2020 Law School Application Deadlines

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Updated on July 30, 2020

Law school application deadlines vary significantly. Some of the best law schools in the country have deadlines in February, and Stanford and UCLA are the earliest with applications due on February 1st. More common are deadlines in March and April, and you'll find that quite a few law schools will accept applications into the summer. Be sure to plan your LSAT test dates so that you'll have scores in time for deadlines.

Application Deadline Facts

Keep in mind that some programs have separate deadlines for early decision applications and spring semester enrollment, some schools operate on quarter systems with different schedules, and Master of Laws (LLM) programs are typically different than JD programs. Transfer students and international students are also likely to have different deadlines.

You'll find that a majority of law schools don't, in fact, have definite application deadlines, but "priority" deadlines. A school may, for example, accept applications into the summer, but have a March 15 priority deadline. If you're applying to a law school with a priority deadline, you should aim to finish your application by that date. Once the priority date passes, chances of admission typically go down and often scholarships and aid will no longer be available. If the class fills with applicants who apply by the priority deadline, you'll be out of luck. In general, the earlier the better when applying to law school

Rolling Admissions

When a school has rolling admissions, follow the same advice and apply early. Admissions will be open for only as long as seats are available, and you are also likely to find that you are more likely to get financial help if you apply early. That said, if you decide to apply to law school very late in the academic year, you will find many of the less selective schools still eagerly looking for qualified applicants.

Fall 2020 Admissions Deadlines

The deadlines below are for Fall 2020 admission to JD programs, and the list includes all law schools that are accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA).

2020 Law School Application Deadlines
University of Akron	March 31
University of Alabama	Rolling
Albany Law School of Union University	August 1 (March 15 priority deadline)
American University	July 16 (March 1 priority deadline)
Appalachian School of Law	Rolling (August 3)
Arizona State University	August 1 (March 1 priority deadline)
Arizona Summit Law School	Rolling
University of Arizona	July 15
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville	Rolling (April 1 priority deadline)
University of Arkansas, Little Rock	April 1 (January 15 recommended)
Atlanta's John Marshall Law School	March 1 (priority deadline)
Ave Maria School of Law	July 15
University of Baltimore	July 31
Barry University	Rolling (May 1 priority deadline)
Baylor University	March 16
Belmont University	June 30
Boston College	March 31
Boston University	April 1
Brigham Young University	June 30 (March 2 priority deadline)
Brooklyn Law School	Rolling
California Western School of Law	April 1
University of California-Berkeley	February 15
University of California-Davis	March 15
University of California-Hastings	April 15
University of California-Irvine	March 1
University of California-Los Angeles	February 1
Campbell University	May 1
Capital University	Rolling (May 1 recommended)
Cardozo School of Law	Rolling (April 1 priority deadline)
Case Western Reserve University	April 1
Catholic University of America	July 1 (March 15 preferred deadline)
Chapman University	Rolling (April 15 priority deadline)
Charleston School of Law	Rolling (March 1 priority deadline)
University of Chicago	March 1
Chicago-Kent College of Law-IIT	Rolling (March 15 suggested deadline)
University of Cincinnati	Rolling (March 15 priority deadline)
City University of New York	May 15
Cleveland State University	July 20
University ofColorado	April 1
Columbia University	February 15
Concordia Law School	August 1
University of Connecticut	June 1
Cornell University	March 1
Creighton University	March 31 (priority deadline)
University of Dayton	May 1 (preferred deadline)
University of Denver	Rolling (March 1 recommended)
DePaul University	Rolling (April 1 suggested deadline)
University of Detroit Mercy	Rolling (May 1 priority deadline)
District of Columbia	May 1 (March 15 priority deadline)
Drake University	Rolling (April 1 priority deadline)
Drexel University	April 15 (March 1 priority deadline)
Duke University	February 15 (priority deadline)
Duquesne University	Rolling (March 15 priority deadline)
Elon University	July 15 (March 1 recommended)
Emory University	March 1
Faulkner University	July 15
Florida A&M University	May 31
Florida Coastal School of Law	Rolling
Florida International University	Rolling until July 31
Florida State University	July 31 (March 15 priority deadline)
University of Florida	March 15 (priority deadline)
Fordham University	March 15
George Mason University	Rolling
George Washington University	March 1
Georgetown University	March 1 (recommended deadline)
Georgia State University	June 1 (March 15 priority deadline)
University of Georgia	June 1 (February 1 priority deadline)
Golden Gate University	June 15 (April 15 priority deadline)
Gonzaga University	April 15 (priority deadline)
Harvard University	February 28 (February 3 priority deadline)
University of Hawaii	April 1 (February 1 priority deadline)
Hofstra University	May 15
University of Houston	February 15
Howard University	March 15
University of Idaho	July 1 (March 15 priority deadline)
University of Illinois	March 15 (preferred deadline)
Indiana University - Bloomington	Rolling
Indiana University - Indianapolis	May 15 (March 1 priority deadline)
Inter American University of Puerto Rico	June 30
University of Iowa	May 1
John Marshall Law School	Rolling
University of Kansas	April 1 (priority deadline)
University of Kentucky	April 25 (February 1 priority deadline)
Lewis And Clark College	March 15 (priority deadline)
Liberty University	August 1
Lincoln Memorial	July 15
Louisiana State University	July 1
University of Louisville	April 15
Loyola Marymount University-Los Angeles	February 1 (priority deadline)
Loyola University-Chicago	June 1 (March 1 priority deadline)
Loyola University-New Orleans	August 1 (March 1 priority deadline)
University of Maine	Rolling (February 1 priority deadline)
Marquette University	Rolling (April 1 recommended)
University of Maryland	Rolling (April 1 recommended)
McGeorge School of Law	April 1 (February 1 priority deadline)
University of Memphis	March 15 (priority deadline)
Mercer University	Rolling
University of Miami	July 31 (February 1 recommended)
Michigan State University	April 30 (March 1 priority deadline)
University of Michigan	February 15
University of Minnesota	June 1
Mississippi College	July 10
University of Mississippi	March 15
University of Missouri	March 15
University of Missouri-Kansas City	Rolling (March 1 priority deadline)
Mitchell \| Hamline	July 15
University of Montana	Rolling (March 1 priority deadline)
University of Nebraska	March 1
New England Law \| Boston	March 15
University of New Hampshire	March 15 (priority deadline)
University of New Mexico	March 1 (priority deadline)
New York Law School	June 30 (March 15 priority deadline)
New York University	February 15
North Carolina Central University	April 30
University of North Carolina	March 1 (priority deadline)
University of North Dakota	July 15 (April 1 priority deadline)
Northeastern University	March 1 (priority deadline)
Northern Illinois University	April 1 (priority deadline)
Northern Kentucky University	April 1 (priority deadline)
Northwestern University	February 15
University of Notre Dame	March 15
Nova Southeastern University	July 15 (March 15 priority deadline)
Ohio Northern University	August 1
Ohio State University	July 1 (March 31 preferred deadline)
Oklahoma City University	July 31
University of Oklahoma	Rolling
University of Oregon	March 1 (priority deadline)
Pace University	Rolling (June 1st priority deadline)
Pennsylvania State - Dickinson Law	June 30
Pennsylvania State - Penn State Law	March 31
University of Pennsylvania	March 1
Pepperdine University	June 24
University of Pittsburgh	April 1
Pontifical Catholic University of P.R.	June 30
University of Puerto Rico	March 30
Quinnipiac University	Rolling (March 1 recommended)
Regent University	Rolling
University of Richmond	March 1 (February 1 priority deadline)
Roger Williams University	Rolling (April 1 priority deadline)
Rutgers University	July 10 (March 15 priority deadline)
Saint Louis University	Rolling
Samford University	May 1
University of San Diego	March 1 (priority deadline)
University of San Francisco	Rolling (February 3 priority deadline)
Santa Clara University	March 1
Seattle University	Rolling (March 1 priority deadline)
Seton Hall University	April 1 (priority deadline)
University of South Carolina	Early summer (March 1 priority deadline)
University of South Dakota	July 1 (February 1 recommended)
South Texas College of Law Houston	May 1 (March 15 priority deadline)
University of Southern California	April 1 (February 1 priority deadline)
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale	April 1 (preferred deadline)
Southern Methodist University	March 1
Southern University	May 1
Southwestern Law School	April 1
St. John's University	March 16 (priority deadline)
St. Mary's University	March 1 (priority deadine)
St. Thomas University (Florida)	July 1 (March 1 encouraged)
University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)	August 1
Stanford University	February 1
Stetson University	May 15 (March 15 recommended)
Suffolk University	April 1 (priority deadline)
Syracuse University	July 15 (April 1 priority deadline)
Temple University	March 1
University of Tennessee	Rolling
Texas A&M University	May 1 (February 3 priority deadline)
University of Texas at Austin	March 1
Texas Southern University	April 1 (preferred deadline)
Texas Tech University	July 1 (March 1 priority deadline)
Thomas Jefferson School of Law	July 15
University of Toledo	August 1 (April 15 priority deadline)
Touro College	Rolling
Tulane University	Rolling (March 1 recommended)
University of Tulsa	July 31
University of Buffalo-SUNY	Rolling (March 1 recommended)
University of La Verne	July 1
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth	June 30
University of Nevada - Las Vegas	March 15 (priority deadline)
UNT Dallas College of Law	April 30
University of Utah	March 10 (January 15 recommended)
Valparaiso University	No longer enrolling students
Vanderbilt University	April 1
Vermont Law School	July 15 (April 15 priority deadline)
Villanova University	April 1
University of Virginia	March 3
Wake Forest University	March 1
Washburn University	April 1 (priority deadline)
Washington and Lee University	March 1 (priority deadline)
Washington University	June 1 (April 27 priority for July start)
University of Washington	March 15
Wayne State University	June 20 (March 15 priority)
West Virginia University	March 1
Western Michigan University	Rolling
Western New England University	Rolling (March 15 recommended)
Western State College of Law	July 1
Whittier Law School	No longer enrolling students
Widener University-Delaware	August 1
Widener-Commonwealth	Rolling (May 1 encouraged)
Willamette University	Rolling
William and Mary Law School	March 1
University of Wisconsin	April 1
University of Wyoming	April 30 (priority deadline)
Yale University	February 15

Source: Individual Law School Websites

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Grove, Allen. "2020 Law School Application Deadlines." ThoughtCo, Feb. 9, 2021, thoughtco.com/law-school-application-deadlines-4777501. Grove, Allen. (2021, February 9). 2020 Law School Application Deadlines. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/law-school-application-deadlines-4777501 Grove, Allen. "2020 Law School Application Deadlines." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/law-school-application-deadlines-4777501 (accessed March 23, 2023).