read (no smaller than 11 point). We expect every applicant to use at least one full page for each Statement.

  Statement of Purpose: What motivates you to pursue law? How does attending law school align with your ambitions, goals, and vision for your future? Please also address your reason(s) for applying for transfer admission.

  Statement of Perspective: The Admissions Committee makes every effort to understand who you are as an individual and potential Harvard Law School student and graduate. Please share how your experiences, background, and/or interests have shaped you and will shape your engagement in the HLS community and the legal profession.

• Additional Information

  We encourage you to provide any relevant information that may be helpful to us in making an informed decision on your candidacy. If you need additional space beyond the application questions and required materials, you may include a brief addendum.

• College Certification Form

  We require a College Certification form from your 1L law school by the application deadline. Admitted transfer students must submit College Certification forms from all previously attended post-secondary institutions.

  • The College Certification form is not the same as a transcript. In addition to requesting confirmation of expected conferral of your degree, the College Certification form also requests information about possible academic or behavioral disciplinary actions. Detailed instructions on how to submit the College Certification form are located at the beginning of the form.
  • If admitted into our Transfer Cohort, please be aware that HLS requires a College Certification form from any post-secondary institution that you have attended, regardless of whether you received a degree from the institution. The deadline to submit these is late July. Precise dates and requirements will be communicated to admitted students in early July.
  • It is not necessary for the person completing the form to know you. School officials who have access to academic and disciplinary records may complete certifications.
  • Each institution is different, but usually a Dean of Students or Pre-Law Advisor’s office completes this form. The form is usually completed on the basis of the school’s records.
  • Questions about the College Certification process, and the transfer application process, should be directed to transferadmissions@law.harvard.edu.

  College Certification Form

• Interview

  During the application review process you may be invited to interview. These interviews will happen throughout mid to late June. The Admissions Office will contact you directly to set up an interview.