PO Box 210040, Office of Admission and Financial Aid
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0040
Phone: 513.556.0078; Fax: 513.556.2391
E-mail: admissions@law.uc.edu; Website: www.law.uc.edu
The University of Cincinnati College of Law is the nation's premier small, urban, public law school. As the fourth oldest continuously operating law school in the country, students benefit from an intimate collegial environment and personal attention from faculty, while having access to groundbreaking centers and institutes like the Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice; the Corporate Law Center; the Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights; the Ohio Innocence Project (OIP); and the Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic. Located on a campus recently noted by Forbes magazine as one of the most beautiful in the world, the College of Law provides easy access to downtown Cincinnati, which includes over 650 law firms; headquarters to Fortune 500 corporations; and state, county, and federal courts, including the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. While the university is one of America's top 20 public research institutions and boasts a total student population of over 42,000, the College of Law remains one of the smallest law schools in the nation with approximately 135 students per incoming class.
The 409 students in the College of Law come from an amazingly wide variety of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. The student body is also talented academically, as the 75th/25th LSAT and UGPA percentiles for fall 2011 were 162/155 and 3.80/3.36, respectively. The College of Law is committed to enrolling a diverse class, as 16 percent of our students are from minority backgrounds, about 40 percent are female, and 39 percent enroll from states other than Ohio. The average age of the entering class is 25; however, 21 percent of the class is 27 or older.
The college employs a full-time faculty of 28 who pride themselves on their teaching, scholarship, and accessibility to students. As the core of the academic program, faculty members bring areas of expertise into the classroom that add depth, perspective, and professionalism to the law students' studies. The student-to-faculty ratio of 11 to 1 provides ample opportunities for individual discussions with faculty and in-depth research in areas of interest.
The Robert S. Marx Law Library has a seasoned staff that is able to assist students with research and technical questions. Two computer labs and a wireless network throughout the law building enable students to maximize online research capabilities, and our skilled IT staff members are readily available to assist law students. The law library, which can seat the entire law student body at one time, manages collections carefully to support faculty and student research and the college curriculum.
First-year students are divided into six individual sections, creating an unusual advantage of very small first-year sections (typically no larger than 25). The small-section modules allow for further inquiry beyond the typical first-year curriculum. First-year students take three courses in small sections during the academic year with opportunities to study with all members of their class over the entire year. The upper level is well balanced between theory and skills-related courses. Institutes and research centers exist in the areas of international human rights, criminal law (Ohio Innocence Project), corporate law, law and psychiatry, the Center for Practice, and a newly established Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice. In addition, the college offers joint programs with women's studies, business, political science, community planning, and social work. In addition to OIP, the law school also offers clinical opportunities via the Appellate Law Clinic (Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals), the Indigent Defense Clinic, the Domestic Violence and Civil Protection Order Clinic housed downtown at the Cincinnati Legal Aid offices, and the Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic, which focuses on small businesses.
The College of Law recognizes that a lawyer needs both a firm grasp on subject matter and expertise in professional skills. The college, therefore, has developed an extensive legal research and writing program that not only encompasses first-year courses, but upper-level courses as well. The Center for Professional Development provides students with extern experiences, which are opportunities to work with practicing attorneys and public clinics. The Rosenthal Institute for Justice has been endowed to ensure that popular programs like the Ohio Innocence Project are available to students now and in the future. Each institute and research center offers a fellowship program, research opportunities, and in-depth study in their respective areas. The college was the first to offer a joint degree in law and women's studies, and has the oldest endowed international human rights program at an American law school, the Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights.
Admission to the college is based upon a selective review of each applicant's file by the Admissions Committee. Although the Admissions Committee relies on the grade-point average and LSAT score to determine the applicant's academic potential, other nonquantitative factors believed to be relevant to success in law school are considered; that is, the quality of the applicant's education, participation in community service, employment experience, graduate work, and letters of recommendation. The educational philosophy of the college reflects a belief that a quality legal education is enhanced through having a heterogeneous student body. The committee, therefore, also considers race, cultural background, unusual personal circumstances, and age. Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis. The College of Law also offers a binding Early Decision Program. Students interested in applying through the Early Decision Program must have a completed application on file by December 1. The college is committed to enrolling a diverse and engaging class each year.
The College of Law offers numerous opportunities for students to sharpen their legal writing, advocacy, and leadership skills. The University of Cincinnati Law Review, founded in 1927, was the first law review published by an Ohio law school. The Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights edits the Human Rights Quarterly, the leading international human rights journal in the world. The Immigration and Nationality Law Review is an annual publication of papers on the subjects of immigration and citizenship. The Freedom Center Journal, a collaboration between the law school and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, offers opportunities to publish scholarly works about cutting-edge issues of today, informed by the legacy of historic struggles for freedom. The College of Law also offers a well-respected Moot Court Program with teams participating in many national competitions. The college hosts the Rendigs National Products Liability Moot Court Competition each spring.
For the 2011–2012 academic year, resident and nonresident tuition and fees are $22,204 and $38,720, respectively. The Graduate Metro Rate (for those residing in approved northern Kentucky counties) is $22,444. Nonresidents can reclassify as state residents by becoming independent and self-sustaining for their first year in law school. Cincinnati is a cosmopolitan yet affordable Midwestern city with living expenses estimated at $18,000 for the nine-month academic year. Cincinnati was recently ranked the fifth least expensive city in the nation in which to live. Scholarships are awarded to approximately 65 percent of the student body in order to attract an academically talented and diverse student body. The FAFSA should be filed by March 1 as a priority deadline in order to qualify for student loan packages by spring. A large percentage of second- and third-year students work with law firms, companies, and agencies in the Greater Cincinnati area to offset living expenses or student loan debt.
Annually, about half of our graduates enter private practice while others accept positions with public interest organizations, government agencies, businesses, and academia. Members of the class of 2010 were selected for the Presidential Management Fellowship Program and the Equal Justice Works Fellowship Program and obtained clerkships among the nation's highest courts. Since 2001, Ohio has been one of the top 10 states for entry-level legal employment opportunities. While many of our graduates obtain positions within the state of Ohio, our 2010 graduates also secured employment in 15 other states, the District of Columbia, and one foreign country.
This grid includes only applicants who earned 120–180 LSAT scores under standard administrations.
| GPA | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT Score |
3.75+ Apps |
3.75+ Adm |
3.50– 3.74 Apps |
3.50– 3.74 Adm |
3.25– 3.49 Apps |
3.25– 3.49 Adm |
3.00– 3.24 Apps |
3.00– 3.24 Adm |
2.75– 2.99 Apps |
2.75– 2.99 Adm |
2.50– 2.74 Apps |
2.50– 2.74 Adm |
2.25– 2.49 Apps |
2.25– 2.49 Adm |
2.00– 2.24 Apps |
2.00– 2.24 Adm |
Below 2.00 Apps |
Below 2.00 Adm |
No GPA Apps |
No GPA Adm |
Total Apps |
Total Adm |
| LSAT score 175–180 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 |
| LSAT score 170–174 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 41 | 37 |
| LSAT score 165–169 | 39 | 37 | 43 | 39 | 27 | 22 | 23 | 17 | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 165 | 131 |
| LSAT score 160–164 | 94 | 88 | 115 | 103 | 107 | 92 | 88 | 57 | 49 | 26 | 31 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 502 | 383 |
| LSAT score 155–159 | 73 | 56 | 118 | 51 | 92 | 17 | 65 | 2 | 22 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 398 | 130 |
| LSAT score 150–154 | 38 | 15 | 59 | 15 | 74 | 9 | 47 | 4 | 20 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 266 | 44 |
| LSAT score 145–149 | 7 | 3 | 22 | 2 | 21 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 109 | 6 |
| LSAT score 140–144 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 0 |
| LSAT score 135–139 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| LSAT score 130–134 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| LSAT score 125–129 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| LSAT score 120–124 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 263 | 209 | 374 | 218 | 342 | 147 | 261 | 88 | 151 | 46 | 98 | 16 | 35 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 9 | 1566 | 736 |
Apps = Number of Applicants
Adm = Number Admitted
Reflects 100% of the total applicant pool; highest LSAT data reported.