The Law School at University of Colorado–Boulder

By | March 2, 2019

Law School Admissions

Application

Director of admissions Kristine M. Jackson
Application deadline March 15
Full-time program application fee $65
Part-time program application fee N/A
Besides the fall semester, can enter in N/A

The Law School at University of Colorado--Boulder

Admissions & Enrollment (Overall)

Acceptance rate 30.1% – Medium
Median undergraduate GPA for all program entrants 3.64
Median LSAT score for all program entrants 164

Admissions & Enrollment (Full-time)

Acceptance rate 30.1%
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) 158-165
Undergraduate GPA (25th-75th percentile) 3.33-3.8
Median undergraduate GPA for full-time program entrants 3.64
Median LSAT score for full-time program entrants 164

Admissions & Enrollment (Part-time)

Applicants N/A
Acceptance rate N/A
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) N/A
Undergraduate GPA (25th-75th percentile) N/A
Median undergraduate GPA for part-time program entrants N/A
Median LSAT score for part-time program entrants N/A

Law School Academics

Academic Program Details

Academic calendar Semester
Joint degrees offered
J.D./M.B.A J.D./M.D.
J.D./M.P.A. J.D./M.URP.
J.D./M.A. International Affairs J.D./Ph.D. Environmental Studies
J.D./M.S. Environmental Studies J.D./M.S.T.
Special programs offered to J.D. students (as provided by the school)
Colorado Law offers 8 dual degrees, 4 certificates, 4 research centers, and a formal Experiential Learning Program that includes 9 clinics, externship, pro bono pledge, and public service programs, appellate and trial coaching and competitions. Areas of academic excellence include environmental, natural resources, energy, technology, entrepreneurial, American Indian, and juvenile and family law.
Programs/courses offered in
appellate advocacy intellectual property law
clinical training international law
dispute resolution tax law
environmental law trial advocacy
health care law

Curricular Offerings (Overall)

Classroom course titles, beyond the first-year curriculum, offered last year 108
Seminars 18
Positions available in seminars 247
Positions available in simulation courses 518
Positions available in faculty-supervised clinical courses 119
Student activities (as provided by the school)
Colorado Law students produce 3 journals (Law Review, Colorado Journal of International Environmental Law and Policy, and Journal on Telecommunications and High Technology Law), compete in moot court and mock trial competitions, and run more than 30 student organizations centered around students’ diverse areas of interest.

Curricular Offerings (Full-time)

Typical first-year full-time section size taught by full-time faculty (excludes small sections) 75
Is there typically a full-time “small section” of the first-year class taught by full-time faculty (excluding Legal Writing)? Yes
Typical size of first-year “small section” 34
Positions filled in full-time program seminars 205
Positions filled in full-time program simulation courses 401
Positions filled in faculty-supervised full-time program clinical courses 94
Full-time students involved in field placements 213
Full-time students involved in law journals 144
Full-time students involved in advanced moot court or trial competitions 101
Full-time students enrolled in independent study 27

Curricular Offerings (Part-time)

Typical first-year part-time section size taught by full-time faculty (excludes small sections) 0
Is there typically a part-time “small section” of the first-year class taught by full-time faculty (excluding Legal Writing)? No
Positions filled in part-time program seminars 0
Positions filled in part-time program simulation courses 0
Positions filled in faculty-supervised part-time program clinical courses 0
Part-time students involved in field placements 0
Part-time students involved in law journals 0
Part-time students involved in advanced moot court or trial competitions 0
Part-time students enrolled in independent study 0

Faculty Profile (Fall 2011)

Student-faculty ratio 9.8:1 – Low
Full- and part-time faculty 67
Full-time minority faculty 25.0%
Part-time minority faculty 6.5%
Total faculty 81
Total faculty (men) 67.9%
Total faculty (women) 32.1%
Total faculty (minorities) 16.0%

Class Size

Law School Ranking

#44 Best Law Schools

(2) Ranking by Specialties

#5 in Environmental Law
#50 in Law Firms Rank Schools

Law Ranking Scores

Score 59
Peer assessment score (out of 5) 3.1
Assessment score by lawyers/judges (out of 5) 3.4
GPA (25th-75th percentile) 3.33-3.8
Median undergraduate GPA for all program entrants 3.64
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) 158-165
Median LSAT score for all program entrants 164
Acceptance rate 30.1% – Medium
Student-faculty ratio 9.8:1 – Low
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 57.4% – Medium
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 82.5% – Medium
Bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 95.2% – High
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar CO
Statewide bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 82.7%

Law School Student Body

Student Body (Overall)

Total Enrolled 540

Student Body (Full-time)

Enrollment (full-time) 540

Student Body (Part-time)

Enrollment (part-time) N/A
Gender distribution (part-time) N/A

Attrition Rates for Full- and Part-time Students (2010-2011)

First-year students discontinuing law school 1.1%
Second-year students discontinuing law school 2.2%
Third-year students discontinuing law school N/A
Fourth-year students discontinuing law school N/A
Male students discontinuing law school 0.7%
Female students discontinuing law school 1.5%

Law School Cost

Financial Aid Contact Information

Financial aid director Alan Schieve
Financial aid phone (303) 492-0647
Financial aid application deadline N/A

Expenses

Tuition and fees
Full-time: $31,044 per year (in-state)
Full-time: $37,452 per year (out-of-state)
Room and board $11,574
Books $1,998
Miscellaneous expenses $5,570
Is the tuition the same for first-, second-, and third-year students? No
Does the university offer housing restricted to law students? No
Does the university offer graduate student housing for which law students are eligible? Yes
Does the university offer a public-interest scholarship program to current J.D. students? Yes

Grants (Full-time students)

Students receiving grants of less than one-half tuition 44.4%
Students receiving grants of one-half tuition or more but less than full 5.2%
Students receiving grants of full tuition 1.7%
Students receiving grants of more than full tuition 2.8%
Median grant amount $7,998
Grant range (25th–75th percentile) $2,730–$11,043
Full-time students receiving grants 54.1%

Grants (Part-time students)

Students receiving grants of less than one-half tuition N/A
Students receiving grants of one-half tuition or more but less than full N/A
Students receiving grants of full tuition N/A
Students receiving grants of more than full tuition N/A
Median grant amount N/A
Grant range (25th–75th percentile) N/A
Part-time students receiving grants N/A

Indebtedness

Average indebtedness of 2011 graduates who incurred law school debt $78,894
Proportion who borrowed 97.7%
Does the school offer a loan repayment assistance program for 2011 J.D. graduates? Yes

Law School Library

Library Information Resources

Print titles (excluding nonbook titles) 84,218
Microform titles 109,346
Electronic titles 157,424
Other non-book titles 927
Total titles 351,915
Volumes (excluding microforms) 362,678
Volume equivalent microforms 396,396
Total volumes and volume equivalents 759,074
Number of volumes in the collection that are stored off site and are systematically retrievable 0
Library’s online catalog or website includes links to electronic titles or databases made available by another campus library or consortia Yes

Library Schedule of Operation

Number of hours per week library is open on a regular schedule 102
Number of hours per week professional staff are on duty on a regular schedule 73
Number of hours per week only full-time support staff are on duty on a regular schedule 3
Number of hours per week only students or other part-time staff are on duty on a regular schedule 26
Number of hours of reference service provided per week on a regular schedule 63
Number of weeks per year library operates on an abbreviated schedule 10
Number of hours per week library is open on an abbreviated schedule 87
Number of hours per week professional staff are on duty are on an abbreviated schedule 56
Number of hours per week only full-time support staff are on duty on an abbreviated schedule 3
Number of hours per week only students or other part-time staff are on duty on an abbreviated schedule 28
Number of hours of reference service provided per week on an abbreviated schedule 56
Number of weeks per year library operates on expanded schedule 4

Information Technology

Department(s) responsible for the law school information technology operations law school information technology department, law school library, university information technology department, other
Approximate number of full-time-equivalent information technology staff (excluding hourly students and other temporary staff) 4
Number of open, wired network connections available to students in the law library (excluding computer labs) 0
Number of open, wired network connections available to students in classrooms 16
Number of open, wired network connections available to students in computer labs 54
Number of open, wired network connections available to students elsewhere in the law school 11
Does the law school have a wireless network? Yes
Wireless network is available in the law library, in classrooms, in computer labs, in administrative/faculty offices and work areas, elsewhere in the law school
Does the school require entering students to own a computer? No

Physical Library Facilities

Net square feet of space assigned for library purposes 56,745
Total seats available for library users 444
Details about the library and other facilities (as provided by the school) The modern “green” Wolf Law Building has state-of-the-art classrooms, wireless networking, AV equipment, 2 high-tech courtrooms, computer labs, and kiosks. The Law Library is the most comprehensive and technologically advanced in the 12-state Rocky Mountain region, holding the U.S. government regional archives. There is ample space for clinics, centers, journals, and study rooms.

Law School Careers

Bar Statistics (Winter and Summer 2010 administrations)

State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar CO
Bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 95.2% – High
Statewide bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 82.7%

Class of 2010 Graduates

Total graduates 183
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 57.4%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 82.5%

Class of 2010 Graduates-Class Breakdown at Graduation

Graduates whose employment status is unknown 6.6%
Graduates whose employment status is known 93.4%
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 57.4%
Graduates known to be enrolled in a full-time degree program 2.2%
Graduates known to be unemployed and seeking work 2.7%
Graduates known to be unemployed and not seeking work 31.1%

Class of 2010 Graduates-Class Breakdown at Nine Months

Graduates whose employment status is unknown 2.7%
Graduates whose employment status is known 97.3%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 82.5%
Graduates known to be enrolled in a full-time degree program 2.2%
Graduates known to be unemployed and seeking work 2.7%
Graduates known to be unemployed and not seeking work 9.8%

Starting Salaries of Graduates Employed Full-time (Class of 2010)

25th percentile private sector starting salary $60,000
Median private sector starting salary $80,000
75th percentile private sector starting salary $110,000
Percent in the private sector who reported salary information 44%
Median public service starting salary $50,000

Areas of Legal Practice (Class of 2010)

Percent employed in academia 1.3%
Percent employed in business and industry 14.6%
Percent employed in government 11.9%
Percent employed in all judicial clerkships 17.2%
Percent employed in law firms 49.0%
Percent employed in public interest 5.3%
Percent employed in an unknown field 0.7%

Employment Location (Class of 2010)

Graduates employed in-state 80%
Graduates employed out-of-state 17.2%
Graduates employed in foreign countries 1%
Number of states where graduates are employed 16
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) 0.0%
Middle Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA) 0.0%
East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) 1.3%
West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) 2.0%
South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) 2.0%
East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) 0.7%
West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) 3.3%
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) 5.3%
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY) 82.1%
Employment location unknown 2.6%

Career Services

(Data appear as originally submitted by this school)

Career services operations Colorado Law provides students and alumni with career development counseling on resumes, interviewing, clerkship applications, and job search strategies. The Career Development Office organizes workshops, maintains a resource library, hosts career fairs and speaker series, and provides diversity mentoring, clerkship programs, on-campus interviews, resume collections, and job postings.

Job Type

Bar admission required/anticipated (e.g., attorney and corporate counsel positions, law clerks, judicial clerks) 84.0%
Bar admission required/anticipated – percent employed in full-time positions 93.7%
J.D. preferred, law degree enhances position (e.g., corporate contracts administrator, alternative dispute resolution specialist, government regulatory analyst, FBI special agent) 11.3%
J.D. preferred – percent employed in full-time positions 82.4%
Professional other (jobs that require professional skills or training but for which a J.D. is neither preferred nor particularly applicable; e.g., accountant, teacher, business manager, nurse) 0.7%
Professional other – percent employed in full-time positions 0.0%
Non-professional other (job that does not require any professional skills or training or is taken on a temporary basis and not viewed as part of a career path) 4.0%
Non-professional other – percent employed in full-time positions 83.3%