Rutgers—The State University of New Jersey—School of Law—Camden

Introduction

Chartered in 1766 by George III of Great Britain as the Queen's College, Rutgers—The State University of New Jersey is one of the oldest and largest state higher educational systems in the nation. The law school at the Camden campus is proud to continue this national reputation of excellence. With more than 100 faculty and staff members, the law school is a leading center of legal education. Noted for excellence in scholarship and rigor in training of new lawyers, the law school faculty is internationally recognized in fields as diverse as international law, health law, family and women's rights law, state constitutional law, and legal history.

Located at the base of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, just minutes from the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the law school is in one of the nation's largest legal markets. With its thriving, 40-acre, tree-lined urban campus in Camden, New Jersey, Rutgers is a handsome blend of converted Victorian buildings and newly constructed facilities. The Susquehanna Bank Center at the Waterfront, an indoor/outdoor concert venue; the Adventure Aquarium; the USS Battleship New Jersey; the new law and graduate apartments across the street from the law school; the River LINE rail system; and Campbell's Field (the minor league baseball stadium), just a few blocks from the law school, are centerpieces for the ongoing development of Camden's waterfront. Camden, which is the county seat, has federal and local courts adjacent to the law school. A member of the Association of American Law Schools, the school is included on the list of approved schools of the American Bar Association.

Faculty

Faculty scholarship has been cited by numerous courts, including the United States Supreme Court, and faculty members have authored numerous casebooks and significant legal works. Faculty members have testified before Congress and serve as consultants and reporters for the American Bar Association, the American Law Institute, and several federal and state commissions, and act as counsel in important public interest litigation.

Library and Physical Facilities

The law school opened the doors to its new law building in 2008. A 2,300 square-foot courtroom and lobby with the new addition of 53,000 square feet almost doubles the size of the existing law building. The $40-million construction project has created state-of-the art classrooms, renovated two 100- to 150-seat lecture theaters and multiple seminar rooms, and expanded space for student organizations and social life at the law school. A magnificent two-story glass bridge and art display houses a student lounge and Law Café and welcomes visitors crossing the Benjamin Franklin Bridge from Philadelphia into New Jersey. A selective federal repository, the law library, with more than 500,000 bibliographic units, is one of the largest in the state. In addition to having access to traditional materials, students are trained on a number of computerized research systems, including a myriad of databases available on the Internet.

Curriculum and Special Programs

The first-year curriculum includes the traditional core legal courses and our highly nationally ranked yearlong course in research, writing, and analysis. Central to the curriculum is the lawyering program that engages students in simulated lawyering activities and practical applications of the law. Upper-class students can typically choose from more than 100 exciting elective courses each year, including electronic commerce, intellectual property, media policy, children's law, and international human rights.

An outstanding Externship Program offers third-year students the opportunity to work with federal and state judges, public agencies, and public interest organizations. Other students participate in the Civil Practice Clinic and pro bono programs at the law school. Live client experiences include the Domestic Violence Project, the Pro Bono Bankruptcy Project, the Immigration Project, the Mediation Project, and the Elder Law Clinic, or representing clients in connection with the LEAP Charter School. Each of these programs constitutes a comprehensive initiative that reflects the law school's commitment to public service.

Students may pursue their legal studies in the full-time day program or the part-time program, available day or evening. Both programs are subject to the same rigorous admission and academic standards.

Joint-Degree Programs

Eight formal joint JD and master's or doctoral degree programs are available with the University of Medicine and Dentistry, Graduate School of Business, Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, School of Social Work, and Graduate School—Camden, including the JD/MD, JD/DO, JD/MPA, JD/MBA, JD/MPH, JD/MPAP, JD/MSW, and JD/MCRP. Upon approval of the faculty, students may also pursue self-designed joint-degree programs within Rutgers University or with other graduate institutions.

Admission

Although admission is highly competitive, the Committee on Admissions does consider each applicant's file individually, and special qualities may occasionally overcome lower numbers. Important factors to the committee include LSAT score, undergraduate and graduate grade-point average, undergraduate and graduate institutions, work experience, and letters of recommendation. Typically, half of the full-time entering class scores in the top quartile on the LSAT (160 or higher) with a median GPA of 3.4. The entering class size each fall is about 225 full- and part-time day and 45 part-time evening students. The law school draws from 34 states and 3 foreign countries. More than 250 colleges and universities are represented in the student body. Decisions are made on a rolling basis beginning in early December. The law school has rolling admission and will consider candidates who take the February or June LSAT. However, early applicants have an enhanced opportunity for admission. Applicants may also apply for advanced standing as transfer students but are only eligible upon completion of one year of law study. Students may request an application from the law school or apply online at www.camlaw.rutgers.edu. For full details on admission statistics and criteria, please see our website.

Housing

In 2012, a state-of-the-art, 12-story housing facility opened for graduate students providing comfortable apartment living with a touch of luxury. More information is online at housing.camden.rutgers.edu/330Microsite. First-year admitted students are invited to utilize the law school's housing webpage and to attend the Dean's Law and Housing Day in the spring.

Financial Aid

In the 2010–2011 academic year, over $22 million was distributed to law students through fellowships, grants, loans, and employment. The average financial aid package was approximately $29,064, with 96 percent of the student body receiving some form of assistance. The William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program, the largest financial aid program, provided more than $20.2 million to our law students in the last academic year. For fall consideration, the FAFSA should be submitted by March 1. Merit-based scholarships are also available for outstanding academic performance.

Career Services

The Office of Career Planning and Professional Development helps students and alumni develop and achieve their career goals through an holistic approach that includes individual counseling sessions; professional development programs designed to assist students in cultivating professional skills and obtaining summer, school year, and post-graduation employment; networking events; mentor programs; mock interview programs; access to various job fairs including one in the District of Columbia and two exclusively devoted to public interest/public service jobs; and an on-campus interview program.

In 2010, the Office of Career Planning and Professional Development implemented a Professional Development Certificate Program to supplement the subject-based legal analysis from classroom learning with the professional development skills needed in order to succeed in the practice of law. The program helps to prepare students for practice, fosters a culture of professionalism, and encourages continuing professional development. The program is modeled on continuing legal education programs in which practicing lawyers choose from a menu of options in order to satisfy their CLE obligations. Past programs include Public Speaking for Lawyers, Networking for a Summer or Post-Grad Job, Business Development for Law Students, Starting your Own Practice, and panel discussions on various practice areas and settings. Employment data on the class of 2011 can be found at camlaw.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/charts.pdf.

Student Activities

Among the numerous student organizations are the Latino Law Students Association, Asian/Pacific American Law Students Association, Association for Public Interest Law, Black Law Students Association, Christian Legal Society, Community Outreach Group, Cyberlaw, Environmental Law Students Association, Francis Deak International Law Society, OUTLAW Student Bar Association, Health Law Society, Italian-American Law Students Organization, Jewish Law Students Association, Law Journal (publishes the Rutgers Law Journal), Journal of Law and Public Policy, Rutgers Journal of Law and Religion, Phi Alpha Delta law fraternity, Pro Bono/Public Interest Steering Committee, and the Women's Law Caucus.

Applicant Profile

Rutgers—The State University of New Jersey—School of Law—Camden

This grid includes only applicants who earned 120–180 LSAT scores under standard administrations.

	GPA
LSAT Score	3.75+	3.50–3.74	3.25–3.49	3.00–3.24	2.75–2.99	2.50–2.74	2.25–2.49	2.00–2.24	Below 2.00
LSAT score 175–180	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Unlikely
LSAT score 170–174	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Unlikely
LSAT score 165–169	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Possible	Possible	Unlikely
LSAT score 160–164	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Possible	Possible	Unlikely
LSAT score 155–159	Good	Possible	Possible	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 150–154	Possible	Possible	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 145–149	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 140–144	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 135–139	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 130–134	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 125–129	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely
LSAT score 120–124	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely	Unlikely

Good  = Good Possibility

Possible  = Possible

Unlikely  = Unlikely