JD Admissions Process

Wake Forest Law is committed to enrolling a student body composed of individuals who demonstrate the potential for academic excellence and possess the qualities necessary to thrive in the study and practice of law.  We seek students who will contribute to the intellectual vibrancy of our community and who are committed to upholding the highest ethical standards of the legal profession.

Holistic Review

Wake Forest Law is committed to conducting a holistic review of each completed application received, considering all available information to gain a comprehensive understanding and assessment of the applicant’s qualifications. No single factor is determinative in the admission decision. Factors considered include an applicant’s academic record, standardized test scores (LSAT or GRE), professional and personal experiences, letters of recommendation, and requested essays. We seek to identify applicants who demonstrate:

• Intellectual Ability: Critical thinking skills, analytical reasoning, and a demonstrated capacity for complex problem-solving as demonstrated by academic records, standardized test scores, and relevant experiences
• Commitment to Excellence: A record of achievement in academic, professional, and personal endeavors.
• Personal Qualities: Integrity, resilience, empathy, and other relevant characteristics.
• Potential to Contribute: The ability to enrich the law school community and contribute meaningfully to the legal profession.

Applicants must demonstrate the character and fitness required to practice law. This includes a commitment to honesty, integrity, and ethical behavior. Applicants are required to fully and truthfully disclose any past conduct that may reflect negatively on their character and fitness. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action, up to and including revocation of an offer of admission or dismissal from the Law School.

Applicants who are offered admission are notified in writing via their applicant portal. Offers of admission are contingent upon the applicant satisfying all conditions outlined in the offer letter, including the submission of official final transcripts and any other required documentation or required actions.

• Complete and accurate application for admission, including the incorporated Binding Decision agreement
• Valid unexpired LSAT and/or GRE official score report
• Official transcripts from all higher education institutions attended submitted and processed through LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service (CAS) by established deadlines as may be required by the Office of Admissions & Financial Aid
• Letter of recommendation submitted through LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service (CAS)
• Resume
• Personal statement
• Imagining Your Future statement
• Character & Fitness addendum, if required based on application response
• Application fee

• Optional statement
• LSAT / GRE / GPA addendum
• Additional letters of recommendation submitted through LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service (CAS), up to a maximum of two additional letters for a total of three letters of recommendation

Applicants must submit a valid unexpired TOEFL or IELTS official score report, unless the applicant has earned (or will earn), prior to law school matriculation, a baccalaureate-level or higher degree from an accredited institution of higher education where English is the primary language of instruction and where the corresponding degree of study was undertaken primarily in one of the following countries:

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Commonwealth of Australia
• The Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belize
• Canada
• Commonwealth of Dominica
• Grenada
• Co-operative Republic of Guyana
• Republic of Ireland
• Jamaica
• Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Republic of Malta
• New Zealand
• Trinidad and Tobago
• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
• United States of America
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

The Office of Admissions & Financial Aid may, at its sole discretion, require a TOEFL or IELTS score of any applicant, regardless of education or other attributes.

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.

You will be asked to certify that all of your responses are complete and accurate as well as certify certain other statements prior to submitting your application. This includes a continuing duty to inform Wake Forest University School of Law and to update your responses without delay if the responses you provide later become incomplete or inaccurate.

Wake Forest Law is one of several schools that accept Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores for admissions consideration. Applicants who would like to be considered based on their GRE scores should not register or sit for the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). Scores and registration information is automatically sent to Wake Forest Law for applicants who have taken an LSAT in the past or who sit for an administration during the application process. Wake Forest Law must consider any LSAT score or registration that is reported. Subsequently reported GRE scores will be invalid for the admissions process.