Transfer & Visiting Students
How to Apply
Law students in good academic standing who have completed at least one full semester of study leading to a J.D. degree in a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) or the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) may apply for admission to Syracuse as a transfer student.
After transferring, students must earn at least 58 of the credits required for the J.D. degree at Syracuse University College of Law. A maximum of 29 credits will be transferred in to Syracuse Law. Syracuse University College of Law will consider transfer students who have completed at least one semester of study.
If the original law school is not an ABA-accredited law school, applicants can apply as a first year law student.
Transfer applicants must apply for admission in the same manner as first-year applicants. In addition, transfer applicants must submit the following information:
Review of transfer applications is ongoing throughout the summer and we will accept applications through July 15th. Students may begin to apply as soon as a final fall semester transcript is available but a complete file won't be considered until spring final grades are received.
Please contact the Office of Admissions with specific questions about merit scholarship awards or other forms of financial aid for incoming transfer students.
Policy for granting credits from another ABA-accredited law school (Transfer)
To graduate from the Syracuse University College of Law, a student is required to have 87 credits. A transfer student must earn a minimum of 58 credits at Syracuse University College of Law in order to fulfill the 87 credit hour requirement. Additionally, these 58 credits must be fully graded if a student is to be eligible for honors upon receipt of the J.D. diploma.
The credits earned from the transferring school will be recorded on a pass basis if the grades received are equivalent to a "C" or higher. Transfer students may receive credit for the following first-year required courses if the grades received are "C" or higher and the course content is materially the same:
Additional upper division requirements include:
If admitted, transfer candidates are required to submit a seat deposit, detailed in the admission email. Admitted students can check their applicant status online for more information.
Questions on these policies can be addressed to the Office of Admissions at lawadmissions@syr.edu.
Transfer Information Session Recording
Students from other ABA or AALS approved law schools may be permitted to complete their third year as a visiting student at Syracuse University College of Law.
Application requirements for visiting student applicants:Students from other US law schools who have been accepted to take upperclass courses at the College of Law as non-matriculants (receiving their J.D. degree from their home institution), and who need financial aid to meet their educational costs, must arrange with their home institution for the processing of their financial aid.
The home institution must forward a Consortium Agreement form to Syracuse University College of Law’s Office of Financial Aid, confirming that the home institution will process all financial aid for its student. Syracuse will complete the Consortium Agreement and will verify the student’s cost of attendance, dates of attendance, and enrollment status for the period of study at Syracuse Law. Syracuse Law will not process any financial aid for the visiting non-matriculating student.
Generally, the student’s home institution will forward the financial aid proceeds to our Financial Aid Office to be applied toward the student’s Syracuse tuition and fee charges. Please check with your home institution regarding their policies and procedures.
For applicants who have been academically disqualified or dismissed from another law school, applicants cannot apply as a first year law student until two years from the date of disqualification has passed.