Prospective students can apply for admittance into the full-time or part-time schedules at STCL Houston to earn an ABA-accredited juris doctorate (J.D.).
South Texas College of Law Houston (STCL Houston) offers the opportunity to enroll in the J.D. Full-time / Campus schedule in the fall or spring and the J.D. Part-time / Campus and J.D. Part-time / Online exclusively in the fall. Applications must be received by May 8 for fall entry and December 1 for spring entry. The fall application opens in November/early December and the spring application opens at the beginning of August.
Application Requirements
All applicants are required to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), administered nationwide by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), administered by ETS. South Texas College of Law Houston will not consider an LSAT or GRE score from a test administered more than five years before the beginning of the semester for which application for admission is made. If you have not taken or prepared for the LSAT or GRE yet, start by reviewing our LSAT/GRE Guide. Registration information for the LSAT and CAS may be obtained by calling LSAC at 215.968.1001 or www.lsac.org . Registration information for the GRE (School Code: 2749) may be obtained by calling ETS 609.771.7670 or at www.ets.org/gre.
Applicants must also register with the Credential Assembly Service (CAS). Each applicant is responsible for making their own arrangements to take the LSAT or GRE and for submitting official transcripts of all undergraduate work to CAS for evaluation, as well as any post-baccalaureate or graduate work.
While GPA and LSAT/GRE scores are important, we also assess each applicant’s life experience, work history, community service, and graduate work. You may want to read our Application Review Process.
Applicants must have earned a baccalaureate degree from a college or university listed in the Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education available online.
The Application Process
Every applicant must complete the following steps:
- Take the LSAT or GRE
- Register with CAS (as described above)
- Fully complete and submit an application for admission, paying special attention to instructions about disclosures and updates
- Submit a resume of employment
- Attach detailed personal statement setting forth applicant’s unique individual qualifications, interests, and aspirations for the study of law (the personal statement should be 2-3 pages in length, double spaced)
- Submit at least two letters of recommendation – a third is optional – through the Letter of Recommendation Service offered by LSAC. This service is included in your CAS Registration fees. (South Texas College of Law Houston does not accept Evaluations in place of Letters of Recommendation)
- Pay the $55 non-refundable application fee if applying after the priority deadline
Application Deadlines
The application, personal statement, and resume should be completed no later than February 10 (priority), and May 8 (final) for fall consideration and September 22 (priority) or December 1 (final) for spring consideration. Deadlines are the same for full-time and part-time applicants. You may submit your application, personal statement, and resume prior to any deadline and the completed CAS report can be received following.
Once an application has been submitted, it must be completed within six weeks following the May 8 final deadline. Applications that remain incomplete by this deadline will be ineligible for committee review.
Submitting an Application
South Texas Law strongly prefers candidates complete and submit an online application. Applications submitted online will be considered postmarked on the day they were electronically submitted. Candidates who prefer to submit an application by mail must contact our office at 713-646-1810.
Please note: If you answered “yes” to any of the Character and Fitness questions, please include your detailed letter of explanation. For more information on answering the Character and Fitness questions, please click here. Once an application has been received and processed, all further communication will be conducted via email. Please provide a current email address on your application and notify the Admissions Office of any changes during the review process. If you do not have an email account, contact the Office of Admissions for specific instructions.
Application Review Process
When reviewing applications for admission, the Admissions Committee considers a variety of factors, including but not limited to LSAT/GRE scores, cumulative undergraduate grade point average, rigor of undergraduate coursework, performance in graduate programs, letters of recommendation, personal statements, addenda, extracurricular activities, work experience, demonstrated skills, diverse life experiences, and adversity. Applications are reviewed holistically.
Applicant files are reviewed on a rolling basis; therefore decisions are made when the file is complete. All decisions are disseminated electronically. Review begins in late February for the fall class and mid-September for the spring class. The decision of the Admissions Committee is final.
Contact the Admissions Office to learn more about applying to STCL Houston at admissions@stcl.edu or 713-659-8040.
