University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law
The information on this page was provided by the law school.
Official Guide to ABA-Approved JD Programs
Introduction
Located in the heart of Southern California and nestled in a beautiful and safe residential neighborhood, University of California at Los Angeles School of Law is less than seven miles from the Pacific Ocean and is housed on the UCLA campus. UCLA Law acquired and maintains its strong standing by creating pioneering academic programs, cultivating top legal scholars, and educating students who go on to be leaders in our society.
Los Angeles offers unparalleled access to numerous recreational opportunities and activities, such as sporting events, theaters, museums, and live performances. UCLA Law is close enough to the thriving metropolis of Los Angeles for students to partake in the vibrant social and cultural scene, yet secluded enough for students to focus on their legal studies. The incredible weather, the international reach of the city, and the intellectually stimulating environment all contribute to a student’s law school experience.
The JD Program
Curriculum
The law school offers a three-year, full-time course of study leading to a Juris Doctor degree.
First Year
At UCLA Law, we provide a dynamic education that prepares students to become leaders in all areas of the law. From the outset, students explore the foundations of legal reasoning with esteemed professors who, in many cases, literally wrote the book on the subject. Students begin their UCLA Law career with our pioneering, week-long orientation program that eases the transition to law school.
During the first year, students take the following courses:
- Civil Procedure
- Constitutional Law
- Contracts
- Criminal Law*
- Legal Research and Writing
- Property*
- Torts
*In addition to the traditional courses, first-year students may elect to take Property and/or Criminal Law in either the spring semester of their first year or during their second or third years of law school. First-year students may also choose to take one or two semester long classes chosen from an array of topics from a selection of our extensive advanced course offerings.
Legal Research and Writing
Legal Research and Writing is the students’ foundational clinical course and focuses on practice-oriented legal analysis. During this yearlong course, students develop the analytical skill set needed by practicing lawyers and desired by legal employers. Students are introduced to fundamentals of legal reasoning, the structure of objective and persuasive arguments, effective written analysis, legal research methods, statutory interpretation, compelling oral advocacy, fact investigation, and negotiation. These analytical skills are taught using the clinical method, with the client’s perspective firmly in mind and with the students learning by acting as lawyers. UCLA law faculty work side-by-side with students providing detailed feedback on the Legal Research and Writing assignments they complete during the first year, and students meet individually with professors to go over this feedback. By learning how to function as practicing lawyers, students can succeed in their summer jobs, and in their careers when they graduate. Additionally, to foster a sense of community and an environment of mutual support, the Legal Research and Writing course and one of the doctrinal courses are taught in small sections in the first year.
Second and Third Years
The second and third years at UCLA Law offer a comprehensive selection of upper-division classes, clinics, and specializations that are recognized as some of the most thought-provoking and rigorous experiences for law students anywhere. Students complete a mandatory course in professional responsibility, an upper-division writing requirement, and six credits of experiential coursework; select from our extensive advanced and specialized course offerings; and have the option to complete a culminating clinical capstone experience, in which students put the skills that they have learned in skills clinics into practice. In addition, students may delve deeply into a field by pursuing one of our seven specializations, broaden their expertise with interdisciplinary coursework, and hone their skills in a large selection of superb clinical and experiential courses. Approximately 87% of all upper-level classes enroll fewer than 50 students, and 70% of all upper-level classes enroll fewer than 25 students.
Students also can pursue their interests by:
• Developing practical skills through our groundbreaking experiential education program
• Exploring non-traditional legal topics through small seminars, sometimes taught in professors’ homes
• Broadening their expertise with interdisciplinary courses taught in other campus departments
• Studying abroad at one of our 16 partner law schools
• Going to Washington, D.C., for eye-opening externships through the UCDC program
Student Life
Career Placement and Bar Passage
Tuition and Aid
Both need-based and merit-based aid are available. All admitted students are automatically considered for merit scholarships. To apply for need-based aid, which is packaged in conjunction with merit based aid, the FAFSA and the UCLA Law Grant Application should be submitted as early as possible after January 1. UCLA Law also offers three full-tuition scholarship programs—the binding Distinguished Scholars award for students with exceptional academic and other credentials; the non-binding Achievement Fellowship, for students who have overcome significant disadvantages in their background; and the non-binding Graton Scholars program, for students who intend to pursue a career in Tribal Law. Application and test deadlines for the full tuition scholarship programs may differ from the general application deadlines so please refer to our website if applying to one of the full tuition programs.
Applicants admitted to the law school as non-resident students (for tuition purposes) are eligible to be considered for resident classification if certain eligibility requirements are met. Most non-resident law students are able to achieve residency status during the second year of law school.
Admission Decisions: Beyond the Numbers
Admission and Financial Aid
All applicants must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited university or college of approved standing and must take the LSAT no later than the January administration or the GRE no later than January 31. Admission is based primarily on proven outstanding academic and intellectual ability, taking into consideration standardized test scores and factors such as the breadth, depth, and rigor of the undergraduate educational program. The Admissions Committee may also consider whether economic, physical, or other hardships and challenges have been overcome. Distinctive programmatic contributions, community or public service, letters of recommendation, work experience, career achievement, language ability, and career goals (with particular attention paid to the likelihood of the applicant representing underrepresented communities) are also factors taken into consideration.
Admitted Applicant Profile
