Admission Office, 400 Mrak Hall Drive
Davis, CA 95616-5201
Phone: 530.752.6477
E-mail: admissions@law.ucdavis.edu; Website: www.law.ucdavis.edu
The School of Law at the University of California, Davis, is one of the nation's premier institutions of legal learning. The school is characterized by the scholarly excellence and ambition of its faculty and student body, as well as its commitment to the creation of a diverse community serving the welfare of its constituents and the world around it. It is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. The school is housed in a newly expanded and renovated state-of-the-art building, King Hall, named for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in honor of his efforts to promote social and political justice.
The Davis campus, a major research university consistently among the country's top 20 in research funding, is a little over an hour from San Francisco, and 15 minutes from Sacramento, within easy reach of major recreational areas such as Napa, Carmel, and Lake Tahoe. The campus occupies 3,600 acres within the bike-friendly and charming college town of Davis.
The law school's idyllic surroundings and close proximity to the Bay Area and the state capital create abundant opportunities for a well-rounded educational and professional experience. The campus offers a full range of excellent graduate and professional programs.
Faculty offices, classrooms, and the Mabie Law Library are housed in King Hall, which has just undergone a major expansion and renovation that makes it one of the most beautiful and functional facilities in the country. It has two moot courtrooms, a pretrial skills laboratory, a large computer lab, study carrels, student journal offices, lounges, an infant care co-op, and offices for student organizations, all easily accessible to disabled students. Each law student has 24-hour access to the building.
Study carrels are assigned to first-year students, and librarians assist students with legal research needs. Students enjoy access to numerous legal print and online resources via the library and California Digital Library.
Classrooms have the latest in audiovisual and multimedia technology. Wireless Internet access is available throughout the law school.
The School of Law offers a three-year, full-time program in law leading to the Juris Doctor degree, and a postgraduate program leading to an LLM. A faculty with a national reputation for cutting-edge scholarship and devoted teaching works hand-in-hand with an outstanding and diverse student body. The faculty includes worldwide leaders in many fields, including Constitutional Law; Intellectual Property; Environmental Law; Civil Rights; Critical Race Theory; Trusts, Wills, and Estates; Property; Contracts; Corporate Law and Securities; Evidence; Criminal Law and Procedure; Civil Procedure; Complex Litigation; Latinos and the Law; and Immigration Law. Each first-year section typically has about 65 students, and each student is taught at least one of the required first-year courses in a small group of 30–35 students. A distinctive feature of the school is a weeklong introductory course preceding the formal first-year curriculum. Upper-division courses may be selected within broad areas of concentration such as criminal justice, business and taxation, civil litigation, estate planning and taxation, labor and employment law, environmental law, human rights and social justice law, immigration law, intellectual property, international law, and constitutional and other public law. Students may also combine JD studies with another graduate or professional program such as an MBA.
The school is known for its superb clinical programs in which students work under the supervision of practicing lawyers in many different substantive areas. Students also participate in externships in trial and appellate courts as well as in federal, state, and local government offices and nonprofit organizations throughout California and in Washington, DC.
The law school has four in-house clinics: Immigration, Civil Rights, Prison Law, and Family Protection.
The Immigration Law Clinic, in which students work with one of the best immigration faculties in the United States, allows students to assist immigrants facing deportation.
Students participating in the Civil Rights Clinic appear in federal court in constitutional litigation, representing people who might otherwise have no counsel.
The Family Protection Clinic represents many low-income people who are not native English speakers and who need family law and domestic violence assistance.
First-year students perform an oral argument as a part of the required legal research and writing program, and can later participate in the formal Moot Court Program, which emphasizes appellate advocacy. Skills courses cover the major elements of both litigation and nonlitigation practice. These include pretrial skills (interviewing, counseling, and document drafting); negotiation, mediation, and alternative dispute resolution; business planning; and trial practice. The school has enjoyed excellent success in state, national, and international competitions in moot court and negotiations.
Students in the Public Interest Law Program receive a certificate based on required coursework, practical experience, and community service. This program culminates each year in a public service graduation ceremony, at which a graduating student is presented with the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award. Students in the Environmental Law Program receive a certificate for completion of an environmental curriculum. King Hall students can also participate in a Pro Bono Program designed to both help address the unmet legal service needs of disadvantaged persons and nonprofit organizations and impress upon students the professional responsibility of lawyers to perform public service.
While the admission process is highly selective, it is by no means mechanical. The Admission Committee seeks excellent students of diverse backgrounds and interests. Each application is carefully reviewed with consideration given to many factors, including undergraduate grades and trends, LSAT scores, economic and other disadvantages, advanced studies, work experience, extracurricular and community activities, maturity, and commitment to the study of law. Residency is not a factor in the admission process. Open houses and information sessions for prospective applicants occur throughout the year. Guided tours can be arranged.
King Hall is unusual among the nation's leading law schools because of its wonderful sense of community. The student body is small compared to that of most schools, which lessens competition among a highly qualified student cohort. Students work extraordinarily well with each other, faculty, administrators, and staff. Faculty and administrators have an open-door policy for students. Cooperation and collegiality are the hallmarks of intellectual life at King Hall, and alumni look back fondly on their law school years.
An academic support program, including a bar preparation component during the third year, is available to all students. Students run five journals: the UC Davis Law Review and specialized journals in international law, environmental law, juvenile justice law, and business law.
Students sit on the student/faculty Educational Policy, Faculty Appointments, and Admission Committees. There are about 30 active student organizations encompassing a wide variety of interests. The La Raza Law Students Association's Lorenzo Patiño banquet honoring an alumnus and the King Hall Legal Foundation auction to raise funds for public interest are two of many student-sponsored events that highlight each academic year. The extremely positive attitude of King Hall students was noted and commented upon in our most recent ABA inspection report.
The School of Law Financial Aid Office is available for the exclusive use of law students who desire school-related financial aid counseling and advice. All financial aid services, from entrance through graduation, are administered at the law school. The school participates in all nationally recognized aid programs, such as the Federal Direct Loan Program and Federal Work-Study. Over 75 percent of King Hall students receive scholarships and/or need-based grants as part of their financial aid awards. Each year, two entering students are selected to receive the prestigious Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarships based on demonstrated commitment to public interest. University student loan and grant funds are available for child care. FAFSA and Need Access forms are required for aid consideration.
A wide variety of reasonably priced housing is available in the local community. The university maintains on-campus apartments for students and student families
The Career Services Office consists of four counselors, all with JDs, who had significant and diverse legal careers prior to joining the office. The counselors assist students in securing summer and post-JD positions, and also provide detailed review of résumés, cover letters, and other application materials. All services, including mock interviews, speakers, and training workshops, are geared to serve the needs of students and alumni seeking all types of legal employment.
Approximately 100 employers visit the campus to interview students. Many others advertise using the school's online database. Off-campus interviewing opportunities are also provided. The Career Services staff conducts significant outreach to potential employers in all legal sectors.
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 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 21 |
| LSAT score 170–174 | 36 | 33 | 48 | 44 | 28 | 19 | 24 | 12 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 163 | 112 |
| LSAT score 165–169 | 145 | 137 | 227 | 201 | 184 | 91 | 114 | 25 | 49 | 3 | 31 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 6 | 778 | 465 |
| LSAT score 160–164 | 238 | 170 | 397 | 113 | 324 | 32 | 177 | 6 | 58 | 1 | 29 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 7 | 1279 | 329 |
| LSAT score 155–159 | 144 | 36 | 224 | 15 | 197 | 1 | 131 | 1 | 76 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 833 | 54 |
| LSAT score 150–154 | 48 | 1 | 98 | 0 | 100 | 1 | 90 | 0 | 57 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 438 | 2 |
| LSAT score 145–149 | 16 | 0 | 33 | 1 | 52 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 211 | 1 |
| LSAT score 140–144 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 96 | 0 |
| LSAT score 135–139 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| LSAT score 130–134 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| LSAT score 125–129 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 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 | 634 | 379 | 1057 | 379 | 915 | 155 | 618 | 46 | 310 | 6 | 154 | 2 | 72 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 97 | 15 | 3880 | 984 |
Apps = Number of Applicants
Adm = Number Admitted
Reflects 100% of the total applicant pool; highest LSAT data reported.