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Transferring law schools lets you move to a new JD program after 1L, usually to improve job prospects, location, or fit. Admission is driven by your first-year grades, credits generally transfer, and you finish at the new school. You often lose scholarship aid and your class rank resets. Transfer intake varies by school and is reported in each school's ABA Standard 509 disclosure.
By Ali Unar, JD candidate at Georgetown Law and founder of Lovare Institut. Last updated August 2026. Every figure on this page was verified in August 2026 against the sources listed below.
A law school transfer is a move from the JD program you started to a different ABA-approved school, almost always after your first year (1L). You apply on the strength of your law school grades rather than your LSAT and undergraduate GPA, complete your remaining two years at the new school, and graduate with its degree. It is a well-worn path, but it runs on different rules than first-year admission.
Students transfer for a handful of common reasons, usually more than one at once:
The strongest reason is improved job prospects in a target market, because that is what most durably repays the effort and trade-offs.
Transferring has real costs alongside its benefits. Merit scholarships from your first school do not follow you, so a higher-ranked school can mean paying more. Your class rank resets, and you often must re-compete for law review through a write-on rather than carrying over a spot. You also give up established relationships and start over socially and academically. Weigh these against the gains before deciding, since a transfer only pays off when the upside clearly outweighs what you give up.
If a transfer is on your radar, act as if 1L is the application. Prioritize grades, since class rank decides your options, and build faculty relationships early for recommendations. Research which schools take meaningful transfer numbers and give transfers access to journals and recruiting, and confirm their deadlines. Then make an honest cost-benefit call, comparing outcomes and location against lost scholarships and standing. Each school's transfer intake is reported in its ABA Standard 509 disclosure and its deadlines are published by its admissions office rather than in the verified data used here.
Yes, most ABA-approved law schools accept transfers after the first year, and admission depends mainly on your 1L grades and class rank rather than your original LSAT and GPA. Whether a given school is realistic depends on your rank and on how many transfers it takes, which each school reports in its ABA Standard 509 disclosure at abarequireddisclosures.org rather than as one verified figure.
Difficulty depends on how far up you aim. A lateral or modest move is realistic with solid 1L grades, while transferring into a top school usually requires finishing near the top of your class. Seats are limited and admission is grade-driven, so first-year performance is the deciding factor; the exact rank a school expects is described by its own admissions office rather than as one verified figure.
You typically transfer after your first year, applying in the summer once spring 1L grades are released, with decisions arriving shortly before the fall term. A few schools consider mid-year transfers, but the after-1L summer application is the standard path. Each school's exact transfer deadline is published by its own admissions office rather than in the data used here.
Transferring usually costs you the merit scholarship from your first school, which does not follow you, and it resets your class rank at the new school. You often must re-compete for law review, and you give up established relationships. First-year credits generally transfer, but the exact aid and credit policies are set by each school rather than published as one verified figure, so weigh these losses against the gains.
Verified August 2026.
August 21, 2026
August 21, 2026