J.D. Degree
What type of institution will you choose to study the law? If it's the College of Law, you'll find an environment that is both collaborative and challenging while traditional and progressive. It's a place where you will meet new intellectual goals and form enduring friendships for life.
You will also find a very accessible and accomplished group of faculty members. So not only are your professors noted legal experts and authors affecting law around the globe, but people you will enjoy getting to know-whether you're going over the day's classroom discussion, talking about sports or movies, or debating the latest major court case. It's a key difference: well-connected, well-published faculty members who still care about students and teaching. You'll also discover a wonderfully supportive administration that works to make your experience at the College of Law the best it can be.
Your fellow students make this a special place, too. The most diverse student body in the Midwest, they excelled as undergraduates at some of the nation's finest colleges and universities. The 2007-2008 entering class boasted a median grade point average of 3.60 and a median LSAT of 166. But we don't accept applicants based on scores alone. We read each application carefully, looking for students who will succeed at the College of Law and enrich the overall learning environment.
Employers from all over the country come to Champaign-Urbana to interview College of Law students every year, and there are a multitude of other job sources available including our resume submission program, career fairs, and our electronic job bank where thousands of positions are posted yearly. See where some of our graduates have gone in our National Employment map.
In addition to a full array of courses, you'll find writing and editing responsibilities for scholarly journals, participation in competitions — from moot courts to trial teams to negotiation — as well as clinical offerings in four different areas-civil litigation, employee justice, international human rights, and transactions and community economic development.
Students pursuing the J.D. degree attend classes full time and usually complete their degree requirements in six full semesters. Part-time students are not allowed except under extraordinary circumstances, and then only in the second or third years. Beginning students may enter only in the fall semester. First-year courses, all required and prerequisite to subsequent advanced courses, are offered only in the fall-spring sequence.
In evaluating applications, the Admissions Committee places great weight on the undergraduate grade point average (recent classes had a median of 3.6 on a 4.0 scale) and the Law School Admission Test score (recent classes had a median LSAT score of 166). The committee also considers graduate work in other fields, employment experience, and demonstrated leadership ability. Last year, the College of Law received more than 3,000 applications for approximately 180 positions in the entering class.
A thorough admissions process, including individual review of files by a faculty committee, attempts to identify students whose grades or scores appear to underpredict their performance in law school, as well as students whose admission would contribute to diversity at the College of Law. Applicants are not judged on the basis of in-state residency.
Apply for J.D.
Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) Administration Dates
(Note:International students applying for admission to the J.D. Program are required to meet additional admission requirements - see International section of the Requirements Checklist.)
Early Decision Program Applications for Fall 2009 are accepted from
More Information
