ABA Required Disclosures
USC Gould School of Law

We are pleased to provide the following information for prospective students in accordance with American Bar Association Standard 509.

Report Includes:

• Admissions data
• Tuition, fees, living costs, financial aid
• Enrollment data and attrition/graduation rates
• Number of full-time and part-time faculty and administrators
• Bar passage data
• Conditional scholarships

You can also find the following information on our website:

• Academic Calendar
• Academic Requirements
• Curricular Offerings
• Entering Class Profile
• Withdrawal/Tuition Refund Policy

Qualifications for Admission to the Bar

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. USC Gould requires applicants for admission to fully disclose responses to the following questions:

• Have you ever been dropped, suspended, warned, placed on academic or disciplinary probation, disciplined, expelled, or requested or advised to resign from an post-secondary school, college, university, professional school, or law school?
• Have you ever been convicted of the violation of a misdemeanor or felony, or pleaded guilty or nolo contendere to a violation of a misdemeanor or felony, whether or not the charges were dismissed, the court entered a judgement of conviction, or the court imposed a sentence?
• Are any charges pending against you?

If the answer to any of the questions is in the affirmative, then a full written explanation must accompany the application. Candor is extremely important and appreciated by the Admissions Committee.

Applicants are encouraged to contact the Board of Bar Examiners of the state(s) in which they intend to practice, in order to secure information regarding the qualifications for admission to the practice of law, including character and fitness requirements, in that jurisdiction. Additional information can be found on website of the National Conference of Bar Examiners. For applicants interested in the practice of law in California, information can be found at the State Bar of California website.

Transfer Policy and Awarding of Credit

Students who are enrolled in schools that are approved by the American Bar Association may apply for admission as transfer students. We do not consider applicants from law schools that are not approved by the American Bar Association. In addition, the following general guidelines apply:

• Applicants must be in good standing and eligible to continue at their current law school, and must have completed the entire first year of full-time study (or the equivalent of the first year if taken on a part-time basis)
• To be eligible to apply as a transfer student, applicants should have a weighted overall average which places them in the upper 20% of their first-year class.
• Applicants must have earned a bachelor's degree prior to the beginning the study of law. (Evidence of a bachelor's degree will be required for each student who enrolls.)
• Advanced standing credit will not be granted for more than 30 semester units. This means that students having completed two years of law school are not eligible to apply as a transfer student; however, such students may apply to visit for the third year. Credits toward the USC J.D. may not be given for all courses taken elsewhere. Transfer students must complete a minimum of 58 units of credit at USC Law to obtain a USC J.D. Transfer students are not eligible to take courses outside of USC Law for credit; nor may transfer students participate in dual-degree programs. The USC Law grade point average will be computed only on the work taken at USC. Transfer students must meet all graduation requirements.
• Transfer coursework is accepted on a credit only basis. This means that transfer students will not be eligible to qualify for Order of the Coif. However, transfer students remain eligible for a myriad of other programs (including OCI, Law Review, other journals and moot court, among others).
• Course work completed during the first-year of study at an ABA-approved law school will usually be applied as transfer credit at USC Law. Transfer students admitted to USC Law will not need to repeat any required first year courses already completed at their prior law schools. Most admitted transfer students must complete Constitutional Law I and Legal Profession at USC Law during their first year as transfer students if they have not already completed these classes at their prior law school.

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