Advanced Standing JD - Admitted Students

Academics

Advising

Because Advanced Standing J.D. students take the same first-year curriculum as traditional J.D. students, you will not choose electives during your first year.

During Immersion Week, you will meet our Academic Success Program staff to learn the skills necessary to become academically successful. This assistance will continue throughout your time at MSU Law. Students who want additional information about the curriculum requirements can speak to an advisor in the Office of Student Affairs.

Curriculum

The Michigan State Law curriculum is rooted in legal fundamentals and designed to help with performance on the bar exam. To complement students’ emerging knowledge of the substantive law, all first-year schedules include Research, Writing & Analysis, and Advocacy—intensive courses that develop some of the most critical skill areas for beginning lawyers.

First-Year Curriculum
Fall Semester	Credits	Spring Semester	Credits
Civil Procedure	4	Advocacy	2
Contracts	4	Constitutional Law and the Regulatory State	4
Foundations of Law	1	Contract Negotiation	1
Research, Writing & Analysis	2	Criminal Law	3
Torts I	4	Property	4
Total Credits	15	Total Credits	14

Students begin their legal education at MSU Law during Immersion Week, a mandatory component of the 1L program.

Review our JD curriculum »

Bar Examination Information

Character and Fitness Standards – Preparing for a Bar Examination

The MSU College of Law admissions application includes a series of questions relating to "character and fitness." If your response to any of these questions changes, or if you failed to disclose information, after you have submitted your application, it is imperative that you contact the Admissions Office via email with a brief description of the matter/change.

While amending your application may not affect your enrollment, failure to disclose or amend inaccuracies could impact your application to a state bar. Your state bar may request a copy of your law school application, and any discrepancies discovered between your bar and law school application may be cause for investigation.

You are under a continuing obligation to inform the Law College of any changes in your record that relate to the questions asked in the Character of Fitness section of the admissions application.

Understanding Bar Examination Requirements

All incoming students should familiarize themselves with state bar requirements where they aspire to practice. Comprehensive information concerning bar admission requirements, including state-specific information and links to state bar examining agencies, is available from the National Conference of Bar Examiners. Incoming students should note that some state bar licensing authorities require or permit law students to register for the bar exam during their first year of law school.

Admitted Student Timeline

FEBRUARY-MAY
- Register for and attend a visit program for admitted candidates.
- If you plan to apply for loan assistance and are a US citizen or permanent resident, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
- Register for webinars and other events hosted by the College of Law.
- Establish your MSU online account and monitor your financial aid.
- Submit the Enrollment Intention form and $350 enrollment deposit to reserve a seat in the entering class by the date assigned in your acceptance letter. This deposit applies toward your first tuition bill.
JUNE
- The MSU Law Career Services Office will launch the Summer Career Jumpstart Program in early June. All incoming students should fully participate in CSO summer programming.
- For students eligible for federal financial aid, June 22 is suggested deadline for completing a Direct Loan Stafford Loan Promissory Note (www.studentloans.gov) and, if needed, the GradPlus Promissory Note or other private, credit-based loan application.
- The College of Law will provide all full-time incoming students with a copy of their fall semester schedule during the final week of June.
- The Immersion Week website, including summer reading assignments, will launch in June. The Immersion Week website will be updated throughout the summer, so consult the website on a regular basis.
JULY
- July 1 is the date by which the Office of Graduate and International Programs must have on a file a final, official copy of each incoming student’s undergraduate transcript (showing the date of graduation). This transcript is an essential requirement for finalizing enrollment and is in addition to the transcript that was part of the LSAC CAS Report. This transcript should be sent directly to the Office of Graduate and International Programs by the registrar of your undergraduate institution and it must include the date of graduation. Incoming students who possess a graduate degree also must furnish an official transcript for each degree earned.
- Incoming students will be provided access to the required Online Orientation program in July. All incoming students must complete the Online Orientation prior to the start of Immersion Week.
AUGUST
- Recommended on-campus orientation for all international graduate and JD students at MSU Law begins in mid-August.
- Required orientation with all international JDs begins in mid-August.
- Required Immersion Week (orientation for all JDs) begins in late August.
- Classes begin (all students) in the last week of August.

Your Student Visa

Now that you’re admitted, you’ll need to get your student visa if you’re not otherwise eligible to study in the United States. Learn more about the visa process »

Orientation

Your legal education at MSU begins with Immersion Week, a mandatory component of the J.D. program designed to help you transition from being an undergraduate student to a successful law student.

Highlights of Immersion Week include:

Foundations of Law: a required one-credit course that provides a common foundation for students from a wide variety of academic majors. There will be assigned readings that incoming students must read prior to Immersion Week.
Professionalism in Action Program: a session about legal ethics, with remarks delivered by practicing attorneys and judges.
Research, Writing, and Analysis' first class meeting
Social events hosted to introduce you to faculty members, staff, and your classmates
Career Services presentations
Writing Skills Inventory
Technology training

A full Immersion Week schedule will be posted in May on the MSU Law Admitted Candidate website.

Next Steps

You’ve been admitted; congratulations! There’s a lot to do to prepare for your life in East Lansing.

Here are the critical next steps to make sure that you’re ready to begin your classes.

Get your student visa if you’re an international student
Set up your MSU NetID

After admission, you received an email from the Office of Graduate and International Programs (OGIP) that included your PID (personal ID number starting with the letter “A”), PAN (personal access number), and instructions to activate your MSU NetID. Your NetID—an identifier automatically generated from your name—comes before “@msu.edu ” in your MSU e-mail address.

Your MSU e-mail and NetID serve as your communication link to MSU Law. They also serve as passcodes for you to access resources only available to MSU students. Check your MSU e-mail regularly for important academic information from the Office of the Registrar and the Office of Student Affairs. Additionally, all official communication regarding classes, billing, graduation, and other matters must be from your MSU account.

Do not set up your MSU e-mail account to automatically forward to another account (e.g. Gmail or Yahoo! Mail), as important e-mails may be filtered or discarded as spam or junk mail.
Find a place to live in the Lansing area
Get to East Lansing
Lansing has a local airport, the Capital City Airport (LAN). If you fly directly to Lansing, you will need to take a taxi from the airport to East Lansing/Lansing, which should cost roughly between $30-50 for a one-way trip. It is generally expected that you tip taxi drivers at a rate of 10%.

Many students choose to fly into the Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW), and take the Michigan Flyer bus (www.michiganflyer.com) from the airport to downtown East Lansing. You will need to take a taxi or public transportation from the drop-off point outside the East Lansing Marriott to your destination in East Lansing/Lansing.
Get around East Lansing
Taking mass transit: One of the easiest ways to get to and from campus is by riding the city buses operated by CATA, which stop right next to the Law College building. Easily plan your route by entering your home address and the Law College as your destination.
MSU’s main CATA boarding center and transfer point—which is just steps away from the Law College—is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Parking on campus: If you choose to drive on campus, you need to make parking arrangements ahead of time to avoid being ticketed. The MSU Parking Office has information on parking options. Also review MSU’s student parking and driving regulations.
Purchase your books and complete your first assignments
Your law school assignments begin before you start classes. Professors, including those for courses during your orientation, will assign readings to you. Your first assignments will be posted about a month before your classes begin. You can find out the books you need and the first readings you need to complete (before the first class).

Most students purchase their books through online vendors. Law textbooks are also available at several local bookstores.