Admissions Process
Admission Requirements and Deadlines
In making admission decisions, the Admissions Committee attempts to identify as best it can those applicants who have the ability to compete successfully in a rigorous academic environment, to contribute to a diverse intellectual community, and to engage successfully in the career of their choice in an increasingly diverse society. Because these characteristics are not always captured by an applicant's LSAT score or overall grade point average, the Committee considers any upward or downward trend in the applicant's academic performance over time, the quality of the applicant's undergraduate institution, the applicant's major and activities, letters of recommendation, personal statement, educational or economic disadvantages the applicant has overcome to obtain an undergraduate education, status as the first generation in a family to graduate from college or university or attend law school, commitment of future service to underserved communities, and any other information other than race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin supplied by the applicant. Neither the Committee nor the College seeks to obtain any particular number or percentage of diverse candidates, but they do seek a diverse mix of students to ensure that the College has a sufficient range of background and experience in its student body to permit a deep, broad, and vigorous intellectual environment. As this description indicates, the admissions process is flexible, no particular factor in itself determines admission or non-admission, and the Committee has sufficient discretion to consider each applicant individually on the basis of the entire file.
Although a majority of the students at the College of Law are residents of Nebraska, the College welcomes applications from students who are not residents of Nebraska.
With the exception of those who are applying for admission pursuant to the Combined 3-3 Program, applicants must have a bachelor's degree or must have completed all requirements for a bachelors degree before they begin their first year of study at the College of Law.
Application and Enrollment Deadlines
The College of Law accepts students for enrollment beginning in the fall semester of each academic year.
The application deadline is March 1. Applications received after March 1 will still be considered, but late applicants may be at a disadvantage. The Admissions Committee makes decisions on a rolling basis. In other words, the Committee reviews applications as they become complete rather than waiting until all the applications are complete. The later an application is received, the greater the risk becomes that all of the places in the entering class will have already been filled.
The Admissions Committee attempts to make its decisions as soon as reasonably possible. Each applicant who is accepted for enrollment is required to submit an Intent to Enroll form along with a $100 deposit by the date specified in the applicant's letter of acceptance. The $100 deposit is applied toward the applicant's first semester tuition and fees and is non-refundable.
A second deposit of $200 will be due on June 1 or other date designated in the applicant's admission letter. This deposit is also applied toward the applicant's first semester tuition and fees and is non-refundable.
