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UF is consistently among the top three applicant feeder schools to American Bar Association-approved law schools in the United States, along with other undergraduate institutions such as UCLA, UC-Berkeley, and UT-Austin. In 2023, 780 UF students submitted applications to law schools across the country, with 641 of those students being admitted to one or more law schools and 569 matriculating.
Every year, UF students are admitted to many top law schools across the nation:
These checklists are provided to help you navigate your exploration of the field of law and prepare for your law school applications.
To be pre-law at UF means not only preparing for the law school admission process, but more importantly it is about preparing for the work of law school itself. Pre-law Advisors are here to help you prepare to be a strong law student which will, in turn, help you to be a good applicant. Involvement alongside your academics is a key component of preparing for law school. The opportunities below represent many of the opportunities you can choose from:
We encourage you to seek activities based on three factors:
Being involved in a range of activities is a critical part of the law school preparation process. We recommend considering both law-oriented and non-law-related opportunities that emerge from genuine interests you may have.
There are over 1000 student organizations at UF. Let your own interests guide you to explore what might be a good fit for you.
To search all UF student organizations, visit Gator Connect (search “law” for a list of law-related organizations).
Organizations featured by Criminology and Law program.
Internships and shadowing are among the best ways to gain exposure to the practice of law. Internships can be full-time or part-time positions; paid or volunteer positions. Internships can be found in various legal contexts from law firms to law-related posts with organizations, companies, and government. For tips on how to pursue law internships for undergraduates, see below.
The potentially challenging part of seeking legal internships (at least as an undergraduate) is that they are rarely advertised to the same degree that internships in other career areas are advertised (e.g., Accounting internships). Law firms more frequently advertise internships for *law students* but don’t advertise positions for undergraduates as often. In fact, the types of “internships” that undergraduates typically do at law firms tend to be much more clerical in nature (perhaps assisting at the front desk, answering the phone, making copies of files, assisting with other behind-the-scenes activities, etc.). This is definitely a great experience, nevertheless, especially for students who really want to gain additional insight regarding what really goes on at a law firm, learn about the field, make career connections, etc.
We recommend contacting law firms directly to inquire about internship/job opportunities at their firm. To do this, prepare a professional, polished resume (the Career Connections Center in the Reitz Union can offer assistance with this), use your networking contacts (take some time to brainstorm a list of any family members, family friends, friends of friends, etc. who may work in the legal field), target firms/organizations of interest by using such resources as the online phone book/directories and websites such as www.lawyers.com, etc. Many of these will allow you to look up attorney profiles, areas of specialization, etc. After identifying law firms of interest in your area, call their office to speak with them or visit in person with your resume (dress professionally), and inquire about the possibility of volunteering or doing an internship with their office.
Be sure to be prepared to market yourself effectively in your brief intro, as you want to immediately help them realize why you would be an asset to their organization. Even if they do not have immediate openings, you can likely leave your resume with them for consideration for future positions. You may also wish to see if there is an opportunity to shadow an attorney for a few hours or a few days. Sometimes after they have gotten to know you a bit more after shadowing, they may be willing to discuss internship opportunities. It may take several visits or emails to different law firms to find a good fit, but your hard work should pay off.
The Career Connections Center may have additional internship postings. In addition, you may also wish to explore internship opportunities through the Alachua County Courthouse or UF Student Legal Services, as they have a more structured programs (Student Legal Services has research positions, as well). Information is traditionally accessible on their website when applications become available.
Another excellent resource that we strongly recommend is the Bob Graham Center for Public Service. They have an experiential learning component that includes public service internships at the local, state, and federal level. Be sure to subscribe to their email updates where lots of internships are posted.
And, finally, we occasionally receive postings from law firms or other organizations who are looking to hire undergraduates for law-related positions. Whenever we receive those types of postings, we advertise them on the Pre-Law Email List, so subscribe.
Community service provides an opportunity to prepare students to become productive citizens and take on roles of leadership and service. It also encourages students to develop positive character traits such as respect, responsibility and citizenship, all of which are pertinent to law school. Two specific resources for opportunities in community service or service learning:
Study abroad is an enriching experience where learning extends to the world beyond college. As a prelaw student study abroad can help in the following areas: personal growth and development, new perspectives on world affairs, enhanced vision and possibilities in career path. Please see the Study Abroad Office to explore study abroad opportunities.
*Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences should explore our Global Engagement section of the Beyond120 program.
According to the Law School Admission Council, the legal profession is still a relatively non-diverse profession. Minorities are still under-represented. These resources are engineered to help prospective students prepare for the first year of law school and develop adequate study habits that will ease this transition. They are dedicated to ensuring that, once admitted into law school, students will successfully complete their respective programs of study.
Some useful resources:
Do you have a question for the pre-law advisor? You can contact Prelaw Advising by:
If you are considering law school after completion of your bachelor’s degree, it is important to take time to explore the legal field, to determine your interest in and fit with a career in law. Some ways to explore law include:
The law school application process includes several key components:
Although some law schools will allow applications to be submitted directly through the law school’s website or via a paper copy of the application, many law schools now require applicants to apply through the LSAC website. You will need to set up an account on the LSAC site. After setting up your account, you will be able to complete applications for law schools electronically through the site. You will be asked to fill out a common information form, containing data that all law schools need. After that, you may fill out applications for specific law schools of interest. You may work on your applications over a period of many days/weeks, saving your work as you go. Once your application for a particular school is complete, you may submit it electronically to the law school. Before submitting it, however, you will want to attach electronic copies of your personal statement/admissions essay for that particular school, and perhaps a resume or any other application materials that the school may have requested. (See more detailed information for personal statement and resume below.)
Make sure you read the directions on each application. If a law school states that they do not want a resume attached with your application, then do not provide one even if you think it will be more impressive. If you do have additional information you wish to include in your application (such as an explanation for why you withdrew from a year of school), do so very briefly in an addendum to your personal statement.
Most law schools have a rolling admission policy meaning that as soon as your application file is complete, it can be sent to the committee to be evaluated. In other words, the sooner you send in your applications, the sooner you may be able to find out if you have been accepted. Most law schools will begin accepting applications for fall admission on or around October 1st and continue accepting them until February or March (please read each application carefully to find out the application deadline for each school because they do vary).
By sending in your application early in October, you may be compared with a fewer number of students (since not all students will have their applications in that quickly) and so your chances for acceptance may improve. You may find out you have been accepted before you go home for your semester break. You may also find out that you were not accepted to several of your top choice schools. Depending upon how early you find out, you may still have time to send out one or two more applications for safety schools you had been considering. However, if your application places you in the middle range of candidates, you may still have to wait until all applications are in before yours will be evaluated again.
Note: While most law schools admit students in the fall semester only, there are a few schools that do offer spring or even summer admission. If you are trying for admission to law school in the spring, your deadlines will be different so make sure you know the spring application deadline for each of the schools to which you are applying.
The Credential Assembly Service is the clearinghouse for your college/university transcripts, biographical information and LSAT score(s). The CAS is used by law schools in evaluating the undergraduate performance of each law school applicant. Through a conversion formula, CAS provides a more accurate way to measure applicants who have gone to different undergraduate institutions with different grading policies.
The CAS file may be set up through the LSAC website. After setting up the file, you should have letters of recommendation, evaluations, and official transcripts from every undergraduate, graduate, and professional school you have attended sent to your CAS file. Your LSAT score will also become part of your file automatically after you take it. CAS will summarize your information and reconfigure your GPA to their standard scale.
Once a law school receives your application, they contact CAS and request your file, containing all of the information you have sent to CAS. Assuming your CAS file (transcripts, letters of recommendation, evaluations and LSAT score) and your application (electronic application, personal statement, and resume, if applicable) are complete, your file can be sent forward to the admission committee for review.
You must send official transcripts directly from every undergraduate, graduate, and professional school you have attended to your CAS file. For example, even if courses that you took at another institution (e.g, dual enrollment at a community college) are shown on your UF transcript, you still need to have an official transcript sent directly from the community college to your CAS file. Transcripts must be sent for any college/university courses that you have taken: undergraduate, graduate, or professional school. Note, however, that even though undergraduate and graduate (if applicable) transcripts must be sent, only an applicant’s undergraduate grades will be used in the calculation of the GPA that will be printed in your CAS file.
The LSAT is a half-day standardized test which must be taken for admission to most law schools, including all American Bar Association-approved law schools and most law schools in Canada. In addition to the undergraduate grade point average, it is the most important factor used in determining admission into law school. The test measures logical analysis and analytical reasoning skills considered important for the study of law. Basically, the LSAT measures your aptitude for success in law school based on how you perform on the LSAT exam. The LSAT is composed of five 35 minute multiple-choice sections. One section is experimental and not counted for scoring purposes. There is also a writing sample which is not scored; however, copies of this sample are sent to each of the law schools to which you apply. The test sections are divided into reading comprehension, analytical reasoning, logical reasoning and logic games. The test scores range from a 120 to a 180. See the LSAC website for complete details regarding the LSAT.
As mentioned above, preparation for the LSAT is essential. The LSAC sells many excellent LSAT preparation materials, including study guides and copies of all released LSAT examinations with complete explanations. You may wish to invest in these resources before you decide to try a commercial preparation course. If you find that you are not reaching your true scoring potential by studying on your own, you may want to consider professional preparation courses such as Test Masters, Kaplan, Princeton Review, etc. Commercial preparation courses may cost anywhere between $500-$1800, with even more intensive (but costly) options for one-on-one tutoring; however, financial aid may be available on a case-by-case basis by each course.
For most students, the personal statement seems to be the most dreaded part of the entire application process. You have probably heard this statement over and over, “Your personal statement is your interview on paper.” While that is true, how does that help you to write it? Well, if you actually stop to consider this statement it really does help you. Remember that the admissions committees are going to be getting many sheets of paper from you including the actual application, letters of recommendation, and your official transcripts. On paper, you may look very similar to many of the students applying in terms of GPA, LSAT score, honors, awards and activities. Your personal statement is your best chance to let these admissions committees know that you are an individual with a variety of ideas and experiences to offer to the class. Think of all the information included in the rest of your application and put it in your mental vault. What’s left that the committee would not know about if you did not tell them? That is what you need to talk about.
The committee has read what organizations you were involved in on campus from your application so do not laundry list them again in your personal statement. What is more important is what these organizations taught you about yourself. This is often easier said than done but the personal statement was not added on to each application as an afterthought. It is a challenge for students to express why their life experiences have readied them for the rigors of law school. What makes it even more of a challenge is that students tend to dislike writing about themselves because they feel they are bragging. However, if you have done something worthwhile, let the committee know.
Most importantly, take the personal statement seriously. At the point in which you are ready to write it, it is usually the last thing you have control over since your grades are already calculated, your LSAT has been taken and your letters of recommendation are written by someone else. Based on feedback from admissions officers at many different law schools, it is clear that a member of the admission committee reads every word of each application. Whether or not that member feels your application is worthy of going forward may be based on a well-written and interesting personal statement to set you apart from a stack of applications with the same LSAT and GPA.
As far as the actual writing goes, do not expect to sit down one evening and have the perfect personal statement written in two hours. You may work on your statement for many hours over the course of several weeks. It helps some students to keep a notepad with them for several days or so and when they think of things to include in the statement they write them down. When the time comes to write the actual statement, they already have most of the body written. It may also help to write a rough draft and put it down for a couple of days. When you pick it up you may see additional things you want to add or think of a different way of saying something. It is a good idea to have several different people read your personal statement. You might find out that what was a clear thought to you is very confusing to someone else. You may even want to ask the professors who are writing your letters of recommendation if they would assist you by critiquing your personal statement.
There are several books available which discuss writing the personal statement such as “Essays that Will Get You Into Law School,” by Kaufman, Dowhan, & Burnham. These books offer examples of personal statements. Use caution when reading them. It seems all of the examples were written by students who discovered the cure for cancer during an independent study lab, or worked for three years in the Peace Corps. Sometimes these examples can make students feel inadequate. While there are some people applying to law school with absolutely awe-inspiring life experiences, the majority of applicants have not had that level of life experience. It is common for students to come in for pre-law advising and express anxiety about getting into law school because they feel that they are, “just average and have lived an average life.” Well, there are many students with average grades and LSAT scores but each life is unique. Whether or not you are able to showcase on your unique experiences for the admission committees is up to you.
Letters of recommendation (LOR) are objective accounts of your academic/employment skills. Depending upon law schools to which you apply, to you may need anywhere from one to three letters of evaluation. Make sure you read each law school catalog carefully to determine how many letters the school wants. Whenever possible, the majority of your letters should be academic in nature and should come from professors who are familiar with your academic work. Although your letters do not need to come from professors in your major department, those are typically your smaller courses and so there is more chance for interaction with your professors.
When you ask a professor or employer for an LOR, make an appointment to see them if possible so you can get uninterrupted time with them. You should bring with you a resume and cover letter (mini-personal statement) in order to give your professors a well-rounded picture of you and what you hope to accomplish with a law degree. It is also helpful to include any anecdotes from class which may jar the professor’s memory as to who you are and what your participation level was like in class. Finally, it may be helpful for your professors if you include any written assignments or exams from that class, especially with written comments from the professor so that they can see, in their own words, what they thought of your class performance.
When deciding who to ask for LORs, the most important quality you can look for is that this particular person can write the best evaluation of your classroom performance. Whenever admissions officers speak about letters of recommendation, they are very clear about this point. They can tell the difference between a professor who simply knows that this student got an “A” and the professor who really knows the academic capabilities of a particular student. Remember that your best letter might not come from a professor who gave you an “A” but a professor who gave you a “B” if he/she can truly speak to your aptitude for a legal curriculum. In fact, some students have had professors for several different courses and although they may have only gotten a “B” in the first class, by the second or third, that student had earned an “A.” Now that would be a letter to have! Bottom line: No matter how impressive the title of the person writing the letter, if it is clear to the admissions committee that this individual merely signed off on a letter written by an aide, the letter will not hold much weight with the committee. Letters that compare you to your academic peers are generally most helpful.
Once you have identified the individuals who will write positive LORs for you, you will need to enter their names in your CAS account. After that, you will be able to download and print out a tailored recommendation letter cover sheet for each of your letter writers. You should give the respective cover sheet to each writer, and he/she must include that cover sheet with your letter when he/she mails it in to the LSAC to be posted to your CAS file. The letters need to be sent to the LSAC directly from the letter writer and cannot be submitted by the applicant.
In your CAS file, you will need to stipulate which letters should be sent to which law schools. For example, if you arrange to have three LORs submitted on your behalf, and you apply to a particular school that accepts a maximum of two letters, you will need to decide which two of the three LORs should be sent to that school.
Most law schools will invite applicants to submit a resume along with their applications. This can be attached electronically to your applications when you submit them online through the LSAC website. The Career Connection Center in the Reitz Union is an excellent resource if you would like some assistance with creating a resume. They also provide resume critiquing services to provide feedback on a draft of your resume. While most law schools do not care if your resume is one or two pages, it is critical to read the instructions for each particular law school.
You may be asked to have a Dean’s Certification form or letter of good standing sent in with your application. These types of forms are completed jointly by the Registrar’s Office and the Dean of Student’s Office. Complete instructions are available on the Dean of Students website. On this form, they will list any violations of the Student Code of Conduct including academic dishonesty violations. Often times, the certification forms from the law schools ask for your class rank. The University of Florida no longer ranks students, so mark “N/A” or “Not calculated at UF” for this question. As with your other application materials, you want to make sure this form is filled out and sent as early as possible.
Full Disclosure
The cornerstone of the legal profession is truth. It starts with the application process. There is no excuse for falsifying any information on your law school application and if a law school uncovers any attempt to do so the consequences can be severe including the rescinding of an acceptance or of your law degree if you have already graduated. It is better to over-disclose than under-disclose. This goes for anything from an alcohol violation as a freshman to any misdemeanor or felony offense. Just because it occurred when you were a freshman does not mean it should not be disclosed. Many violations are not something that would prevent a student from being admitted to a law school; however, failure to disclose such violations would be. Therefore, when in doubt, disclose.
Once your applications are in and your file is complete they can go to committee and you can be considered for admission. All of your hard work is done and now comes the nerve-racking part—the waiting and waiting and waiting. For some students the wait may not be that long. If your application is very competitive, you may find out you have been accepted to a law school before the Thanksgiving break depending upon how early your application was sent in. On the other hand, if you are not competitive for certain schools, you may find out you have not been accepted fairly quickly. The positive spin to this is that you may still have time to apply to another school you were holding back on. Most students, however, will be placed in that middle category where the law schools want to get a look at every eligible application before they make their final determination about the make-up of the class.
You may find out from one or several law schools that you have been placed on a waiting list if your application is not as competitive as those who are currently being admitted. You may find out about being placed on a waiting list as early as April or as late as July. At this point you have some tough decisions to make. Are you going to accept an invitation from a school that has already accepted you or are you going to “hold out” for the school(s) where you were put on a wait list? One thing you should seriously consider doing is contacting the law school(s) which put you on a wait list. Most law schools rank order their wait list and it might be possible for you to find out where you are on that list. You may also want to ask how far down on the wait list the school usually gets so you can gauge what type of chance you have at eventual acceptance. You may also want to ask when the law school(s) will make their final determinations about the wait list. Please note that each law school may have their own policy about telling students their rank on the wait list. If a school will not tell you such specific information, they may be willing to let you know how many students have been placed on the wait list entirely.
Once you have been accepted to a law school, you may be required to submit a seat deposit to reserve your space in the class which will be credited to your first year tuition. Seat deposits are one way a law school can anticipate who will become a part of the first year class. By submitting your seat deposit, you are essentially accepting a law school’s offer of admission. Most law schools request seat deposits to be made on April 1st. By allowing students to wait until April 1st, students will hopefully have found out decisions from all of the schools to which they applied. Additionally, they may have a better idea of the financial aid package being offered by each school so that they can make a better informed decision about where to go. If you decide not to attend a particular school after you have submitted your seat deposit, that money may be forfeited to the school depending upon their policy. Before submitting your seat deposit, make sure you know if it is refundable, how much is refundable and if there is a deadline date for a refund of your deposit.
Some students may have been accepted to one or more schools but have not yet made their final decision about where they wish to attend. Sometimes students are tempted to pay seat deposits to several of their schools to save a seat for themselves until they can make their final decision. Out of courtesy, please remember that by saving a seat for yourself you take away a seat from someone who may not have been accepted anywhere else. To avoid this problem, please do not accept admission offers from multiple schools. It’s a good idea to rank order your law school choices while you are waiting on your acceptance letters so that you know your top choices when you acceptance letters arrive.
Pre-Law is excited to host and promote Pre-Law events and workshops! We offer a variety of workshops and law school presentations each semester to share pertinent information to pre-law students.
If required, registration links for specific events are contained within the calendar.
Additionally, Pre-Law offers the opportunity to include Pre-Law student organization events on our calendar. Interested organizations should send the Pre-Law team relevant event information and a point of contact to prelaw@advising.ufl.edu.
Students are encouraged to pursue a broad, liberal, and diverse program of study by enrolling in demanding courses that challenge them to read, write, research, speak and think critically. Law schools are looking for applicants with academic excellence and the ability to perform at a high scholarly level.
Law schools encourage applicants to pursue a variety of majors without preference given to a specific area of study. Students should select majors in which they are most interested. Majors that emphasize critical thinking and writing can be helpful for students pursuing law but students can also gain these skills through elective coursework.
The only exception to the rule about majors is for students who would like to pursue Intellectual Property Law/Patent Law. It is necessary to have an undergraduate degree in science or engineering or at least take multiple courses in key science areas. For more information about Patent Law Exam requirements, please review the document provided by the United States Patent and Trademark Office
Minors and certificates are not required for law school but are a great way to demonstrate expertise and commitment to additional knowledge in a certain discipline. If you are interested in pursuing a minor, we strongly suggest choosing minors in which you desire to gain additional knowledge and possess a true interest in the subject. As minors are optional, they should be pursued based on desire and should be utilized to enrich your major course of studies. We do not recommend adding a minor or certificate with the sole purpose of making your law school application “more competitive”.
Although the American Bar Association does not specifically recommend undergraduate majors or courses, we do provide below a list of courses by department that may help you prepare for legal education.
AMH 3551: Constitutional History of the United States to 1877
AMH 3552: Constitutional History of the United States Since 1877
AMH 3558: United States Legal History
AMH 4160: The Early Republic, 1789-1848
AMH4316 – Violence and Social Conflict in American History
CPO3700 – Comparative Law and Courts
POS 2041: American Federal Government
POS 2112: American State and Local Government
POS3233 – Politics and Public Opinion
POS3263 – Policy, Ethics and Public Leadership
POS 3603: American Constitutional Law
POS 3606 : American Civil Liberties
POS4077 – African American Politics and Policy
POS 4424: Legislative Politics
POS 4624: Race, Law, and the Constitution
Also, many interesting rotating topics courses can be found under the “Special Topics” heading offered by a variety of Humanities and Social & Behavioral Sciences departments. If you have a specific area of interest in an identified subject matter, these are great courses, usually with low enrollment, that enable you to utilize various academic traits law schools are evaluating.
Welcome all new and returning Gators!
We are available to provide valuable information to assist with the pursuit of your legal career goals. We offer individual Pre-Law advising appointments throughout the year where we provide information on academic preparation for a career in the field of law, assistance with the application process, and guidance determining which law schools will meet your needs. Additionally, we host a multitude of workshops about exploring careers in law, personal statements, and other various law related topics. Please join our Pre-Law Email List to keep yourself up to date on pre-law information. We look forward to visiting with you soon!