The number of well-qualified applicants to the School of Law far exceeds the number of seats available. In order to be considered for admission, a candidate must have or expect to have an academic bachelor's degree from a fully accredited college or university by the date of the anticipated enrollment in the School of Law. All applicants are required to take the LSAT and to register with the Law School Data Assembly Service. The LSAT is offered four times each year. The decision-making process begins in December of each year with the Faculty Committee on Admission reviewing completed files.
Preference is given to residents of South Carolina.
Nonresidents of the state are held to higher standards of admission. Traditionally, approximately 85 percent of the students in the entering class are legal residents of South Carolina. While the combination of GPA and LSAT are important in the admissions decision, members of the committee also consider factors such as the quality of the degree-granting institution, the quality of the courses an applicant has taken, and any graduate work. Work experience, military service, community involvement, significant extracurricular activities, and letters of recommendation are also taken into consideration in reviewing an applicant's file. Applications to the School of Law must be postmarked by February 15.