Cornell Law School imposes academic requirements that students must fulfill before applying for admission. Most applicants must have earned a four-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally-accredited college or university. The law school does make exceptions for "exceptionally well-qualified applicants" who have finished at least three years of undergraduate education to apply prior to graduation, but they must receive their baccalaureate degree before they become second-year law students. The law school does not require a pre-law major or any specific undergraduate coursework.
As with many law schools, Cornell Law School uses a lengthy application process. The law school requires Law School Admissions Test scores from every applicant, as well as academic transcript reports from the Credential Assembly Service. The law school utilizes the Law School Admission Council's online application, which applicants must complete and submit either online or by mail. Additionally, the application process requires a personal statement written by the applicant and two faculty recommendations in support of the applicant's law school application. Cornell may further impose requirements depending on the applicant's circumstances, such as education at a non-U.S. foreign institution.
When successful applicants matriculate at Cornell Law School, they become first-year law students. Cornell uses a standard curriculum for all first-year students, which entails ten required classes. The ten courses cover topics in civil procedure, tort law, contracts law, property law, criminal law, constitutional law and lawyering skills.
After the first year of law school at Cornell, second- and third-year law students have fewer requirements to restrict their coursework each semester. They must, however, take a few courses in ethics and advanced legal writing, in addition to freely choosing from a wide variety of electives. Cornell Law School requires a minimum of eighty-four completed credit-hours to fulfill graduation requirements for the Juris Doctor degree.