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HOME > Prospective Students > J.D. Program > Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
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Residency
Q: I am not a resident of Georgia. Can I become a resident and pay tuition at the resident rate?
A:
Yes, it is possible for non-residents to become Georgia residents and
pay tuition at the resident rate. Typically, the majority of
students who are non-residents when they enroll successfully obtain
Georgia resident status. Over eighty percent of the non-residents
in the 2005 entering class became Georgia residents, thereby enabling
them to pay tuition at the resident rate for their second and third
years of enrollment. The Law School offers some tuition
equalization
scholarships that allow non-residents to pay tuition at the rate charged residents for the first year of law school.
Q: What must I do to obtain resident status?
A. While there are numerous guidelines, two stand out.
First, one must demonstrate the intent to become a resident. This
is accomplished by taking positive steps, e.g., obtaining a Georgia
driver’s license, registering to vote in Georgia, paying income and
other taxes in Georgia, registering one’s car in Georgia if it is in
the applicant’s name. Second, one must be domiciled in Georgia
for twelve months following the demonstration of intent to become a
resident.
Successful students get their
driver’s licenses and register vote in the late spring or early summer
prior to enrolling as a first-year students, thereby establishing a
date for the year’s domicile period to begin. These steps must be
accomplished by the end of July prior to enrolling in order to qualify
by the beginning of the next (second) year of
enrollment.
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Q: Are there any scholarships based on residency?
A: Yes! Non-residents are eligible for Tuition Equalization
Scholarships. These scholarships waive the non-resident
matriculation fee for first-year students, thereby permitting them to
pay tuition at the rate charged residents for the first year of law
school. Residents of Georgia are eligible for the University of
Georgia Law Scholars Program. This program provides merit
scholarships for Georgia residents whose LSAT scores and academic
records show exceptional promise for distinction in the study of law.
Q: Does residency matter in admissions?
A: The University of Georgia School of Law is a state assisted
law school and the majority of the students in each entering class are
residents of Georgia. Typically, 25% of the entering class is
composed of non-residents.
Q: I am a member of the U.S. military. Will I be granted resident status?
A: Members of the Armed Forces who are serving on active duty may
pay tuition at the resident rate while enrolled in the School of
Law. This includes participants in the Funded Legal Education
Program (FLEP).
Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
Q: Who must take the LSAT?
A:
All applicants for admission to the University of Georgia School of Law
must have a reportable LSAT score. A sample test is available at
the Law School Admission Council’s web site, www.lsac.org.
Applicants with disabilities should contact the Law School Admission
Council regarding accommodated testing.
Q: When should I take the LSAT?
A: The LSAT is given four times during the annual admissions
cycle. The cycle begins with the June test administration and is
followed by tests in October, December and February. College
students should plan on taking the test either in June between their
junior and senior years or in October of the senior year.
Applicants who are unable to take the test in June or October or who
wish to retest can use the remaining test administrations.
Q: What about test preparation?
A: Applicants should engage in serious, rigorous test preparation
before taking the LSAT. College pre-law advisers are often
knowledgeable about test preparation opportunities available in their
vicinities, and the Law School Admission Council sells previously
administered tests and other helpful information. Visit LSAC’s
web site at www.lsac.org. Study aids are available at book stores
and on the internet.
Q: How long are the scores reportable?
A: The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) will automatically
report the results of all LSATs in an applicant’s file beginning with
the June 2001 test administration, and the School of Law will accept
test scores for the 2007 entering class beginning with that test
administration.
Q: I am thinking about retesting. Does Georgia average the scores?
A: All scores for tests taken since June 2001 and the average of
multiple scores are reported to the schools by LSAC. In most
instances committee members will rely upon the highest score when
evaluating an application for admission.
Q: I have already applied for admission but I am going to retest. What should I do?
A: Notify the Admission Office that you plan to take the test
again and request that your file be kept from committee review until
the new test score is available.
Academic Preparation for Law School
Q: What undergraduate courses are preferred by the admissions committee?
A. Members of the Admissions Committee do not endorse any
particular field of study, and while the liberal arts curriculum is
widely recognized as a good preparation for the study of law,
applicants from other academic disciplines are competitive for
admission as well. The most common majors of applicants seeking
admission to law school include political science, English and history,
but a large number of successful applicants have majored in accounting,
biology, business, chemistry, communications, criminal justice,
economics, engineering, finance, foreign languages, information
technology, international relations, journalism, mathematics,
philosophy, psychology, physics, social work and others.
Q: Who can provide me advice if I have questions?
A: Almost every college and university has a designated pre-law
adviser. In some schools they are professors and in other schools
they may be found in a counseling office. College graduates
should not hesitate to contact their school’s pre-law adviser for
guidance.
Application Process
Q: Do I have to wait until I receive my LSAT score before applying?
A:
No, if you will be applying to the University of Georgia School of Law,
submit your application at your earliest opportunity. The
Admissions Office will create a file upon receiving your application
and additional materials, including the results of the LSAT, will be
added to the file as they arrive.
Q: Do I need to register for the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS)?
A: Yes, all applicants, including foreign educated applicants,
must register with LSDAS. Instructions are found at
www.lsac.org. Pay particular attention to the instructions
regarding academic transcripts.
Q: Should I use LSAC’s letter of recommendation service?
A: By all means. Almost all applicants do.
Q: When should I apply?
A: Applications for an entering class are available from several
sources beginning September 1 each year and the application deadline is
February 1. While the likelihood of admission is not usually
affected by whether the application is received early in the
application period or later in the period, applicants are encouraged to
submit their applications at their earliest convenience so that all
materials needed to complete the application file are received by the
file completion deadline.
Q: Does UGA waive the application fee?
A: Only those applicants who received a fee waiver for the
LSAT/LSDAS can have their application fee waived. The application
fee of $30 is one of the lowest in the nation.
Q: How do I check my status?
A: As soon as your application is received by the Law School or a
decision is made by the committee, your status is available on the Law
School’s web site, www.law.uga.edu. Go to “Prospective Students”
and then “Check Your Admission Status.”
Curriculum
Q: I
am interested in a joint or dual degree program, but it is not included
in the Law School’s listing of joint or dual degree programs. Can I get
a JD/MA, JD/PhD or some other degree combination?
A: Students can be concurrently enrolled, i.e., they can be pursuing two degrees at the same time.
With the exception of the first year of enrollment in the Law School,
law students can take coursework leading to another degree elsewhere in
the University while enrolled in the Law School. In many cases,
students will complete the required courses in the first year of the
other degree program, e.g., M.A. in Political Science, and then enroll
in the Law School the next year. The third and fourth years, and
possibly a fifth, would find the student taking courses in both degree
programs.
Q: Does UGA have a SJD degree program?
A: No. The School of Law offers the Juris Doctor (J.D.) and Master of Laws (LL.M.) degrees.
Q: Does UGA offer a part-time law program?
A: No. The degree programs of the University of Georgia School of Law are full-time, day programs.
Scholarships
Q: Is there an application for scholarships?
A:
Most scholarships for incoming students are awarded on the basis of the
materials in the admissions file. Some, however, have specific
award criteria and it is helpful if applicants notify the Admissions
Office of their interest in the scholarships. Included in this
category are the James E. Butler Scholarship and the Michael J. Sharp
Scholarship. The James E. Butler Scholarship requires an interest
in public interest law and the Michael J. Sharp Scholarship is awarded
to applicants who want to practice in a major metropolitan area on the
east coast.
Q: Are there any scholarships based on residency?
A: Yes! Non-residents are eligible for Tuition Equalization
Scholarships. These scholarships waive the non-resident
matriculation fee for first-year students, thereby permitting them to
pay tuition at the rate charged residents for the first year of law
school. Residents of Georgia are eligible for the University of
Georgia Law Scholars Program. This program provides merit
scholarships for Georgia residents whose LSAT scores and academic
records show exceptional promise for distinction in the study of
law.
Q: Are scholarship recipients required to pay the first and second seat deposits?
Y: Yes. The seat deposits will be applied to the fall semester tuition and fee assessments. Seat
deposits
of recipients of full tuition scholarships will be applied to the fall
semester fee assessment. Any excess will be refunded after
enrollment.
Q: Will a scholarship affect my need-based financial aid?
A: It probably will. Generally, when determining the loan
amount for federal government loan assistance, “Student Contribution”
is subtracted from the “Cost of Education.” Scholarships are a
component of “Student Contribution.” This is a standard procedure for determining federal loan
eligibility and is not unique to the University of Georgia.
Q: Is there a grade point average or class standing requirement to keep the scholarship?
A. Scholarship recipients must achieve a 2.70 (B-) grade point average at the end of the academic
year to receive the scholarship the following year. Students who
repeat the first year after successfully petitioning for reinstatement
after dismissal do not retain their scholarships.
Q: Can a scholarship be reduced or withdrawn for a violation of the Honor Code?
A: Yes.
Q: When/where do I pick up my scholarship check?
A: The scholarship is applied to the tuition and fee assessments each semester. In most cases, no
disbursement is made unless the scholarship exceeds these assessments. In cases where the
scholarship
exceeds these amounts, the Bursar’s Office will mail a check for the
excess to the address specified in financial aid documents.
Payment will not be prior to registration.
Q: What is the source of funding for School of Law Scholarships?
A: Funds come from a variety of private sources, e.g., interest from
endowments, annual giving to the Law School Fund and direct
contributions.
Q: Will I have any contact with the donors of the funds that provide the scholarship?
A: Donors or trustees of scholarships appreciate hearing from the
beneficiaries of their generosity, and the School of Law expects
recipients to communicate with benefactors. The School of Law’s
Development Office works with scholarship recipients each fall to
facilitate this communication.
Q: If I attend the School of Law’s summer term or participate in other summer academic
opportunities, will I receive School of Law Scholarship assistance?
A: No, School of Law Scholarships do not include periods of summer enrollment.
Q: Will the scholarship apply to courses offered by other law schools, graduate programs or
consortiums?
A: Scholarships do not include periods of
enrollment in other graduate or professional schools of the University
of Georgia or any other institutions. Scholarships do include
enrollment in School of Law sponsored study abroad programs conducted
during the academic year, e.g., the Georgia Law at Oxford
program. However, the amount of the scholarship for the semester
will not exceed the smaller of either the School of Law tuition for the
semester or the study abroad program’s tuition for the semester.
Q: How will enrollment in a joint degree program affect scholarship assistance?
A: The School of Law Scholarship applies to the first year of full-time
enrollment in the School of Law for the academic year stated in the
award letter and the two academic years of joint enrollment. It
will not apply to the year of full-time enrollment in the other degree
program. Scholarship assistance is not available for School of
Law courses taken during the year of full-time enrollment in the other
degree program.
Q: Who should I contact if I have questions about my scholarship or scholarship policy?
A: The Director of Law Admissions is the contact person for scholarship information.
Foreign Educated / Foreign Lawyers
Q: I graduated from a foreign school. What about my grades?
A: American-educated and foreign-educated applicants must
register with LSDAS and have transcripts of their academic work sent to
LSDAS.
Q: I have a law degree from another country. Can I get credit for it and do I need to take the LSAT?
A: Foreign educated applicants, including those with law degrees,
must have a reportable LSAT score. Applicants whose law degrees
were earned in a common law country may be granted advanced standing,
but two thirds of the credits required for graduation must be earned in
the School of Law. Decisions about advanced standing are not made
until after the applicant has been admitted. Foreign educated
lawyers, including those granted advanced standing, must complete the
first year curriculum.
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are rewarding.”
– The 2006 Princeton Review’s Best 170 Law Schools
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