All students must register a NetID and password in order to access UNM’s online services.

In order to register your NetID, you must have your Banner ID number. The Office of Admissions will provide this number, along with instructions for setting up your NetID and password, via email, typically within two (2) weeks after you receive an offer of admission. If you have not received this information within that time frame, please first check your spam filter. If you are still unable to locate the email, please contact us at admissions@law.unm.edu for assistance.

After registering your NetID, you must email the School of Law Registrar at lsregistrar@law.unm.edu. This email must come from your unm.edu email address. The subject line should read “New Student NetID” and the body of the email should include your legal first and last name.

If you were offered a scholarship by the UNM School of Law, you must return a signed copy of your Scholarship Acceptance & Agreement Form to financialaid@law.unm.edu on or before the date listed in your Scholarship Offer Letter. Scholarships will initially appear on your financial aid account as an “estimated” scholarship. This is a placeholder award which allows your financial aid package to process before scholarship funds pay out in early August.

If you receive any form of outside financial assistance (including, but not limited to, scholarships, fellowships, grants, military tuition benefits, or employer tuition remission benefits), you must notify the School of Law at finanicalaid@law.unm.edu to discuss how this may impact your financial aid eligibility.

For federal financial aid (student loans and work study), please make sure you have submitted a FAFSA for the upcoming academic year. Use school code 266300 to make this form available to the University of New Mexico. The UNM School of Law classifies all students as independent for purposes of determining your Student Aid Index (SAI). You do not need to submit parental income, even if you will receive financial support from a parent or legal guardian during law school. Students who are married must submit spousal income information.

Once your FAFSA has processed, you can view and accept any awards online through LoboWeb (navigate to the Financial Aid Tab, select Financial Aid Menu, and select Overall Status of Your Financial Aid).

• If no aid offers exist, contact financialaid@law.unm.edu to determine the issue.
• If aid offers are available, you may accept or decline the awards in full through the portal. You are not required to accept the entirety of your offer. If you would like to accept a reduced portion of your aid offer, please contact financialaid@law.unm.edu for assistance.
  • Once you accept aid offers, make sure to complete all Eligibility Requirements (in LoboWeb, select the Financial Aid Tab, and select Eligibility Requirements). Failure to complete all requirements will prevent your aid from disbursing.
    • Complete Loan Entrance Counseling. This is a one-time requirement.
    • Complete a Master Promissory Note for each loan type you accept. This is required once per academic year for each loan type you accept.

If you are awarded work study, you may seek employment in an eligible position through the UNMJobs website. For more information on work study employment, please visit the Student Employment Office website. If you were awarded work study, but wish to decline this offer for any reason, you may increase your student loan offers to compensate. Please contact financialaid@law.unm.edu for assistance.

Renée Ferrell, Director of Admissions & Financial Aid, serves as the Financial Aid Officer for the School of Law. Please contact Director Ferrell at financialaid@law.unm.edu with any questions regarding financial aid, or to schedule a financial aid counseling appointment.

The 1L required curriculum includes the following courses for your first semester:

• Contracts
• Criminal Law
• Torts
• Elements of Legal Argumentation I
• Lab

These courses will be offered in multiple sections. Incoming students are not permitted to choose their course sections. Your assigned sections, and instructions for registering, will be emailed to you by the School of Law Registrar no later than the first week of August.

You will remain in the same section for the entirety of your 1L year.

Do not purchase textbooks before you receive your section assignments. Professors in different sections may assign different textbooks and materials.

Students may purchase textbooks through UNM Bookstores (either the Main Bookstore, located on Central Avenue, or the Medical/Legal Bookstore, located in the Domenici Center on Stanford Drive).

Students who wish to purchase textbooks through the UNM Bookstore may charge their purchase to their Bursar account. Please note there is a $1,000 spending limit. If your account is paid in full (not including a balance charged for the upcoming semester), you may be able to request an increase, as your textbooks may exceed this limit.

You are not required to purchase textbooks through the UNM Bookstore; however, if you choose to purchase your books from another source, please ensure you purchase the correct edition of each book and that your purchase includes access to any online content. While an old edition will be less expensive, it will not include all necessary content assigned for your courses.

A limited number of L passes are available for returning and incoming law students.

Parking permit sales typically begin in early August. Rising 2Ls and 3Ls will have approximately one week to purchase L permits before sales open to incoming 1Ls. In some years, there are more incoming students than remaining L permits. In the event that there are more incoming students than available L permits, the School of Law will make L passes available to incoming students via a randomized lottery.

Students who do not purchase an L pass within the advertised sale dates, or who are not selected for an L pass via the randomized lottery, will have the option to join a waitlist for L permits. These students will also have the option to purchase a pass for another lot (typically G or Q lots).

The Office of Admissions will send more detailed instructions for purchasing parking permits via email no later than the first week in August.

For more information about parking permits and pricing, please visit the Parking & Transportation Services website.

All students are required to own a laptop computer. Laptop requirements are available through School of Law IT Services.

Students who wish to purchase a laptop through UNM Bookstores may charge their purchase to their Bursar account. Please note there is a $1,000 spending limit. If your account is paid in full (not including a balance charged for the upcoming semester), you may be able to request an increase.

The cost of a laptop may be added to your financial aid Cost of Attendance. To qualify, the laptop must be purchased after August 1. To request an adjustment to your Cost of Attendance, email financialaid@law.unm.edu. Your email must include a receipt with (1) the name of the vendor from which the computer was purchased, (2) the date of purchase, (3) your name (the purchase cannot be made in someone else’s name), (4) an itemized description of the purchase, and (5) the total purchase price.

If you are entitled to accommodations for physical, psychological, or learning disability, you must formally request accommodations through the Accessibility Resource Center (ARC). More information about types of accommodations and the request process is available on the ARC website. It is a student’s responsibility to request an accommodation each academic year.

Bonnie Stepleton, Director of Student and Career Services, serves as the School of Law liaison to the Accessibility Resource Center. Please contact Director Stepleton at stepleton@law.unm.edu with any questions.

All students must obtain a LoboCard, the official UNM identification card, prior to orientation. You may have your photo taken at the LoboCard Office or submit an approved photo online. Full instructions for obtaining your LoboCard are available through the LoboCard Office website.

A LoboCard is required to access certain facilities within the School of Law, including, but not limited to, the Law Library and the Fitness Center.

All new students must have a professional headshot taken prior to orientation.

Headshots are taken in the School of Law Media Services Office. Headshots are typically taken in late July and early August. You will not need an appointment. Courtroom attire is required. The Office of Admissions will send more detailed instructions via email no later than the first week in August.

If you do not live locally, and are unable to have your picture taken during the provided dates, should plan to have their photo taken on the first day of orientation.

Students are responsible for knowing and following all policies of the UNM School of Law. These policies are outlined in our JD Bulletin and Handbook of Policies.

In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

Applicants who answered “yes” to any of the questions in the Character & Fitness section of the application for admission were required to submit an addendum fully explaining the circumstances, including relevant dates, final dispositions, and other appropriate details.

Many jurisdictions, including New Mexico, require a copy of your law school application be submitted as part of your bar application. Failure to answer the Character & Fitness section of the application truthfully and completely could impact your eligibility for bar admission. Applicants to the University of New Mexico School of Law have a continuing obligation to disclose. If, after submitting your application, circumstances arise that change your answer to any of the Character & Fitness questions from “no” to “yes”, you must contact the Office of Admissions and provide a written explanation.

Orientation is mandatory for all incoming 1Ls. Orientation dates are included in your offer of admission, and under the Important Dates section of the Admitted Students page. During orientation, you will attend your first law school class. The Office of Admissions will email a full schedule of events in the first week of August.