Application Instructions - Law, Social Justice and Diversity Certificate

To be eligible to apply, you must have earned or plan to receive a bachelor's degree with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 (based on a 4.0 grading scale) from a regionally accredited institution and relevant work experience before enrolling at USC Gould School of Law.

We seek applicants whose academic background, professional aspirations, personal commitment, and communication skills meet the demands of a rigorous legal master's degree program.

Dates and Deadlines

USC Gould School of Law offers two starts in fall and spring.

We recommend applying early for scholarship consideration.

Since students may enroll in this program on a part-time basis, international students requiring F-1 student visas are encouraged to consider our On-Campus Master of Studies in Law (MSL) degree.

Application Process

To apply for admission, submit the following documents before 5 p.m. (Pacific Time) on the application deadlines listed above:

1. Online Application

Our online application takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. Please be aware that your work will not be saved automatically.

Note: If you earned a degree outside of the United States of America, you may be directed to submit your application through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) via the link above.

2. Personal Statement

The personal statement is your primary opportunity to discuss who you are beyond the application basics. We are particularly interested in how your academic and professional background has led to your decision to study law. This is not the place to repeat items on your resume/curriculum vitae (CV). Please address the following questions in your personal statement:

• Why do you want to pursue a graduate certificate at USC Gould?
• How do you plan to use this certificate to advance your career?
• What strategies will you put into place to be a successful graduate student?

The personal statement should be two three pages, double-spaced and in at least 12-point font. We value essays that are clear, concise, and compelling.

Email your personal statement as a PDF to [email protected] .

3. Resume/Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Provide a record of your employment history, volunteer commitments, extracurricular activities, and any awards and/or honors by emailing a PDF of your resume/CV to [email protected] .

4. Official Transcripts and Degree Verification

Domestic Applicants: To expedite the processing of your application, you can submit unofficial transcripts via email with the rest of your application materials and request official transcripts to be sent to us from your undergraduate and graduate institution(s) after receiving an admissions decision.

• (Optional) Step 1: Submit unofficial transcripts by scanning and emailing transcripts from your undergraduate institution (and graduate institution, if applicable) to [email protected] . Unofficial transcripts must be printed on university letterhead or include a university seal/registrar signature.
  Print-outs from student portals are not accepted. If admitted, you will be required to submit official transcripts from all academic institutions.
• Step 2: Request official, sealed transcripts from your undergraduate and/or graduate institution(s) and provide them with our address. For transcripts to be considered official, they must be emailed or mailed directly from the issuing institution to USC Gould. Any transcripts sent from the applicant, even if in a sealed envelope, are considered unofficial transcripts. Official electronic transcripts should be sent by the institution or through a secure site formally linked to the sending institution, such as eTranscript California, Parchment Exchange, eSCRIP-SAFE, and National Student Clearinghouse to [email protected] . Official hard copy transcripts should be mailed by the institution to: Master of Studies in Law (MSL)
  USC Gould School of Law
  699 Exposition Blvd, Room 336
  Los Angeles, CA 90089-0071

International Applicants: If you hold any degree from outside the U.S, you must use the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC)'s Document Assembly Service (DAS) and International Transcript and Authentication and Evaluation Service (ITAES) to submit your transcripts. Credential evaluation takes 2-3 weeks to complete once LSAC has received all your documents; there may be further delay during LSAC's peak processing periods or if LSAC determines that additional information is required to complete its review. Therefore, we suggest you apply as early as possible to avoid anyconsequential delays in LSAC transmitting its evaluation report to us.

Note: The fee for DAS and ITAES is $85 and $135, respectively. LASC will charge an additional $30 to send your Law School Report to USC Gould. Fees charged by LSAC for utilizing its services are payable to LSAC. Please visit LSAC's website for more information about fees charged by LSAC, including its refund policy.

5. English Proficiency

If you are not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you must take the Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic.

English proficiency waiver requests will only be considered if (1) your native language is English, (2) you hold a bachelor’s degree completed in its entirety in the United States or U.S. bachelor’s-equivalent in a qualifying Anglophone country, and (3), you have completed a master’s or doctoral degree from a country in which English is both the language of instruction and the only official language.

• USC Gould does not have a minimum TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE score; however, we recommend a 90 TOEFL iBT or above, a 6.5 IELTS or above, or 61 PTE or above.
• Official scores must be sent directly to LSAC. LSAC's institutional code is 8395.
• English-proficiency scores must be dated within two years (24 months) of the date you submit your application.
• USC does NOT accept MyBest TOEFL scores of applicants as valid proof of language proficiency. We will consider the single best total score you submit along with the sub-scores from that test.
• USC does not waive the English-proficiency requirement based on any other consideration, such as work experience, ESL enrollment, amount of time spent in the United States, etc. It also cannot be waived on the basis of programs taught in English in non-Anglophone countries.

Note: Admission to this graduate certificate program does not require letters of recommendation, nor any LSAT or GRE exam scores. Additional application materials or interviews may be requested by the Admissions Committee.

Decisions

The Admissions Committee will only review your application once all transcripts and supporting documents are received by the application deadlines shared above. You will receive a confirmation email when your application has been complete. Admissions decisions are normally released by email within two to four weeks of application confirmation. If you are admitted and decide to enroll, a commitment deposit will be required to reserve your seat.