Transfer & Visiting Students

The Chair of the Admissions Committee will review all transfer and visitor applications regardless of an applicant's law school GPA or class ranking. Applications will be reviewed around the deadline. It is not a rolling admissions process. Your application will be reviewed when all of the required materials are received, so it is important to have your present law school send the necessary materials to our admission office as close to the deadline as possible.

Application Deadlines

Fall Semester: June 15
Spring Semester: November 1
Summer Semester: May 1

Summer Semester Visitor: Students applying to visit for the summer semester only should contact the Registrar's Office at registrar@wcl.american.edu or (202) 274-4808 for an application.

The application fee is $70. We do not grant application fee waivers for transfer/visiting applicants.

Eligibility

Applicants are required to have completed a minimum of one year of course work at an ABA accredited law school, either full-time or part-time, and be in good academic standing to be eligible to apply to transfer or visit. An applicant who has only completed one year of part-time is only eligible to apply to our part-time program. An applicant who has completed more than three semesters full-time or more than four semesters part-time is ineligible to apply to transfer, but still eligible to apply to visit.

Applicants are required to have completed a minimum of one year of law school to be eligible to apply to transfer or visit, so the earliest current first-year students can apply is for the fall semester of their second year.

Transfer Applicant Requirements

Complete the electronic Transfer/Visitor application, include a resume and an essay explaining why you are applying to transfer.
One letter of recommendation from a law professor is required. The letter must be submitted through the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service. Please update your account at LSAC and indicate which letter you want sent to American University for this application year.
An official law school transcript showing all grades earned at your law school. If you have just completed your first-year, be sure that your transcript includes grades from both the fall and spring semesters.* Transcripts will be accepted after the deadline.
Certification of your class standing and /or rank at your present law school (if available).
An official letter from your law school dean (or designate) stating that you are currently in good academic standing and unconditionally eligible to return to your present law school. The letter must be written after completion of the most current semester.*
Transfer applicants need to make sure that there is not a hold on their Law Services Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) report. Please call Law Services at (215)968-1001 or visit their web site at www.LSAC.org. to verify that your report is complete. Our Admissions Office will contact Law Services directly to request a copy of your LSDAS report upon receipt of your transfer application.
LSAC foreign transcript evaluation. LSDAS provides a JD credential assembly service for foreign educated candidates. The admissions office requires all applicants who received their undergraduate degree from a foreign institution to register for this service. A copy of the evaluation will be requested automatically by the admissions office upon receipt of your application. Information is posted online at www.LSAC.org.

* All official law school documents should be mailed directly from your current law school to the Washington College of Law Admissions Office.

Visiting Applicant Requirements

Complete the electronic Transfer/Visitor application, include a resume and essay explaining why you are applying to visit.
One letter of recommendation from a law professor is required. The letter must be mailed under separate cover directly to our admissions office. Please note that American University will not request a visiting applicant's LSDAS report or letter of recommendation from LSDAS unless specifically directed by the applicant in writing to do so.
An official law school transcript showing all grades earned at your law school. If you have just completed your first-year, be sure that your transcript includes grades from both the fall and spring semesters.* Transcripts will be accepted after the application deadline.
Certification of your class standing and /or rank at your present law school (if available).
An official letter from your law school dean (or designate) stating that you are currently in good academic standing and unconditionally eligible to return to your present law school. The letter must be written after completion of the most current semester.*
The letter of good standing also needs to indicate that you have permission to visit, specify which semester(s) you can visit, and that you will receive credit for course work successfully completed at the Washington College of Law. *

* All official law school documents should be mailed directly from your current law school to the Washington College of Law Admissions Office

Admissions Office
Washington College of Law
4801 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 507
Washington, DC 20016
Fax: (202) 274-4107
Phone: (202) 274-4101
Email: wcladmit@wcl.american.edu
http://www.wcl.american.edu/admiss

Financial Aid

Transfer and visiting students may apply for assistance to meet the cost of attending the Washington College of Law at American University. Transfer students accepted for admission are eligible for aid offered by the Washington College of Law. Visiting students must seek assistance through their home institution. Begin the process as early as possible.

Transfer Students:

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for federal loan support. The deadline for priority consideration is March 1. The application may be filed online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. List American University, Title IV code 001434, so that your information will be forwarded for review.
Complete the Need Access Application by March 1 to apply for WCL need-based grant assistance. The application is available at http://www.needaccess.org. Consideration is limited to full-time students who meet the established deadline. (Note: parental information is required of all applicants for grant support regardless of age or dependency status.)
Private and federal Grad PLUS loans are available to supplement Stafford loans and can be obtained from a variety of lenders. Lender information is available on our website at http://www.wcl.american.edu/finaid/alternativeloan.cfm. To ensure timely receipt of funds, file your application six to eight weeks prior to the start of the semester you plan to enroll.

Visiting Students:

Contact your home institution for financial aid application and deadline information. The home school policy determines whether aid can be made available for your study at the Washington College of Law. If aid is to be processed, the home institution will enter into a Consortium Agreement with American University. For additional information, contact:

Financial Aid Office
Washington College of Law
4801 Massachusetts Ave., NW Suite 505
Washington, D.C. 20016-8187
Fax: (202) 274-4107
Phone: (202) 274-4040
Email: finaid@wcl.american.edu
http://www.wcl.american.edu/finaid/