The J.D. program is a 90-hour curriculum culminating in the Doctor of Jurisprudence degree. Students have two options for pursuing their degree: Full-Time or Part-Time Evening program. Applicants must designate in their application which program they are applying to; both programs begin in the fall semester.
Full-Time Program |
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Designed for students who plan to devote nearly all of their time to the study of law. |
Designed for students who plan to work during law school. |
Typically, 3 years to complete. First-year course are taught during the day. |
Typically, 4 years to complete. First-year courses are taught in the evening. |
15 hrs/semester |
6-10 hrs/semester |
Employment - no more than 20 hrs/week |
Employment - No limit |
After the first year, students may take classes day or night! |
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To be eligible for admission to the J.D. program, all applicants must:
There is an exception to the bachelor’s degree requirement if you are 3+3 Undergraduate/Law Dual Degree Program applicant. There is an exception to the required LSAT or GRE score if you are a Houston Law Express applicant.
Applications are available beginning September 1st and accepted on a rolling basis. The Admissions Committee will review applications upon receipt of all required documentation, including the CAS Report.
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Full-Time Program |
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Early Decision Deadline* |
November 15th |
November 15th |
Regular Decision Deadline |
March 15th |
May 15th |
*Early decision is non-binding. In order to be eligible for early decision consideration, you must: 1) take the LSAT no later than the November administration, 2) your application must be received by November 15th, and 3) your application must be complete by December 15th. Applications that do not meet these criteria will be considered as regular decision. Applications received after the regular decision deadlines will be considered late and evaluated at the end of the admissions cycle on a space-available basis.
The application must be completed through the LSAC website.All items must be submitted before consideration of your application. The Office of Admissions will notify applicants via e-mail when their application has been received. This communication will include instructions for using the Online Status Checker. The Office of Admissions will also notify applicants via e-mail and through the Online Status Checker when their decision has been rendered. Decisions are made on a rolling basis beginning in December. Early decisions are usually emailed by mid-February. Regular decisions for full-time are usually emailed by mid-May. Regular decisions for part-time are usually emailed by early July. To protect the applicant's confidentiality, the admissions staff will not give admissions decisions over the telephone.
UHLC Application |
LSAC CAS Report |
Completed application |
Recent* LSAT score or |
$70 application fee (there is currently no fee for all applications) |
Recent* GRE score (request scores from ETS using school code 4360) Please do not submit your scores until after you have submitted your application. |
Personal Statement (2-3 pages doubled-spaced) |
Transcripts for all colleges and universities attended |
Resume |
At least 2 letters of recommendation (but not more than 3) |
*Exam scores cannot be older than 5 years.
Houston Law Express allows an applicant to apply to the Law Center without an LSAT or GRE score. If an applicant takes the LSAT or GRE exam, they are precluded from applying through the Houston Law Express program. To be eligible for admission through the Houston Law Express program an applicant must have:
To submit your official SAT score report electronically through College Board, please list the Law Center’s institution code – 9076.
To submit your official ACT score report electronically through ACT.org, please list the Law Center’s institution code – 2461.
Please do not submit your scores until after you have submitted your application.
Qualifications for J.D. enrollment are based upon factors relevant to the legal profession and to enrolling a talented student body with a variety of perspectives, experiences, and viewpoints that will enhance the educational experience of all students. Academic ability as demonstrated by undergraduate cumulative grade point average, LSAT scores or GRE scores, are important criteria for admission. However, it is university policy, consistent with Texas statutes, that no single criterion can be utilized as the sole determiner of admission status, nor can fixed weights be applied to any one criterion during the admission process; therefore, the personal statement, letters of recommendation, resume, and optional statements are extremely important in the decision-making process. All files receive a full-file review, and consideration is given to many factors. Additional factors include, without limitation, the applicant's background; honors and achievements; service to others; communication skills; talents relevant to the practice of law; hardships overcome; advanced degrees; work experience; leadership; and other relevant factors.
In addition to the listed application requirements, please visit the following website for information regarding JD admissions for applicants with an undergraduate degree earned outside of the United States.
