Application for Transfer Enrollment

Admission to Mitchell Hamline School of Law is based on both academic and nonacademic factors. We encourage you to submit all information that you feel we need to know to make an admission decision. We don’t require admission interviews but encourage applicants to learn more about the school and the process by attending an information session, touring the campus, or meeting with an with admissions representatives. We look forward to reading your application and hope to meet you soon!

All requirements for admission apply to transfer applicants. To receive credits for previous coursework, an applicant must have received a grade of C or higher. Transfer applicants may be admitted to Mitchell Hamline with advanced standing if they meet the school’s admissions requirements and have satisfactorily completed at least one full year of study at an ABA-approved law school.

Generally, the ABA requires that a transfer student has 84 months (7 years) to complete their degree from the time when the student commenced their legal studies at the law school from which Mitchell Hamline is accepting transfer credit.

Transfer students must satisfactorily complete at least 43 credits of instruction in residence at Mitchell Hamline. Incoming transfer students will be required to meet graduation requirements based on their level of standing at the time of matriculation at Mitchell Hamline.

Students transferring into the blended enrollment option must register for the part-time course load that is listed on their transfer plan for their first semester at Mitchell Hamline. Students wishing to diverge from the typical course load must first get permission from the Dean of Students and from the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs.

The deadline to apply varies depending on the semester in which you plan to begin your studies at Mitchell Hamline.

Semester	Deadline
Spring 2023	November 1, 2022
Summer 2023	March 1, 2023
Fall 2023	June 15, 2023

Complete application for admission

Applications must be submitted online. Mitchell Hamline School of Law does not charge an application fee.

Attach a personal statement

Your personal statement should be one to three double-spaced pages in length and must include your reasons for transferring. In addition, it should include any information that will help the Admissions Committee act on your application. We encourage you to tell us why your application should be considered favorably. Please include such information as:

• Your reasons for going to law school or your specific legal interests
• Life and career goals
• Particular experiences or background applicable to law school
• Academic abilities or special skills, talents, or strengths
• Leadership and interpersonal skills
• Experiences in your journey to law school that show motivation, persistence, resilience, or ability to overcome obstacles

We also urge you to discuss reasons you believe Mitchell Hamline is the right school for you, including information about why you chose to apply for part-time or full-time enrollment, on campus or in the blended format.

Attach a values statement

Mitchell Hamline values being a leading law school in civic engagement, public service, social justice, and access to law school and the legal profession.  Your values statement should be one to two doubled-spaced pages in length and explain what it means to you to attend a law school with these specific values.

Attach a résumé

Your résumé should include a complete history of your post-secondary employment and education, including graduation and employment dates, colleges, and degrees received. It may also include a listing of significant extracurricular activities, volunteer or community service experience, leadership activities, awards and honors, or internships. The resume is not limited to one page.

Attach character and fitness addendum(s) (if applicable)

If you answered “yes” to any character and fitness question, you must submit a full explanation and relevant documentation, if required. The explanation should include clear information about what occurred as well as your response to the incident. If relevant documentation is unavailable, please explain why it is not available.

Provide a separate addendum for each question to which you answered “yes.”

Other Standardized Tests

If you have taken the GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) and would like to include your scores in your application, please use Mitchell Hamline School of Law’s code (4750) to submit them. Mitchell Hamline does not require GRE scores or accept them in place of the LSAT score. However, we will take your GRE scores into consideration if you submit them.

Credential Assembly Service (CAS) report

Request at Credential Assembly Service (CAS) report to be sent to Mitchell Hamline School of Law that includes your reportable LSAT scores, at least one LSAT writing sample, and official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions you have attended (see LSAC Transcript information).

Submit law school transcripts

Official copies of your transcripts from all law schools you have previously attended or are currently attending sent to Mitchell Hamline’s Office of Admissions directly from the law school(s). You may also submit the official transcript through the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS), in which case the transcript should be sent directly from your law school to the Credential Assembly Service (see LSAC Transcript information).

The admissions committee will review your law school grades closely. Law school grades weigh heavily in transfer admission decisions. The committee will consider trends in your grades, specific coursework, and how long ago you took the courses. You may include an addendum, no more than one page double-spaced, explaining any exceptional circumstances with regard to your law school grades.

Request a letter of recommendation

One confidential letter of recommendation from a professor from your current law school is required. Your recommender should know you well and be able to assess your personal qualities and your potential for success in law school. They should describe at least some of these characteristics:

• Academic ability, including creative thinking, reasoning ability, analytic skills, and oral and written communication skills
• Leadership and interpersonal skills
• Motivation and self-discipline
• Demonstrated ethics

All recommendations should be written on official or personal stationery and should be mailed directly from the recommender to the Admissions Office at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. You may also submit the recommendation through the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS), in which case the letter should be sent directly from your recommender to the Credential Assembly Service (see LSAC Letters of Recommendation information).

Request a letter of academic standing

The dean of your current (and previous, if applicable) law school must send a letter stating that you are in good standing and eligible to continue at that school. All letters of standing should be written on official stationery and should be mailed directly from the law school to the Admissions Office at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. You may also submit the letter of standing along with your official law school transcript through the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS), in which case the letter should be sent directly from your law school to the Credential Assembly Service (see LSAC Transcript information).

Note: A person who is ineligible to continue toward a degree at the previous law school cannot be considered for admission to Mitchell Hamline within two semesters of the date of their dismissal from the former law school. The student must also start over as a first-year student. If this applies to you, please refer to the Application for First-Year Enrollment.

Verify bar exam eligibility

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. Each state or jurisdiction has its own unique requirements, which may include activities to be completed prior to examination or admission to the bar, such as pro bono service, or registration during your first year of law school (as early as within 60 days of starting law school). Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

National Conference of Bar Examiners

Many Mitchell Hamline applicants plan to sit for the bar in Minnesota. Applicants with questions regarding their past conduct and character and fitness standards in Minnesota are encouraged to call the Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners at 651-297-1857 for a confidential consultation with a Character and Fitness Administrator.