Loyola University New Orleans College of Law
The information on this page was provided by the law school.
Official Guide to ABA-Approved JD Programs
Loyola University New Orleans College of Law is located in the heart of the Uptown neighborhood of New Orleans. For more than 100 years, the College of Law has shaped the lives of students in the Jesuit, Catholic tradition of academic rigor, the pursuit of justice, and service to others. Loyola students, faculty, and staff are brought together by a shared passion to make a positive impact. It’s Loyola’s mission to create an inclusive campus where students from all backgrounds, experiences, races, and religions feel welcomed and supported.
With its rich culture and traditions, New Orleans offers an unparalleled learning experience for law students. As a major center for the federal and state judicial systems, students have plenty of opportunities to learn from practicing attorneys while serving the local community. The College of Law offers many different areas of focus to serve a diverse population of corporations, entrepreneurs, environmental interests, entertainers, local and federal government agencies, military needs, international interests, families, and the community at large.
Loyola’s faculty are champions of justice, incredible litigators, and accomplished experts in their fields. The College of Law’s distinguished faculty and dedicated staff take an active role in students’ education, partnering with them to ensure their personal success. Loyola is committed to providing its students with a complete legal education—helping students to develop a discerning mindset, not just mere technical competence.
The JD Program
The curriculum at Loyola College of Law has been shaped by Louisiana’s unique role as the only state in the U.S. that has a legal system based on significant elements of both the civil law and common law traditions. The College of Law offers both common law and civil law J.D. curriculums, preparing students to practice law in Louisiana or anywhere in the world. Both tracks require 90 credit hours and meet the educational qualification to take the bar exam in all 50 states. Students can choose between full-time and part-time J.D. programs, including the opportunity to work full time while attending classes in the evening.
A Focus on Experiential Learning
Loyola College of Law is known for being a leader in experiential education. At Loyola, students not only learn the theory of the law and how to “think like a lawyer,” but they learn by doing. Starting in the first year, students research, write, and advocate for clients in simulations as part of the Lawyering Program. By the third year, students have the opportunity to serve real clients under the guidance of faculty in the Stuart H. Smith Law Clinic.
Through our extensive network of externship opportunities, students earn course credit while getting placed with judges, government agencies, and legal nonprofits across the region. Loyola’s exciting entrepreneurship course allows students to gain hands-on experience working with startup ventures. The Advocacy Center allows students to sharpen their skills in legal research and writing, alternative dispute resolution, moot court, and trial advocacy competitions.
Stuart H. Smith Law Clinic
As part of Loyola’s commitment to social justice, the law school provides many avenues for students to supplement their coursework while addressing poverty and equal access to justice issues. The Stuart H. Smith Law Clinic is a vital component of the law school. Students who participate in the senior-year program work with real clients on actual cases under the supervision of experienced clinic faculty. Law students work with clients in different fields of practice: child welfare and domestic violence, civil litigation, criminal defense, criminal appeals, disability justice, family law, immigration law, and youth defense.
Gillis Long Poverty Law Center
For 40 years, the College of Law has facilitated representation of low-income people and vulnerable populations through the Gillis Long Poverty Law Center. The center was founded to give students and graduates the opportunity to engage in lawyering for those who would not otherwise have access to legal services. Students engage in the center through internships and the pro bono program. The Gillis Long Poverty Law Center financially supports graduates committed to serving the legal needs of low-income communities through programs like the Graduates for Justice, Gillis Long Social Justice Fellowship, and its loan repayment assistance program.
Gillis Long Poverty Law Center places Loyola University New Orleans students in paid public interest internships in civil law or criminal justice. In 2026, Gillis Long placed more than 50 students in paid internships, with earnings totaling over $400,000.
Certificate Programs
The College of Law offers certificates of concentration in several niche areas of study. Certificates are awarded to students who have completed all requirements for graduation with additional coursework in any of the following areas:
- Admiralty and Maritime Law
- Environmental Law
- Health Law
- Immigration and Citizenship Law
- International Legal Studies
- Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship
- Social Justice
- Taxation Law
Joint-degree Programs
Loyola University New Orleans has a number of options for students who wish to pursue interdisciplinary studies. Our joint degree programs create a comprehensive curriculum in multiple areas of study. Joint degree programs include:
- JD/Master of Business Administration
- JD/LLM with Customized Study Concentration
- JD/LLM with Health Law and Administration Concentration
- JD/LLM with Environmental Law Concentration
Center on Environment, Land, and Law
At Loyola's Environmental Law Program, we confront urgent challenges by turning legal theory into real-world advocacy. Through specialized degree paths, immersive policy labs, and the Center on Environment, Land, and Law, students bridge the gap between classroom scholarship and on-the-ground service. The Environmental Law Program brings together students, faculty, experts, and advocates to study and respond to the Gulf Coast’s most challenging environmental problems. Students work under the supervision of expert attorneys in environmental policy lab courses to complete a semester-long project with real clients on topics including oil and gas drilling, endangered species protection, climate change, urban agriculture, fisheries management, and more.
Study Abroad Opportunities
The College of Law’s summer legal studies programs take students to gain a more holistic appreciation and understanding of law by immersing them in the legal systems and cultures of Spetses, Greece, or Vienna, Austria.
Student Life
Student Organizations
Students at the College of Law have wonderful opportunities to balance classwork with rewarding and meaningful student activities. Students gain leadership skills, learn about the application of the law, pursue areas of interest, and develop peer networks through engagement with co-curricular activities. With many active student organizations, our law students can explore a range of interest areas throughout law school.
Students have formed more than 20 different law student organizations. Current students who are interested in joining a student organization and learning more can attend the student organization fair at the beginning of fall semester and look out for programming throughout the academic year on the events calendar.
Law Journals
The College of Law has three student-run law journals each focusing on particular legal topics. The Loyola Law Review was formed in 1920 and annually publishes one volume of two issues consisting of articles by professors, judges and practitioners, as well as student pieces in the form of casenotes on recent court opinions and comments on a specific issue or area of law. The Loyola Journal of Public Interest Law was founded in 1995 and seeks to create a forum for the discussion of legal issues faced by the poor, the elderly, children and all other individuals who may be unable to afford legal representation. Finally, the Loyola Maritime Law Journal was formed in 2002, is published bi-annually, and focuses on the fields of maritime, aviation, and space law.
Wellness, Health, & Safety
Our Jesuit tradition teaches that education occurs in the context of total human development. Our mission is to provide each student with the resources, support, and guidance necessary to achieve personal and professional success both while at the law school and beyond. Law school can be stressful. It can also be demanding—not just on the student, but also on friends and family, partners and children. Loyola has resources to help students manage personal, professional, and academic priorities, cope with anxiety and stress, and get the most out of their time at Loyola and in New Orleans.
Below are some of the student wellbeing services the university provides for College of Law students.
Accommodations and Accessibility
Loyola is committed to offering classes that are inclusive in their design, working to ensure that students with disabilities have access to education and campus life at Loyola. Through collaboration with the institution’s diverse community, the Office of Accessible Education facilitates accommodations, discourse, and engagement to promote a universally accessible learning environment for all.
Counseling Services
Loyola University New Orleans offers all students the resources of a full-service Counseling Center. Counseling services are also available by appointment at the law school.
Student Health Services
Student Health Services provides primary care treatment for and education about personal health issues for all Loyola students—residential and non-residential, full-time and part-time—who provide a complete medical history form. Treatment is confidential and free, though patients are responsible for any prescriptions, lab work, X-rays, or referred hospital services.
University Ministry—College of Law
University Ministry at the Law School seeks to provide spiritual services to the College of Law community. To do this, the University Ministry offers a wide range of events and services to the faculty, students, and staff of the law school.
Career Placement and Bar Passage
Tuition and Aid
| Expense | Cost |
|---|---|
| Tuition |
$56,124.00
|
| Fees |
$1,870.00
|
| Expected Cost of Attendance |
$87,432.00
|
Loyola Law offers several scholarship programs that help students manage the costs of legal education.
Ignatian Law Scholars
Ignatian Law Scholars recognizes particularly promising members of the entering law class, whose applications reflect the Jesuit commitment to academic excellence and service to others. Scholars receive a renewable dean scholarship and are assigned to mentors to help with the transition to law school and practice. In addition, Ignatian Scholars gather for special events each semester to get to know each other and other members of the law school community.
Dean’s Scholarships
Dean’s Scholarships are renewable merit-based awards offered to incoming, first-year students. All Dean Scholarship recipients are eligible for renewal.
Loyola Lagniappe
In keeping with the Louisiana tradition of lagniappe (LAN-yap) — a Cajun French word meaning “a little something extra” — the College of Law awards one-year scholarships to first-year students who earned an undergraduate degree from Loyola University New Orleans or from a Historically Black College or University.
Office of Financial Aid
The Office of Financial Aid is here to provide you with the financial tools and guidelines to help you obtain your law degree. Our office takes pride in providing law students with up-to-date information regarding loans and scholarships. Our staff is available by email, phone, or in person to assist you with any questions or concerns before, during, or after your time at Loyola.
Admission Decisions: Beyond the Numbers
The College of Law's Faculty Admissions and Scholarship Committee reviews applications for admission on a rolling basis. The committee takes a holistic approach in reviewing each application for admission. In addition to the standardized test scores (LSAT, GRE, and/or JD-Next) and undergraduate academic record, the committee also considers a candidate’s graduate and/or professional school record if applicable; letters of recommendation; personal statement; resume; employment, leadership, and life experiences; extracurricular involvement; community service; military service; character and fitness statements, if applicable; the LSAT writing sample or GRE Analytical Writing response; and, other explanatory or supporting addenda.
Scholarships are offered on a rolling basis, with a priority deadline of February 15. The College of Law is committed to creating a student body that embraces and represents a diversity of perspectives and backgrounds. Each application is reviewed in its entirety.
Admitted Applicant Profile
