University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law

The urban public law school with a small liberal arts feel

Transferring To UMKC Student's Role Students interested in transferring to UMKC School of Law after their first year should contact Jeffrey Berman, Associate Dean at UMKC. Dean Berman may be reached at: Telephone: (816) 235-1640 Mailing Address: UMKC School of Law Attn: Admissions: Transfer Application 5100 Rockhill Rd. Kansas City, MO 64110-2499 Email: BermanJ@umkc.edu The student should indicate an interest in "transferring" to the UMKC School of Law, specifying the semester (e.g., "fall 2004") she would like to begin classes at UMKC. The student should also become familiar with the School's graduation requirements, particularly the courses that are required to be taken to graduate [3]: In order for a transfer application to be considered, the student must submit the following original [4]: documents to the School of Law's Admissions Office: A completed, signed "UMKC School of Law Transfer Application [5]; A printed catalogue (or website address) from the school first attended with course descriptions; and A check or money order in the amount of $50.00 made payable to UMKC. In addition, the student must arrange to have the following original documents mailed directly from the institution where the student completed her first year of law school: An official transcript; A certification form completed by the Dean (or the Dean's designee) [6] ; and A copy of the applicant's LSDAS report (if the student did not apply to UMKC during the previous year). Once admitted - or even before admission - the student should contact the financial aid offices at both her first law school and UMKC to begin the process of transferring financial aid to UMKC. The UMKC Office of Financial Aid may be contacted at: Mailing Address: Office of Financial Aid Attn: Linda Lawrence University of Missouri B Kansas City 5100 Rockhill Road Kansas City, MO 64110-2499 Telephone: (816) 235-1236 Email: LawrenceL@umkc.edu Students should be aware that most scholarships, grants, awards, etc., will not transfer from one institution to the next. In addition, transfer students are not, as a general rule, likely to receive scholarship assistance at UMKC. A student transferring to UMKC must meet all UMKC course requirements in order to graduate. Because the first year curriculum varies somewhat from one law school to the next, the student needs to provide catalogue course description information to UMKC in addition to her transcript so a determination can be made as to whether she must enroll in one or more courses from UMKC's first year curriculum. The student should begin investigating the availability of housing in the Kansas City area. Assistance in this regard may be obtained from two offices at UMKC: Law School - Costella Staples, (816) 235-5378, staplesc@umkc.edu UMKC Welcome Center, (816) 235-8652. Upon being admitted, the student must contact Associate Dean Berman to arrange a suitable schedule. UMKC's Role Except for transfer applicants enrolled at the University of Missouri - Columbia (to whom transfer is granted more liberally), a transfer applicant must meet the requirements applicable to entering students; have at least a C+ average in all law work after at least one full year of law study in an approved law school; be eligible to return as a student in good standing to that law school; and present a letter from the Dean of her law school showing such eligibility. An applicant who would not have been admissible had such applicant applied for initial admission at UMKC must normally have at least a B average although the Admissions Committee will consider whether a student's record as a whole warrants transfer. Transfer is not a right and is subject to the availability of a seat in the second year class and a review of the character and fitness certification. Hours for a course in which less than a C was earned will not transfer [7], but retaking the course may be waived on an individual basis. Grades earned at another law school are not transferred (only credits), nor do such grades count for class ranking purposes. Transfer students must meet all conditions of graduation, including the School's cumulative grade point average requirement for course work taken at the School. The Admissions Office of the UMKC School of Law will process the transfer application and, to the extent possible, answer student inquiries concerning admissions status. Prospective transfer students are cautioned, however, that they should not expect to learn whether or not their applications have been granted by the Admissions Committee until late July. Because UMKC always admits a full first year class, seats become available for transfer students only when a previously admitted student does not return for his or her second year - and that decision typically is not made by the student until mid- to late-summer. As seats become available, the admissions office will admit qualified transfer students and provide immediate notification. The transfer student's first year coursework will be evaluated by the Associate Dean to determine how many credits will transfer and which UMKC requirements have been met by the student's first year work. These decisions are made based upon a review of the student's transcript and catalogue descriptions of courses previously completed. Admitted transfer students will receive a schedule of available courses with their admissions letter. Associate Dean Jeffrey Berman, (816)235-1640, will assist the student in arranging a suitable schedule for the coming semester, including those required second year courses which have openings available.