Transfer Students

Transfer students are those who have satisfactorily completed at least one semester at a law school approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) and are in good academic standing at that school. Transfer applicants are required to submit:

  1. Complete, sign, and date this application;
  2. Submit a 2-3 page transfer statement (as an electronic attachment) with this application form or as an email attachment to admissions@johnmarshall.edu;
  3. Submit a 1 page resume (as an electronic attachment) with this application form or as an attachment to admissions@johnmarshall.edu;
  4. All official transcripts must be received by AJMLS by October 15th. Request official transcripts from all colleges and universities to be sent to the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). All applicants must register with the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) and have a Credential Assembly Service Law School Report sent to the Law School. Transcripts of all academic work, including undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, must be sent to LSAC;
  5. Submit an official transcript of all prior law school work to be sent to the LSAC or to the law school directly;
  6. Two letters of recommendation, at least one of which must be from a law professor who taught the applicant;
  7. Submit a letter of good academic standing from the Dean of the law school you are transferring from; and
  8. Per Section 306 (b) (2) of the Dean’s Office Regulations in the Student Handbook, upon acceptance, transfer students must apply to the Associate Dean of Academics, in writing, by filing a petition for the requested transfer credits.

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. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

The Office of Admissions prefers and recommends the use of the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) for application and document processing. Students who are unable to utilize the LSAC service may submit their downloaded application and documents electronically or via mail. Regardless of submission method, all applicants are considered equally based upon their application materials. If you are disabled or have difficulty accessing the LSAC website or our website, please call the Office of Admissions for assistance at (678) 916-3012. Please note that the LSAC website is not currently accessible for visually impaired applicants using screen readers. However, you may call the LSAC technical support services at (215) 968-1393 for assistance in completing the application through the LSAC website.

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School believes in giving opportunities to underrepresented categories of applicants, which includes those with a criminal history. However, applicants with open pending charges in any jurisdiction, current incarceration, open probation supervision, and/or open parole supervision will not be able to have their application completed and reviewed until documentation can be provided showing that all open matters are resolved. This documentation must be court issued and must show compliance with all stipulations imposed by the Court’s sentence.

Credit allowed for prior study is determined on a case-by-case basis. However, please be advised that 30 credits is the maximum number of transfer credits allowed in any case. Further, under no circumstances shall transfer credit be granted for prior law school work for which the grade earned was less than a C.

Dean’s Office Regulations Regarding Transfer Students and Transfer Credits

Admission of Transfer Students

  1. Students currently enrolled at other ABA accredited law schools who apply to this law school for permission to transfer and matriculate in order to complete their legal education will be accepted only if they are in good academic standing at the institution from which they are transferring and have demonstrated sufficient academic strength in their prior law study.
  2. The Dean will determine whether the applicant shall be admitted and, if admitted, the Associate Dean for Academics shall determine the extent of credit to be granted for the applicant’s prior law study. As a general principle, no transfer credit shall be granted for prior law study which earned a grade less than a C. Before making a final determination on a transfer request, the Dean may request, in writing, that the transfer candidate provide additional information pertinent to the decision. The Dean may, in his or her sole discretion, submit any transfer request to the Admissions Committee for consultation and advice on whether the Dean should approve or deny the transfer request.
  3. The Dean’s determination of a transfer request shall be communicated to the transfer candidate in writing.

Approval of Transfer Credits

  1. Eligibility. The law school considers courses for transfer of credit from other ABA accredited law schools from which a student transfers in good standing and with certification by letter of the Dean of the school from which the student transfers.
  2. Procedure. Upon application to Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS), a student who wishes consideration of credits for transfer must include an official transcript from their prior law school and a letter from the Dean of said law school certifying the student’s good academic standing by October 15th. Upon matriculation at AJMLS, the student must apply to the Associate Dean for Academics, in writing, by filing a petition for transfer of credit. The Associate Dean reserves the right to grant or deny all, some, or none of the requested transfer credits. An aggrieved student may appeal to the Dean. Such an appeal must be filed with the Office of the Dean no later than seven (7) days following the date of notification by the Associate Dean of the action cited in the petition. This appeal shall be limited to a written statement. There shall be no right of personal appearance.
  3. Terms for Transfer. The Associate Dean for Academics will consider courses taken at another law school for transfer where the course was taken at an ABA accredited law school, the grade earned was a “C” or better, and was completed no more than one (1) year prior to the date of application to AJMLS. The maximum number of credit hours which will be accepted for transfer to AJMLS from another law school is thirty (30) hours.
  4. Hours, Not Grades, Transfer. When transfer credits are approved by the Associate Dean for Academics, only the credit hours are accepted. Grades from the former law school are not transferred, will not be posted on the student’s AJMLS transcript, and will not be considered in the calculation of the student’s AJMLS grade point average.
  5. Transcript. The name of the former school, along with the number of credits accepted for transfer, will be listed on the student’s AJMLS transcript.
  6. Class Rank. Transfer students will not be given a class rank.