Educational Requirements

Apply With or Without a Bachelor's Degree

Many people are surprised that a Bachelor’s Degree is NOT required by the State of California to apply for admission to law school.

Not everyone has the opportunity to complete a four-year undergraduate education. Acknowledging this, the State of California permits those with an AA or AS degree, or a minimum of 60 bachelor degree-applicable units from a regionally accredited college, to meet pre-legal education requirements and apply for the study of law.

Admissions Categories

Degreed-Regular - Applicants holding a Bachelor's Degree or higher from a regionally accredited college satisfy pre-legal education requirements. The majority of law school applicants are in this category.

Non-Degreed Regular - Applicants to law school without a Bachelor's Degree can satisfy pre-legal education requirements if they have earned: an academic AA or AS Degree, OR 60 semester/90 quarter units of bachelor degree-applicable coursework, at a regionally accredited college.

Evaluation of Transcripts

Occasionally, an applicant may be asked to submit transcripts to the State Bar of California for an Evaluation of Pre-Legal Education to assure pre-legal education requirements have been met. This process may take 4-6 weeks.

Evaluation of Foreign College Degrees

Applicants with foreign college degrees or units must obtain a credential evaluation from a list of State Bar approved credential evaluation services. The evaluation must be submitted to GUCL in a sealed envelope and contain a detailed evaluation of courses, units, grades, and an explanation of degree equivalency. Obtaining an evaluation may take 4-6 weeks. LSAC credential evaluations do not meet this requirement.

Prior Law Students

Please contact GUCL before applying.

Individuals with prior law school attendance may apply to GUCL. In addition to submitting a complete applicant file, an official transcript and a letter of standing from the law school previously attended are required. Interim transcripts and/or letters of standing (final grades/standing not yet posted) may be submitted but are insufficient for rendering an admissions decision.

If a prior law school applicant is admitted and granted transfer credit, enrollment typically occurs in the summer or fall quarters due to the structured program at GUCL.

If a prior law school applicant is admitted but no transfer credit is granted, enrollment as a first-year law student may occur in the fall or spring and a Permission to Start Law Studies Over request must be submitted to the State Bar.