University of Georgia School of Law

The University of Georgia Law School is in Athens, a city of 100,000 in northeast Georgia about 75 miles from Atlanta. The law school is currently ranked #35 by U.S. News and World Report, but had a relatively high acceptance rate of 25% in 2007.

Georgia Law’s 3-year full-time Juris Doctor (J.D.) program operates from August to May; no part-time and evening programs are available.

Contact Information

Herty Drive
Athens, GA 30602
(706) 542-7060

Email: ugajd@uga.edu
Website: http://www.lawsch.uga.edu

Fast Facts (Class of 2011)

• Enrollment Information
  

  Enrolled: 229

  Women: 50%
  Minorities: 4%
  

  Student to Faculty Ratio: 1: 14.8

• GPA/LSAT Scores
  

  LSAT Median: 163
  LSAT 25/75 Percentile: 159-165

  UGPA Median: 3.67
  UGPA 25/75 Percentile: 3.42-3.86

• Costs and Fees (2008-2009)
  

  Tuition: $12,058 (resident full-time); $29,054 (nonresident full-time)
  Estimate Total Costs: $22,850 (resident, on campus); $39,846 (nonresident, on campus)

Application Procedures

Application fee: $30
Application deadline: February 1, 2009 for Fall 2009 admission

Applicants can request an application and admissions brochure from the school’s website or apply online through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC).

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 Law must have completed one year of study at an ABA-approved law school.

Transfer applicants must complete a paper application or an online application through LSAC; deadline is July 1.

For more information on transferring to the University of Georgia Law School, see Transfer Student Admission.

Degrees and Curriculum

In order to earn a Juris Doctor degree, a student must acquire 88 credit hours, complete an advanced writing requirement and pass Legal Profession and skills-based courses.

The first-year curriculum includes Civil Procedure I and II, Contracts and Sales I and II, Property I and II, Torts I and II, Criminal Law I and II, and Legal Research I and II. A course entitled Legal Profession is the only upper level course required.

Georgia Law offers several joint degree programs in which students can earn a J.D. along with another professional degree from one of the University of Gerogia's graduate or professional schools.

Georgia Law also offers a Master of Laws (L.L.M.) degree program.

Study Abroad

Georgia Law offers several opportunities to work and study abroad including programs in China and Brussels.

Law Journals and Other Activities

Georgia Law School publishes three law journals, including the Georgia Law Review.

Along with many student organizations, the law school has specialized clinics and fellowships for specific legal interests including the Criminal Defense Clinic, Family Violence Clinic, and the Land Use Clinic.

Bar Exam Passage Rate

A majority of Georgia State Law students take the Georgia State Bar Exam and, in 2007, achieved a 91% pass rate. The overall pass rate for the GA Bar Exam was 85%.

Post-Graduation Employment

From the 2007 graduating class, 87.9% were employed at graduation, and 98.1% were employed nine months after graduation. Starting salaries in the private sector averaged $100,000, and $50,500 in the public sector.

Sixty-four percent of the Class of 2005 secured work in private practice, 16% went to public interest, government, or academic positions,15% received judicial clerkships, and 5% entered the business field.