Apply

Applicants who intend to practice law should be aware that in addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

We recommend completing your application as early as possible. File review begins as files are received. It is the applicant’s responsibility to make sure all materials are received in the Admissions Office.

Application checklist

When you’re ready to apply, be sure to complete all of the following requirements to ensure your application is complete. Please remember that your application will not be reviewed until it is considered complete.

• Admissions Application
  • • UT Law’s application for admission and instructions are available through the Law School Admission Council. Accuracy and completeness is critical. Please be sure to provide documentation pertaining to character and fitness if relevant. Months may pass between the filing of the application and enrollment in law school, and applicants are required to update the application form if information they have certified as correct changes during the admission process.
•  Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
  • • The LSAT is the entrance exam required for admissions into law school. The test is designed specifically to assess critical reading, analytical reasoning, logical reasoning, and persuasive writing skills — key skills needed for success in law school. Our current LSAT median score is 162. You can find more information about the LSAT and register for the exam at lsac.org/lsat.
• Transcripts
  • • Please submit all transcripts, undergraduate and graduate (if applicable), as part of your application. Your undergraduate GPA can be a strong indicator of how well you’ll perform in law school. Currently, our median GPA is 3.78

Required Personal Statement

A personal statement allows you to present information on your life experiences that have shaped and formed your view of the world around you, your motivation to join the legal profession, and/or any other pertinent information about you that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee that is not available elsewhere in your application. This statement should be approximately two, double-spaced pages in length and composed by you.

Optional Statement

We invite applicants to complete one optional statement from the list of prompts below.  This optional statement should be approximately two, double-spaced pages in length, and composed by you:

1. Please describe any experience you have had in your own life in which you have overcome disadvantage or performed well in the face of challenges or adversity (for example, heavy work responsibilities, family responsibilities, health issues, economic hardship, experiences as a first-generation college student, etc.).
2. Civil dialogue and reasoned debate over contested ideas are core values both for the practice of law and in legal education.  Please describe any experiences you may have had engaging with ideas with which you disagreed, and how such experiences have impacted you.
3. The College of Law is committed to achieving an expansive, inclusive, and collaborative law school community that brings a diverse range of ideas, experiences, and perspectives to our classrooms. Please describe how your lived experience informs who you are today and how it will contribute to our community.

Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Report

This report will be ordered when you apply for admission and will be updated as academic transcripts, letters of recommendation, and writing samples are added.

Recommendations

The required recommendations must be submitted through the LSAC Credential Assembly Service. Please choose recommenders who have known you long enough and well enough to make a sound evaluation of your abilities.

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Clery Act Disclosure

In accordance with the Clery Act, the university publishes an annual security and fire safety report which contains information on crime prevention, crime reporting, statistics, fire safety and statistics, emergency response and evacuation procedures, and other matters related to security and safety on university owned or controlled property and associated public areas.  The security report for the Knoxville area may be found at  clery.utk.edu/crime-statistics/. A printed copy of the combined Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is available at the UT Police Department, 1101 Cumberland Ave, Knoxville, TN 37996 or you may request a copy by mail to clery@utk.edu.

First- year law students at other institutions may apply to transfer to UT Law to complete their legal training. The transfer application period is May 15 through July 1. Application files should be complete no later than July to be considered for enrollment in the fall semester, which begins in late August.

Learn more about transfer and visiting student options.

Candidates may choose to apply for the TED program if Tennessee Law is their top choice and they are willing to make an early enrollment commitment. A successful candidate may be admitted under this early decision program because they either have an LSAT score or a GPA that is significantly below the current medians, but are otherwise very qualified. A scholarship is not associated with this program, but one may be offered if available. Candidates accepted through this program must pay their enrollment deposit within 10 business of an offer of admission.

Binding Nature

This program is appropriate for candidates who have considered their law school options carefully, are prepared to move forward with the application and their law school commitment, and are confident that the University of Tennessee College of Law is their clear first choice. Candidates admitted under this program agree not to apply to other law schools’ early decision programs and agree to withdraw other law school applications and attend the University of Tennessee College of Law in the fall. Admitted candidates must also pay the full $500 deposit within 10 business days of notification of admission. Failure to honor these commitments will result in revocation of the offer of admission.

Timetable for the Applicant

All components of the application, including recommendations, the LSAC Law School Report, and required documentation related to character and fitness inquiries, must be received by the Office of Admissions by Dec. 1 in order for the candidate to be considered for the TED program. TED candidates should take the LSAT no later than the November test administration.

Timetable for the College of Law

The College of Law will communicate decisions to TED candidates by Jan. 1. Candidates admitted through the TED program must pay the $500 seat deposit 10 days after notification of admission.

Candidates who are not selected under this program will either be referred for consideration in the regular admissions program, which if admitted later, will not be binding or they will be informed that their application for admission has been denied.

Once you’ve applied, you can check the status of your application on the LSAC website.