Each year, we admit a select number of outstanding transfer students to complete their JD degrees at USC Gould.
You may apply for Binding Early Decision, Nonbinding Early Action, or Nonbinding Regular Decision. Applicants from schools with yearlong classes that do not report official first-semester grades for those classes will not be eligible to apply for either type of Early Decision admission.
Early Action acceptances are not binding on the applicant. If you wish to be bound by the decision as an indication of your strong interest in USC Gould, you should apply to Binding Early Decision. There is one application for both programs. You will indicate your preference within the application.
Acceptance through Early Decision is conditional upon your maintaining a position in the top 20 percent of your first-year class at the completion of your entire first year as a full-time student only.
To be eligible to apply as a transfer student to USC Gould, you must:
If you have completed more than one year of law school, you are not eligible to apply as a transfer student; however, if you have completed two full years of credits, you may apply as aΒ visiting studentΒ for your third year.
Most transfer students will not have to retake first-year courses already completed at their original law school. However, transfer coursework is accepted on a credit-only basis, and courses in our first-year curriculum that you have not already taken must be successfully completed during your first year at USC Gould.
Advanced standing credit will be granted for no more than 29 semester units. Credits toward a USC Gould JD may not be given for all courses taken elsewhere. You must complete a minimum of 58 units of credit at USC Gould. Transfer students must meet all other degree requirements.
Students transferring to USC Gould are not eligible to take courses at other USC schools and departments for credit. Nor are transfer students eligible for dual degrees or study abroad programs. However, you will be eligible for consideration for USC GouldΒ clinics,Β moot court and student journals, as well as Order of the Coif.
If admitted, your USC Gould grade point average will only reflect work done at USC.
To be considered, you must apply by theΒ deadlineΒ and include the following application components:
The application fee for transfer applicants is $80 and no fee waivers are available. The only exception to this policy is for applicants who apply via the early transfer application program.
Early Decision transfer applicants will receive a decision in early May. Nonbinding regular admissions applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, with decisions generally made in early July. You will be notified via email and postal mail. No admissions decisions will be released over the phone.
Transfer students are not eligible for USC Gould scholarship consideration. However, you may apply for student loans β including federal Stafford loans, federal Plus loans and private educational loans.
Transfer applicants interested in receivingΒ financial aidΒ are responsible for obtaining forms and meeting all deadlines. Please note that the financial aid filing deadlines are in February, long before the admission deadline.
