Clinic, Externship and Lab Matching and Selection Process

Each clinic's, externship's or lab's faculty submits a list of accepted students. (Faculty do not have access to students' preferences when making their acceptance decisions.)
The lists are compared with student preferences, and students receive their first preference among the experiential learning courses to which they have been accepted. For example, if a student is accepted into two clinics, the system would match them to the one they ranked more highly.
After initial offers are made, each clinic, externship and lab maintains a wait list. If an opening occurs, wait-listed students are informed of their option to accept a position in that clinic, externship or lab. Thus, students placed in their second or third choice course may later be notified that they have gotten into a higher-preferred course.
Students offered admission to a clinic, externship or lab that was not their top preference may continue on the wait list for courses they ranked higher, whether they accept or decline the lower-ranked course offered. However, students cannot be placed on a waitlist for a clinic, externship or lab they ranked lower than the one they are offered.

JD students will be notified by e-mail on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, whether or not they have been accepted into a clinic, externship or lab.
Students who are accepted to clinics or externships will receive only one offer email – for the highest-preferred clinic or externship to which they were accepted. Students who have also applied to a lab course will separately receive one email indicating the highest-preferred lab to which they were accepted.
All offers for Year-long, Fall and Spring clinics, externships and labs are made at the same time.
If a student is not accepted into any of the experiential courses to which they have applied, every attempt will be made to offer a placement from openings available in other clinics, externships or labs.

Students should not accept an offer unless they are certain that they can honor that commitment.
Those who are accepted will be asked to confirm their intention to enroll in the clinic, externship or lab.
To accept or decline an offer, simply reply to the e-mailed offer, including the text of the offer email with the response.
This confirmation of intent should be e-mailed to Susan Hodges by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 15, 2025.

Enrollment lists will be pre-loaded into Courses before the June bidding deadline.
Students do not need to bid for clinics, externships or labs, nor will they be able to register themselves during the Drop/Add period.

Withdrawals from a clinic, externship or lab after indicating intent to enroll can have substantial detrimental consequences for other students in the course, the faculty members teaching the course, and the clients served.
If a rising second year student drops a clinic, externship or lab after the May 15th deadline—despite this explanation of the problems that it would cause—and if the student thereafter applies for a clinic, externship or lab in their third year, teachers of the clinics, externships or labs to which the student applies will be informed of the student's failure to honor the deadline in the previous year.
If unforeseen circumstances require that a student withdraw after accepting an offer, they should notify both Susan Hodges and the faculty members teaching the course, at the earliest possible opportunity.