Georgia State Law School

Georgia State Law School is located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, home to 730 Fortune 1,000 companies. The law school is currently ranked #65 by U.S. News and World Report and had an acceptance rate of 18% in 2007.

Georgia State Law School’s 3-year full-time Juris Doctor (J.D.) program operates from August to May; part-time and evening programs are also available. Find out about living arrangement options at University Housing.

Contact Information

PO Box 4049
Atlanta, GA 30302-4049
(404) 651-2048

Email: admissions@gsulaw.gsu.edu
Website: http://law.gsu.edu

Fast Facts

• Enrollment Information
  

  Total enrollment: 672 (220 in 2007 entering class)

  Women: 50%
  Minorities: 22%
  

  Student to Faculty Ratio: 1: 12.8

• GPA/LSAT Scores
  

  LSAT Median: 160
  LSAT 25/75 Percentile: 158-162

  UGPA Median: 3.37
  UGPA 25/75 Percentile: 3.11-3.62

• Costs and Fees (2008-2009)
  

  Tuition: $9,360 (resident full-time); $29,016 (nonresident full-time)
  Per credit hour: $390 (resident part-time); $1,209 (nonresident part-time)
  Other fees include those for registration and graduation as detailed here.

Application Procedures

Application fee: $50
Application deadline: March 15, 2009 for Fall 2009 admission

Applicants can download an application from the school’s website, but online applications through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) are preferred.

In addition to the application and fee, applicants must also submit:

• LSDAS Report
• Personal Statement
• Two letters of recommendation

Transfer Procedures

Transfer applicants to Georgia State Law should be "outstanding students who have completed the first year of full-time study at another law school accredited by the American Bar Association."

Transfer applicants must complete a an online application]paper application or an online application through LSAC; deadlines are July 1 for the fall semester and December 1 for the spring semester.

For more information on transferring to GSU Law School, see Advanced Standing-Transfer.

Degrees and Curriculum

In order to earn a Juris Doctor degree, a student must acquire 90 credit hours.

The first-year curriculum includes Civil Procedure I, Contracts I, Property I, Torts I, Research, Writing & Advocacy I, and Legal Bibliography in the fall and Civil Procedure II, Contracts II, Property II, Torts II, Research, Writing & Advocacy II, and Criminal Law. Students must take Constitutional Law I, Evidence, Litigation, and Professional Responsibility during the second year; third year courses are chosen by the student. Part-time program course requirements can be found at Our Curriculum.

Georgia State Law offers six joint degree programs in which students can earn a J.D. along with another professional degree from one of GSU’s graduate or professional schools.

Study Abroad

In consortium with Seattle University School of Law and The University of Tennessee College of Law, Georgia State Law runs the Rio de Janeiro Summer Program. Information on other study abroad programs can be found at International Programs.

Law Journals and Other Activities

Georgia State Law School publishes the Georgia State University Law Review.

Along with many student organizations, the law school has specialized Centers, Clinics, and Programs for specific legal interests including the Low-Income Tax Clinic, Center for Law, Health & Society, and Center for the Comparative Study of Metropolitan Growth.

Bar Exam Passage Rate

A majority of Georgia State Law students take the Georgia State Bar Exam and, in 2007, achieved a 92.8% pass rate. The overall pass rate for the GA Bar Exam was 85%.

Post-Graduation Employment

From the 2007 Georgia State Law graduating class, 97.9% were employed nine months after graduation. Starting salaries in the private sector averaged $70,000, and $48,070 in the public sector.

Sixty percent of the Class of 2007 secured work in private practice, 20% went to public interest, government, or academic positions, 15% entered the business field, and 5% received judicial clerkships.