Admitted Students M.L.S.

What school code do I use for the FAFSA?

(*Please note this is only needed for M.L.S. students who hold U.S. citizenship. International students, please disregard this question.)

Please use code 003329 (the code for all of Penn State) when completing the form and double check to ensure you are completing the correct year (2024-2025).

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How do I reserve my seat in the incoming class?

You can reserve your seat by paying a nonrefundable deposit of $500. The deposit must be paid by the date provided in your admissions letter. Deposits may be made by check or money order, payable to The Pennsylvania State University. Payments should be sent to Office of Admissions, Penn State Dickinson Law, Lewis Katz Hall, 150 S. College St., Carlisle, PA 17013. If you are paying your deposit by credit card, please use our secure online form. If you have any issues or questions, please call 717-240-5228.

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Do I need to submit an official transcript to Penn State Dickinson Law?

Although you do not need to submit an official transcript to Dickinson Law, you must ensure that an official copy of your final transcript is on file with LSAC. If you have not completed your undergraduate degree at the time of submitting your application, please be sure to take this additional step once your final grades are available.

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What happens to my deposit once I matriculate?

Deposits are placed onto your Penn State tuition account and apply towards tuition and fees for your first semester.

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What, if any, requirements must I fulfill to keep my scholarship?

To maintain your scholarship, you must remain in good standing under the M.L.S. academic standing rules as well as the Honor Code. It is important to note that maintenance of good academic standing is a prerequisite for continuation at the law school and for graduation — not just for scholarship retention.

To maintain good standing under the academic rules, you must:

• earn a semester grade point average of at least 2.0 at the end of each semester, except for the first semester of the first year;
• earn a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 at the end of each semester, except for the first semester of the first year; and
• in the first semester of the first year, earn grades below C in no more than 9 credits.

Additionally, because Dickinson Law places a high value on academic integrity, if you are found to have violated the Honor Code, you may be subject to a revocation of your scholarship among other sanctions.

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Who should I contact about classroom accommodations?

Penn State and Dickinson Law welcome students with disabilities into the University’s educational programs. Students with temporary or permanent medical conditions or physical, cognitive, or psychological disabilities may be able to receive accommodations to eliminate barriers to their success. Incoming students seeking disability accommodations should follow the three step process outlined on our Disability Accommodations Process page. We recommend you complete this process as soon as possible but no later than the first week of August, especially if seeking approval for classroom-related accommodations. Email Dean Santibañez-Bania with any questions about disability accommodations or services at Dickinson Law.

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Do I need to purchase health insurance? And where can I get it?

Full-Time U.S. Students — Penn State requires full-time U.S. students to submit their health insurance coverage information at the beginning of each academic year. If students do not have health insurance coverage, they will be able to note that on the form. Here are the instructions on meeting the current requirement to report or waive insurance or enroll in the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) for Penn State:

• Log in to LionPATH.
• Navigate to the Health Insurance page.
• Under the current coverage year, select Waive.
• Follow instructions to either note that you do not have health insurance coverage or to provide policy details of your current coverage using the information found on your health insurance card.

If you do not have health insurance or are not adequately covered at the campus you attend, the Health Insurance Office strongly encourages you to consider purchasing the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) for Penn State. SHIP for Penn State is underwritten by United Healthcare Student Resources. Dickinson Law students are eligible to purchase SHIP for Penn State if they are enrolled in six or more credit hours. Please note that for U.S. students who do not have insurance, SHIP is not the only option; it is the provider recommended by Student Health Insurance. Please feel free to explore other options that may be available to you, including Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act exchange, the private health insurance market, etc.

International Students — International students and any accompanying dependents are required to purchase the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) for Penn State or submit proof of health insurance coverage that meets the full set of requirements. Students who do not take action to Waive or Enroll through LionPATH by the deadline will be automatically enrolled in SHIP for Penn State and the health insurance premium will be charged to their student account.

Visit our Student Health Insurance page for more information, and contact the University Student Health Insurance Office (814-865-4847, Option 6 or uhs-insurance@psu.edu) with additional questions.

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I have some questions about my Penn State access account. What is it? What can I do with it?

Learn about your Penn State Access account and information technology in general here.

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How do I obtain my student ID and Penn State email address?

During your orientation at Penn State Dickinson Law, we will help you obtain your student ID card as well as email address. We will convene a new student orientation where you can learn about everything you need to know in order to live and study at Penn State Dickinson Law.

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Can I bring my wife/husband/children/parents to the United States during my residency?

Yes. They can apply for a visa as your dependents.

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How should I pay for my tuition bill?

The tuition bill should be paid during each semester in residence. That means you need to pay your bills at the beginning of each semester. Several payment options are available via the University Bursar.

Also, you can split your tuition bill into three payments each semester via the Installment Payment Plan.

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I am an international student. How do I start the visa process?

International students work with the Directorate of International Student & Scholars Office (DISSA) for advising through the visa process. Within 1-2 weeks of paying your seat deposit, you will receive an email from international@psu.edu with additional information on how to request your necessary immigration documents.

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I have a question regarding my visa, and other U.S. immigration-related issues.

DISSA is in charge of general international student advising and should be able to provide you with all the answers. DISSA’s office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST Monday through Friday (closed 12:00 p.m. -1:00 p.m. for lunch). You can call them at 814-865-6348 or email DISSA-Adviser@psu.edu.

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When will I be able to access my PSU email account?

You should have already received an email from Penn State with instructions on how to set up your Penn State Access Account, which will allow you to log into LionPATH (Penn State’s student information system), Canvas (Penn State’s learning management system), and any secure pages on Dickinson Law’s site. Please note, however, that setting up your Access Account will not automatically give you access to WebMail (Penn State’s email account system). Penn State does not attach University email to incoming student accounts until closer to the date of matriculation. Accordingly, for the remainder of the summer, Dickinson Law will continue to communicate with you using the email address that you provided to us on your application—not your PSU email address. To update the email address that we have on file, please contact the Admissions Office.

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Will I have homework due on the first day of class? If so, when and how will I be able to access my assignments?

Yes, most of your professors will expect that you have completed work (usually reading) that they have assigned for the first day of class. You will receive an email when first assignments are available.

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What should I know about parking?

Free street parking is readily available; however, we advise you to stay alert to days of the week when parking is restricted for street cleaning. On such days, parking is typically restricted from the hours of 8 a.m. until noon.

Parking in any Dickinson College lot is prohibited. Dickinson College Public Safety will ticket vehicles as necessary.

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What if I don’t see my question on this list?

Feel free to contact the Admissions Office.

You’ll find plenty of reasonably priced housing within walking distance of campus. To help make your house-hunting easier, Dickinson Law maintains a database of available housing and apartments.

If you are a landlord or are seeking a roommate, please complete our housing list submission form for your posting to be automatically added to the Law School’s housing database.

View the Carlisle Housing List

In addition to the Law School’s list, you’ll also find available housing in the following:

• The Sentinel
• The Patriot-News
• The Greater Carlisle Area Chamber of Commerce
• Craigslist
• Trulia
• Zillow

Computer Recommendations and Requirements

Dickinson Law does not have a laptop requirement* and almost all devices are compatible with Penn State Wireless. If you are planning to purchase a new computer for law school, for peace of mind you should consider a full-coverage warranty (including accidental damage) for your entire stay at the Law School (or possibly longer to cover your bar exams) if it is within your budget. There are more important things to worry about than a broken computer!

*Final Exams: Please note that if you would prefer to type your final exams, you should be aware that our current exam software, Exam4, does have minimum requirements. Only computers booting to Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and Mac OSX 10.13.6 (High Sierra) and 10.14 (Mojave) are compatible with the current exam software when the first exam period of AY 19-20 occurs.

Please Note: iOS devices (iPads) and Chromebooks are NOT supported; however, these devices can still be used throughout the semester to take notes and draft assignments. You should also be aware that because typing an exam is not required, in the event your device is not supported, Dickinson Law IT does not maintain or provide loaner devices during the exam period and you will need to rent/borrow a computer or handwrite to take your exam.

Penn State Technology Guide — Recommendations

Student Discounts

• Software@Penn State has a number of software packages available to students for free (e.g. Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Cloud) or at discounted rates. You will have access to these discounts close to the start of the fall semester.
  • Please visit adobe.psu.edu for more information about the Adobe Creative Cloud offering.
  • Please visit office365.psu.edu for more information about using Office 365 at Penn State.
• Dell, Apple, Lenovo, Best Buy and others offer discounts for students.
• Penn State students are also eligible for mobile discounts.
• Free cloud storage through OneDrive

Three Sites to Know — Canvas, LionPATH, and Outlook (from the Penn State Technology Guide)

• Canvas: Your professors may post lessons, give quizzes, and collect assignments through Canvas. This course management systems help you keep assignments organized, communicate with professors and classmates, and keep track of your grades. You can also link Canvas to University email and calendaring systems to receive up-to-date message notifications.
• LionPATH is the student information system where you can view transcripts, access financial aid information, pay tuition bills, schedule courses, and much more.
• Outlook is Penn State’s online email client where you’ll receive all emails sent to your Penn State email address. You can organize messages into mailboxes, add signatures, access directories, and more by signing in with your Penn State Access Account.

Managing Your Accounts

• Your Access Account
• Change your PSU Password and security questions
• Follow these instructions to forward your PSU email to an external address

Keeping Your Account Safe

• Stay Safe Online — Watch out for email hoaxes, phishing scams, virus attacks, and malware. Don’t respond to email requests for money or personal information, and be wary of links included in the body of messages. It never hurts to contact a company representative to check if an email is valid. You can find out more about staying safe online by visiting Penn State’s Online Safety and Security website:
  • Secure Penn State — Staying safe online and protecting personal and University information is an important part of being a Penn State student, faculty, or staff member. While the University has security measures in place to keep information safe, you can further protect your online privacy and data by using best practices and following some basic guidelines.
  • Symantec Antivirus Download — Listed under Virus Detection/Spyware Tools.
    To help protect yourself against viruses, download and install the free antivirus software, schedule it for automatic updates, and run a full scan on your computer at least once a week. User ID and Password are required. Be sure to use only one antivirus software per computer since multiple products could make the machine more—not less—vulnerable to attack.
• Stay Legal — Intellectual property laws and guidelines can be complex and difficult to navigate. For information on copyright awareness, visit Copyright and Legal Media at Penn State.

Pay your deposit using our secure online form.