Admissions Overview

Admission Process

Applicants for admission to the freshman class of the College of Law will be admitted only in the fall semester.

Both the Louisiana civil law curriculum and the general common law curriculum are available in the full-time day program and in the part-time day program. Only the Louisiana civil law curriculum is available in the part-time evening program. Applicants are encouraged to submit a completed application for their program of interest by May 1; however, the applicaion deadline is August 1.

Students in good standing at an American Bar Association (ABA) approved or Association of American Law Schools member law school may enroll as transient students with permission of the dean. Members of the bar may be admitted as non-degree seeking students and register for courses on an audit basis.

The College of Law at Loyola awards competitive scholarships to incoming students who have demonstrated success at the undergraduate level and on the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT).  All applicants will be considered for a scholarship and, generally, awards will be extended with the offer of admission.  No additional application is necesssary.  Scholarships may be classified as renewable or non-renewable and may be up to 100% of tuition.  Loyola will give priority scholarship consideration to those who apply by March 1.

Admission Requirements

Applicants to the College of Law must present satisfactory evidence that they have earned an undergraduate degree. In limited cases, applicants possessing an outstanding undergraduate record as well as an outstanding LSAT score may be considered for admission by presenting satisfactory evidence that they have completed at least three-fourths of the requirements for an undergraduate degree.

Applicants are in competition with one another under a rolling admissions system initially on the basis of undergraduate grade point average and LSAT score. The LSAT score must sufficently complement the undergraduate record to indicate the applicant’s ability to successfully complete work undertaken in the College of Law. Other factors will be considered to determine the applicant’s acceptability including, but not limited to, letters of recommendation, college major, life and leadership experience, and graduate and work record. For a profile of entrance credentials of the most recent entering class, applicants are advised to read the American Bar Association required disclosures at law.loyno.edu.

All applicants must register with Law School Admission Council (LSAC) for both the LSAT and the Credential Assembly Service (CAS). Information for both are available online at www.lsac.org. Applicants should arrange to take the test as early as possible—preferably no later than the December prior to the planned enrollment year.

Application Procedure

Applications for admission to the first-year class of the College of Law must include:

  • A valid LSAT score,
  • A complete Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Report submitted to Loyola Law through lsac.org that includes transcripts from each college and/or university attended, up to and including converral of each bachelor, graduate, or professional degree,
  • A personal statement,
  • A resume that includes education, extracurricular activities, work history, community service, and other awards, and
  • Two letters of recommendation (dated on or after March 1, 2018).  The Law Admissions Office will accept up to three letters of recommendation.

Based upon candidates' answers to questions regarding moral character and potential fitness to practice law, applicants may be required to supplement their application with additional documentation.  All supporting documents must be electronically attached to the application.

The Law Records Office enrolls all incoming first-year law students in late June. All incoming students (including transfer students) must submit an official transcript verifying all academic credits undertaken and degree(s) conferred to the Law Admissions Office by August 1, 2019. Any student not meeting this deadline will immediately receive a letter from the Law Records Office notifying the student that his/her enrollment will be cancelled if an official transcript is not submitted to the Law Records office by the last day to drop classes, August 30, 2019. All submitted transcripts become property of Loyola University.

All students entering Loyola University for the first time must complete a Medical History Questionnaire, the results of which must be on file in the Office of Student Health Service prior to registration. All new Loyola students must also present proof of required (MMR, PPD, Tetanus, and Bacterial Meningitis) immunizations.

Policies and Regulations

All applicants and Loyola students are required to provide complete, correct, and truthful information on all university applications, forms, and correspondence. If a student falsifies a record and it is discovered between the time of application for admission and the beginning of classes, it may be considered cause for cancellation of acceptance. If such a falsification is discovered after the student has begun classes, it may be considered cause for dismissal. Whenever an applicant or student discovers that the application is incomplete or inaccurate, the applicant or student should update the application.  The College of Law reserves the right to report allegations of misconduct to LSAC's Misconduct and Irregularities Committee at any point during the admissions process, through matriculation, and thereafter.

Transfer Applicants

A limited number of applicants who have pursued a portion of their law studies in an ABA-approved law school successfully may be accepted as students with advanced standing. At a minimum, two year’s residence (60 credit hours at any time or, if they are the last remaining hours, 45 credit hours) in the Loyola University College of Law is required of students to be eligible for a Loyola degree.

Transfer applicants must follow the JD application prodecures and include a letter or certificate of good standing and transcript from the previously attended law school(s).  Successful transfer applications must demonstrate above average academic study in their prior law school record. Once a transfer applicant is accepted, the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs will determine how many credits will be accepted by Loyola from their prior law school. No credit will be awarded for a course taken at another law school unless the grade in that course is at least equal to the minimum grade point average required for graduation at that school. If the transfer student has failed to earn a grade that is at least equal to the minimum grade point average required for graduation at the school from which the student seeks to transfer and that course is a Loyola required crouse, then the student must repeat that course at Loyola. The right to refuse credit in whole or in part is reserved. Transfer quality points are not used in calculating Loyola law school GPAs or rank in class.

Re-Admission

A suspended Loyola student may petition the Faculty Committee on Readmission for readmission to the College of Law. This request for readmission should be delivered to the associate dean for academic affairs. Such a petition for readmission may be granted only if, in the judgment of the faculty, the academic record earned by the student in one or more semesters while enrolled in the College of Law was not indicative of the student’s ability to complete satisfactorily the requirements leading to a juris doctor degree. In addressing such a petition to the faculty, the student should specifically explain any hardships or other explanations which account for the deficient performance, and explain why those circumstances will not reoccur.

A student whose petition for readmission to the College of Law has been denied by the committee may not petition again for readmission until two years have passed since his or her last enrollment or petition for readmission. Any petition for readmission made at that time will be for admission as a beginning student with no academic credit for prior work attempted. Exceptions to the two-year requirement may be made by the committee for students who have completed more than the first year of law school study, and such students, at the discretion of the committee, may be readmitted to continue with advanced standing.

Policy on Sexual and Other Forms of Harassment

Loyola University New Orleans, consistent with its Goals Statement and the Character and Commitment Statement, fosters dignity and worth of all members of the Loyola community and is committed to maintaining an educational and working environment free of sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is immoral and illegal, and will not be tolerated.

Sexual harassment may occur within a variety of relationships. Some relationships involve unequal authority, while others involve individuals who are of equal status. All allegations of sexual harassment will be scrutinized.

The university’s full policy and procedures governing sexual harassment and other forms of harassment can be found on the university web page for Human Resources Policies, Procedures, and Benefits. Appeal and grievance procedures can also be found in the text of the policy and in the university's Student Code of Conduct, Section 5: Sexual Misconduct, Discrimination, and Harassment Policies and Guidelines.

Loyola University New Orleans strongly supports equal opportunity in all aspects of university services and employment as provided in Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Inquiries, concerns, and questions regarding the application of Title IX to university programs, services, employment, and policies should be addressed to the Title IX coordinator. The Title IX coordinator for Loyola University is Tommy Screen. The Title IX coordinator may be contacted at titleix@loyno.edu or (504)865-7082.  The office is located in Room 240 of Marquette Hall. A Title IX deputy director, Luz Molina, is located in the College of Law.  She may be contacted at (504)861-5598 or molina@loyno.edu.

Policy on Nondiscrimination

Loyola University New Orleans College of Law has fully supported and fostered the policy of not discriminating on the basis of age, color, disability, national origin, race, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation in its educational programs, admissions, employment practices, and in the activities it operates.  This policy is in compliance with all applicable federal regulations and guidelines.

Student Grievances and Complaints

The university has procedures to handle student grievances and complaints. Please see the Student Code of Conduct to determine the procedure to follow for a specific grievance or complaint.  Law students can contact the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at (504) 861-5675 for more information.