Can you apply to law school while still owing money to your undergrad? Forum

[Anonymous User]

[Redacted at OP's request]

[kellyfrost]

I'm not sure what the LSAC rule is on unofficial transcripts are; however, I do foresee you having substantial problems on being admitted to law school while still owing an outstanding debt to your undergraduate institution. Your best course of action would be to get that debt paid, as soon as practical.

[MKC]

What kf said. It's imperative that you work out some kind of payment plan and get on good terms with your undergrad institution. Even if you can work around them somehow to apply to law school, the character and fitness implications of that debt are going to bite you in the ass either when you apply for law school or apply to sit for the bar exam.

[4LTsPointingNorth]

In addition to what others have said, I would add that that while you may or may not need to provide LSAC with an official transcript for GPA calculation purposes before you can submit any applications, you will definitely need to provide your future law school with an official transcript prior to matriculating.

Money situations are tough. In general, it's good to settle one life-altering investment before committing to another. You know that.

[Anonymous User]

What kf said. It's imperative that you work out some kind of payment plan and get on good terms with your undergrad institution. Even if you can work around them somehow to apply to law school, the character and fitness implications of that debt are going to bite you in the ass either when you apply for law school or apply to sit for the bar exam.

could you please explain the character and fitness implication, i dont know much about this

[MKC]

What kf said. It's imperative that you work out some kind of payment plan and get on good terms with your undergrad institution. Even if you can work around them somehow to apply to law school, the character and fitness implications of that debt are going to bite you in the ass either when you apply for law school or apply to sit for the bar exam.

could you please explain the character and fitness implication, i dont know much about this

Most states have questions on their character and fitness applications that address financial responsibility. In my state, they specifically ask about any money owed to educational institutions and the status of that debt. You don't want to be sitting in front of a character and fitness board in three years explaining why you never settled up with your undergrad institution. You don't necessarily have to get the $10k paid off before applying, but you definitely should work out some kind of payment plan with them before applying.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Yeah, C&F gets particular itchy about debt because practice often entails handling client funds, and people with debt have a bigger motive to find ways to mishandle funds to their benefit (and there are lots of cases of this happening). You're fine if you have a payment plan arranged and are paying on the plan, you're probably not fine if you're ignoring the debt and collections agencies are involved (not saying that's your situation, just that the real problem isn't debt but is not addressing the issue).

And you will need to be able to provide an official transcript to matriculate, as someone has said.

[Anonymous User]

thanks for all the help!


do yall know by chance if it IS possible to negotiate with my school about payment plans, and if they will agree to a payment plan if they will agree to release my transcripts?

[A. Nony Mouse]

I'm pretty sure law schools will want to see your official transcript before you can matriculate, but you'd be best off asking schools directly.

[echonov]

will i have any trouble when i apply for law school for sept 2018? i still have not paid the outstanding debt from my undergrad and they still will not give me my official transcript

You haven't mentioned it specifically, but have they even officially conferred your degree? I know people who have had similar issues, and the university has not only declined to release their official transcript, but has refused to confer their degree. This would be, to my mind, an even bigger issue.

Not trying to be a "hater," but seriously, you should talk to your school and try to work out a payment plan. As other people in this thread have noted, yes, this will be an issue, one way or another.

[Anonymous User]

will i have any trouble when i apply for law school for sept 2018? i still have not paid the outstanding debt from my undergrad and they still will not give me my official transcript

You haven't mentioned it specifically, but have they even officially conferred your degree? I know people who have had similar issues, and the university has not only declined to release their official transcript, but has refused to confer their degree. This would be, to my mind, an even bigger issue.

Not trying to be a "hater," but seriously, you should talk to your school and try to work out a payment plan. As other people in this thread have noted, yes, this will be an issue, one way or another.

ya my school has confirmed the dates of attendance, my degree, and graduation date stating that my degree was received and issued me an official degree certificate (i needed this when I matriculated to grad school i the UK)

[BobBoblaw]

As was the case when you asked this question 6 months ago, you will still need to pay U of M your outstanding balance in order to not torpedo your chances in the legal field. The fact that you are now in a grad program in the UK does not substantially change your situation WRT law school, it just means you have one MORE transcript to send to LSAC.

I sure hope that accelerated Masters is free or nearly so. Otherwise, paying down your U of M debt would probably have been more of a priority if you are serious about going to law school.

[Anonymous User]

As was the case when you asked this question 6 months ago, you will still need to pay U of M your outstanding balance in order to not torpedo your chances in the legal field. The fact that you are now in a grad program in the UK does not substantially change your situation WRT law school, it just means you have one MORE transcript to send to LSAC.

I sure hope that accelerated Masters is free or nearly so. Otherwise, paying down your U of M debt would probably have been more of a priority if you are serious about going to law school.

first off it's not an accelerated Masters program

and no it was not free or nearly so. it costs more than 30k including rent

i am not serious about law school yet and if i was i would have paid u of m

i just happen to have a very high GPA and LSAT score, so the likelihood of me being accepted into a good law school is pretty good. I have a lot of options and flexibility in what i can do, which most people unfortunately do not

[blueapple]

From what I can tell, nothing has changed since you last asked this question. I don't see how getting your masters degree would have any effect on this. I'd take Nony's advice and call up a law school you'd in theory like to attend and ask if they require an official transcript prior to matriculation.

And just to reiterate, even *if* for some reason an official transcript isn't required and you can attend law school without paying Michigan the money you owe, you will almost certainly have trouble when it comes to being admitted to the bar:

Yeah, C&F gets particular itchy about debt because practice often entails handling client funds, and people with debt have a bigger motive to find ways to mishandle funds to their benefit (and there are lots of cases of this happening). You're fine if you have a payment plan arranged and are paying on the plan, you're probably not fine if you're ignoring the debt and collections agencies are involved (not saying that's your situation, just that the real problem isn't debt but is not addressing the issue).

And you will need to be able to provide an official transcript to matriculate, as someone has said.

So you should try to sort out a payment plan either way.

[Nebby]

You have to send official transcripts to apply to law school, which requires you to pay your bill.

[echonov]

first off it's not an accelerated Masters program

and no it was not free or nearly so. it costs more than 30k including rent

i am not serious about law school yet and if i was i would have paid u of m

i just happen to have a very high GPA and LSAT score, so the likelihood of me being accepted into a good law school is pretty good. I have a lot of options and flexibility in what i can do, which most people unfortunately do not

If you have the means to pay off UM, why not figure out a payment plan? Again, the answer to your question is that this will be a problem for law schools. First, a good GPA on paper means nothing until an official transcript has been received and turned into a report by LSAC. Second, a good GPA & LSAT can still be torpedoed by other serious concerns. You do not have a lot of flexibility or options right now, because you do not have a reportable GPA. There are lots of people with stellar GPAs and LSATs -- some even this board -- who will also be applying to the same schools, but without your limitations.

A direct quote from LSAC: "If you attended an institution within the United States, its territories/associated states, or Canada and are unable to obtain transcripts from that institution due to a financial obligation, you must indicate this when registering for CAS. If the institution is the only undergraduate institution you attended, or if you have attended multiple undergraduate institutions and have outstanding financial obligations with all of them, LSAC cannot produce your Law School Reports." (Emphasis added.)