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 School of
Law is less than seven miles from the Pacific Ocean, and is
housed on the UCLA campus. 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. The law school also provides students with a small,
intimate learning environment that includes three small classes
for the first year and upper-level courses that typically meet off
campus (including at faculty members’ homes).
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, the
UCLA Law faculty demonstrates the caliber of its intellectual
abilities by publishing groundbreaking scholarship in leading
academic journals and law reviews, and the work is widely cited.
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 the David J. Epstein Program in 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 faculty
162 University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law
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 Legal Scholars Program
�
Empirical Research Group
�
Globalization and Labor Standards
�
Native Nations Law and Policy Center
�
Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Program
�
Program on Understanding Law, Science, and Evidence
(PULSE)
�
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, Israel,
Japan, Norway, Spain, and Switzerland. Some students also
obtain approval for an individualized study-abroad program.
UCLA Law has an extensive national and international student
externship program. The law school has developed a core
group of judicial and agency externships which include
externships with federal judges, government agencies, public
interest law firms, and nonprofit organizations. In addition,
the UCDC Program is a uniquely collaborative full-time
externship program in Washington, DC. Both full-time and
part-time externships are available. Students can also
propose new agency externships tailored to their
academic goals.
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 the Civil Rights Litigation Clinic, Criminal
Defense Clinic, Environmental Law Clinic, Immigration Clinic,
International Justice Clinic, Mediation Clinic, Sports and the
Law Clinic, and Supreme Court 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. UCLA
School of Law has 13 student journals managed and edited
by students on a wide range of topics.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES (UCLA) SCHOOL OF LAW
Diverse student interests are represented in approximately
40 student organizations. The Moot Court Honors Program is
open to all second- and third-year students and offers a large
and effective program of mock appellate advocacy. The
program also hosts a first-year competition, as well as the
prestigious Roscoe Pound competition.
Housing
There are many housing options open to UCLA Law students,
and the law school hosts a web-based service to help
students with their roommate search. There are both
university-owned and privately-owned apartments from which
to choose.
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.
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 achieve residency status during the
second year of law school.
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 more than 9 percent of the class
of 2009.
The office coordinates on-campus interviews and
off-campus career fairs with approximately 350 interviewers
from law firms, corporations, government agencies, and
public interest organizations visiting the school annually. The
office also hosts numerous panels, programs, and events,
including an annual Small/Mid-Sized Law Firm Reception, an
annual Government Reception and Information Fair, and an
Alumni Mentor Program.
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.
University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law 163
APPLICANT PROFILE GRID
University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law
This grid includes only applicants who earned 120–180 LSAT scores under standard administrations.
3.75+
Apps
120
3.75+
Adm
74
170–174
477
303
474
202
273
55
113
9
34
1
8
0
6
0
1
0
1
0
19
165–169
934
443
795
131
452
25
190
4
68
1
24
1
11
0
3
0
3
0
35
160–164
553
59
684
15
446
16
208
3
63
0
39
1
16
0
4
0
1
0
155–159
208
14
305
10
228
5
136
2
71
0
34
0
15
0
4
0
0
150–154
89
5
151
6
163
1
131
0
64
0
31
0
22
0
5
0
145–149
27
0
63
0
82
0
77
0
63
0
34
0
12
0
7
140–144
6
0
22
0
30
0
45
0
34
0
26
0
13
0
135–139
2
0
9
0
11
0
11
0
18
0
15
0
5
130–134
0
0
1
0
5
0
4
0
9
0
4
0
125–129
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
2
120–124
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2416
898
2594
397
1753
118
946
20
435
4
LSAT Score
175–180
Total
3.50–
3.74
Adm
33
3.25–
3.49
Apps
63
3.25–
3.49
Adm
16
3.00–
3.24
Apps
30
Apps = Number of Applicants
Adm = Number Admitted
Reflects 99% of the total applicant pool; highest LSAT data reported.
3.00–
3.24
Adm
2
2.75–
2.99
Apps
10
2.75–
2.99
Adm
2
GPA
2.50– 2.50–
2.74
2.74
Apps Adm
2
0
3.50–
3.74
Apps
89
2.25–
2.49
Apps
0
2.25–
2.49
Adm
0
2.00–
2.24
Apps
0
2.00–
2.24
Adm
0
Below Below
2.00
2.00
Apps Adm
1
0
No
GPA
Apps
5
No
GPA
Adm
1
Total
Apps
320
Total
Adm
128
2
1406
572
2
2515
607
51
1
2065
95
0
28
1
1029
32
1
0
24
0
681
12
0
0
0
11
0
376
0
7
0
1
0
11
0
195
0
0
12
0
1
0
5
0
89
0
4
0
1
0
1
0
2
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
2
0
219
2
104
0
45
0
10
0
192
7
8714
1446