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Frequently Asked Questions - AdmissionsGeneralDeferment is not an option. Applicants may choose to reactivate their file and would need to complete another application and submit a $50 application fee if they wish to be considered again for admission. Applicants who reactivate their files are considered along with all the other applicants for admission and are given no special preference if they had been previously admitted. Interviews are informational in nature and have no bearing on admission. Only students who are enrolled in other ABA-accredited law schools will be eligible to apply for transfer. Samford University's Cumberland School of Law will not accept a transfer application from an applicant who has been academically dismissed from another law school. If admitted, up to 30 hours of the first year law school course credits may be transferable to Cumberland School of Law. Transfer applicants are required to provide a letter of good standing from the dean of the law school attended, an LSDAS report and a complete transcript of the first year law school grades. Transfer applicants' files must be completed by July 15, 2008 to be considered for fall 2008 admission. For a summary of transfer application requirements, please refer to the Cumberland School of Law Admissions Policy and Procedures which accompany the Law School's application for admission. Depending on the availability of space, a limited number of students enrolled at other ABA-accredited law schools may be admitted to Samford University's Cumberland School of Law as visiting or transient students. Those interested in applying for visiting/transient status should note that current Cumberland students who pre-register in a timely manner will receive priority if a course is over-subscribed. Students applying for visiting/transient status are required to submit the following: a completed application for admission, including a personal statement explaining why the applicant desires to take classes at Cumberland; a letter of good standing from the Dean of the applicant's ABA-accredited law school; and a letter from the applicant's ABA-accredited law school stating that the applicant is authorized to take courses at Cumberland School of Law as a visiting/transient student AND that it will count those credits (subject to appropriate conditions) toward the student's degree. Visiting/transient applicants' files must be completed by July 15, 2008 to be considered for fall 2008 admission. Yes. Those interested in visiting the school or attending a first year class are encouraged to schedule an appointment through the admissions office. E-mail: law.admissions@samford.edu Simply contact the admissions office at 205-726-2702 or 800-888-7213 or via e-mail at law.admissions@samford.edu. Minimum requirements for Windows computers are: 1.5Ghz or faster Processor Minimum requirements for Macintosh computers are: 1.5Ghz or Faster Processor Yes. Samford University currently provides wireless internet access in certain common areas across campus. Cumberland School of Law has installed wireless access points throughout Robinson Hall and the Lucille Stewart Beeson Law Library. 99% of the law school building and most areas in the law library currently have wireless internet access. Yes, Microsoft Windows Vista will be supported. If you wish to upgrade an existing computer to Windows Vista, please check Microsoft's Windows Vista web site for minimum hardware requirements before upgrading (http://microsoft.com/vista). Yes, Microsoft Office 2007 will be supported. If you wish to upgrade an existing computer to Microsoft Office 2007, please check the Microsoft Office web site for minimum hardware requirements before upgrading (http://microsoft.com/office). Cumberland School of Law accepts applications for admission beginning October 1. Applicants are required to take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), subscribe to the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS), have two letters of recommendation sent to LSAC, and submit a $50 application fee and personal statement with their application. Any undergraduate major is acceptable for one to apply to law school. Applicants must have an undergraduate degree from a four year accredited college or university. The Faculty Committee on Admissions examines an application for additional indicators of a student’s potential to succeed in law school. Such indicators include the difficulty of the discipline studied and the upward trend in academic performance. The amount of time a student spent involved in extra-curricular activities and/or employment while in undergraduate school (thus decreasing the student’s study time), graduate work, and other maturing experiences are also considered by the Committee. LSAT scores from the tests taken between June 2003 and February 2008 will be considered for fall 2008 admission. It is important for the applicant to note that the quality of the applicant pool varies from year to year. The admissions committee considers many factors in addition to LSAT and undergraduate GPA when making admissions decisions. With this in mind, applicants may use the statistics for the Fall 2008 entering class to get a general idea of how competitive they may be for admission if only LSAT scores and GPA are considered.
For the Fall 2009 entering class, the average LSAT score was 155 and average UGPA was 3.33. No, but Cumberland has rolling admissions so admissions decisions are made on a continuous basis once an applicant's file becomes complete. Some decisions may be made as early as December. We begin receiving applications October 1. The priority deadline is February 28, and the final deadline is May 1. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications by the priority deadline as seats fill quickly and scholarships are awarded early in the admissions process. AccreditationSamford University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the Juris Doctorate Degree. It has been accredited by the American Bar Association since 1949 and has been a member of the Association of American Law Schools since 1952. Because all of these certification requirements are met, a Cumberland graduate is eligible to take the bar examination in any state. Scholarships and Financial AidNearly 30% of all students receive some sort of scholarship. Merit scholarships are awarded to entering students on the basis of LSAT scores and undergraduate GPA. Award amounts vary and range from full tuition plus a stipend and book award to a partial tuition scholarship. All admitted applicants are automatically considered for scholarship assistance. Since scholarships are usually awarded early in the application process, applicants are strongly encouraged to complete his/her file by February 1st. Three basic categories of scholarships are available for law students: About 80 percent of Cumberland students receive some form of financial aid. To begin the application process, complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Tuition for the 2008-2009 fall/spring academic year is $29,556. When students are admitted, they pay two nonrefundable seat deposits of $150 and $500, which apply towards tuition. Samford’s Office of Financial Aid sets a total cost of living amount which includes tuition, books, housing and other miscellaneous expenses incurred throughout the year. For the 2008 academic year, this amount was $51,506. See the 08-09 Student Budget for a breakdown of expenses. Cumberland by the NumbersEnrollment at Cumberland: 493. Total Samford enrollment: about 4,600 The entering class for Fall 2009 was 178. With the exception of the Lawyering Skills and Legal Reasoning (LLR) course, students can expect to have about 50 students in their first-year classes. To provide proper guidance and support as students hone their lawyering skills, LLR classes are limited to sections of 20 students. 17 to 1 Faculty offices are located on the second-floor of the law school building, just a few steps away from first-floor classrooms. Faculty post their office hours and often leave their office doors open as they welcome students' inquiries. The faculty have a genuine interest in the students and are focused on providing quality legal education while pursuing a high degree of legal scholarship. At times, this involves use of the internet to facilitate dialogue and debate on various issues. The average course load is 15 hours. In order to receive the JD degree, students must complete at least 90 semester hours of acceptable credit with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher. Most students earn the JD degree in three years. Yes, for both entering and current students. Entering students have the option of coming to summer school. Students who want to begin in the summer take two first-year elective courses designed for entering law students. Second- and third-year law students may choose from a variety of summer courses at Cumberland or participate in one of the two school-sponsored study abroad programs. Flex TimeFlex time is an enrollment option designed to give entering students the flexibility of taking 8 or 9 credit hours each semester and having up to 5 years to complete the requirements for the JD degree. On their application, applicants indicate whether they are interested in flex time option. The flex time option is ideal for non-traditional students and professionals who wish to maintain his or her employment while carrying a slightly reduced course load. Flex time also appeals to parents of school-age children, as they would be able to attend law classes while their children are in school. No. Flex-time students attend classes during the day with full-time students. For the 2008-2009 academic year, flex-time tuition is $970 per credit hour. Jobs and Joint DegreesCumberland offers seven joint degree programs:
The Alabama Bar passage rate for Cumberland's Class of 2008 is 94.6% for first-time takers. 96% of the Class of 2007 was employed within nine months of graduation. 61.5% in private practice, 12.6% in judicial clerkships, 12.6% in government, 9.1% in business and industry, 3.5% in public interest, and 0.7% pursued advanced degrees. About SamfordSamford's campus consists of Georgian-Colonial style buildings and approximately 300 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds. The campus is located in the picturesque mountainous area of Shades Valley, less than six miles from downtown Birmingham, the state's largest city and industrial and cultural center. Yes, the Samford Children's Learning Center opened in fall 1998, serving infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers, including those with special needs. For information, contact the CLC at 205-726-2843. Only undergraduate students live on-campus. However, since the campus is situated in Homewood, a thriving suburb of Birmingham near I-65, U.S. 280 and other major roads, a large number of apartments are easily accessible within 5 miles of the campus. For more information about apartments, contact Apartment Consultants, Inc., a free apartment locator service, at 800-756-9166, or visit their website at www.apartmentconsultants.com. |
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Cumberland School of Law, Samford University, 800 Lakeshore Drive Birmingham, AL 35229. 205.726.2400
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