Gw Law Early Decision: How Many Applied And Committed?

The George Washington University Law School offers several ways to apply for its JD program, including the Binding Early Decision Process. This program is designed for applicants who are certain that GW Law is their top choice and wish to express their commitment to attending if admitted. While the exact number of applicants who apply through this process is not disclosed, the law school does receive a high volume of applications, with the number of applicants historically exceeding the number of seats available. The Binding Early Decision Process for Fall 2025 admissions has an application deadline of February 1, with admissions decisions made on a rolling basis.

Priority review and scholarship consideration

The George Washington University Law School has a highly selective admissions process, with a historically high number of applicants relative to the number of seats available. The school offers several ways to apply for its JD program, including the Regular Admission Process, Binding Early Decision Process, Binding Presidential Merit Scholarship Program, and the GW Junior Early Action Program.

For priority review and scholarship consideration, applications for Fall admission should ideally be received by March 15, with a final deadline of June 1. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and decisions are typically made within two months of the application being deemed complete. The earlier applicants submit their applications, the better their chances of gaining admission.

The Binding Early Decision Program is designed for applicants who are certain that GW Law is their top choice. This program allows applicants to express their commitment to attend if admitted and grants them priority review. Admitted applicants are eligible for need-based grants but not merit awards. The application deadline for this program is February 1.

The Binding Presidential Merit Scholarship Program is similar to the Binding Early Decision Program in that it is designed for applicants who are certain that GW Law is their top choice. However, this program offers a full-tuition scholarship to admitted applicants. The admissions process is rolling, and applying early is encouraged. The application deadline is also February 1.

The GW Junior Early Action Program is designed for GW undergraduates or joint degree candidates who do not plan to take the LSAT. This program allows GW undergraduate juniors to apply to the law school one year in advance for deferred enrollment. While the application itself is not binding, an admitted applicant's decision to attend becomes binding upon submission of a seat deposit. The deadline for this program is June 15.

Binding Early Decision Process

The Binding Early Decision Program is for applicants who have thoroughly researched their law school options and are certain that The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is their first choice. This program allows applicants to express their commitment to attend GW Law if admitted. Early Decision applicants are given priority review.

As part of the Early Decision application, applicants must agree that, upon admission to GW Law, they will:

• Commit to attend GW Law and pay a non-refundable seat deposit for fall enrollment.
• Within five business days of admission to GW Law, withdraw all applications pending at other law schools and not initiate applications to any other law schools for fall admission.

Admitted applicants will be eligible for need-based grants; applicants for whom merit award consideration is a prerequisite for matriculation should not apply through this program.

The application deadline for the 2024-2025 admissions cycle is February 1. Applications must be submitted electronically through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). All applicants must also register with the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) and send their official transcripts to LSAC.

GW Law employs a highly selective JD admissions process, as the number of applicants has historically exceeded the number of seats available. The review process is comprehensive, considering factors such as undergraduate performance, LSAT scores, writing ability, extracurricular and professional experience, and letters of recommendation.

Other Ways to Apply to GW Law

In addition to the Binding Early Decision Process, there are several other ways to apply to the JD program at GW Law:

• Regular Admission Process: The fall JD application deadline for regular admission is March 1. Regular admission decisions are made on a rolling basis between November and May.
• Binding Presidential Merit Scholarship Program (Full Tuition): This program is for applicants who are certain that GW Law is their top choice. Applicants admitted through this program will receive a full-tuition scholarship. The admissions process is rolling, and part-time students are welcome to apply.
• GW Junior Early Action Program: This program is for GW undergraduates or joint degree candidates who do not plan to take the LSAT. It allows applicants to apply to the law school one year in advance for deferred enrollment. While the application is not binding, an admitted applicant's decision to attend is binding upon submission of a seat deposit.

Binding Presidential Merit Scholarship Program

The Binding Presidential Merit Scholarship Program is one of several ways to apply to the JD program at George Washington University Law School. This program is designed for applicants who have thoroughly researched their law school options and are certain that GW Law is their first choice.

The Binding Presidential Merit Scholarship Program differs from the Binding Early Decision Program in that applicants admitted through the former will be awarded a full-tuition scholarship. The admissions process is rolling, and applicants are encouraged to apply early in the admissions cycle. Part-time students are welcome to apply through the Presidential Merit Scholarship Program.

As part of the Presidential Merit Scholarship application, applicants must agree that, upon admission to GW Law, they will commit to attending and pay a non-refundable seat deposit for fall enrollment. Within five business days of admission, applicants must withdraw all applications pending at other law schools and not initiate applications to any other law schools for fall admission. Applicants who apply through the Presidential Merit Scholarship Program but are not admitted with a full-tuition scholarship will automatically be considered for admission in the regular admission process. If admitted under the regular process, applicants are no longer bound to attend GW Law.

The application deadline for the Binding Presidential Merit Scholarship Program is February 1. All applicants must submit a completed application, including a résumé, a two-page personal statement, a test score (LSAT, GRE, GMAT, or JD-Next), all official academic transcripts, and at least one letter of recommendation via the Credential Assembly Service (CAS). Application fees for all first-year JD applicants have been waived.

GW Junior Early Action Program

The GW Junior Early Action Program allows GW undergraduate juniors to apply to the law school a year in advance for deferred enrollment without the need for an LSAT score. This program is designed for GW undergraduates who want early assurance of their admission to GW Law. While the application itself is not binding, an admitted applicant's decision to attend is binding upon their submission of a seat deposit. The student may then begin their senior year with the knowledge that their seat is deferred to the subsequent entering class of GW Law, provided they maintain the level of academic achievement evident in their application.

• Maintained good academic standing through six semesters of undergraduate study
• Hold a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher
• Scored at or above the 85th percentile on the SAT, ACT, GRE or GMAT (within the past five years)
• Have not taken and do not plan to take the LSAT

Admission through the GW Junior Early Action Program is rigorous. In addition to the above qualifications, applicants must submit:

• A completed GW Junior Early Action application, including a resume and two-page personal statement, via the Law School Admission Council (LSAC)
• All official transcripts via the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS)
• At least one letter of recommendation via CAS
• An official copy of standardized test scores (SAT, ACT, GRE or GMAT)

The application for the GW Junior Early Action Program opens on May 1, with a deadline of June 15.

Application process

The George Washington University Law School offers several ways to apply for its JD program. The application process varies depending on the type of admission and program you are applying for. Here is an overview of the different application processes:

Regular Admission Process

The Regular Admission Process is for applicants seeking admission through the regular, non-early decision process. The application deadline for fall admission is typically March 1st, and applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Admissions decisions are made between November and May, and admitted applicants are required to make non-refundable seat deposits between April and July.

Binding Early Decision Process

The Binding Early Decision Program is designed for applicants who are certain that GW Law is their top choice. This program allows applicants to express their commitment to attending GW Law if admitted. Early Decision applicants are given priority review. As part of the application, applicants must agree to commit to attending GW Law and pay a non-refundable seat deposit. They must also withdraw applications from other law schools and not initiate new ones. The application deadline for this process is usually in February.

Binding Presidential Merit Scholarship Program (Full Tuition)

The Binding Presidential Merit Scholarship Program is similar to the Early Decision Process but is for applicants who wish to be considered for a full-tuition scholarship. Applicants admitted through this program will receive a full-tuition scholarship. The admissions process is rolling, and applying early is encouraged. Part-time students can also apply through this program. Admitted applicants must commit to attending and agree to the same conditions as the Binding Early Decision Process. Applicants who are not admitted with a full-tuition scholarship will automatically be considered for regular admission.

GW Junior Early Action Program

The GW Junior Early Action Program is designed for GW undergraduates or joint degree candidates who do not plan to take the LSAT. This program allows GW undergraduate juniors to apply to the law school one year in advance for deferred enrollment. While the application itself is not binding, an admitted applicant's decision to attend becomes binding upon submitting a seat deposit. Applicants must meet certain academic criteria and submit the required application materials, including transcripts, a personal statement, and letters of recommendation. The deadline for this program is typically in June.

General Application Requirements

Regardless of the specific program or admission type, all applicants must submit their applications electronically through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). Application fees for first-year JD applicants have been waived. The required application materials include a completed application, a resume, a personal statement, test scores (LSAT, GRE, GMAT, or JD-Next), official academic transcripts, and at least one letter of recommendation.

Frequently asked questions