For law school applicants dutifully rushing to apply in the fall, keep in mind continuous admission procedure, it can be excruciating to wait many months for a decision. It’s like schools are asking candidates to “hurry up and wait.”

Frustratingly, this wait can vary based on indeterminable factors such as law school selectivity or quirks in its process. For example, the recent rollover a racially conscious confession contributed to the current admissions cycle being the slowest in history, forcing schools to change your application essays and adjust your internal processes.

Admissions offices would traditionally begin reviewing applications around October and aim to make a decision within six weeks. However, there is currently no reliable answer to how long it will take to hear from us Faculty of Law.

While most law schools issue most of their decisions by early March, there is a clear trend toward law schools taking more time than in the past to finalize their decisions. The most prestigious law schools like Yale Law School in Connecticut and Stanford Law School in California, they often don’t make decisions until April.

The disappointing truth is that even if you put in the work to complete it fall application checklist and get your apps out soon after opening them, the timing of the decision is out of your hands.

When law school admissions officers first review your file, they may feel they have enough information to grant admission. refusal or a place on their waiting list. In this case, you may hear from you within a few weeks.

if you apply early decision, you should get an answer sooner. Some law schools incentivize early application by promising that early applications will be reviewed within a specific time frame. However, because schools can only defer early applicants to the general admissions pool before accepting or rejecting them, even applying early is no guarantee of a quick response.

Provided you are applying to a a wide range of law schools, many of your target schools may need more time to evaluate your candidacy. In this common case, your application may be delayed or suspended to a later date.

In general, admissions officers will want to wait until they have a clearer picture of their list of applicants. For example, imagine that you are an applicant background in science and technology. Generally, law schools appreciate such candidates, but may want to see how you stack up against other candidates with similar strengths before making a final decision.

Suspension is not a positive or negative sign. It just means that the school does not yet have enough information to make a decision about your candidacy.

Law schools can tell you if you’re on the waiting list and when to expect a decision, but they usually don’t. If you can see from your application status If you check that your application is being checked for a long time, it is probably suspended.

Most waitlist decisions are made between late April and late June after accepted applicants have filed seat deposits and download your pending applications.

However, it is possible that you will not receive a yes or no until after the course has started! If the student is a no-show, the school will want to fill that spot quickly.

While long waits can drive you uphill, don’t rush emails to the admissions office to confirm your application or reiterate how much you really, really want to get in.

If you do not hear from the school you are interested in within a few months, consider sending a a brief, polite email with up-to-date information on any changes to your application since you submitted it. For example, a job change, a promotion or honor, or a new volunteer activity can provide an opportunity to demonstrate continued success in your career or on campus.

If this all sounds like a year of stress and anxiety ahead of you, remember that once you’re in law school, it won’t matter when you get your decision. Memories of the application process will fade, overtaken by new stresses such as upcoming exams!