University of Virginia

Law School Overview

U.S. News Rankings

Ranking score and category

Rank Category Name #7 Best Law Schools

Specialties Locked in Intellectual Property Law Locked in International Law #7 in Tax Law

Law School Overview

The School of Law at University of Virginia has an application deadline of March 1. The full-time program application fee at the School of Law at University of Virginia is $80. Its tuition is full-time: $46,400 per year (in-state) and full-time: $51,400 per year (out-of-state). The student-faculty ratio is 10.9:1. The School of Law at University of Virginia has 168 full- and part-time faculty on staff.

Like all the academic departments at the University of Virginia, the School of Law operates on a strict, student-run honor system. Students pledge not to lie, cheat, or steal, and anyone found guilty by a peer jury is expelled from the school. Each class has about 375 students, and the student body has slightly more females than males. Students can earn joint degrees, such as a J.D. and an M.B.A. through the Darden School of Business in four years.

Students can tailor their education at special school institutes like the Center for Oceans Law and Policy and the Center for National Security Law. Thanks to a $1 million gift from former Price is Right host and animal rights advocate Bob Barker, the school has an animal law program. There are more than 60 on-campus organizations to check out, and students can test their legal skills in about 20 hands-on clinics.

Students can study the law abroad during in their second and third years, either through a semester exchange program in countries including New Zealand, Germany, Israel, and England, or for 10 days in Paris. Third year students can earn a dual degree from France’s  Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne Law School and Institut d’Études Politiques (Sciences Po) and can sit for the French bar exam. There is limited on-campus housing for law students, and most choose to live elsewhere in Charlottesville, Va.

Notable alumni of UVA Law School include Janet Napolitano, U.S. secretary of homeland security, and Will Shortz, New York Times crossword puzzle editor.

To see which law firms rank the highest, please visit U.S. News Best Law Firms.

Year founded	1819
Public/private	Public
Law school designation	National

Admissions

Application deadline	March 1
Full-time program application fee	$80
Part-time program application fee	N/A
Admissions Phone	(434) 924-7351
Admissions E-mail	lawadmit@virginia.edu
Web site	http://www.law.virginia.edu

Academics

Full- and part-time faculty	168
Student-faculty ratio	10.9:1
Total faculty	177

Student Body

Enrollment (full-time)	1,078
Gender distribution (full-time)
J.D. candidates graduating in 2011-2012	364

Cost

Tuition and fees
Full-time: $46,400 per year (in-state) Full-time: $51,400 per year (out-of-state)
Room and board	$11,978

Careers

Employed at graduation 2	97.3%
Median private sector starting salary	$160,000
Median public service starting salary	$36,000

Library

Total volumes and volume equivalents

803,815

* Law School Overview details based on 2012 data