Admissions—Application Procedure and Instructions

Candidates must have received a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university prior to matriculation. (Click here for a list of the Regional Institutional Accrediting Agencies.)

Applicants must be of good moral character and must maintain continuing good moral character as a condition of continuing enrollment. All states require applicants for admission to the bar to fulfill certain character and fitness requirements. These requirements are separate and may differ from those of the School of Law. Applicants are encouraged to secure information prior to law school matriculation on the bar admission requirements of the state(s) in which they plan to practice.

If you have completed a year of law study at another law school, you must wait two years before submitting an application to the University of Montana School of Law.

Law School Admission Counsel and the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) (www.lsac.org)

Applicants must register for and take the LSAT. For entry into the 2010 class, we accept test results dated after March 1, 2005. We accept February scores for admission in the same year.

LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) (www.lsac.org) Applicants must register for LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service (CAS) and follow the Service’s instructions and procedures to ensure their applications are complete.

Application and Fee - Applicants must submit an electronic application and a $60 application fee through the CAS. The University of Montana does not offer an application fee waiver.

Transcripts - Applicants must arrange for original transcripts from all undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate institutions to be sent to the CAS.

Personal Statements and Resumé - Applicants must attach to their electronic applications a resumé and two personal statements of no more than 800 words each.

1. The first statement should describe the applicant’s interest in the study and practice of law and in the University of Montana School of Law.

2. The second statement should describe an activity, event, or accomplishment and its relationship to the development of one or more of the applicant’s personal qualities (for example, writing and speaking skills, care and concern for others, initiative and sustained effort, commitment to political or moral principles).

Letters of Reference - Applicants must target three letters of reference through the CAS to the University of Montana School of Law. Applicants should have one general reference letter from someone other than a relative and two academic reference letters from faculty members from colleges or universities. Applicants who graduated from an undergraduate institution several years ago and are unable to arrange academic references from instructors who knew them well, may substitute letters from employers or supervisors who can address the applicant's abilities and intellectual promise for the study of law.

A reference letter that is particularly helpful is one that discusses, by way of example or specific illustration, the applicant's abilities in each of these areas:

● native intelligence (analytical powers, rigor of thought,
critical faculty, reasoning ability);
● independence of thought (originality, imagination, creative intelligence);
● effectiveness of oral communication;
● effectiveness of written communication;
● industry and motivation (persistence, self-discipline, study techniques);
● judgment and maturity (conscientiousness, common sense); and,
● leadership ability.

Additional information such as emotional maturity, character, and special background or interests, also may impact admission decisions.

Application Deadline

The University of Montana School of Law begins reviewing applications as they are completed. Applications are not complete until all of the above-listed materials are received. If your file is completed by February 15, you will be notified of a decision (admit, deny or retain for further review) by March 15. If your file is completed by March 15, you will be notified of a decision by April 15. Files completed after March 15, may be considered on a space-available basis.