Overview

Applicants
2,301
Acceptance Rate
33%
Median Undergrad GPA
3.67
Accepted Applicants Who Attend
166

Test Scores

LSAT
25th-75th percentile
(enrolled students)
157 - 165

Deadlines

Application Deadlines
March 15

Application Process

Rolling Admissions
Yes

Application Fee
$60

CAS Service Used
Yes

Applicants accepted in terms other than fall
No

Transfer Applicants Accepted
Yes

Deferred Admission
Yes

Other Admission Factors

Academic

LSAT Score
Undergraduate GPA
Letters of Recommendation
Essay / Personal Statement

Selectivity Rating

Faculty Information

Student/Faculty
8:1
Total Faculty
189

38.1
Female
12.2
Underrepresented Minorities


Students Say

Situated in the hip, relaxed seaside city of Seattle, the University of Washington School of Law is arguably the top law college in the Pacific Northwest. Deemed a “veritable paradise” by one student, the “regional powerhouse” has “huge respect” and its “reputation helps [students] . . . [compete] with [students from] other schools for internships and jobs.” With a 115-year legacy, “left-leaning” UW prides itself on its “strong focus on social justice and minority issues” and the students in general “care a lot about doing good” via forty-five-plus student-run organizations and a required sixty hours of public service legal work. Still, attendees find that the administration is “geared at getting students . . . high-paying jobs at big firms” and ultimately encourages students to “[pursue] . . . [careers] in big law.” Career services, however, “are not the strongest part of UW Law,” with several students lamenting that it’s difficult to find jobs outside of the Seattle area with a UW Law degree.
The school is one of only a handful in the country on the quarter system, which some believe makes for “tighter . . . schedules.” UW Law offers eight concentration tracks: Asian law, business law, dispute resolution, environmental law, health law, intellectual property, international and comparative law, and public service law. Curriculum highlights include a “range of course offerings . . . that give ample room for exploring different interests” and a “well-developed legal writing program.” Students happily share that the “1L experience is well-tailored to helping students transition into a new environment,” as “the school . . . sets up 1Ls with a professional mentor from the Seattle community and a faculty member.” But classes are certain to be vigorous—the curve is apparently “absurd”—and some students wished that the school “[helped] guide students in their practice area selection.” But there are “tons of opportunities for involvement in the community” (such as internships and externships) and more than 60 percent of UW Law students participate in at least one out of thirteen clinics.
“Rigorous, prestigious, and [known for bringing] immense intellectual insight to the classroom,” the faculty includes “top-notch professors who are accessible and supportive” and who know how to make “even boring topics more approachable and enjoyable, thanks to their enthusiasm.” Plus, “most . . . have been or still are highly successful practitioners,” “many have Supreme Court experience,” and “almost all instructors publish.” And they’re primarily there to teach: “Despite [their] amazing credentials, the professors have an astounding ability to break down the subject matter and help the students to understand and excel academically.” The student-faculty ratio is also an awesome 9:1, so students “get individualized attention when [they] need it.”
Housed in the new, modern William H. Gates Hall (which is named after Bill Gates’ father), UW’s facilities are reportedly breathtaking. “Beautiful and full of light,” the “world-class” Gallagher Law Library boasts “tons of materials” (technically, 650,000-plus volumes, making it one of the largest law libraries west of the Mississippi) and is an envy-inducing “gem in every other law school’s eye,” staffed by “friendly research librarians.” The “classrooms are well-maintained” (with “fairly ergonomic chairs,” no less) and “offer state-of-the-art technology for pedagogical use.”

Career overview

Pass Rate for First-Time Bar Exam
85%
Median Starting Salary
$75,000
% of graduates who are employed within ten months of graduation
90%
% of job accepting graduates providing useable salary information
79%

Career Services

On campus summer employment recruitment for first year JD students
Yes

On campus summer employment recruitment for second year JD students
Yes

# of Employers that Recruit on Campus Each Year
75

Employers who most frequently hire graduates
Columbia Legal Services, Davis Wright Tremaine, DLA Piper, Garvey Schubert & Barer, King County Department of Public Defense, King County Prosecuting Attorney, K&L Gates, Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear, Northwest Justice Project, Perkins Coie, Washington State Attorney General, Washington State Supreme Court. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Graduates Employed by Area

40%
Private Practice
17%
Government
13%
Business/Industry
12%
Judicial Clerkships
7%
Public Interes
1%
Academic

Graduates Employed by Region

88%
Pacific
2%
International
2%
Mid-Atlantic
2%
South
2%
MidWest
2%
Mountain
1%
New England

Prominent Alumni

Jeffrey H. Brotman
Co-founder and Chairman, Costco

Jenny Durkan
Mayor, City of Seattle

William H. Gates, Sr.
Co-chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Co-founder, Preston Gates & Ellis (now K&L Gates)

Jerome Farris
Senior Judge, US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit

Ricardo Martinez
Chief Judge, US District Court for the Western District of Washington

Dates

Financial Aid Rating
Jan 15
Application Deadlines
Mar 15

Financial Aid Statistics

Average Annual Total Aid Package Awarded
$56,856

% Students Receiving Some Aid
98%

Expenses per Academic Year

In-State Tuition
$34,908
Out-Of-State Tuition
$46,110
Estimated On-Campus Room and Board
$15,936
Estimated Off-Campus Room and Board
$15,936
Estimated Cost for Books / Academic Expense
$1,371
Fees
$1,080

Student Body Profile

Total Enrollment
498
Parent Institution Enrollement
46,165

Number of Foreign Countries Represented
11
Average Age at Entry
26

% Out-of-State
35%
% International
2%

Demographics

26.30%
% Under-represented Minorities

100% are full time
0% are part time
49% female
51% male

Campus Life

Students Say

What’s the one thing pretty much all UW Law students have on their wish list of school improvements? Diversity. While “just about everyone can find a group of people to call their friends,” attendees remark that there sure are “a lot of white, privileged individuals at the school” (though some students noted that it’s a problem endemic to law school in general, not just UW).
Otherwise, the scene “is much less competitive and more supportive than most law schools” and the “friendly and good-natured” students “do a pretty good job of looking out for each other”—all without too many “overt personality clashes.” As for the social calendar, “parties or pot lucks happen almost every weekend as a nice break from the day to day stresses” and “student organizations sponsor happy hours and mixers.” With its coffee house culture and exposure to art and music, the city of Seattle also provides plenty of opportunities to blow off steam.

More Information

% of Classrooms with Internet Access
100%

Admissions Office Contact

Contact
Mathiew Le
Assistant Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid

Address
William H. Gates Hall, Box 353020
Seattle, WA 98195-3020

Phone
206-543-4078

Email
lawadm@uw.edu


Articles & Advice