The extent of credit allowed for work completed elsewhere will be determined by the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs; however, a student will not be allowed credit for work completed in another ABA-accredited law school unless the student receives a grade of “C” or its equivalent, and only in exceptional cases will credit for such transferred work be in excess of 32 semester hours. Preference is given to West Virginia residents. Transfer Students are not eligible for election to Order of the Coif at the West Virginia University College of Law.

The deadline for transfer application is July 1.

Admission with Advanced Standing

The West Virginia University College of Law has established as guidelines for the Enrollment Management Committee, certain requirements for reviewing applications for Advanced Standing.

  1. In reviewing applications for advanced standing, preference will be given by the Enrollment Management Committee to West Virginia residents.

  2. Applicants must have completed at least one academic year of study or its equivalent at the institution from which transfer is being sought. For admission purposes, one year of study or its equivalent is equal to a minimum of twenty-eight (28) credit hours of coursework.

    To earn a law degree, you must have completed the following coursework (either from your initial law school or WVU Law):

    • Civil Procedure I & II
    • Contracts I
    • Torts I
    • Constitutional Law
    • Criminal Law
    • Property I

    *Successful completion of Legal Research and Writing before matriculation is highly recommended for transfer students.

  3. Applications from students seeking to transfer from schools which are not accredited by the ABA will not be accepted under any circumstances. (The applicant may apply as a first-year student. See also the special rules in Part VI applicable to students with credits or degrees from foreign institutions.)

  4. Applications for transfer to the College of Law for the second year will be considered by the Committee on the basis of:

    1. The size of the returning second-year class.

    2. The applicant’s grades and/or class rank at her/his law school. Applicants from law schools who do not provide either a GPA or class rank for 1L students will not be considered for transfer.

    3. Whether the applicant would have been admitted to the College of Law in the first year had the applicant applied.

    4. The academic strength of the law school attended by the applying student, including whether it is accredited by the AALS. (ABA accreditation is required.)

    5. Recommendation(s) from a law professor in whose class the applicant was enrolled. (At least one is required.)

    6. Residency of the applicant.

    7. All of those facts, performance records, recommendations, and other matters which the Committee normally considers for applicants to the first-year class, including everything that might implicate the student’s fitness for the practice of law.

    8. Any other activities and experiences of the applicant occurring since the student began law school.

    9. Any other information regarding the applicant that may be considered relevant to success in law school.

  5. In addition to the aforementioned criteria, applicants must meet the requirements set forth below.

    1. Applicants must conform to all other relevant criteria relating to first year entering students as found in the admission policy of the West Virginia University College of Law.

    2. Applicants must submit a certified official transcript of their first year law school grades and class ranking. If class ranking from the law school is unavailable, the applicant must submit sufficient information about grades from the law school attended to make a reasonable estimation of class ranking. No one will be admitted for transfer without class rank (or its reasonable equivalent) based on a full year of law school attendance.

    3. Applicants must provide a letter of good standing from the Dean of the law school (or his or her designee) from which the student is transferring.

    4. Applicants must submit a copy of their most recent LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) report including a certified transcript of undergraduate school grades and the LSAT writing sample.

    5. Applicants must fully explain any ethical or other problems with admission that the file may manifest.

    6. Applicants must submit the completed file to the Admission Office by July 1, in order to be considered for transfer.

  6. In considering applications for admission from individuals with credits or degrees from foreign institutions, the Enrollment Management Committee shall have the authority to make any of the below stated decisions with regard to the applicant:

    1. The Committee may admit the applicant as a first-year entering student.

    2. The Committee may admit the applicant with advanced standing by granting credit for specific course work completed at another institution. (AALS Executive Committee Regulations 2.8 and 2.9 prescribe limitations on the award of advanced standing.)

    3. The Committee may admit the applicant as a special student for the purposes of auditing courses or transferring course work to another institution.

    4. The Committee may deny admission to the applicant.

      5. (Effective September 2011)