Admissions FAQ

We will email you when we have made a decision about your application. We will also update your online status page [lsacsso.b2clogin.com]. Most applicants who apply after November 1 will receive decisions within six to eight weeks. We endeavor to provide decisions to everyone who applies by February 1 by the end of February.

NOTE: The Admissions Committee may decide to hold some applications until the end of the cycle. If you have questions about the status of your application after checking the online status page, please contact us at lawadm@hawaii.edu.

Please see Application Fee Waivers.

You are strongly encouraged to apply before February 1. The Law School may exclude from consideration any application submitted after June 1 or any application that is incomplete on June 1 for Fall 2023 admission.

No. We do not grant admissions interviews. However, we encourage you to visit our law school and sit in on a law school class. Visit our Request a Visit page.

No, we only accept incoming first-year students in the fall.

Yes. Because we are the only law school in Hawai‘i, we give preference to applicants who

• are residents of Hawaiʻi;
• have a close relationship to our state;
• have a strong background and continuing interest in Native Hawaiian Law, Pacific-Asian Legal Studies, International Law, or Environmental Law; and/or
• have a compelling personal need to study in Hawaiʻi (e.g., immediate family, military transfer).

We are a small law school. We have typically welcomed 90 full-time students each Fall. For more information see our About Us page.

You can find the most up-to-date class profile on our Statistics page.

Each year, the Admissions Committee selects up to twelve students from the entering class to join the Ulu Lehua Program. These students have overcome adversity and demonstrated their academic potential, leadership ability, and commitment to social justice.

It is the Law School’s hope that students in the Ulu Lehua Program will

• Address the legal and related needs of communities underserved by the legal profession in Hawai‘i and Pacific Island nations;
• Represent communities that are presently underrepresented in the Law School and underserved by the legal profession;
• Serve as role models for and mentors to others who are striving to overcome adversity to reach their full potential as community leaders in Hawai‘i and the Pacific; and
• Bring distinctive viewpoints and life experiences to the Law School community, enriching the understanding of everyone who works and learns here.

We will accept your degree if the online school has been regionally accredited. Below you will find a list of regionally accredited schools on the individual accrediting body websites, or ask the school if they are regionally accredited, and if so by which accrediting body.

• Higher Learning Commission [www.hlcommission.org]
• Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools [www.msche.org]
• New England Commission of Higher Education [www.neche.org]
• Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities [www.nwccu.org]
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges [www.sacscoc.org]
• WASC Senior College and University Commission [www.wscuc.org]

You may also search the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education website accreditation database for more information. “Each of the postsecondary educational institutions and programs contained within the database is, or was, accredited by an accrediting agency or state approval agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a ‘reliable authority as to the quality of postsecondary education’ within the meaning of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended” (HEA).

Yes. The 2020-2021 American Bar Association Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval for Law Students provides that “A law school shall not admit or readmit a student who has been disqualified previously for academic reasons without an affirmative showing that the prior disqualification does not indicate a lack of capacity to complete its program of legal education and be admitted to the bar. For every admission or readmission of a previously disqualified individual, a statement of the considerations that led to the decision shall be placed in the admittee’s file.” You must address the circumstances surrounding your dismissal on your application and have a letter of good standing from your previous law school (i.e., 505 letter) sent directly to the Admissions Office. See ABA Standards [www.americanbar.org].

Because lawyers and law students are held to high ethical standards, you must be truthful and candid during the entire admissions process. The Law School expects you to furnish requested information in a complete and accurate manner.

Because lawyers and law students are held to high ethical standards, you must be truthful and candid during the entire admissions process. The Law School expects you 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.

For example, applicants may not sit for the Hawaiʻi Bar Exam or be admitted to the Hawai‘i Bar if they have not complied with a court order for child support, or a subpoena or warrant relating to a paternity or child support proceeding. Likewise, applicants may not sit for the Hawaiʻi Bar Exam or be admitted to the Hawai‘i Bar if they have not complied with an obligation under a student loan, student loan repayment contract, scholarship contract, or repayment plan. For more information, see Rules of the Supreme Court of Hawaiʻi [www.courts.state.hi.us]. For requirements for additional states, see the National Conference of Bar Examiners website [www.ncbex.org].

Your obligation to disclose does not end upon admission and continues throughout your law school career.

Admitted full-time JD students may apply for conditional admission to the Shidler College of Business.

Admitted full-time or part-time JD students may apply for admission to the Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work [www.hawaii.edu]. See JD/MSW Dual Degree Program.

Please choose a major that interests you. We do not prefer one undergraduate major over another. To learn more about the legal profession and applying to law school, you may want to explore the Law School Admissions Council Discover Law website.

The UHM Pre-Health/Pre-Law Advising Center (PAC) is staffed by current law students who are trained to help you clarify your career goals, choose a major, plan appropriate coursework, research professional programs, find opportunities to gain experience, and apply to law schools. PAC is open to the public. You do not need to be a student to access their services.

Location: Sinclair Library Room 107

Request a Pre-Law Advising appointment on this website

Phone: (808) 956-8646

Email: prelaw@hawaii.edu.

We will send you an application acknowledgment email within five days of receiving your application. This email will include log in information for the online status page [lsacsso.b2clogin.com]. You can always find the most up-to-date information about your application online.

Please check your junk and spam email folders and make sure that you can accept messages from esteele@hawaii.edu and lawadm@hawaii.edu. If seven days have passed and you still have not received an application acknowledgment email from us, email lawadm@hawaii.edu.

See Online Status.

Please use the same LSAC JD credentials for logging into your JD account at lsac.org.

Please submit your complete application as soon as you receive the test score you would like us to consider.

Do not wait until the last minute to submit your application. LSAC warns, “Internet slowness, server problems at your ISP or elsewhere, or other issues beyond LSAC’s control may occur, resulting in the deadline passing without your application being transmitted.” See LSAC FAQ for Electronic Applications [www.lsac.org].

No. You can submit your application now. LSAC will forward the letter of recommendation (or updated transcript) to us after they receive it.

No. Once you complete the LSAC checkout process, you cannot make changes to your application.

Contact LSAC Candidate Services [www.lsac.org].

We strongly prefer that you stay within the 500-word limit. However, if your statement is 550 or 650 words, that’s fine.

Visit LSAC Creating Your Attachments [www.lsac.org].

Your letters should be completed by professors, instructors, or other persons who are familiar with your academic work. If you have been out of school for a number of years, it may be difficult to find an academic recommender. If that is the case, you may ask an employer or supervisor to write a letter of recommendation for you. Please do not ask family members or persons who do not know you well to write letters of recommendation for you.

Yes. You may reassign the letters to us in your LSAC account. Visit LSAC Letters of Recommendation [www.lsac.org].

Yes. We require two letters of recommendation but you may submit up to three.

See How to Apply with the GRE.

Our GRE school code is 2381. This code is different from that of the UH Mānoa campus.

No, you may not submit a GRE General Test score in place of a reportable LSAT score. If you have already taken the LSAT, all reportable LSAT scores will be included with your application when you apply via LSAC. You may elect to submit your GRE General Test score in addition to your LSAT score. If you have not yet taken the LSAT, you may elect to submit only the GRE General Test score.

We do not have a preference for either standardized test.

We do not differentiate between GRE-only and LSAT applicants for merit scholarships.

No. You may choose to submit your LSAT score without your GRE General Test score. You may elect to submit your GRE General Test score in addition to your LSAT score.

No. We will evaluate your entire application.

Yes. View our GRE study [PDF, 164KB] that concluded that GRE scores – like the LSAT – predict grades in the first year of law school. “In other words, students with relatively high GRE scores were twice as likely to be in the top third of law school grades as in the bottom third. For students in the bottom third of GRE scores, 26% were in the top third of the class, while 37% were in the bottom third. In other words, students with relatively low GRE scores were almost 1½ times as likely to be in the bottom third of law school grades as in the top third.”

Many of our recent successful GRE applicants had competitive GRE scores when compared to other GRE test takers. The mean GRE section scores and mean LSAT score of the 81 Richardson study participants were as follows:

The entering class of 2021’s median LSAT score was 156 (entering class profiles). Applicants with LSAT scores frequently refer to the applicant profile chart in the LSAC Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools. The most recent chart compares our applicants and admitted students in 2017 by high LSAT score and undergraduate GPA. Visit the Official Guide to ABA-Approved JD Programs [www.lsac.org].

We cannot produce a simple, analogous chart of GRE section scores and undergraduate GPA. While LSAT takers have a single composite LSAT score, GRE applicants have three separate GRE section scores. Each GRE subtest measures a different set of skills. And some of our GRE applicants took the GRE multiple times.

See below for how many GRE-only applicants applied to, were admitted to, and ultimately matriculated at Richardson since we began accepting the GRE. The range of scores from the 25th-75th percentile are provided. The Verbal Reasoning (VR) and Quantitative Reasoning (QR) scores are rounded to the nearest whole number. The Analytical Writing (AW) is rounded to the nearest half point. If our GRE applicants submitted multiple GRE test scores, we averaged them for the purposes of calculating the percentiles.

Our final deadline for Fall 2022 admission is April 1, 2022.

Applicants should plan to take the GRE General Test with enough time for your test to be scored and sent to our Law School to meet the posted deadline. Scores for the computer-based GRE General Test are available approximately 10-15 days after the test date. Applicants are advised to take the GRE no later than March 1 to allow enough time to meet the April 1 final deadline. Visit the ETS website for FAQs about the GRE General Test.

The GRE General Test is offered many times each month. Please visit the ETS website to see the available GRE General Test Centers and Dates.

GRE General Test scores are reportable for up to five years.

Send your GRE scores from all test administrations in the last five years to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Richardson School of Law (Code: 2381). All test administrations will be considered.

See Ordering Additional Score Reports (ASRs) on the ETS website.

ETS is currently offering the GRE General Test at Home as many test centers are currently closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. At home administrations are currently available seven days a week. See GRE General Test at Home for additional details.

“ETS provides the GRE® Fee Reduction Program for individuals who can demonstrate financial need, for those who are unemployed and receiving unemployment compensation, and for national programs that work with underrepresented groups.” Visit the ETS website for information on the GRE Fee Reduction Program.

See the FAQ about the GRE General Test on the ETS website.

See Free GRE Test Prep Materials including GRE Khan Academy materials on the ETS website.

Please upload a brief explanation in the Addendum section of the law school application.

Yes. Although LSAC does not include your graduate school grades in your cumulative undergraduate GPA, we will consider your graduate level coursework.

See LSAC Credential Assembly Service [www.lsac.org].

You may send the transcripts now without waiting for this semester’s grades. Later, you may choose to send an updated transcript to LSAC. LSAC will automatically forward it to us.

If you are admitted to the Law School, you must have an updated, final official transcript sent to LSAC before August 1 so that your LSAC-generated UGPA will reflect the undergraduate academic work you completed AFTER you applied to law school.

Yes.

JD Acceptance Rate for 2021: 32.7% (257 of 785)

JD Enrollment Rate for 2021: 38.1% (98 of 257)

Please see profiles of our recent entering, full-time classes.

You may also want to check out the Applicant Profile Chart (below) that compares applicants and admitted students in 2017 by LSAT score and GPA in the LSAC Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools [www.lsac.org].

The ABA and LSAC have not yet produced a grid for applicants and admitted students in 2018 or later.

We will evaluate your entire application. Your LSAT and/or GRE score and GPA will constitute about two thirds of our decision. Please be sure to detail your experiences, skills, interests, and strengths in your application, personal statement, and résumé.

A Note for Mature/Non-Traditional Applicants:  Please don’t be overly concerned about a low undergraduate GPA, LSAT, or GRE score. The Law School seeks a diverse class of students with varied life and professional experiences. We recognize that a significant amount of time may have passed since you were an undergraduate student. We will consider graduate work, life experience, work experience, community service, and non-academic accomplishments.  If you have any questions about your academic credentials, please contact the Admissions Office at lawadm@hawaii.edu. We will be happy to speak with you about how best to communicate your strengths to the Admissions Committee.

No. We will evaluate your entire application.

The Committee will consider your highest LSAT score, but will see all of your reportable scores. You may want to explain significant score differences in an addendum.

See LSAC About the LSAT.

Yes. If you want to explain the circumstances surrounding your cancellation or absence, please attach an addendum to your electronic application.

You may submit your application now. Please indicate on the application if we should wait for a future score to review.

See LSAT Dates and Deadlines on the LSAC website.

We will accept the January 2023 LSAT to meet our Priority Deadline for full-time students.

Update 1/25/2023: The June 2023 LSAT is the last test that can be taken for Fall 2023 admission. Applicants will need to submit the application by June 1 and we will wait for the June LSAT score to arrive at the end of June.

The latest acceptable test date for the TOEFL is January 2023. Scores from TOEFL tests taken more than two years ago will not be accepted.

You are strongly encouraged to apply before the February 1 Priority Deadline. The April 2022 LSAT will be too late for the April 1 final deadline for Fall 2022 admission.

Update 1/25/2021: As noted above, the recently announced March 2022 LSAT will meet our final deadline of April 1, 2022. Registration via lsac.org is open through February 3.

Yes, if you do not already have a previous LSAT Writing sample on file to complete your Law School Report. Writing samples may be from either a previous LSAT administration or from an administration of LSAT Writing. Visit the FAQs About LSAT Writing.

Typically, the LSAT Writing Sample is processed within a week of completion. However, applicants are advised to allow three weeks for processing. Visit After Taking LSAT Writing [www.lsac.org] for more information .

Yes. See LSAC Accommodated Testing [www.lsac.org] for more information.

Yes. Although LSAC does not include your graduate school grades in your cumulative undergraduate GPA, we will consider your graduate level coursework.

See LSAC Credential Assembly Service [www.lsac.org].

You may send the transcripts now without waiting for this semester’s grades. Later, you may choose to send an updated transcript to LSAC. LSAC will automatically forward it to us.

If you are admitted to the Law School, you must have an updated, final official transcript sent to LSAC before August 1 so that your LSAC-generated UGPA will reflect the undergraduate academic work you completed AFTER you applied to law school.

Yes. The GRE General Test is the only other test we will accept for Fall admission. See How to Apply with the GRE.

Please visit our section on Tuition and Financial Aid.

68 of our 95 2019-2020 graduates borrowed at least one loan. The average amount borrowed by our 2019-2020 graduates was $63,879. The average amount borrowed by our 2018-2019 graduates was $72,494.

In 2016, we were named the law school whose alumni had the Lowest Average Debt of 2015 Graduates by US News and World Report.

File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as it becomes available on September 30 at 7:01 PM HST (October 1 at 12:01 AM EST). Need-based scholarships are awarded based upon eligibility, need, and the order of FAFSA received. 2019 tax information may be used for the 2021-2022 FAFSA.

Our priority financial aid deadline is February 1. See Financial Aid.

You no longer need to do this as the FAFSA now uses previous year tax return information. 2019 tax information will be used for the 2021-2022 FAFSA. See FAFSA FAQs.

The federal school code is 001610. To add our school code to an existing FAFSA, click “Add a school” under “Returning User?”.

See Cost of Attendance.

See the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). Use your social security number and FAFSA pin to access your account. Your account information will include current loan amounts, lenders, and lender contact information.

If you are admitted, you will be invited to complete a residency declaration form. A determination of residency status will be made prior to matriculation. See Hawaiʻi Residency.

Yes.

Selected admitted JD students who are residents of WICHE member states may pay 150% of the resident tuition for the JD program at the Richardson School of Law for the entire length of their law school careers (as long as they maintain their residency in a WICHE state) through the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) website. All admitted JD applicants from Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam will be considered for the program. They do not need to complete a separate form or application to apply for the WRGP tuition exemption. Both full-time and part-time JD students are eligible for the program. Selected recipients will be notified by the Admissions Office when they are admitted. Current JD students who were not initially selected to participate in the WRGP are not eligible for the WRGP tuition exemption.

The William S. Richardson School of Law welcomes applications from all highly qualified prospective law students, regardless of their ability to document their status. Undocumented applicants who meet Hawai’i residency requirements may be considered Hawai’i residents for tuition purposes. See also External Scholarships for Undocumented Students/DACA Recipients.

Prospective JD students do not need to complete a separate scholarship application for merit scholarships. All admitted students will be considered for internal merit scholarships. The Law School has a very limited merit scholarship budget. The largest merit scholarship award is $5,000 per year. Merit scholarship recipients will be notified by the Admissions Office when they are admitted. Some merit scholarships require that students maintain a minimum GPA (ranging from 2.0 to 3.0 depending on the scholarship awarded). These requirements are outlined in the scholarship award email. Admitted JD students should direct questions about merit scholarship awards to Elisabeth Steele Hutchison at (808) 956-5557 or esteele@hawaii.edu. See Scholarships.

No. Please see internal merit scholarships.

See Scholarships.

Yes. This may affect your financial aid package.

No, international students are not eligible for internal scholarships. You may want to explore other options via the East-West Center website.

To be eligible for federal student loans, you will need to complete a FAFSA. Learn more about private loans (which may require a US co-signer).

No. Students from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau are not eligible for federal student loans. You may, however, be eligible for the Pacific Islander Scholarship. In order to qualify for the scholarship, you must complete a FAFSA.

Yes. Reapplying suggests that you are serious about studying law at our school. When you reapply, you will need to register with LSAC, pay the application fee (unless you qualify for an LSAC fee waiver), and submit a new application. The Admissions Committee will review your previous application(s) and your new application.

No, our admissions decisions are final. We hope you will consider reapplying to our school. You may request a meeting – in the Summer after the admissions cycle ends and before the next one begins in the Fall – with our Director of Admissions to discuss your application.

No. If you were invited to join the waitlist, this invitation would have been included in your Admissions Decision Notification Email.

No. Applicants to both programs must meet the same admissions criteria. We will not reconsider your application within the same admissions cycle.

If you do not respond before the deadline, you will lose the opportunity to join the wait list.

If we utilize the list, we may not be able to tell you if there is room in the class until mid-summer.

We will call or email you. Please make sure that the contact information on your online status page is up-to-date. If we cannot reach you, we may offer the seat to another applicant.

Yes.

1. If you wish to claim Hawai‘i residency, or qualify for an exemption (ex. military orders, Native Hawaiian ancestry, Pacific Island citizenship), complete the Residency Declaration Form [docs.google.com]. Enter eight zeros (00000000) for the UH ID number. If you are admitted, a determination of residency status will be made prior to matriculation.
    
2. Please complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Our federal school code is 001610. If you are admitted, your financial aid request will be processed much more quickly if you have already completed the FAFSA. If you have any questions about financial aid, please contact Financial Aid Manager Heather Smith-Lee at smithhea@hawaii.edu or (808) 956-5502. Include your Student ID Number in your email.

We do not give out information about the length of the list or where your name is located on the list. We have found that this information may lead to an unfounded sense of optimism or discouragement.

You may want to email us a simple letter telling us why you want to go here. There is no page or word limit.

Do what you think is best. Not all persons on the wait list are eventually admitted. In fact, in some years, we have not used the wait list at all.

If you choose to attend another law school, please email us at lawadm@hawaii.edu. We will remove your name from our wait list.

No. You may want to explore links to external scholarships. Eligibility for these scholarships may be based on financial need, academic achievement, and extracurricular activities. Please apply as early as possible and be mindful of filing deadlines. Many scholarships may consider the amount of financial need as determined by your FAFSA. Please complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) if you have not done so already.

No, you may not establish Hawai’i residency while you are a full-time or part-time student at the Law School. You should plan to pay non-resident tuition for your entire law school career. See Tuition.

You will be asked to make a non-refundable $250 deposit within three business days.

No, applicants admitted from the wait list may not defer.

If you want to attend our law school, we hope you will reapply next year.

If you choose to attend another ABA-approved law school, you may apply to transfer to our Law School after your first year. Please note that the transfer application process is highly selective. You might also choose to visit (take classes) at our Law School and then return to your home law school to graduate.

Or, spend your summers with us! Our summer law program is open to students who have completed their first year at any ABA-approved law school.

Your program is a preference, and you may choose to switch programs prior to matriculation if your situation changes. 

No. Applicants to both programs must meet the same admissions criteria.  

The number of credits varies by year and semester. Please see the curriculum section above to find out how many credits you’ll be taking each semester. 

The Hawaiʻi Online JD Flex program is designed to be completed in 4 years. 

Yes. There are no restrictions on how much you work if you remain in the Hawaiʻi Online JD Flex program, so long as you complete the required courses each semester; however, work demands are not permissible excuses for failing to meet the program requirements. 

Students must earn a minimum of 89 law credits. Please note the course requirements below: 

• 1L Curriculum 
• Constitutional Law I 
• Professional Responsibility 
• Second Year Seminar (SYS) or Law Thesis 
• 6 Credits of Experiential Learning (EXL) Courses  
• 60 hours of Pro Bono work 

Refer to the graduation requirements page and the Student Handbook for complete details regarding the fulfillment of your graduation requirements.

Yes. All law school services will be available to you. We have evening hours and staff available to assist you.

No. We do not accept transfer applications from students from non-ABA approved law schools. Please see the American Bar Association website [www.americanbar.org] for a list of ABA-approved law schools. However, you may apply as a first-year student.

Yes. You may apply to either program if you have successfully completed the full first-year curriculum at another law school approved by the American Bar Association (ABA). See Transfer & Visiting Students.

No. You may not transfer credits you earned at a law school outside the United States to the UH Law School. If you have taken law classes abroad, you will need to apply to the Law School as a first-year student.

The latest acceptable test date for the TOEFL is January 2023. Scores from TOEFL tests taken more than two years ago will not be accepted.