George Washington University

Law School Overview

U.S. News Rankings

Ranking score and category

Rank Category Name #21 Best Law Schools

Specialties Locked in Environmental Law #4 in Intellectual Property Law #7 in International Law #2 in Part-time Law

Law School Overview

The Law School at George Washington University has an application deadline of March 31. The full-time program application fee at the Law School at George Washington University is $80. The part-time program application fee at the Law School at George Washington University is $80. Its tuition is full-time: $47,535 per year and part-time: $36,795 per year. The student-faculty ratio is 15.4:1. The Law School at George Washington University has 245 full- and part-time faculty on staff.

The George Washington University Law School is the oldest law school in the nation’s capital. Students have a multitude of ways to broaden their J.D., either through joint degree programs at other GW schools, experiential learning opportunities, or work experience throughout D.C. Students can complete a full-time J.D. or a part-time J.D. and can earn a joint degree such as a J.D./M.B.A. and a J.D./Master of Public Administration. 

As a participating school in the Technology-Academics-Policy forum, sponsored by Microsoft, GW Law is active in legal issues such as cloud computing and intellectual property. The school runs more than five legal research centers including the James F. Humphreys Complex Litigation Center and the Creative and Innovative Economy Center.

Students can get involved in hands-on legal learning through nearly 15 clinics, including the Consumer Mediation Clinic, the Project for Older Prisoners, and D.C. Law Students in Court. There are also more than five legal journals to join, including the American Intellectual Property Law Association Quarterly Journal and the Journal of Energy and Environmental Law. GW Law also has a robust pro bono program for students to get involved in volunteer cases, such as through the Gulf Recovery Network, which takes GW Law students to New Orleans, and the Animal Welfare Project, which promotes legislative reform for better animal treatment.

Notable alumni of the George Washington Law School include J. William Fulbright, a former senator and creator of the Fulbright Program, and Yasmine Pahlavi, crown princess of Iran and founder of the Foundation for the Children of Iran.

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Year founded	1865
Public/private	Private
Law school designation	National

Admissions

Application deadline	March 31
Full-time program application fee	$80
Part-time program application fee	$80
Admissions Phone	(202) 994-7230
Admissions E-mail	jdadmit@law.gwu.edu
Web site	http://www.law.gwu.edu

Academics

Full- and part-time faculty	245
Student-faculty ratio	15.4:1
Total faculty	275

Student Body

Enrollment (full-time)	1,351
Gender distribution (full-time)
J.D. candidates graduating in 2011-2012	560

Cost

Tuition and fees
Full-time: $47,535 per year Part-time: $36,795 per year
Room and board	$18,900

Careers

Employed at graduation 2	81.7%
Median private sector starting salary	$160,000
Median public service starting salary	$62,467

Library

Total volumes and volume equivalents

701,914

* Law School Overview details based on 2012 data