Admissions Requirements & Process

The LSAT is an aptitude test used by law schools throughout the country and is administered by the Law School Admission Council. The test is offered multiple times per calendar year at testing centers throughout the country. The LSAT is a predictor of how a student will perform in law school and on the bar examination. The College of Law strongly encourages students to prepare thoroughly for the LSAT. If taken more than once, the College of Law will consider all LSAT scores present on the CAS report. Registration for the LSAT can be completed through your LSAC account.

• If you decide to retake the LSAT during the same admissions cycle in which you have received a denial decision from Belmont Law, please notify the Admissions Coordinator and your application will be reconsidered when your new score is available. You will not need to submit a new application if the admissions cycle during which you originally applied is still open.
• You may submit your Belmont Law application before you LSAT score is reported.   

This document should be a one or two-page essay detailing why you are uniquely qualified to be a successful law student at Belmont University College of Law. You may cite experiences that have led you to the study of law and/or illustrate how you want to benefit the legal profession upon completing the Juris Doctor degree. The personal statement should be well written, thoughtful, and original.

This document should include all current academic and employment experience as well as any other information you believe uniquely qualifies you for admission. If there is an update to this document after the initial submission, please forward it to the law admissions office at law@belmont.edu.

The Credential Assembly Service (CAS) is administered by the Law School Admission Council and serves as a central collection agency of college transcripts required for law school admissions decisions. The CAS analyzes undergraduate work, combines the analysis with LSAT scores, and produces a CAS report for the College of Law. Registration with the CAS can be completed on the LSAC website.

After you register for the Credential Assembly Service (CAS), you must order a law school report for Belmont Law.

Your law school report will include transcripts reflecting previous academic work. You must have a separate transcript sent to LSAC directly from each undergraduate and graduate institution you attended in the United States, its territories/associated states, or Canada.

It is your responsibility to request an official copy of all required transcripts to be sent to LSAC directly from each institution you attended. Do not submit transcripts directly to Belmont Law or Belmont University. Comprehensive directions regarding transcripts are available on the LSAC website.

You may perform any of the tasks below in any order you choose, however, your CAS report will not be released to Belmont Law until:

• Credential Assembly Service (CAS) is purchased;
• information about the schools you've attended is submitted;
• transcripts for schools attended are received by LSAC and processed;
• LSAT score exists in your file (waived for AAE applicants)

Applicants may submit letters of recommendations and/or addendums to include additional information they believe to be useful in consideration of their application.

Regular Decision 

For Regular Decision applicants, the College of Law conducts a rolling admissions process, September 1, 2023 - May 1, 2024. All applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible during the admission cycle. Applications will be accepted through May 1, 2024 and will be considered as long as there are still seats available in the class. Additional application materials, such as CAS report and LSAT score, must be received by the College of Law no later than May 3, 2024. The last LSAT score accepted will be from the April test. All admitted applicants are considered for Bruin Scholarships, which is the general merit scholarship program. There is no separate application process for a Bruin Scholarship.

Apply Regular Decision

Early Binding Decision 

Applicants who have concluded that Belmont is their first choice for law school can select an Early Binding Decision option. The Early Binding Decision option requires candidates to complete the online application (e-application, personal statement, letter of interest in Dean's Scholars Program if applicable) starting September 1, 2023 with all required documents (LSAT score*, CAS report) submitted no later than December 1, 2023. Early Decision candidates will be notified of their admittance, denial, or deferral for further review with the Regular Decision applicants within two weeks of successfully submitting all required application materials. Applications received around late November may experience a delayed decision timeline due to the holiday. 

*The last LSAT score accepted will be from the November testing date.

Early Decision candidates may apply to other law schools, but are not permitted to apply to other binding early decision programs. Admitted Early Decision candidates agree to immediately withdraw their applications at other law schools, refrain from submitting new applications, submit a non-refundable seat deposit of $750 (which will be applied to your fall semester tuition), and matriculate to Belmont University’s College of Law. 

Early Decision candidates who are deferred for further review to the Regular Decision cycle will no longer be bound by the terms of the Early Decision agreement. The College of Law reserves the right to provide other law schools with the names of candidates admitted through the binding Early Decision program.  

Admitted Early Decision candidates may be eligible for the Dean’s Scholars Program. 

Apply Early Binding Decision 

JD/MBA Program

JD/MBA applicants, please visit this page to learn about your application process. Please follow the instructions carefully. After you complete your online application (due by March) , send a short email indicating your interest in the JD/MBA program to maria.emanuelson@belmont.edu. Once received, the College of Law Admissions Office and MBA Admissions personnel will work with you to complete the rest of the application process appropriately.

Alternative Academic Evaluation 

Belmont Undergraduates:

Belmont University College of Law implements an Alternative Academic Evaluation (“AAE”) for current Belmont undergraduates applying for admission to the College of Law. The AAE is based on American Bar Association Standard 503 and Interpretation 503-3 whereby a law school is permitted to admit applicants from its home institution without the LSAT. Specifically, Belmont undergraduates seeking admission through the AAE must have scored at or above the 85th percentile on the ACT or SAT; must have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or above through six semesters of academic work; and must not have taken the LSAT. The College of Law conducts a rolling admissions process, September 1, 2023 - May 1, 2024.

Standard 503 and Interpretation 503-3 prohibit the College of Law from admitting more than 10% of an entering class without requiring the LSAT. Therefore, once the College of Law has determined it has reached this limit during each application cycle, the AAE process will close.

Please note taking the LSAT makes one ineligible for the AAE process. The College of Law must use the LSAT score once taken.  

Students admitted through the AAE process may be eligible for the Bell Tower Scholars Program. 

GRE Test-Takers Only:

For those who have not taken the LSAT, the College of Law may accept a limited number of applicants with a GRE score. Please know the LSAT is the preferred test. Applicants through this AAE process must have a minimum of a 3.5 cumulative undergraduate GPA. All other application requirements remain. If an LSAT has been previously taken, the applicant cannot be reviewed under the Alternative Academic Evaluation process. Applicants admitted with a GRE score are not eligible for merit-based scholarships at this time. Belmont Law's GRE Designated Institution (DI) Code is 3970

Apply AAE

3 + 3 Applicants 

A 3+3 applicant to Belmont Law must be enrolled in one of the two 3+3 programs at Belmont (Legal Studies and Music Business) or in an approved 3+3 program Belmont Law has established with another institution. The two principal factors are the applicant’s cumulative GPA in their first five semesters of undergraduate coursework and LSAT score. Other factors that may be considered include: activities in school and professional organizations; community service, and employment experiences. 

An applicant must present a satisfactory score on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT)*. If taken multiple times, the College of Law will consider all scores present on the CAS report. A 3+3 prospective student may submit the application midway through the junior year of undergraduate courses (typically upon completing the fifth semester or fall semester of the junior year). The 3+3 Application opens December 1, 2023. Applications must be completed no later than February 1, 2024. *The last LSAT score accepted will be from the January testing date. Admitted applicants are considered for Bruins Scholarships.

Note some 3+3 applicants may meet the qualifications for the Alternative Academic Evaluation process as outlined in the prior section. 

Apply 3 + 3

Transfer Applicants 

A prospective transfer student must be in good standing at the institution from which they plan to separate at the time of application and remain in good standing there through completion of the first-year of law study. The transfer application is open from September 1 through May 1. All required documents must be submitted by May 1, with the exception of the spring semester official transcript that includes all first-year grades and the letter of good standing that includes a class rank. For transfer applicants still enrolled at the institution from which they plan to separate, the first-year official transcript and the letter of good standing with class rank may be submitted once spring grades have posted, but no later than June 15. The official transcript and the letter of good standing must come directly from the institution.

Apply Transfer

Transfer Credit

International Applicants 

For general international student information click here. For immigration information for admitted international students, click here. 

International applicants whose native foreign language is not English must demonstrate proficiency in the English language by submitting an official copy of your Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores. A minimum score of 550 is required (213 CBT or 80iBT).