American Indian Law Center Inc. American Indian Law Center Inc.

The Pre-Law Summer Institute for American Indians and Alaska Natives

PLSI Application Requirements


In addition to a completed application form, there are a number of other pieces necessary for a complete application. A complete application package includes the following:

  1. Completed application form. (You may complete the application on-line, or download it and complete it manually by either typing or printing with black ink. Either way, you will need to print the application, sign it, and mail it to us. Unfortunately, we still need your original signature so the application cannot be submitted electronically.)
  2. Personal statement of your reasons for desiring to study law. (You may submit the same personal statement you prepare for your law school application.)
  3. Proof of membership in a state- or federally-recognized tribe. If you are not enrolled, but have a blood quantum of ¼ or more, please provide that documentation, along with an explanation of why you are not enrolled.
  4. Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB). (This is for statistical purposes only. If your proof of membership indicates your blood quantum, we do not need a separate CDIB.)
  5. Official undergraduate transcript(s).
  6. Copy of LSDAS Law School Report or, alternatively, copies of your on-line LSAT score report and academic summary report. (You must send copies of your reports. LSAC will not send copies directly to the American Indian Law Center because the PLSI is not a law school.)
  7. Proof of application to an ABA-accredited law school (e.g., photocopy of a law school’s acknowledgment letter, postcard, or e-mail indicating that your application is complete).
  8. Two (2) letters of recommendation. Letters should be written by professors familiar with your college work or, if you have been out of school for more than two years, by people familiar with your performance in the work place. (Letters need not be written specifically to the Institute; copies of letters written to law school admissions committees are acceptable.)
  9. Copy of law school admission letter. (This is required only if you have been admitted; you will be considered for admission to the PLSI regardless of your admission status.)

Applicants whose files are incomplete at the deadline will only be considered on a space available basis, so you should be sure that you have submitted all the necessary documents. All documentation and any written inquiries should be sent to:

Pre-Law Summer Institute Director
American Indian Law Center, Inc.
P.O. Box 4456
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87196

The street address for courier services is:

1117 Stanford Drive, NE
MSC 11 6070
1 University of NM
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001