Before you can begin studying law in California, you must meet certain pre-legal education requirements, pursuant to Business and Professions Code section 6060 and rule 4.25 of the Rules of the State Bar.
Here’s what you need to know:
Minimum education requirements: Complete at least two years of college or demonstrate equivalent intellectual achievement.
Alternative option for less than two years of college: If you have less than two years of college, you can meet the pre-legal education requirements before beginning the study of law by scoring 50 or higher on specific College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams:
College composition exam (required)
Two exams recommended by the American Council on Education as six semester hours each, OR four exams recommended as three semester hours each
Exams can be selected from various topics, including History, Social Sciences, Humanities, Science, Mathematics, Business, and World Languages
Your compliance with the pre-legal education requirements will be evaluated during the registration process.
Law Office Study Program: If you will be studying law through the Law Office Study Program, you must contact the College Board and request that your scores be sent to the Office of Admissions at the address below:
Office of Admissions State Bar of California 845 South Figueroa Street Los Angeles, CA 90017
The College Board’s score recipient code for the Office of Admissions is 7165.
Evaluating your pre-legal education
If you’re unsure whether you meet the requirements, you can request a Pre-Legal Evaluation through the Applicant Portal. Submit the following:
Completed Pre-Legal Evaluation Request Form;
Required fee payments; and
All of your official, sealed undergraduate transcripts.
Your prospective law school can also request a Pre-Legal Evaluation on your behalf.
An evaluation generally takes three to four weeks to complete.
Foreign education evaluation: If you are a foreign-educated law student, do not submit a Pre-Legal or Legal Evaluation Request. Instead, submit a Registration Application in the Applicant Portal, as your education will be evaluated during the registration process.
