LA Law Institute

Juris Doctor Program Application

100% Online Legal Education • Registered with the State Bar of California

Application Requirements

check_circle Personal and contact information
check_circle Full educational history
check_circle Personal statement (250-1000 words)
check_circle Resume/CV upload

check_circle Unofficial transcripts
check_circle Law school history (if applicable)
check_circle Employment information
check_circle Criminal history disclosure

Note: A non-refundable $50.00 application fee is required.

Social Security / ITIN Notice

Required by the State of California upon acceptance

If admitted, you will be required to provide your SSN/ITIN to complete law school enrollment and State Bar registration, in compliance with California Business & Professions Code § 30.

Inaugural Cohort — Limited Enrollment

LA Law Institute is a new school opening our inaugural Juris Doctor cohort on July 1, 2026. To ensure we can deliver the highest quality of instruction to our first students, we are starting small.

Currently accepting applications for: 1L Track B (July 1, 2026) — limited to 25 students.

Additional tracks and year levels will open for our 2027 cohorts. Applications for each track are accepted beginning 120 days before its start date. Check back for updates.

Pursuant to Guideline 5.33 of the Guidelines for Unaccredited Law Schools, LA Law Institute limits Special Student admissions to 20% of each incoming cohort. Qualified Special Student applicants whose admission would exceed this cap may be placed on the Special Student waitlist at the discretion of the Admissions Committee. LA Law Institute admits students based on holistic review of each application. Placement on the waitlist does not guarantee admission.

Before you apply, please read our admissions process:

We accept applications on a rolling basis. Reviews begin 120 days before each Term Start Date, and applications are accepted in the order received. We continue accepting applications until all seats are filled or until 30 days before the Term Start Date, whichever comes first. If we receive more qualified applications than available seats, additional qualified applicants will be waitlisted and notified as soon as possible of any openings. Applications remain active for 120 days from the date of our review decision — applicants not admitted to their selected track must reapply for a future track.

1. Personal Information

First Name *

Last Name *

Citizenship/Residency *

Birth Date *

Email Address *

Phone Number

2. Address Information

Street Address *

Address Line 2 (Optional)

City *

State *

ZIP Code *

Country *

3. Educational Background

Highest Level of Education *

Special Student seats available: 5 of 5 (1L Track B, July 1, 2026)

Admission as a Regular Student

Applicants qualify as Regular Students by holding a qualifying U.S. degree, or by completing at least two years of qualifying college work, before beginning law study.

REGIONALLY ACCREDITED, ACADEMIC WORK REQUIRED:

Your college work must be from a college or university accredited by a regional accrediting agency. Coursework or degrees from nationally accredited institutions, vocational or career schools, or unaccredited institutions will not satisfy this requirement.

The work must also be academic and applicable toward a bachelor's degree. Applied, vocational, technical, remedial, or developmental coursework will not count — including an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) or similar applied degree.

The level of the degree does not change this. A master's or doctoral degree does not qualify unless the underlying education was earned at a regionally accredited institution.

You qualify if you have either:

A bachelor's degree (or higher) from a regionally accredited U.S. institution; or
At least 60 semester (or 90 quarter) units of academic, bachelor's-applicable coursework from a regionally accredited college, completed with grades adequate for graduation.

Required Steps for Admission:

Confirm your school's accreditation is regional (not national) before applying.
Submit unofficial transcripts from all colleges and universities attended for initial review.
Request official transcripts from every institution, sent directly to LALI.
Official transcripts must be received within 45 days of enrollment.

Note: Meeting this requirement establishes your eligibility to begin law study; it is not an admission decision. Your application is still reviewed by LALI. Because LA Law Institute is unaccredited, all students — Regular and Special — must take and pass the First-Year Law Students' Examination (FYLSX) after their first year of study.

Admission as a Special Student (CLEP)

Applicants who have not completed qualifying college work may be admitted as Special Students by passing the State Bar's required CLEP examinations before enrolling.

STATE BAR CERTIFICATION REQUIRED:

Passing the CLEP exams is not enough on its own. The State Bar of California must review your scores and certify that they satisfy the educational requirement. LALI cannot enroll you until that certification is received. This certification must be completed before enrollment, so allow time for it.

Your official CLEP scores must be sent directly from the College Board to both the State Bar of California (Recipient Code: 7165) and to LALI. Scores forwarded by the applicant are not accepted.

CLEP exams you must pass (score of 50 or higher on each):

College Composition (full version — not the modular exam); plus
Either two additional exams covering full-year courses (6 semester hours each), or four additional exams covering semester courses (3 semester hours each).

Additional exams must be selected from: Composition & Literature (Humanities only), Foreign Languages, History & Social Sciences, Science & Mathematics, or Business.

Required Steps for Admission:

Register and take your CLEP exams at collegeboard.org. All exams must be passed before you begin law study.
Have the College Board send official scores to both the State Bar (Recipient Code 7165) and LALI.
Obtain certification from the State Bar's Office of Admissions confirming that your CLEP scores satisfy the educational requirement. LALI cannot enroll you until this certification is received.
Once you receive the State Bar's certification, apply to LALI and include your CLEP scores and the certification.

Note: Because LA Law Institute is unaccredited, all students — Regular and Special — must take and pass the First-Year Law Students' Examination (FYLSX) after their first year of study.

Required CLEP Documents

Both documents are required to submit your application as a Special Student.

CLEP Score Report *

PDF only (Max 2MB). Official score report from the College Board.

State Bar CLEP Certification *

PDF only (Max 2MB). The State Bar of California's certification confirming your CLEP scores satisfy the educational requirement.

Admission with Foreign Pre-Legal Education

Applicants who completed any portion of their pre-legal education outside the United States must submit a course-by-course credential evaluation from a State Bar of California–approved service before their application can be reviewed.

APPROVED EVALUATOR REQUIRED:

Your credential evaluation must be course-by-course and performed by a service on the State Bar of California's current approved list. Document-by-document or general evaluations will not be accepted.

You are responsible for verifying the current approved list directly with the State Bar before ordering. View current approved evaluators.

The official evaluation must be sent directly from the evaluator to LALI Admissions at transcripts@lalawinstitute.org. Evaluations forwarded by the applicant are not accepted.

Required Steps for Admission:

Verify the State Bar's current approved evaluator list
Order a course-by-course evaluation from an approved service
Direct the evaluator to send the report directly to LALI Admissions
Request official transcripts from all institutions, sent directly to LALI
If your coursework was not taught in English: TOEFL iBT (minimum 80) or IELTS Academic (minimum 6.5), scores no more than two years old, sent directly to LALI from the testing service

Note: Your credential evaluation will be reviewed twice — first by LALI to determine admission, then by the State Bar of California when you register as a law student within 90 days of beginning study. The State Bar treats credential evaluations as advisory and reserves the right to make the final determination, though in most cases evaluations from approved services are accepted.

Required Foreign Education Documents

Submit unofficial copies for application review. Official documents must still be sent directly from the evaluator or testing service.

Credential Evaluation Report *

PDF only (Max 2MB). Unofficial copy of your course-by-course evaluation from a State Bar–approved service.

English Proficiency Score Report

PDF only (Max 2MB). Required only if any pre-legal coursework was taught in a language other than English. TOEFL iBT (minimum 80) or IELTS Academic (minimum 6.5).

Institutions Attended (post-secondary)

List each college or university you attended. Institutions outside the United States require a credential evaluation — admissions will follow up if needed.

Institution name

Country

Primary language of instruction

Undergraduate GPA (if available)

LSAT Score (if taken)

Date LSAT Taken

4. Transcripts

Official transcripts required within 45 days after the term begins (State Bar Guidelines 5.30, 5.32). Read full transcript requirements

Transcript Requirements (State Bar Guidelines 5.30, 5.32)

Now — for application review:

Upload UNOFFICIAL transcripts from all colleges/universities and law schools attended. These uploads help our admissions committee evaluate your application but do not satisfy the official transcript requirement below.

Official transcripts required within 45 days after the term begins (State Bar Guideline 5.30, 5.32):

You must submit OFFICIAL transcripts from all institutions within forty-five (45) days after the term begins. This is a State Bar regulatory requirement — a law school may not permit attendance beyond 45 days without official transcripts on file.

If official transcripts establishing Regular Student status are not received within 45 days, you will be reclassified as a Special Student (if admissible) or immediately disqualified from the J.D. program, per State Bar Guideline 5.32.

Accepted delivery methods:

Official transcripts must be sent directly from the issuing institution via one of:

Parchment
Credentials Solutions
National Student Clearinghouse
Sealed envelope forwarded registrar-to-registrar

Where to send:

Electronic: transcripts@lalawinstitute.org

Mail: LA Law Institute, Attn: Registrar, 28015 Smyth Drive, Suite 108, Valencia, CA 91355

Not accepted:

Self-delivered, hand-carried, forwarded, or opened transcripts will not be accepted.

Transcript 1 *

Please include your first and last name in the file name. PDF, DOC, DOCX (Max 2MB)

5. Prior/Current Law School Disclosure

Have you previously attended any law school? * info Transfer Info info Dismissed/Disqualified Info

No — I am new to law school Yes — I have attended law school

Have you previously attended LA Law Institute? *

No — I am transferring from another law school Yes — I am a returning LALI student

List each law school you have attended. Add a separate entry per school — each with its dates, reason for leaving, and that school's transcript. Note: Official transcripts will be required within 45 days of your enrollment start date.

Law School 1 *

Dates attended — start

Dates attended — end

Reason for leaving * I was dismissed or academically disqualified from this law school Law School Transcript Upload *

PDF, DOC, DOCX (Max 2MB). Required for transfer applicants — incomplete, in-progress, withdrawn, or dismissed transcripts are acceptable, but the file is mandatory.

Prior and Current Law School Enrollment Disclosure
I have disclosed all prior and current law school enrollment in this application. I understand that I may not simultaneously earn credit toward a J.D. degree at LALI and another law school (Guideline 5.23), and that I must formally withdraw from any other law school before beginning coursework at LALI. Transfer credit, if applicable, is subject to LALI's Transfer Credit Policy. *

6. Program Selection

About Program Tracks: 1L Students: Choose Track A (March) or Track B (July) aligned with FYLSX exam schedules. 2L-4L Students: Choose Track A (April) or Track B (November) aligned with General Bar Exam timeline.

Select Your Program *

7. Personal Statement

Personal Statement * (250-1000 words)

0 words

8. Additional Information

Employment History

Resume/CV Upload *

Name your file: LastName_FirstName_Resume.pdf. PDF, DOC, DOCX (Max 2MB)

Criminal History Disclosure *

If you have no criminal history, please write "None".

9. Student Demographics — State Bar Reporting

Required for Compliance: The State Bar of California requires all law schools to collect demographic information for reporting purposes. This data helps ensure diversity and equal access to legal education. All fields are required.

EEOC Statement: LA Law Institute is an equal opportunity employer and educational institution. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

Race/Ethnicity *

Gender Identity *

Sexual Orientation *

Disability Status *

Veteran Status *

10. Required Disclosures — State Bar of California

The method of instruction at this law school for the Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree program is principally by correspondence. *

Students enrolled in the J.D. degree program at this law school who successfully complete the first year of law study must pass the First-Year Law Students' Examination required by Business and Professions Code § 6060(h) and Title 4, Division 1, Chapter 1 Rule 4.3(I) of the Rules of the State Bar of California as part of the requirements to qualify to take the California Bar Examination. A student who passes the First-Year Law Students' Examination within three (3) administrations of the examination after first becoming eligible to take it will receive credit for all legal studies completed to the time the examination is passed. A student who does not pass the examination within three (3) administrations of the examination after first becoming eligible to take it must be promptly disqualified from the law school's J.D. degree program. If the dismissed student subsequently passes the examination, the student is eligible for re-enrollment in this law school's J.D. degree program, but will receive credit for only one year of legal study. *

Study at, or graduation from, this law school may not qualify a student to take the bar examination or to satisfy the requirements for admission to practice in jurisdictions other than California. A student intending to seek admission to practice law in a jurisdiction other than California should contact the admitting authority in that jurisdiction for information regarding the legal education requirements in that jurisdiction for admission to the practice of law. *

This law school is registered with the State Bar of California as an unaccredited law school. It is not approved by the American Bar Association (ABA). *

LA Law Institute does not award credit for prior experiential or life learning. Only formal legal education and approved transfer credits may be applied. *

I certify that all information provided is true, complete, and correct. I understand that false information may result in denial or dismissal. *

11. Application Fee — $50.00

A non-refundable $50.00 application fee is required to complete your submission.

LA Law Institute

Application Requirements

Social Security / ITIN Notice

1. Personal Information

2. Address Information

3. Educational Background

Admission as a Regular Student

Admission as a Special Student (CLEP)

Required CLEP Documents

Admission with Foreign Pre-Legal Education

Required Foreign Education Documents

4. Transcripts

Transcript Requirements (State Bar Guidelines 5.30, 5.32)

5. Prior/Current Law School Disclosure

6. Program Selection

7. Personal Statement

8. Additional Information

9. Student Demographics — State Bar Reporting

10. Required Disclosures — State Bar of California

11. Application Fee — $50.00

Transfer Student Information

Previously Dismissed/Disqualified Students