Apply to Temple Law

The application cycle for the fall 2023 entering class will open on September 15, 2022.  Although priority consideration will be given to applications which are electronically transmitted to LSAC or mailed to Temple Law School on or before April 15, 2023, we are still accepting applications for the fall 2023 entering class.

We encourage you to apply electronically through LSAC’s online application. You may also download a copy of the Temple Law School Admissions Application, complete and return it to our office. Applicants may also request that a copy of the application form be mailed to them by contacting the Law School Admissions Office at 800-560-1428.

If you mail your application, it should be sent to the following address with the $65 application fee to:
Office of Admissions
Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law
1719 North Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19122

The application fee is $65. Payment may be made by credit card if the application is submitted electronically. For applications submitted through the mail, a check or money order should be made payable to Temple University and must be drawn on a U.S. bank. The application fee is nonrefundable and cannot be credited toward any charges if an applicant subsequently registers as a student. Temple Law School automatically waives the application fee for any applicant who has been approved for a fee waiver from LSAC.

We do not want any applicant who would like to apply to Temple Law School to not do so because they cannot afford the application fee. We encourage applicants to contact us by email with their name and LSAC account number to request an application fee waiver.

The application fee will be waived for any Temple undergraduate who is applying to Temple Law School.  Temple undergraduate students may email our office with their name and LSAC account number and we will waive the application fee.

A standardized test score is required from all applicants. To be considered for admission, applicants must indicate if they are taking the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) or the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).

Please be advised that a GRE score may be utilized only when a reportable LSAT score does not exist. If an applicant has a reportable LSAT score on file, a GRE score will not be considered in lieu of an existing LSAT score, and applicants are not required to report GRE scores in this instance.

If you plan to apply using an LSAT score, you must have a reportable LSAT score within the last five years (i.e., not before June 2017), and have the score reported to Temple Law School as part of an LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Law School Report. Our registration code number is 2906. The last LSAT test administration acceptable for fall 2023 admission is April 2023. Temple Law School evaluates scores from the LSAT-Flex in the same manner as scores from the traditional LSAT.

If you plan to apply using a GRE score, you must have your GRE score reported directly to the Temple Law School Admissions Office by ETS. Our school code is 3934. GRE scores should be submitted by April 15, 2023.

Please be advised, if you are admitted to the Law School with a GRE score and take the LSAT after admission, the Faculty Admissions Committee reserves the right to revisit your admission and scholarship decision.

All applicants must register with the Credential Assembly Service for the academic year during which application is made. It is the applicant’s responsibility to have a transcript from each college or university attended sent directly to LSAC in order for the application to be considered complete.

The Credential Assembly Service will analyze and duplicate the transcript(s) and send an unofficial copy to the law school.  Applicants who have not yet completed their undergraduate work are encouraged to send updated transcripts to LSAC upon completion of each semester/quarter so that the Admissions Committee has the most up-to-date academic record when reviewing an applicant’s credentials.

Detailed information on registering with the Credential Assembly Service and for the LSAT is available on the LSAC website.

All applicants must provide transcripts from each graduate or professional school attended. Official transcripts of all graduate and professional school courses can be sent either to the Credential Assembly Service or directly to the Temple University Beasley School of Law Office of Admissions.

The Admissions Committee suggests that a maximum of four letters of recommendation be submitted, although letters of recommendation are not required as part of the admissions process. Recommendation letters should come from professors, employers, or others directly acquainted with the applicant’s academic or professional capabilities. Letters of recommendation should be submitted directly from the recommender to the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) for distribution with your CAS Law School Reports, or may be sent directly to the Office of Admissions at Temple Law School. Do not have a recommender send the same letter to both LSAC and Temple. Letters sent directly to Temple should be accompanied by a Letter of Recommendation Waiver Form. These forms should be completed by the applicant and provided to the author of each letter of recommendation.

The “Buckley Amendment” to the General Education Provisions Act gives students who register at Temple University School of Law the right to inspect and review the letter(s) of recommendation contained in their law school records, unless that right is waived and the applicant consents to the letter(s) remaining a confidential communication between the law school and the writer. Applicants may waive the right of access provided by that legislation, but are not required to waive the right as a condition for admission to the law school. If a letter of recommendation is received by the law school unaccompanied by a waiver form executed by the applicant and the author of the letter, the letter will be treated as a confidential communication between the writer and the law school.

All applicants must submit a personal statement with the application. This is your opportunity to present yourself, your background, your experiences, and your ideas to the Admissions Committee. You may want to write about your intellectual interests, your career goals, your achievements, your family background, or your involvement in your community.

It is up to you to decide what you want to write about and how you want to express your thoughts. Keep in mind that the readers of your personal statement will be trying to get a sense of you as a person and as a prospective Temple Law School student. We encourage you to be as candid and thoughtful as possible. There is no specific length required for the personal statement, although on average, personal statements are two to three pages in length.

While resumes are not required, you are encouraged to submit one as part of your application materials. Your resume does not have to be limited to one page.  Do not leave out any of your work history because you feel that it is not relevant to the legal field.

Applicants will be notified via e-mail when their application and fee have been received and processed. The email will also provide log on information for the Admissions Office Online Status Check through which applicants can check which letters of recommendation have been received by the admissions office and check their application and decision status.

An application will be considered complete when we have received a completed application form and current Credential Assembly Service report containing LSAT score(s) and college records. Guided by past experience, candidates whose files are complete before January 15th may have a more favorable chance of admission if they are competitive within the applicant pool.  Most applicants can expect notification of a decision eight to ten weeks after their files are completed; however, requests for additional information, and  April 2023 LSAT or GRE scores may delay the evaluation process.

Admissions decisions are made from December until June and files are reviewed as they are completed. All applicants will be notified via email of their admissions decision. Applicants may also check the status of their application at any time on the Online Status Check.

An acceptance packet will be mailed to all admitted students with instructions on accepting their seat in the entering class. To reserve a place in the 2023 entering class, an accepted applicant must submit a nonrefundable admission deposit of $150 by April 15, 2023, or within 10 days of acceptance, whichever is later. A second nonrefundable deposit of $300 is due by June 15, 2023. Both the first and second deposits are credited toward tuition.

To the extent possible, assignment to a particular division is made according to each applicant’s choice. If space is not available in one division, the Admissions Committee may, at its discretion, offer a place in the other division to candidates meeting the common admissions standards. Applicants must obtain written approval in order to matriculate in a division other than the one to which acceptance was granted.

If you answer “Yes” to any of the character and fitness questions on the application form, you must attach an addendum to your application which explains the circumstances. It is imperative that the section on character and fitness on the application be answered fully. Because of the high ethical standards to which lawyers are held, the failure to disclose any academic or disciplinary action, criminal conviction, or pending criminal charge, is often more significant, and can lead to more serious consequences, than the action, criminal conviction or charge itself.

If in doubt as to whether or not to disclose a particular incident, we recommend that you err on the side of disclosure. If the record has been expunged or sealed, you are encouraged to disclose the information. Many states require expunged or sealed records to be disclosed on an application for admission to the Bar, and will inquire as to what information an applicant has disclosed to their law school. Inconsistencies or discrepancies in the information could serve as a barrier for admission to the Bar.

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.

All matriculants in the J.D. program must have earned a baccalaureate degree from an institution which is approved by one of the regional accrediting associations of the United States. Applicants with foreign degrees should refer to the section below on applicants with foreign degrees. Admission is on a competitive basis with identical requirements for both Day and Evening Divisions. The median grade point average and LSAT score for those enrolled in the 2021 entering class were 3.60 and 163, respectively. The middle fifty percent of those enrolled presented LSAT scores ranging from 160-166, and grade point averages ranging from 3.41-3.75.

Temple is committed to admitting the very best applicants from our pool of talented individuals. We are proud of our history and of our traditions. We believe in diversity, for it enriches our lives and our ability to succeed as legal professionals. We share a vision of the law as a service profession and a vision of life as made meaningful through service. We understand the aspirations of individuals to find a better way through law. We are dedicated to excellence. The admissions process at Temple reflects these values.

Temple’s admission process is very selective. The faculty admissions committee takes seriously its responsibility to carefully and individually evaluate each application. Our admission process is designed to look at the whole person. The faculty selects applicants who have outstanding performance records and exceptional aptitudes for the study of law. In doing so, the faculty recognizes that these criteria are not always reflected by grade point averages and standardized test scores alone.

Consistent with the ideals of Russell Conwell, the founder of Temple University, Temple Law School takes seriously its mission of offering opportunities to students who might otherwise be foreclosed from pursuing a high quality legal education. The law school began as an evening program 125 years ago, providing students with jobs and families the chance to pursue a legal education. With the support of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Temple has been able to offer affordable tuition to Pennsylvania residents, making law school a more realistic opportunity for many students.

More than forty years ago the faculty at Temple Law School established Sp.A.C.E. in order to give a contemporary voice to Temple’s traditional mission. Sp.A.C.E. is a discretionary admissions process which avoids over-reliance on the LSAT or any other arbitrary and abstract measuring factor in the admissions process. At the discretion of the faculty admissions committee, any application may be considered under Sp.A.C.E.. The faculty has identified the following characteristics as priorities in determining whether or not an applicant should be admitted: applicants who have overcome serious long-standing economic deprivation, or who come from working class families historically foreclosed from higher education; applicants who come from racial or ethnic minority groups; applicants whose families are recent immigrants to the United States; applicants who have demonstrated exceptional leadership ability in college, community or career activities, or who have evidenced a commitment to service through Peace Corps, VISTA, military or other service work; applicants with academic honors, graduate or undergraduate degrees of unusual merit, or undergraduate grade point averages of 3.8 or higher and standardized test scores that do not reflect this academic strength; applicants who worked during college to finance their education or support their families; applicants who identify as gay, lesbian or transgender; applicants with significant or unusual career achievement since graduation from college; applicants with serious physical disabilities; and applicants with other unique strengths and achievements.

If you feel one or more of these characteristics describe you or your background, we ask that you share with us in writing your unique personal history, highlighting for the committee your strengths and achievement. This information will assist the faculty admissions committee in fairly evaluating your candidacy. Information about your personal background and achievement can be included in your personal statement, or if you prefer, in an additional Sp.A.C.E. statement.

If you are admitted to Temple Law School, you will know that you were chosen because your skills, abilities, achievements, and potential are the credentials that earned you this opportunity.

All admission procedures and deadlines for reapplicants are identical to those for new applicants. Please note that reapplicants are required to submit a new application form, application fee, and a new personal statement and must have a current registration with the Credential Assembly Service.

An applicant who has previously attended any law school as a matriculated student must indicate so in the appropriate place on the application form. The applicant must give the name of the school(s) and date(s) of attendance and, on a separate sheet, explain the circumstances in detail. A letter verifying these circumstances must be sent directly to the admissions office from the dean or appropriate officer of the law school attended before the application can be reviewed.

Except upon a showing of extraordinary circumstances, admission will automatically be denied any candidate who has matriculated and taken examinations at a law school which is not a member of the American Association of Law Schools (AALS), or has matriculated at any law school and subsequently been dismissed, whether for academic or other reasons.

If an applicant presents a degree from an institution situated outside the United States (other than a Canadian affiliate), the academic work required by the awarding institution must be the equivalent of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution situated within the United States.

Law School Admission Test (LSAT) or Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores are required of all applicants with foreign degrees. Temple Law School requires that your foreign transcripts be submitted through the LSAC Credential Assembly Service.  If you completed any postsecondary work outside the U.S. (including territories) or Canada, you must use this service for an evaluation of your foreign transcripts.  The one exception to this requirement is if you completed the foreign work through a study abroad, consortium, or exchange program sponsored by a U.S. or Canadian institution, and the work is clearly indicated as such on the home campus transcript. This service is included in the Credential Assembly Service registration fee. Be advised that more time  is usually required to receive foreign transcripts. An International Credential Evaluation will be completed by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), which will be incorporated into your CAS report.

In cases where English is not the first or primary language, it is recommended that applicants provide a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score. If we determine that you need to submit a TOEFL score, you must contact Educational Testing Service (ETS) and request that your TOEFL score be sent to LSAC. LSAC’s TOEFL code for the Credential Assembly Service is 8395. Your score will be included in the Foreign Credential Evaluation document that will be included in your law school report.

Questions about the Credential Assembly Service can be directed to LSAC at 215-968-1001, or lsacinfo@lsac.org.

Temple Law School is a supporting member of CLEO and encourages applications from persons who have applied or been selected as CLEO Fellows. Such applicants should indicate this information on their applications.