Applicants with degrees from foreign institutions are required to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), administered nationwide by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), administered by ETS. South Texas College of Law Houston will not consider an LSAT or GRE score from a test administered more than five years before the beginning of the semester for which application for admission is made. If you have not taken or prepared for the LSAT or GRE yet, start by reviewing our LSAT/GRE Guide. Registration information for the LSAT and CAS may be obtained by calling LSAC at 215.968.1001 or www.lsac.org. Registration information for the
GRE (School Code: 2749) may be obtained by calling ETS 609.771.7670 or at www.ets.org/gre.
Applicants are urged to utilize the J.D. Credential Service (JDCAS). This is a service available as part of CAS at no additional expense to the applicant beyond the standard CAS fees. This service is for all applicants who have completed work at any foreign institution outside the U.S. or Canada.
Any student who is not a U.S. citizen and holds a temporary visa (F-1 or J-1) is classified as an international student by South Texas College of Law Houston. In addition to meeting standard admissions requirements, these applicants, if admitted, must submit the following:
- Non-U.S. citizens must include a copy of immigration documents (such as a current U.S. visa or permanent resident card) when submitting the application, if applicable.
- Letter of Financial Backing and Statement of Understanding (U.S. citizens and permanent residents are exempt).
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
South Texas College of Law Houston requires the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) from applicants who obtained their degree from a country where English is NOT the official language and/or instruction was NOT in English. If you earned your degree from a foreign university where the courses are taught in English, we do not require the TOEFL.South Texas College of Law Houstonwill accept a score of 600 or better on the paper based TOEFL exam, a 250 on the computer based TOEFL exam, or a 100 on the Internet-based TOEFL exam.
For more information about the exam, contact TOEFL:
TOEFL
P.O. Box 6154
Princeton, NJ 08541
609.921.9000
The TOEFL scores should be submitted to the CAS by the Educational Testing Service (ETS); LSAC’s TOEFL code is 8395. Your score will be included in your law school report. The TOEFL should be taken as early as possible in the application process, and only scores submitted within the past two years will be accepted.
Application Evaluation for Foreign Degree Applicants
An admission decision cannot be made until an applicant’s file is complete. A complete application file (received by February 10 (priority), March 26th (regular deadline), and May 9 (final) for fall consideration and September 24 (priority) or December 1 (final) for spring consideration.) consists of the following items:
- Completed and signed application for admission (sent directly to us or through LSAC on the Web)
- $55 Application fee
- Official LSAT score received from LSDAS
- Official LSDAS evaluation received from LSDAS or foreign credential evaluation received from a recognized service
- Resume of employment
- Personal statement
- Two letters of recommendation
- Immigration documents (if admitted and if not a U.S. citizen)