Dean’s Certifications

Student Release form

Approximately two dozen law school applications require a Dean’s Certification form that requests information about student academic probation, dishonesty, and disciplinary issues.   You must sign and submit the Dean’s Certification and our Student release form for us to process your documents.  The Pre-Law advisor forwards the Dean’s Certification directly to the law school.  Although processing time is typically a week or two, please be mindful that we cannot guarantee a turn-around time of less than a month.   Getting the release form to our office very early of your application year is highly recommended.  The busiest times of year are January through February.  Dean’s Certification forms that do not explicitly authorize our release of your records will not be processed until you’ve completed our Student Release form.

Guidelines for requesting completion of a Dean’s Certification

When applying to a law school requiring a Dean’s Certification, you must do the following:

  • Complete our general Student Release Form (same link as mentioned at the top of this page)
  • Complete the student portion on each Dean’s Certification form
  • Provide an addressed, postage paid envelope for each Dean’s Certification form
  • Provide a copy of your Personal Statement and Resume (if completed)

The above items should be brought to the Pre-Law Advisor in 109 Norton Hall. If you do not live in the area, please mail them to:

University at Buffalo
Pre-Law Student Services Office
109 Norton Hall
North Campus
Buffalo, NY 14260

You can also fax us at (716) 645-3042.  Please contact Jenn Rosseland at (716) 645-6013 to confirm we received your forms.

The Pre-Law advisor will attempt to contact you if anything of relevance is found within your file.   Academic Probation, dishonesty,  disciplinary incidents, or any other infraction that is officially on-record that we are aware of will be noted in our letter.  Please keep in mind that the information you provide on your applications should be consistent with our findings, and that it is your responsibility to ensure consistency.  If you have any questions, please contact the Pre-Law Advisor at (716) 645-6013.