The information on these pages was provided by the law school.
University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law
Law Admissions Office, 71 Dodd Hall, Box 951445
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1445
Phone: 310.825.2080
E-mail: admissions@law.ucla.edu; Website: www.law.ucla.edu
� Introduction
Located in the heart of Southern California, and nestled in a
beautiful and safe residential neighborhood, UCLA Law is less
than seven miles from the Pacific Ocean, and is housed on the
UCLA campus, one of the country’s greatest research
institutions. The law school has established a world-class
learning environment that brings together talented, prolific
legal scholars and enthusiastic, exceptional students. UCLA
Law acquired and maintains its strong standing by creating
pioneering academic programs, cultivating top legal scholars,
and educating students who go on to be leaders in our society.
Los Angeles, with its rich social and cultural scene, offers
unparalleled access to numerous recreational opportunities
and activities, such as sporting events, theaters, museums, and
live performances. UCLA Law is close enough to the thriving
metropolis of Los Angeles for students to partake in the
vibrant social and cultural scene, yet secluded enough for
students to focus on their legal studies. The incredible
weather, the international reach of the city, and the
intellectually stimulating environment all contribute to a
student’s law school experience.
� Curriculum
The law school offers a three-year, full-time course of study
leading to a Juris Doctor degree. Evening, summer, or
part-time programs are not offered. UCLA differs from many
other institutions in that it invests major resources in its
first-year Lawyering Skills Program. This program combines
the beginning of skills training, such as client interviewing and
counseling, with traditional legal research and writing. As a
requirement for graduation, each student must complete a
course in Professional Responsibility and a Substantial
Analytic Writing (SAW) project during the second or third
year of law school.
� Faculty
The UCLA School of Law faculty is a treasured asset. Faculty
members are leaders in their respective fields and are the
mainstay of UCLA Law’s high-quality legal education
programs. They are some of the finest teachers in the academy,
expanding the frontiers of interdisciplinary legal scholarship.
Each year, UCLA Law faculty members demonstrate the
caliber of their intellectual abilities by publishing
groundbreaking scholarship in leading academic journals and
law reviews. Their work is widely referenced, as evidenced by
various citation studies.
� Special Programs
Academic Specializations: UCLA School of Law is unique in
that it offers students an opportunity to specialize in five
specific areas of the law: Business Law and Policy, Critical
Race Studies, Entertainment and Media Law and Policy, Law
and Philosophy, and Public Interest Law and Policy.
Centers: UCLA School of Law has always emphasized
progressive research on relevant topics. We have consistently
generated groundbreaking scholarship by providing our
166
University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law
faculty access to the tools and resources they need to conduct
thoughtful, interdisciplinary research. Centers include:
�
Center for Law and Economics
�
Emmett Center on Climate Change and the Environment
�
Empirical Research Group
�
Globalization and Labor Standards
�
Native Nations Law and Policy Center
�
Richard S. Ziman Center for Real Estate
�
UCLA-RAND Center of Law and Public Policy
�
Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and
Public Policy
Study-abroad and Externship Programs: Law students may
spend one semester abroad through student exchange
agreements with universities in Argentina, France, Japan,
Norway, and Spain. Some students also obtain approval for an
individualized study-abroad program.
UCLA Law has an extensive student externship program.
Students work as externs to federal judges or in government
agencies, public interest law firms, and nonprofit
organizations. All externships are full-time, semester-long
programs. The law school has developed a core group of
judicial and agency externships in which it regularly places
students. Students can also propose new agency externships
tailored to their academic goals. Students are placed in
externships both nationally and internationally.
Clinical Law Program: Since pioneering clinical legal
education in the early 1970s, UCLA Law’s Clinical Law
Program has blazed a path of innovation and excellence.
Typically, there are more than 30 clinical offerings each year
with more than 300 clinical spots available for students. Some
examples include: Criminal Defense Clinic, Mediation Clinic,
Environmental Law Clinic, Civil Rights Litigation Clinic,
Immigration Clinic, International Human Rights Clinic, and
Sports and the Law Clinic.
� Joint Degrees
A number of students find it advantageous to pursue formal
training in another field of study concurrently with their legal
training. Typically, such concurrent degree programs lead,
after four years of study, to the simultaneous award of a Juris
Doctor and an advanced degree from another school or
department. Formal joint-degree programs are offered in the
following areas: JD/MA (Afro-American Studies), JD/MA
(American Indian Studies), JD/MBA (Anderson School of
Management), JD/PhD (Philosophy), JD/MPH (Public
Health), JD/MPP (Public Policy), JD/MSW (Social Welfare),
and JD/MA (Urban Planning).
� Student Life and Student Activities
A collegial environment at UCLA Law affords students many
opportunities for participation and leadership in numerous
student organizations and student-edited journals covering a
broad spectrum of topics and interests. UCLA School of Law
has 13 student journals managed and edited by students on a
wide range of topics.
Diverse student interests are represented in nearly 50
student organizations. The Moot Court Honors Program is
University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law
open to all second-year students and offers a large and
effective program of mock appellate advocacy.
To apply for need-based aid, the FAFSA (www.fafsa.ed.gov) and
the Need Access application (www.needaccess.org) should be
filed no later than March 2. Applicants admitted to the law
school as nonresident students (for tuition purposes) are
eligible to be considered for resident classification if certain
eligibility requirements are met. Most nonresident law
students are able to take the steps necessary to achieve
residency status during the second year of law school.
� Housing
Many housing options are open to UCLA School of Law
students. There are university-owned apartments for single
graduate students, single students who are parents, and
married students with or without children. In addition, UCLA
Law hosts a Web-based service to help students with their
roommate searches.
� Career Services
The Office of Career Services provides students and alumni
with professional career services and acts as a liaison between
students and employers. Each first-year student is assigned to
a counselor who will assist him/her through all the phases of
career preparation, from the first-year summer job to
postgraduate employment. The office is also dedicated to
advising and assisting students interested in pursuing
postgraduate judicial clerkships—highly sought-after
positions secured by 11 percent of the class of 2007.
The office coordinates on-campus interviews and
off-campus career fairs with more than 400 interviewers from
law firms, corporations, government agencies, and public
interest organizations visiting the school annually. UCLA Law
graduates are in high demand among employers from all
major sectors of the country, with California; New York; and
Washington, DC, representing the largest employment
markets for our students.
Students and graduates seeking to pursue public interest
employment can take advantage of the opportunities offered
by our Office of Public Interest Programs. There is a loan
repayment assistance program to increase the ability of JD
graduates to pursue public service legal careers.
� Admission and Financial Aid
All applicants must have a baccalaureate degree from an
accredited university or college of approved standing and
must take the LSAT no later than the February administration.
Students are admitted for the fall semester only. Admission
is based primarily on proven outstanding academic and
intellectual ability measured largely by the LSAT and the
quality of undergraduate education as determined by not
only the GPA, but also by such factors as the breadth, depth,
and rigor of the undergraduate educational program. The
Admissions Committee may also consider whether economic,
physical, or other hardships and challenges have been
overcome. Distinctive programmatic contributions,
community or public service, letters of recommendation, work
experience, career achievement, language ability, and career
goals (with particular attention paid to the likelihood of the
applicant representing underrepresented communities) are
also factors taken into consideration.
Both need- and merit-based aid are available. All admitted
students are automatically considered for merit scholarships.
Applicant Profile
University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law
This grid includes only applicants who earned 120–180 LSAT scores under standard administrations.
GPA
LSAT
Score
3.75 +
3.50–3.74
3.25–3.49
3.00–3.24
2.75–2.99
2.50–2.74
2.25–2.49
2.00–2.24
Below 2.00
No GPA
Total
Apps Adm Apps Adm Apps Adm Apps Adm Apps Adm Apps Adm Apps Adm Apps Adm Apps Adm Apps Adm Apps Adm
175–180
50
47
46
31
23
13
17
0
6
1
2
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
145
92
170–174
253
231
234
143
149
36
73
13
19
1
5
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
6
3
740
428
165–169
653
393
669
165
381
41
150
8
54
2
14
0
7
0
1
0
0
0
48
8
1977
617
160–164
528
81
694
22
440
10
201
4
72
0
26
0
16
0
1
0
0
0
58
3
2036
120
155–159
283
26
442
11
336
13
233
3
87
3
32
0
15
0
7
0
1
0
42
0
1478
56
150–154
107
8
205
5
219
3
157
0
80
0
32
0
17
0
2
0
1
0
24
0
844
16
145–149
38
0
82
0
108
0
91
0
71
0
32
0
11
0
6
0
3
0
10
0
452
0
140–144
6
0
28
0
44
0
48
0
41
0
24
0
8
0
5
0
1
0
16
0
221
0
135–139
3
0
12
0
13
0
20
0
26
0
12
0
10
0
2
0
2
0
7
0
107
0
130–134
2
0
1
0
4
0
2
0
2
0
5
0
5
0
4
0
1
0
3
0
29
0
125–129
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
3
0
120–124
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1923
786
2413
377
1717
116
992
28
459
7
185
0
90
0
29
1
10
0
214
14
8032
1329
University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law
167
Total
Apps = Number of Applicants
Adm = Number Admitted
Reflects 99% of the total applicant pool.