r/LawSchoolTransfer

Hi all!
I am an incoming 1L, who has unfortunately been waitlisted at all of the schools I applied to besides 1. I am in state for this school (T130), but was given no scholarship (way above medians) for an unknown reason. I am out of LSAT takes, so it is what it is. I don’t really love the school at all and I think it may be a hindrance to my goal practice areas (finance/tax).

So, I am hoping to transfer after 1L and was looking for some info. I am not super worried about the curve as many of my undergraduate profs taught and did tests/assignments similar to law school, so I’d say I’m decently familiar. I was wondering:

1. Do you do extra curriculars during 1L to "beef up" your application like for undergrad?

2. How would you recommend making professor connections for LORs in such a short period? About when did you ask?

3. Any other tips and tricks any of you recommend

For reference, I’m not really shooting for Harvard but would welcome it if the opportunity arose. I’m mainly aiming for KU, Mizzou, WashU, etc. I’d also welcome any school suggestions you guys have as well. I’ve also thought about doing a tax LLM after law school. I’m also aware that transfers usually don’t get much scholarship if any. I don’t have anyone to ask these things so I’d be super grateful for any advice/information! Thank you!!

I'm really hoping to transfer (haven't heard back yet), and my current law school write on competition for journal is currently active. If I make it onto law review, do I have to compete in another write-on competition at the school I'm transferring to?

I know this may be very school-dependent but is there a typical path law schools have for transfer students who made it onto law review at their previous school?

Hi everyone! So Im currently at a T160+ school, on no aid. But after this past year Im looking at a 3.48 gpa, and will be offered a $35k scholarship from my school for my 1L performance. My issue is Im not sure whether to stay here and take the scholarship, or possibly transfer to a T50-70 and pay full tuition? Does the school you graduate from hold that much weight?

Looking forward to what you guys think

Edit: should add I’m leaning towards crim area wise and would love to open my own firm within 10 years after graduation.

Im looking at incurring ~20k compared to like $140k for my next two years. I just dont know because 120k is alot

I also already am kind of in the city i want to be in. Just more of do i make the hop over to the main “school” in this city or atleast jump up to a decent ranked school in a different city which I also wouldn’t mind

I go to a T100+ regional school and did well in 1L. There are basically two main in-state schools which feed into the market I want to practice in -- mine and a T50 school. I was just accepted into the T50 and wanted to hear some advice/input on whether it would be worth it to transfer.

I have one summer internship at a great firm that I would love to work for after graduation. However, I was sadly rejected from most of the other top firms in the area. The few students from my school that got these top jobs seem to be from the area (which I am not originally from) or already had great connections. From what I have seen, students from the T50 primarily go Big Law or go to these top firms within the area.

What are the pros/cons of transferring? I would be paying about the same amount in tuition + living costs if it makes any difference. Will I have a better chance at securing more options in terms of job opportunities if I transfer? Is it hard to make friends? (friends aren't really a main consideration but I am curious).

I would love to hear any thoughts from transfer students or anyone who has knowledge on the transfer process/outcomes. Thank you!

hi everyone!im curious how transferring from a t100+ to a t14 would be like? Would it be impossible? whats the process like? thank you for any advice you’re able to give!

For reference my Fiance and I both applied together this past fall and ended up getting into a few schools together, but ultimately could not get enough money to make the schools we wanted to go to worth while. Ultimately we decieded on a local school that sits in the top 150 (University of Memphis). Neither of us are happy with this decision. We have decided we dont want to delay our future careers any further. We both took jobs with the premise we would be leaving in the summer for school in the fall and don't want to overstay our welcome.

My Finace thinks our best course of action is transferring, I believe it is best to reapply despite the challanges that will create for us. She is confident we can both place within the top 5% at this school. Our undergrad has a long history of placing its graduates within the top 5% at UM many being 1st or 2nd in the class. I think there is a good chance of placing well but not 100% - but reapplying also wouldnt grant us a 100% of getting the money needed to make better schools worth it. I do know that transfers almost always pay sticker, but sticker for 2 years is a lower debt load and we would hope to jump the rankings above where our LSATs put us (for reference we are both 16(mid-low), which would make higher tution "more worthwhile."

I would love some advice if you have any thank you!

I’m down to choosing between UH and St. Mary’s but my goal in either scenario is to transfer to UT Austin. St. Mary’s and UH both serve my needs well and I’d be happy graduating from either, but UT is my dream and would open so many doors. So my question is, should I go to the lower ranked school and aim for top 10%? Or would I be better off at UH even if I’m closer to top 25%-30%?

My undergrad GPA is awful so even if I wait a year and increase my LSAT, my chances of getting into UT from the get-go are pretty dismal, so this is my best pathway to get there.

With Biglaw hiring occurring even before 1L Fall grades are in, is transferring mostly a waste now?

My girlfriend of 5 years is currently based in that city. My current 1L school is 4 hrs flight away from it. Should I also briefly mention this point at the end of my PS?

applied last week and just received email couple hours ago the turnaround is crazy!

3.6 at t60 :)

So I’m a potential 0L and my ugpa sucks. I struck out of the t14 this cycle and I was wondering for success stories of transfer from a t50-t30 school into a t10. What specifically do you think makes a transfer into a t10 happen other than top 10% grades and landing law review or other coveted journals?

If you are above the median transfer gpa on a school's 509 report, how confident can you be that you will get in?

I applied for the 2026 cycle and got 8 waitlists and 1 acceptance. I was accepted to Syracuse with a really good financial aid package. However, I am having a hard time thinking about the fact that I would be living in Upstate NY for 3 years. I want to go into entertainment law and ideally wanted to go to school in California or NYC. Is it bad for me to go to Syracuse with the intention of transferring after 1L? I just really don’t want to wait another year to start law school.

I know that we're allowed to contact professors after finals and before grades are submitted but we're not allowed to discuss or reveal anything about the exam before grades are finalized. I'm wondering if there's an issue with asking for a LOR during this period because it could suggest you think your exam went a certain way. Do people have experience doing this?