University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law

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For admissions inquiries, please contact the Enrollment Management team at lawadm@hawaii.edu or attend an upcoming admissions event.

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Transfer & Visiting Students

TRANSFER STUDENTS

Applications from transfer students will be considered from individuals who have successfully completed one year in a full-time or part-time program at another law school approved by the American Bar Association (ABA). Please see the American Bar Association website for a list of ABA-approved law schools. Successful transfer applicants must complete at least half (45) of the 89 credits required for graduation after enrolling at the William S. Richardson School of Law. Applicants may not transfer more than 44 credits from another law school. See Student Handbook, Academic Regulations, Section 1.14.

To receive transfer credit for courses taken at another ABA-approved law school, transfer students or UH law students visiting another ABA-approved law school must first obtain the approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the Law School Registrar. The transfer student must provide a syllabus or an official description of the course in sufficient detail upon request to enable the Associate Dean to determine whether the course is substantially similar to an equivalent course at the Law School.

In all cases in which transfer credits are allowed, the grades earned for those credits are not counted toward the student’s GPA; a grade of “Credit” will be used for all transferred credits. A student must have earned at least a grade of “D” for the credits to be transferred. While attending another law program as a visiting student, students must take all courses for a grade; i.e. they may not enroll in courses graded “Pass/Fail” or “Credit/No Credit” unless that law school confirms that the course is only offered “Pass/Fail” or “Credit/No Credit.” The student’s prior cumulative grade point average may not be used in computing the student’s Law School cumulative GPA for any purpose, including graduation and eligibility to continue to enroll.  See Student Handbook, Academic Regulations, Section 1.14.

Transfer students must complete the Law School pro bono requirement.  Full Time transfer students must complete a total of 10 hours of Pro Bono service for every semester enrolled in the Law School.  Part Time transfer students must complete a total of 10 hours of Pro Bono service for every 15 credits taken at the Law School.  See Student Handbook, Academic Regulations, Section 1.30.

We anticipate allowing students to apply to transfer into the part-time online program beginning the Fall 2026 term. For now, you may apply to transfer into the in-person program.

Information for transfer students who want to apply to become student editors for our law journals can be found at the following websites:

VISITING STUDENTS

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.

A student visiting the Law School may not participate in a course lottery for limited enrollment courses but may enroll during open enrollment if space permits.  With prior written approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the Law School Registrar, a visiting student may take Second Year or Law Thesis on a space-available basis. See Student Handbook, Academic Regulations, Section 1.13.

WHO CAN APPLY

Transfer and Visiting students may apply to begin in the fall or spring semester. 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 study in Hawaiʻi (e.g., military transfer);
  • meet our first-year admissions criteria (LSAT score, GPA).

Follow the steps on how to apply to learn about our requirements and how to submit your application to the William S. Richardson School of Law.