Law School Personal Statement Requirements

Posted by Ann Levine | December 10, 2012

LAW SCHOOL PERSONAL STATEMENT REQUIREMENTS

Do you need a new personal statement for each law school you apply to? Probably not. (Except for the University of Florida Levin College of Law and the University of Colorado-Boulder).

But do you need to change your essay slightly for different schools? Probably.

To help you figure out what you need to do (because following the directions provided by each school is part of what you are being tested on when you apply to law school – rule following is “kinda” important for lawyers), we’ve put together a chart for each school. See below for links to each law school’s personal statement requirements and instructions. I am listing it by school ranking because most people apply to schools that are similarly ranked and I thought this would make it easiest for you to find the schools you are looking for. I hope this is helpful to you.

(Rank based on 2012 U.S. News Data)

RANK	SCHOOL	LINK TO REQUIREMENTS
1	Yale	Yale Law School Personal Statement
2	Stanford	Stanford Law School Personal Statement
3	Harvard	Harvard Law School Personal Statement
4	Columbia	Columbia Law School Personal Statement
5	University of Chicago	University of Chicago Law School Personal Statement
6	New York University	New York University Law School Personal Statement
7	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania Law School Personal Statement
7	UC Berkeley (Boalt)	UC Berkeley (Boalt) Law School Personal Statement
7	University of Virginia	University of Virginia Law School Personal Statement
10	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Law School Personal Statement
11	Duke University	Duke University Law School Personal Statement
12	Northwestern University	Northwestern University Law School Personal Statement
13	Georgetown University	Georgetown University Law School Personal Statement
14	Cornell University	Cornell University Law School Personal Statement
15	UCLA	UCLA Law School Personal Statement
16	University of Texas-Austin	University of Texas-Austin Law School Personal Statement
16	Vanderbilt University	Vanderbilt University Law School Personal Statement
18	USC	USC Law School Personal Statement
19	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities	University of Minnesota Law School Personal Statement
20	George Washington University	George Washington University Law School Personal Statement
20	University of Washington	University of Washington Law School Personal Statement
22	University of Notre Dame	University of Notre Dame Law School Personal Statement
23	Washington University	Washington University Law School Personal Statement
24	Emory University	Emory University Law School Personal Statement
24	Washington & Lee University	Washington & Lee University Law School Personal Statement
26	Boston University	Boston University Law School Personal Statement
26	Indiana University-Bloomington	Indiana University-Bloomington Law School Personal Statement
26	Arizona State University	Arizona State University Law School Personal Statement
29	UC Davis	UC Davis Law School Personal Statement
29	Boston College	Boston College Law School Personal Statement
29	University of Iowa	University of Iowa Law School Personal Statement
29	Fordham University	Fordham University Law School Personal Statement
29	University of Alabama	University of Alabama Law School Personal Statement
34	University of Georgia	University of Georgia Law School Personal Statement
35	University of Illinois	University of Illinois Law School Personal Statement
35	William and Mary Law School	William and Mary Law School Personal Statement
35	University of Wisconsin-Madison	University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School Personal Statement
38	University of North Carolina	University of North Carolina Law School Personal Statement
39	Ohio State University	Ohio State University Law School Personal Statement
39	George Mason University	George Mason University Law School Personal Statement
39	Brigham Young University	Brigham Young University Law School Personal Statement
39	University of Maryland	University of Maryland Law School Personal Statement
43	University of Arizona	University of Arizona Law School Personal Statement
44	Wake Forest University	Wake Forest University Law School Personal Statement
44	UC Hastings Law School	UC Hastings Law School Personal Statement
44	University of Colorado-Boulder	University of Colorado-Boulder Law School Personal Statement
47	University of Utah	University of Utah Law School Personal Statement
48	University of Florida	University of Florida Law School Personal Statement
49	American University Washington College of Law	American University Washington College of Law Personal Statement
49	Pepperdine University	Pepperdine University Law School Personal Statement

RANK	SCHOOL	LINK TO REQUIREMENTS
51	Tulane University	Tulane University Law School Personal Statement
51	Florida State University	Florida State University Law School Personal Statement
51	Southern Methodist University	Southern Methodist University Law School Personal Statement
51	Loyola Marymount	Loyola Marymount Law School Personal Statement
51	Baylor University	Baylor University Law School Personal Statement
56	Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law Yeshiva University	Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law Yeshiva University Personal Statement
57	University of Houston	University of Houston Law School Personal Statement
58	Georgia State University	Georgia State University Law School Personal Statement
58	Temple University	Temple University Law School Personal Statement
58	Lewis & Clark	Lewis & Clark Law School Personal Statement
58	University of Richmond	University of Richmond Law School Personal Statement
62	University of Connecticut	University of Connecticut Law School Personal Statement
62	Chicago Kent College of Law	Chicago Kent College of Law Personal Statement
62	University of Kentucky	University of Kentucky Law School Personal Statement
65	Brooklyn Law School	Brooklyn Law School Law School Personal Statement
65	University of San Diego	University of San Diego Law School Personal Statement
67	Case Western Reserve	Case Western Reserve Law School Personal Statement
67	Loyola University Chicago	Loyola University Chicago Law School Personal Statement
69	University of Tennessee-Knoxville	University of Tennessee-Knoxville Law School Personal Statement
69	Seton Hall University	Seton Hall University Law School Personal Statement
69	University of Cincinnati	University of Cincinnati Law School Personal Statement
69	University of Pittsburgh	University of Pittsburgh Law School Personal Statement
69	University of Denver	University of Denver Law School Personal Statement
69	University of Miami	University of Miami Law School Personal Statement
69	University of New Mexico	University of New Mexico Law School Personal Statement
76	Pennsylvania State University	Pennsylvania State University Law School Personal Statement
76	Northeastern University	Northeastern University Law School Personal Statement
76	University Nevada-Las Vegas	University Nevada-Las Vegas Law School Personal Statement
79	Louisiana State University	Louisiana State University Law School Personal Statement
79	St. John’s University	St. John’s University Law School Personal Statement
79	University Missouri-Columbia	University Missouri-Columbia Law School Personal Statement
82	University of Oklahoma	University of Oklahoma Law School Personal Statement
82	Catholic University	Catholic University Law School Personal Statement
82	University of Oregon	University of Oregon Law School Personal Statement
82	Rutgers-Newark	Rutgers-Newark Law School Personal Statement
82	Seattle University	Seattle University Law School Personal Statement
82	SUNY Buffalo Law School	SUNY Buffalo Law School Personal Statement
82	Michigan State	Michigan State Law School Personal Statement
89	Indiana University-Indianapolis	Indiana University-Indianapolis Law School Personal Statement
89	University of Kansas	University of Kansas Law School Personal Statement
89	DePaul University	DePaul University Law School Personal Statement
89	Hofstra University	Hofstra University Law School Personal Statement
89	University of Arkansas-Fayetteville	University of Arkansas-Fayetteville Law School Personal Statement
89	University of Nebraska-Lincoln	University of Nebraska-Lincoln Law School Personal Statement
89	University Louisville	University Louisville Law School Personal Statement
96	Santa Clara University	Santa Clara University Law School Personal Statement
96	Marquette University	Marquette University Law School Personal Statement
96	Syracuse University	Syracuse University Law School Personal Statement
99	Rutgers-Camden	Rutgers-Camden Law School Personal Statement
99	University of Tulsa	University of Tulsa Law School Personal Statement

RANK	SCHOOL	LINK TO REQUIREMENTS
101	Villanova University	Villanova University Law School Personal Statement
101	West Virginia University	West Virginia University Law School Personal Statement
101	University of the Pacific	University of the Pacific Law School Personal Statement
101	St. Louis University	St. Louis University Law School Personal Statement
101	Texas Tech University	Texas Tech University Law School Personal Statement
106	University of Hawaii	University of Hawaii Law School Personal Statement
106	University of San Francisco	University of San Francisco Law School Personal Statement
106	Drake University	Drake University Law School Personal Statement
109	University of South Carolina	University of South Carolina Law School Personal Statement
110	Chapman University	Chapman University Law School Personal Statement
110	Wayne State University	Wayne State University Law School Personal Statement
110	Mercer University	Mercer University Law School Personal Statement
113	Quinnipiac University	Quinnipiac University Law School Personal Statement
113	Albany Law School	Albany Law School Personal Statement
113	University of Baltimore	University of Baltimore Law School Personal Statement
113	CUNY Queens College	CUNY Queens College Law School Personal Statement
113	Gonzaga University	Gonzaga University Law School Personal Statement
113	Florida International University	Florida International University Law School Personal Statement
119	Stetson University	Stetson University Law School Personal Statement
119	Vermont Law School	Vermont Law School Personal Statement
119	Howard University	Howard University Law School Personal Statement
119	University of Maine	University of Maine Law School Personal Statement
119	University of Akron	University of Akron Law School Personal Statement
119	University of Arkansas-Little Rock	University of Arkansas-Little Rock Law School Personal Statement
119	Drexel University	Drexel University Law School Personal Statement
127	University of Wyoming	University of Wyoming Law School Personal Statement
127	William Mitchell College of Law	William Mitchell College of Law Personal Statement
129	Willamette University	Willamette University Law School Personal Statement
129	Southwestern Law School	Southwestern Law School Personal Statement
129	University of Idaho	University of Idaho Law School Personal Statement
129	John Marshall Law School	John Marshall Law School Personal Statement
129	Washburn University	Washburn University Law School Personal Statement
129	University of Toledo	University of Toledo Law School Personal Statement
135	University of Mississippi	University of Mississippi Law School Personal Statement
135	University of Missouri-Kansas City	University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School Personal Statement
135	Creighton University	Creighton University Law School Personal Statement
135	Cleveland State University	Cleveland State University Law School Personal Statement
135	New York Law School	New York Law School Personal Statement
135	Loyola University New Orleans	Loyola University New Orleans Law School Personal Statement
135	Suffolk University	Suffolk University Law School Personal Statement
142	Pace University	Pace University Law School Personal Statement
142	Samford University	Samford University Law School Personal Statement
142	University of New Hampshire	University of New Hampshire Law School Personal Statement
145	University of Montana	University of Montana Law School Personal Statement
145	University of North Dakota	University of North Dakota Law School Personal Statement

Last 50 schools are listed in alphabetical order.

SCHOOL	LINK TO REQUIREMENTS
Appalachian School of Law	Appalachian School of Law Personal Statement
Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School	Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School Personal Statement
Ave Maria School of Law	Ave Maria School of Law Personal Statement
Barry University	Barry University Law School Personal Statement
California Western School of Law	California Western School of Law Personal Statement
Campbell University	Campbell University Law School Personal Statement
Capital University	Capital University Law School Personal Statement
Charleston School of Law	Charleston School of Law Personal Statement
Charlotte School of Law	Charlotte School of Law Personal Statement
Duquesne University	Duquesne University Law School Personal Statement
Elon University	Elon University Law School Personal Statement
Faulkner University	Faulkner University Law School Personal Statement
Florida A&M University	Florida A&M University Law School Personal Statement
Florida Coastal School of Law	Florida Coastal School of Law Personal Statement
Golden Gate University	Golden Gate University Law School Personal Statement
Hamline University	Hamline University Law School Personal Statement
Liberty University	Liberty University Law School Personal Statement
Mississippi College	Mississippi College Law School Personal Statement
New England Law	New England Law School Personal Statement
North Carolina Central University	North Carolina Central University Law School Personal Statement
Northern Illinois University	Northern Illinois University Law School Personal Statement
Northern Kentucky University	Northern Kentucky University Law School Personal Statement
Nova Southeastern University	Nova Southeastern University Law School Personal Statement
Ohio Northern University	Ohio Northern University Law School Personal Statement
Oklahoma City University	Oklahoma City University Law School Personal Statement
Phoenix School of Law	Phoenix School of Law Personal Statement
Regent University	Regent University Law School Personal Statement
Roger Williams University	Roger Williams University Law School Personal Statement
South Texas College of Law	South Texas College of Law School Personal Statement
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale	Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Law School Personal Statement
Southern University	Southern University Law School Personal Statement
St. Mary’s University	St. Mary’s University Law School Personal Statement
St. Thomas University	St. Thomas University Law School Personal Statement
Texas Southern University	Texas Southern University Law School Personal Statement
Texas Wesleyan University	Texas Wesleyan University Law School Personal Statement
Thomas Jefferson School of Law	Thomas Jefferson School of Law Personal Statement
Thomas M. Cooley Law School	Thomas M. Cooley Law School Personal Statement
Touro College	Touro College Law School Personal Statement
University of California-Irvine	University of California-Irvine Law School Personal Statement
University of Dayton	University of Dayton Law School Personal Statement
University of Detroit Mercy	University of Detroit Mercy Law School Personal Statement
University of La Verne	University of La Verne Law School Personal Statement
University of Maine	University of Maine Law School Personal Statement
University of Memphis	University of Memphis Law School Personal Statement
University of South Dakota	University of South Dakota Law School Personal Statement
University of St. Thomas	University of St. Thomas Law School Personal Statement
University of the District of Columbia	University of the District of Columbia Law School Personal Statement
Valparaiso University	Valparaiso University Law School Personal Statement
Western New England College	Western New England College Law School Personal Statement
Western State University	Western State University Law School Personal Statement
Whittier Law School	Whittier Law School Personal Statement
Widener University	Widener University Law School Personal Statement