Admissions

To be considered for admission to the Birmingham School of Law, an applicant must meet the following requirements:

The applicant must have a bachelor's degree from a college or university accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Check accreditation at: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation. An application for admission filed during the senior year of college, prior to receiving a degree, can be approved, subject to the applicant's receipt of the degree before registering for classes at BSL.
Each applicant must complete the application form. The applicant may submit the on-line application form or download the application HERE (pdf) and mail. The applicant is required to pay a $20.00 non-refundable application fee either through the website using the on-line application form (credit or debit card); by calling in a credit/debit card payment or check. (Do not send cash. Check or money order should be payable to the Birmingham School of Law and mailed to BSL at 823 Frank Nelson Building, 205 20th Street North, Birmingham, AL 35203.) Your application is not complete unless ALL transcripts are received, all background and employment questions fully answered, $20.00 application fee received and the application instructions are followed.
BSL requires the applicant to order an official sealed transcript mailed from each junior college, college or university and graduate schools attended. (BSL requires the applicant to order original transcripts of every school, even if the course credits are included in other transcripts) Alternatively, the applicant may submit their undergraduate transcripts to BSL through the LSAT report service.

This service is included in the LSDAS subscription fee. To use the JD CAS, sign up for an online account with LSAC [at http://www.lsac.org/] and follow the instructions for registering for the service. Be sure to print out a Transcript Request Form for each institution and send it promptly to them. Questions about the JD Credential Assembly Service can be directed to LSAC at 215-968-1001 or LSACINFO@LSAC.org.
BSL does not require the applicant submit a LSAT score but recommends applicants who are recent college graduates with below a 2.75 GPA (grade point average) take the LSAT. Applicants who graduated from college more than five (5) years prior to the date of application should provide a detailed list and description of employment, accomplishments and graduate course work. BSL takes a holistic approach in evaluating applicants based upon their grades, LSAT score, work history and experience.
Applicants whose primary language is not English must submit LSAT score.
An applicant must subscribe to the Birmingham School of Law Honor Code, a copy of which is available to each applicant/student in the administrative office, upon request, or can be found in the student handbook.

NOTICE TO FOREIGN APPLICANTS

Birmingham School of Law is not authorized by the United States Department of Homeland Security to provide Student Visa applications to foreign applicants.

NOTICE TO APPLICANTS
WITH POSTSECONDARY EDUCATIONAL CREDITS
OUTSIDE THE U.S [AND ITS TERRITORIES] AND CANADA

Birmingham School of Law requires that your foreign transcripts be submitted through the LSAC JD Credential Assembly Service [JD CAS]. If you completed any postsecondary work outside the U.S. (including its territories) or Canada, you must use this service for the evaluation of your foreign transcripts. The one exception to this requirement is if you completed the foreign work through a study abroad, consortium, or exchange program sponsored by a U.S. or Canadian institution, and the work is clearly indicated as such on the home campus transcript.

This service is included in the LSDAS subscription fee. A Foreign Credential evaluation will be completed by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), which will be incorporated into your LSDAS report. To use the JD CAS, sign up for an online account with LSAC [at http://www.lsac.org/] and follow the instructions for registering for the service. Be sure to print out a Transcript Request Form for each institution and send it promptly to them. More time is usually required to receive foreign transcripts. Questions about the JD Credential Assembly Service can be directed to LSAC at 215-968-1001 or LSACINFO@LSAC.org.

NOTICE
APPLICANTS WHO'S NATIVE LANGUAGE IS NON-ENGLISH

LSAT Requirements

If English is not your native language, you will be required to submit a LSAT score. Therefore, you must contact the Law School Admissions Council [LSAC] and arrange to take the Law School Admission Test [LSAT] and have your score sent to Birmingham School of Law, whose LSAT code is 1053. You may make testing arrangements through http://www.lsac.org/ or 215-968-1001.

Note that you must also register for the LSDAS service, so that your TOEFL score, as explained below, can be included in your overall report. See the website, http://www.lsac.org/ for more details.

TOEFL Requirements

In addition, applicants whose primary language is non-English will be required to submit a TOEFL score. Therefore, you must contact the Educational Testing Service (ETS) at http://www.ets.org/ to schedule a TOEFL test and request that your TOEFL score be sent to LSAC. LSAC's TOEFL code for the JD Credential Assembly Service is 0058. Your score will be included in the Foreign Credential Evaluation document that will be included in your LSDAS law school report.

Limited Admission

Admission to the law school is valid for only the semester for which the applicant is accepted. If an applicant is accepted and fails to register for classes or for any reason fails to complete the initial semester, he or she must reapply to be admitted in any subsequent semester.

GENERAL APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Application for admission to Birmingham School of Law may be made using the on-line application located on our website, http://www.bsol.com/. If you do not wish to submit the application through the website; then download the application HERE (pdf) and mail, along with your check or money order for $20.00 (do not send cash) to Birmingham School of Law, 205 North 20^th St., Birmingham, Al, 35203.

Applications must be complete and received by BSL with all support documents by these deadlines to be considered. Applications for the following dates: Fall weeknight semesters by June 1; Fall weekend semesters by June 1; Spring weeknight semester by November 1; Summer weeknight semester by March 1.

Applications that are not complete by the deadlines are not normally considered. It is the responsibility of the applicant to verify their application is complete.

An applicant may re-apply for subsequent semesters by: (1) paying a $20.00 application fee, (2) sending a written statement indicating a desire to re-apply, (3) including statements to update or correct any information on their initial application.

NOTE: An applicant may apply a maximum of three times. This maximum number includes circumstances where the applicant was accepted, but chose not to attend.

"Application Acknowledgment" notification will be e-mailed or mailed upon receipt of the application form. A "Missing Items Reminder" notification will be e-mailed or mailed if items are missing from the applicant's file. The "Application Complete" notification will be e-mailed when the applicant's file is complete. [Note: Notifications may not be sent if the application is received within 10 days of the application deadline.] The applicant is responsible for ensuring that all of the above credentials have been received by the law school. The applicant should verify the mailing of official transcripts with the college or university from which they requested. ALL INQUIRIES SHOULD BE MADE VIA E-MAIL: Administration@bsol.com Please do not call unless necessary.

All available information provided by the applicant will be considered; however, the most significant admissions criterion is the applicant's undergraduate GPA, degree and work history. Personal interviews and recommendation letters are not required, but will be considered.

ACCEPTANCE AND REQUIRED DEPOSIT

All applicants will be notified by mail of their acceptance or non-acceptance for admission within two weeks of the application deadline date. Each applicant who is admitted is required to submit a non-refundable deposit of $500.00 to hold a place in the class.

At the time of registration, this deposit will be applied toward the student's tuition/fees. Applicants seeking early consideration should submit a request with reasons justifying said request. Applicants who are granted early acceptance will be notified when to submit their non-refundable deposit of $500.00 to hold their place in the class.

All new students will be required to sign up for a law school prepatory course. At the present time the BSL is directing students to enroll in the Law Boost Program at LawBoost.com. More information will be provided in the acceptance letter.

Special Matters

Transfer Students

Transfer law students must comply with the general application deadlines. Transfer students may be admitted at the discretion of the Dean. Students applying for transfer must satisfy all admission requirements in effect at the time of their transfer to the Birmingham School of Law. Transfer students must be in financial and ethical good standing with the law school from which they are transferring.

Transfer students may be given credit for any course with a "C" or better grade and which is equivalent to a course in the curriculum at Birmingham School of Law. Such credit may be granted for courses completed within two years of the student's admission to the Birmingham School of Law.

Course work taken at another law school is not used to compute the transfer student's grade point average at the Birmingham School of Law. In order to graduate, a transfer student must complete a minimum of thirty (30) semester hours at Birmingham School of Law. Courses completed more than six years before graduation will not be computed as a course credit. (See Student Handbook)

Transient Students

Transient students, who are enrolled at another law school, may submit an application to enroll in a limited number of courses at the Birmingham School of Law. The transient applicant must submit a completed admissions application (including the $20.00 non-refundable fee).

The dead-line for transient students to complete and deliver this application to BSL is the date listed for "Current Student Confirmation Deadline" as listed on our academic calendar. The transient applicant must also submit a letter of good standing and permission to take classes at Birmingham School of Law from the dean or administrator of the law school where the student is currently enrolled at the time the application is filed. Permission for a transient student to take courses at BSL is granted at the discretion of the Dean.

Transient students must register for class by the "Last Day to Add Any Course" date on our calendar. Transient students must pay all the applicable tuition and fees at the time of registration. BSL does not process any type of tuition assistance paperwork for transient students.

CURRICULM

The curriculum at Birmingham School of Law is designed to provide a base of legal knowledge and analytical skills, as well as an understanding of legal processes and the role of law in our country. Our goal is to prepare you to sit for the Alabama bar exam and to practice law in Alabama. Our courses are taught by adjunct professors who are experienced lawyers who can bring their practical experience into the classroom.

A total of 80 semester hours is required for graduation and the award of the Juris Doctor (J.D.). Required courses comprise 64 hours of the 80 required to graduate. The required courses are:

Torts I and II
Contracts I and II
Civil Procedure I and II
Legal Writing I and II
Commercial Law I and II
Equity Law I and II
Constitutional Law I and II
Real Property Law I and II
Evidence I and II
Wills and Trusts
Income Tax and Estate/Gift Tax
Senior Seminar I and II*
Criminal Law
Criminal Procedure
Legal Ethics
Agency/Partnership
Corporations
Pleadings/Practice
Domestic Relations
Conflicts of Law

The balance of 16 hours, are elective course hours. BSL offers a variety of elective courses from which the students may choose. Course descriptions, including electives are found on BSL's website, http://www.bsol.com/, in the Student Handbook.

* Senior Seminar I & II involves a bar review course and comprehensive exit exam

BSL has three semesters per year; each semester consists of 13 weeks. Each weeknight program will meet for 120 minutes once a week. Weekend program classes may meet on a different time schedule.

Students will begin with a three (3) class graduation plan. Those students who demonstrate academic superiority during their first semester may accelerate to a four (4) class graduation plan. Students who maintain the three (3) class graduation plan may graduate in 13-14 semesters, depending on their beginning semester. Students following the four (4) class graduation plan may graduate in ten (10) semesters.

Students are allowed to slow their graduation plan from a four (4) to a three (3) plan but not allowed to accelerate their graduation plans after the first semester due to the scheduling sequence of course offerings.

Application Checklist for First Year Applicants and Transfer Students:

Completed, signed and dated application form
Separate pages of detailed explanations of any "Yes" answers to questions 1-7
Current resume or list of all past employers and positions held
Official sealed transcripts from each junior college, college and university attended OR LSDAS Report
$20.00 Application Fee
Special Requirements: Non-Native English speakers and applicants with foreign educational credits, provide additional submissions outline above.
Grammar and Writing essay, "Why do I want to be a lawyer"; limit 2 pages.
Personal Statement (optional); limit 2 pages