FAQs

FlexJD FAQs

Application Materials and Requirements

  • The application deadline for the FlexJD program is May 1.

  • FlexJD applicants will receive an email notification when their admission decision has become available.

  • For the full-time and part time JD class that began their studies in fall 2023, the median LSAT score was 163, and the median GPA was 3.72 as of October 5, 2023.

  • You must submit a completed application form, résumé and personal statement. You may also choose to provide a response to one of our optional essay topics. Once the law school receives your application, we will contact the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) in order to obtain copies of your transcript(s), LSAT score(s), letter(s) of recommendation and any other information you have sent to LSAC. After we have received these materials, your application will be reviewed.

     

  • Yes, please adhere to the following formatting requirements:

    Personal Statement
    The personal statement should be two pages, double-spaced in 12-point font.

    Résumé
    Applicants are encouraged to limit their résumé to one page in 12-point font. A second page will be accepted for applicants with significant work experience.

    Optional Essay
    Optional essay responses should be one page, double-spaced in 12-point font.

    Addendum/a
    Addenda should be no more than one page in length in 12-point font.

  • In short, anything! Our application instructions state that you must provide a personal statement on any topic. A hallmark of a Northeastern University School of Law education is the freedom to pursue the areas of law that interest you, both in and out of the classroom, and we are granting you the same freedom in deciding what topic(s) to cover in your personal statement. This is your chance to help us get to know you in a more personal way. Our only requirements are that your essay should be no longer than two pages, double-spaced and in 12-point font.

     

  • Northeastern University School of Law requires one letter of recommendation submitted via LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service (CAS). We will not accept more than two letters of recommendation.

     

  • Please submit all undergraduate and graduate transcripts (if any) via LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service (CAS).

    Undergraduate Transcripts
    Transcripts for all colleges and universities previously attended must be sent directly to CAS. If you receive additional grades, you should submit an updated transcript to the Credential Assembly Service, so they can send updated information to the law school. While an undergraduate transcript without a date of conferral can be submitted with your initial application, the transcript is not considered final without the date of conferral.

    Graduate Transcripts
    Transcripts for graduate work should be submitted to CAS.

  • We encourage you to respond to one of our optional essay questions. Your response must be in your own words, one page, double-spaced in 12-point font. The optional essays provide a space for you to showcase your writing abilities and share additional information with us. The essay prompts are as follows:

    1. Over the past few years, most law schools have come to recognize the importance of hands-on legal experience. At Northeastern, we have been incorporating practice directly into the curriculum since 1968. Ranked #1 in Practical Training by the National Jurist, our signature Cooperative Legal Education Program (co-op) guarantees you full-time work experience in the areas of law that interest you, anywhere in the world. What field(s) of law would you like to pursue on co-op and why?

    2. Northeastern is a nationally recognized leader in public interest law with a strong reputation for producing accomplished leaders in the field. What specific social justice issue are you most passionate about and how have your professional or personal experiences influenced your interests?

    3. At Northeastern University, diversity is about excellence and inclusion. It’s about the way in which we engage with the world, the opportunity to learn from new perspectives, a core value for the university, an essential element of contemporary life, an expression of cultural pride, and a reflection of our campus, community, and global partners.

    Northeastern University School of Law, in keeping with the mission of Northeastern University, is committed to building and sustaining a diverse, equitable and inclusive community of faculty, students and staff that welcomes and respects all persons, regardless of race, gender identity or expression, family structure, socio-economic status or ability status. We strive to develop an open and respectful environment that draws on talent from every sector or society and engages the global community. We are dedicated to the integration of multiple, divergent perspectives and to the principle that a diverse and inclusive community not only supports innovation and creativity, but also creates and promotes cultural understanding throughout Northeastern’s community. With these guiding principles, the School of Law aspires to promote a thriving society built on equal opportunity and social justice.

    How has your background shaped who you are today or your future aspirations, and how will your presence enhance the Northeastern community?

  • Yes, you are welcome to submit an addendum to address anything in your application that might require further explanation, such as a gap in schooling or employment. Please be specific but brief. An addendum should be no more than one page in length.

     

  • We kindly ask that you refrain from submitting additional, supplemental materials, including, but not limited to, senior theses, works of art, creative writing, publications, reports, videography, music or other materials. We encourage applicants to include information about such work in their applications if applicable — in résumés, personal statements or, if necessary, application addenda — but we strongly discourage applicants from sending extraneous material directly to our office.

     

  • Northeastern asks applicants to answer a series of character and fitness questions. Because of the high ethical standards to which lawyers are held, the failure to disclose an act or event can lead to more serious consequences than the act or event itself. Failure to provide truthful answers, or failure to inform the School of Law of any changes to your answers in advance of matriculation or during school enrollment, may result in revocation of admission or disciplinary action or denial of permission to practice law by the state in which you seek bar admission.

    In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

  • The School of Law welcomes applications from candidates who have previously applied. If you applied to Northeastern in a previous year, you are encouraged to include an updated résumé, personal statement, letter(s) of recommendation and/or an optional essay, though these are not required. Your LSAT score must be no more than five years old as of the date of your new application.

  • The FlexJD program is not F-1 visa eligible.

  • Students applying to the FlexJD program should check with the jurisdictions in which they may seek admission to the bar to ensure that graduation from this program will make them eligible for taking the bar exam and being admitted to the bar in those jurisdictions. Because of the limits certain states place on the use of distance education, FlexJD students cannot currently sit for the bar exam in New York or Alabama.

    In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every US jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

    For detailed information on professional licensure disclosures, please visit our Professional Licensure Disclosure Page. For questions regarding professional licensure, please contact Associate Teaching Professor and Assistant Dean of the Bar Success Program Antoinette Coakley at a.coakley@northeastern.edu.

  • PC/Windows
    Apple/MAC
    Operating System
    Windows 10 22H2, Windows 1121H2, or Windows 11 22H2*
    MacOS 11 (Big Sur), MacOS 12 (Monterey), or MacOS 13(Ventura)**
    CPU
    Any non-ARM CPU such as Intel
    Any Intel, M1, or M2 processor
    Screen Resolution
    1280×768
    1280×768
    WebCam Resolution
    640 x 480 or greater
    Minimum
    Recommended
    RAM
    4GB or higher
    16GB or higher
    Hard Drive
    4GB of free disk space
    16GB of free disk space
    Internet Access
    Download Speed
    3mbps
    20mbps
    Upload Speed
    1.5mbps
    3mbps
    Browser
    Current major release of Chrome or Firefox
    *Only genuine, US/English versions of Windows 10 or 11 meet the requirements. Windows 10 S or 11 S, Windows RT, andChromebooks do not meet the requirements. Tablets are not currently supported with the exception of the Surface Pro.
     
    **Only genuine versions of MacOS 11, 12, or 13 meet the requirements. iPads do not currently meet the requirements.
  • Some law schools may not accept transfer credits from this program.

Financial Aid

  • All students interested in being considered for need-based financial aid must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), available at studentaid.gov. Northeastern’s federal institution code is 002199. See the Financial Aid page for more information on the financial aid options available.

    If you are not eligible for federal financial aid, please contact the Office of Financial Aid to submit a statement of income to be considered for non-federal need-based grants and scholarships.

Merit-based Tuition Scholarships

  • Applicants will typically be notified about merit-based tuition scholarships within one week of receiving an offer of admission. Scholarship notifications will be sent by email. Merit-based scholarships can only be applied to tuition.

  • A student automatically keeps their merit-based tuition scholarship as long as they remain in good academic standing and abide by university policies, including the University Code of Student Conduct and our academic policies and procedures. There are no GPA or class rank requirements. Northeastern University School of Law firmly believes that students work best, and learn best, in a cooperative and collaborative community environment. As such, we neither rank our students nor calculate a GPA for them.

  • By paying your enrollment deposit, you are accepting your merit scholarship award. There is no additional action you must take.

  • We do not negotiate merit scholarship awards. The School of Law reviews every application in detail, and merit-based scholarships are awarded to students based on their individual applications. It is our policy to be fully upfront with our merit scholarship offers. With such a deep and talented applicant pool, we are required to make some very difficult decisions about the limited merit aid we are able to award, and, unfortunately, not every admitted student receives a merit scholarship due to the competitive nature of our pool. We are therefore unable to provide additional merit scholarships after admission. All students are strongly encouraged to visit our Financial Aid webpage to learn more about need-based aid, loans and grants. Additionally, all admitted students are invited to make an appointment to speak with our Financial Aid staff to discuss funding their legal education.

Waitlisted Applicant Questions

  • The waitlist is monitored throughout the summer. When we are able to extend offers to waitlisted students, it is usually done between early May and Orientation, which occurs in late August.

  • If and when we are able to extend an offer of admission to a waitlisted candidate, an admissions staff member contacts the student directly (via phone or email). Those who are admitted from the waitlist have a limited window of time to respond to an offer of admission.

  • No, we do not rank our waitlist. Should we activate the waitlist, we will give every file consideration. If you are interested in attending Northeastern, we encourage you to submit a letter of continued interest and keep us updated on your status throughout the summer.

  • Unfortunately, we do not interview or formally meet with applicants, but we have staff on hand to answer any questions you may have. You are welcome to schedule a meeting with an admissions counselor.

  • Yes, you may submit additional materials to your application, including an updated resume, letter of continued interest, or any other relevant update to lawadmissions@northeastern.edu. We ask that you refrain from submitting materials such as theses, works of art, creative writing, publications, reports, videography, music, or other similar materials.

  • Students admitted from the waitlist are not typically awarded merit scholarships. It is also our policy not to negotiate scholarship aid. You are encouraged to submit a FAFSA to be eligible for need-based loans. If you have any questions regarding financial aid, please contact our Financial Aid office at lawfinaid@northeastern.edu or 617.373.4620, or schedule a meeting here.

  • No, we do not allow students admitted from the waitlist to defer entrance to the law school.

     

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