Requirements for Admission to the JD Program

Admission is granted to all persons regardless of age, race, disability, religion, or ethnic origin.  It is the applicant's responsibility to make all arrangements for transcripts. Failure to fully complete the Application for admission and furnish supporting transcripts will delay action on the application.

Prior to submitting an application for admission to the WSLS JD Program, Prospective Students should review the requirements for admission to practice law in California as set forth in CA BPC § 6060.

Applicants are required to meet the State Bar of California's Pre-Legal Education Requirements in order to be admitted to the JD Program, which may be satisfied as described below:

First Year Applicants

Applicants must have satisfactorily:

(A) earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree or Bachelor of Science (BS) degree at a regionally accredited or approved school recognized by the Committee of Bar Examiners, or

(B) earned an Associate of Arts (AA) degree or Associate of Science (AS) degree at a regionally accredited or approved school recognized by the Committee of Bar Examiners, or

(C) completed 60 semester (90 quarter units) of college work applicable to a Bachelor degree at a regionally accredited or approved school recognized by the Committee of Bar Examiners, or

(D) achieved passing scores on the CLEP examinations.

Note: Pre-law studies at institutions outside the United States or its territories and possessions may be accepted after evaluation.

Applicants with Bachelors degree (BA, BS) or Associates (AA, AS) degree

Applicants who have either a Bachelors degree or an Associates degree at a regionally accredited or approved school recognized by the Committee of Bar Examiners will be deemed to satisfy the Pre-Legal Education requirement.

Applicants with 60 semester units (90 quarter units) of college education

Applicants that have completed at least 60 semester units (90 quarter units) of college work applicable to a Bachelor degree at a regionally accredited or approved school recognized by the Committee of Bar Examiners, with an average grade at least equal to that required for graduation, must submit an Application for Evaluation of Pre-Legal Education with the State Bar of CA prior to the beginning of starting law school. Please note that evaluations generally take 3-4 weeks to complete.

Applicants with less than two years of college (CLEP exam)

Applicants that have not satisfactorily completed at least two years of college work, may apply on the basis of passing examinations given by the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), which upon such passing will satisfy the requirement to study law. Please see the State Bar of CA’s requirements for College Equivalency Education.

Applicants with Foreign Undergraduate Work

An applicant who intends to begin the study of law who has completed their undergraduate work in a foreign country must first have an evaluated course breakdown of all-postsecondary education completed. This must be done by a credential evaluation agency approved by the Committee of Bar Examiners. The applicant must request that one copy of the evaluation be sent directly to the law school. An exception to this evaluation requirement is when the applicant has earned a Master's degree at a regionally accredited or approved school recognized by the Committee of Bar Examiners. Such an applicant must request that one copy of their Master's degree transcript be sent directly to the law school.

WSLS does not participate in programs administered by the Department of Homeland Security for the enrollment of foreign students.

Requirements for Admission to the JD Program

Admission is granted to all persons regardless of age, race, disability, religion, or ethnic origin.  It is the applicant's responsibility to make all arrangements for transcripts. Transcripts delivered by the applicant in person will be accepted if they are official transcripts (in a sealed and unopened envelope).  Failure to fully complete the Application for admission and furnish supporting transcripts will delay action on the application.

Prior to submitting an application for admission to the WSLS JD Program, Prospective Students should review the requirements for admission to practice law in California as set forth in CA BPC § 6060.

Advanced Student (Transfer) Applicants

Applicants who have completed law studies at other law schools may apply for advanced standing in the fall, spring, and summer and are subject to the rules of the State Bar. The awarding of transfer credit is subject to the following limitations:

(A) No credit may be granted unless the applicant has passed the First-Year Law Students’ Examination or became exempt while attending an accredited law school. To be exempt from the examination, the student must have successfully completed the first year at the accredited law school and have been advanced to the second year by the same law school.

(B) Credit should ordinarily be granted for whole courses completed not more than twenty-seven (27) months prior to the date the applicant begins study at the admitting law school. This time limitation does not apply to students who have passed the First-Year Law Students’ Examination. In some instances, such as illness, personal tragedy or military service, it may be appropriate to permit credit for studies completed more than twenty-seven (27) months prior to admission.

Applicants previously disqualified for academic reasons may be granted admission when there is an affirmative showing by the applicant that he or she possesses the requisite ability for the study of law. Such a showing may be made:

(A) at any time, if the applicant presents credible evidence that the prior disqualification was not caused by the applicant's lack of capacity for the study of law, but resulted from a traumatic event or serious hardship that prohibited the applicant from performing at her or his normal level; or

(B) after at least two (2) years have elapsed since the disqualification, if the applicant demonstrates that work, study, or other experience during the interim has resulted in a stronger potential for law study than the applicant exhibited at the time he or she was previously disqualified for academic reasons.

Decisions made regarding admission are made on a case by case basis. Factors considered include previous grades earned, and how the student might fit into the program at WSLS while meeting the requirements of the State Bar. WSLS reserves the right to refuse any credit for advanced standing.  The law school has not entered into a transfer or articulation agreement with any other college or university.

We recommend submitting an Application for Evaluation of Law Study Completed and Contemplated with the State Bar of CA if you are unsure whether you are exempt from the First-Year Law Students’ Examination. An evaluation generally takes 3-4 weeks to complete.