Next Steps to Becoming a 1L

Congratulations on your acceptance to Cumberland School of Law! We encourage you to explore our next step items in the drawers below.

The Office of Law Admission is here to make your transition to the law school as seamless as possible. Please don’t hesitate to call or email us if you have any questions or need assistance with locating information: Office of Law Admission, 205-726-2702 or lawadm@samford.edu. 

Before Orientation

Pay Your Seat Deposits

To secure your seat at Cumberland School of Law, you will need to pay two non-refundable seat deposits. Your seat deposits will be credited toward your fall tuition. Online payment is highly encouraged. To pay online, please follow the instructions below. If you do not want to pay online, payment in the form of a check is accepted in person and by mail. 极乐禁地’s Student Financial Services does not accept cash. Additional information about seat deposits is included in all acceptance letters, but if you have any questions, please contact us.

Financial Aid

Law students are offered financial aid to cover the full cost of attendance. Complete the FAFSA and monitor your 极乐禁地 email account for next-step instructions (signing MPNs and completing Entrance Counseling). Be sure to also set up a Refund Account in your Financial Portal. Reach out to Sheri Garrett, financial aid adviser for Cumberland School of Law, with questions related to special circumstances or VA.

Official Transcripts

If you received your bachelor’s degree after you submitted your transcript with your application, you must also arrange to have your undergraduate registrar’s office send an updated official transcript to LSAC. It must clearly show the date you received your bachelor’s degree and the degree conferred. If you are taking summer classes before you begin law school in the fall, please inform us and request that your transcript be sent to LSAC as soon as possible after your degree is conferred.

Honor Code

All incoming students are required to have read the Cumberland School of Law Honor Code prior to the first day of orientation. The honor code can be found here.

Immunization Form

All incoming students are required to submit immunization records before the first day of Orientation. For your convenience, 极乐禁地 has partnered with Med+Proctor to collect and verify your immunization forms. Admitted students should expect to receive an email at the beginning of Summer 2025 from Med+Proctor with instructions for creating your account and providing your health information. This email will be sent to your 极乐禁地 email. Penalties for non-compliance can include registration or enrollment holds.

Parking Permit

In early August, students will receive an email with instructions on how to order their parking permit. This process can sometimes be delayed until the start of Orientation. In the event of a delay, Cumberland School of Law’s Office of Admission will provide updates via email.

Student ID

Cumberland School of Law’s Office of Admission will email students instructions for ordering their 极乐禁地 ID card (SUID) prior to Orientation.

Roommate Request Form

If you are interested in finding a roommate for the upcoming school year, simply complete and submit this form. The Office of Admission will compile a list of entering students seeking roommates, based upon students who return this completed form. This list will be sent weekly beginning March 1 and will be updated throughout the summer. Only students who return this completed form will receive the list. Although the Office of Admission provides you with the names, preferences and contact information of your classmates also seeking roommates, you are responsible for contacting your classmates and ensuring that you select a roommate and living arrangement that fits your needs.

Orientation

First-Year Students

First-year students are required to attend Orientation prior to the first day of law school. For students beginning law school in the fall 2025 term, Orientation will be held from Monday, Aug. 11 through Thursday, Aug. 14.

Transfer Students

Transfer students will not attend Orientation prior to the start of the school year. Instead, transfer students will receive necessary information via the primary email listed on your law school application. Transfer students will be assigned a 2L student to help with their transition to Cumberland and will attend a “Meet and Greet” with the Office of Admission the first week of school.

Registering and Preparing for Classes

Summer Pre-1L Courses

Summer pre-1L courses will begin the first week of June and end by August 1, giving students a little more than a week break before attending Orientation. 

Summer Reading List

To ensure that all incoming students have a common foundation upon which to start their law school education, please read the following prior to orientation:

  • Case Required Reading: You will be emailed a case prior to Orientation. Watch your 极乐禁地 email in the weeks before Orientation for the case that will be emailed to you so you can read and prepare for sessions through the Academic Success Program and your Legal Research and Writing class.
  • Required Readings: Over the summer, you may be assigned reading assignments by your future professors. Watch your 极乐禁地 email throughout the summer to ensure that you don’t miss an assigned reading assignment.

Schedules, Assignments and Textbooks

First-year students are registered for classes and able to access their class schedules in early July.

Find Textbook lists for courses at the Calendars and Schedules page.

Transfer students, please download the checklist at the top of this page and refer to it for information on how to register for classes.

Helpful Links