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Transferring law schools means moving to a new JD program after your first year, and admission turns mainly on your 1L grades, often top-of-class for the biggest jumps. Credits usually transfer, but scholarships, class rank, and law review reset. Transfer volume varies widely by school and is reported annually in each school's ABA Standard 509 disclosure rather than as one verified figure.
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.
Transferring law schools means leaving the JD program you started and completing your degree at a different ABA-approved school, almost always after your first year (1L). Unlike first-year admission, which rests on your LSAT and undergraduate GPA, transfer admission rests mainly on how you performed in law school itself, so your 1L grades and class rank carry the most weight. You then finish your second and third years at the new school and earn its degree.
Transferring runs on a different set of facts than first-year admission. The table summarizes what actually drives the process.
FactorHow it works for transfersWhen you applyAfter 1L, with applications generally opening in summer once spring grades postWhat matters most1L grades and class rank; the LSAT and undergraduate GPA fade in importanceCreditsFirst-year credits usually transfer, though the new school decides how many countScholarshipsMerit aid from your original school does not follow you and may not be matchedClass rank and law reviewReset at the new school; you often must compete to join law review againTransfer intakeReported annually in each school's ABA Standard 509 disclosure (transfers in and out)
The process is compressed and grade-dependent. You complete 1L, receive your spring grades, and apply over the summer to schools whose transfer applications are open. Decisions often come quickly, sometimes only weeks before the fall term, because schools admit transfers to backfill seats. If admitted, you enroll for 2L at the new school, your first-year credits transfer subject to the new school's rules, and you graduate with that school's degree. The typical class-rank threshold for a strong jump is not published as a single verified figure; each school's transfer profile is described by its own admissions office rather than in the data used here.
This hub breaks the topic into focused questions. One page answers whether you can transfer at all and the eligibility basics. Another explains how hard it is, including the class rank big jumps usually require. A step-by-step guide walks through timing, recommendations, and applications, and a how-to page lays out the method in order. A ranked page covers the schools that admit the most transfers and place them well. Together they move from the yes-or-no question to a concrete plan.
If you are considering a transfer, treat 1L as the application. Aim for the strongest grades possible, line up faculty recommendations early, and research which target schools take meaningful transfer numbers before spring grades land. Weigh what you would give up, including scholarship money and your current class rank, against what you would gain in outcomes and location. A transfer makes the most sense when it clearly improves employment prospects in the market where you want to practise.
Yes, most ABA-approved law schools accept transfer students after the first year, so transferring is possible if your 1L grades are competitive at your target school. Admission depends mainly on class rank rather than your original LSAT and GPA. Not every school takes many transfers, and each school's transfer intake is reported in its ABA Standard 509 disclosure at abarequireddisclosures.org rather than as one verified figure.
Transferring is competitive, and the difficulty scales with how far up you aim. Moving to a peer or slightly higher school can be realistic with solid 1L grades, while jumping into a T14 school usually requires finishing near the top of your 1L class. Because seats are limited and grade-driven, strong first-year performance is the deciding factor; the exact rank a school expects is described by its own admissions office rather than in the data used here.
You typically transfer after completing your first year, with applications opening in the summer once spring 1L grades are released and decisions arriving shortly before the fall term. A few schools consider spring or mid-year transfers, but the standard path is a summer application to begin 2L at the new school. Each school's exact transfer deadline is published by its own admissions office rather than in the data used here.
Usually yes. First-year credits generally transfer between ABA-approved schools, but the receiving school decides how many it accepts and how they apply toward its degree requirements. You normally complete your second and third years in residence at the new school and graduate with its degree. Each target school's exact credit policy is set by that school rather than published as one verified rule.
Verified August 2026.
August 21, 2026
August 21, 2026