Transfer & Visiting Students

Applications from transfer students will be considered from individuals who have successfully completed the full first-year curriculum at another law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA).  Successful second-year transfer applicants must complete at least half (45) of the 89 credits required for graduation after enrolling in the Law School.   Applicants may not transfer more that 44 credits from another law school.

Students enrolled in another ABA-approved law school may apply to earn credit at the Law School as visiting students.  JD degrees will be awarded by their home institutions. Priority in selection is given to those entering the third year of law school.

Applications are reviewed for admission to the fall and spring semesters.  The deadline for spring entry is September 1 (provisional decisions made in October). The deadline for fall entry is May 1 (provisional decisions made in June). 

Applicants must be in good standing at an ABA-accredited law school.  We give preference to applicants who:

• have attained a law school ranking in the upper half of their current class.  (We invite applicants in the lower half of their current class to offer an explanation.);
• are residents of Hawaiʻi;
• have a close relationship to our State;
• have with a strong background and continuing interest in Native Hawaiian Law, Pacific-Asian Legal Studies, or Environmental Law;
• have a compelling personal need to to study in Hawaiʻi (e.g., military transfer);
• meet our normal admissions criteria (LSAT score, GPA).

TRansfer/visiting Application Instructions

Checklist Decisions Residency Financial Aid Change of Address

Disclosure and Ethical Considerations Nondiscrimination and UH Mānoa Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Policy Statement Social Security Account Number Usage

 

Transfer/Visiting Application Checklist

• Electronic Application: To apply, you must register with the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (formerly LSDAS) and complete the online application for Transfer and Visiting Students. The application will become available on December 1.
• Application Fee: The $60 application fee is collected by LSAC. The University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents does not allow us to waive or refund this fee.
  
• Personal Statement: The personal statement is an important part of the Admissions Committee’s review process. We require a personal statement on a subject of your choice. Some common choices are: goals and purposes in attending law school; background information that the applicant feels makes him/her unique; discussion of an event or individual of significant influence on the applicant; special achievements; discussion of the particular strengths that you might bring to the practice of law. Please discuss your reasons for wanting to transfer to or visit our law school. The Admissions Committee encourages you to limit your response to 500 words. A résumé detailing your professional and educational experience is not required but may be included with your application.
• Two Letters of Recommendation: We require two letters of recommendation.  We strongly recommend that you submit at least one letter from one of a law school professor.  Please submit the letters to LSAC.  Do not send duplicates to the Law School.
• Transcripts: You are required to submit official transcripts to LSAC from all post-secondary institutions you attended. All transcripts from institutions outside the US or Canada must also be submitted to LSAC. You do not need to submit transcripts for coursework completed through study abroad, consortium, or exchange programs sponsored by US or Canadian institutions.  Provisional acceptance may be made before the semester's end, but final acceptance will depend on the receipt and evaluation of an updated law school transcript showing the current semester's work.  Please have official law school transcripts sent directly to the Admissions Office.
• Letters of Good Standing:  Request that law school letters of good standing be sent directly to the Admissions Office. In the same letter, ask that the Registrar indicate your class rank or quartile standing (e.g., top quarter, top half).  If you intend to transfer credits back to your home institution, we will also need a statement that tells us that the credits you earn at our law school will be accepted toward your degree there.
  

Decisions

You can monitor the status of your application online. We cannot provide status updates to you over the telephone. Until the current status indicates that your application is complete, we cannot forward your application to the Committee for consideration.

Provisional decisions for spring entry are made in October. Provisional decisions for fall entry are made in June.

Residency

Do not complete the Residency Declaration Form until you are admitted. If you are admitted and wish to claim Hawai‘i residency, or qualify for an exemption, you must complete the form. If you do not, you will be considered a nonresident for tuition purposes. A determination of residency status will be made prior to matriculation. Please see the Residency Declaration Form in Supplemental Forms on LSAC for more information.

FINANCIAL AID

If you intend to apply for financial aid (Subsidized or Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, GradPLUS loans, need-based opportunity grants, and work-study), please file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) no later than March 1, 2010 to meet the priority deadline. You may complete and file the FAFSA online as early as January 1, 2010. The Financial Aid Office may request supplemental financial information.  See Financial Aid.

Change of Address

Please inform the Admissions Office if your contact information changes after you apply.

Previous Applicants

If you previously applied to our Law School and did not enroll, you must complete a new application. Contact LSAC to renew your registration.

Disclosure and Ethical Considerations

Because lawyers and law students are held to high ethical standards, applicants are cautioned to be truthful and candid during the entire admissions process. The Law School expects all applicants to furnish requested information in a complete and accurate manner. Failure to disclose an act or event may be more significant and may lead to more serious consequences than the event itself. Failure to provide complete and truthful information, or failure to inform the Admissions Office of any changes to your answers over time, may result in dismissal from or disciplinary action by the Law School, revocation of a degree, or denial of permission to practice law by the state in which you seek bar admission. This obligation to disclose does not end upon admission and continues throughout one’s Law School career.

Nondiscrimination and UH Mānoa Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Policy Statement

The University of Hawai‘i is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution and is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of race, sex, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, arrest and court record, sexual orientation, and status as a covered veteran. This policy covers admission and access to, and participation, treatment, and employment in, the University’s programs, activities, and services. With regard to employment, the University is committed to equal opportunity in all personnel actions such as recruitment, hiring, promotion, and compensation. Sexual harassment and other forms of discriminatory harassment are prohibited under University policy.

The University strives to promote full realization of equal opportunity through a positive, continuing affirmative action program in compliance with the Federal Executive Order 11246. The program includes measuring performance against specific annual hiring goals, monitoring progress, and reporting on good faith efforts and results in annual affirmative action plan reports. As a government contractor, the University is committed to an affirmative policy of hiring and advancing in employment qualified persons with disabilities and covered veterans.

For information on equal opportunity policies or complaint procedures for the UH Mānoa campus contact:
Students:

Francisco Hernandez, Vice Chancellor for Students, Title IX & ADA Coordinator
Queen Liliuokalani Center for Student Services 409
Tel: (808) 956-3290 (V/T)

Sexual Harassment & Gender Equity:
Jennifer Rose, Gender Equity Counselor
Queen Liliuokalani Center for Student Services 210
Tel: (808) 956-9977

Civil Rights Counselor:

Jill Nunokawa, Civil Rights Counselor
Queen Liliuokalani Center for Student Services 210
Tel: (808) 956-4434

UH Mānoa recognizes its obligation to provide equal access to programs, services, and activities to students with disabilities. Contact KOKUA, the office for students with disabilities, for accessibility information and services.

KOKUA Program (Students with Disabilities):

Ann Ito, Director of Kokua Program
Queen Liliuokalani Center for Student Services 013
Tel: (808) 956-7511 (V/T) or (808) 956-7612
Fax: (808) 956-8093
Email: kokua@hawaii.edu

Social Security Account Number Usage

The University of Hawai‘i (University) is committed to safeguarding the privacy of personal and confidential information of its students, employees, alumni, and other individuals associated with the University. In the normal practice of conducting official University business, the University collects and maintains confidential information relating to its students, including a student's Social Security Number (SSN). The University requests that a student provide a SSN at the time of application to the University.

The SSN is not required for enrollment, but the University is required by federal law to report to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) the SSN and other information for tuition-paying students. Federal law also requires the University to obtain and report to the IRS the SSN for any person to whom compensation is paid. Due to the practical administrative difficulties that the University would encounter in maintaining adequate student records and processing financial transactions without the SSN, the University will continue to collect SSNs as permitted by law for official use within the University system. Providing the SSN ensures that University programs and services are available with the least delay.

Students will be assigned a University-generated student identification number upon enrollment and this will be used as the primary student identifier. The SSN will be used in activities, including but not limited to, matching and reconciling documents in order to determine eligibility for admission and financial aid, to determine residency for tuition purposes, to comply with federal and/or state law reporting requirements (e.g. for financial aid, IRS mandates, Taxpayer's Relief Act of 1997, Immigration and Naturalization Service), and in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. The SSN will not be disclosed to any persons outside the University system, except as allowed by law or with permission from the individual, this policy does not preclude. If a primary means of identification is unavailable, the University from using the SSN as needed to conduct official University business.