Overview
Rotunda at night

At a Glance

Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson in Charlottesville, Virginia, UVA Law is the second-oldest continuously operating law school in the United States.

National standing: The Law School is perennially ranked among the top 10 law schools.

UVA is a public school, though the Law School does not receive state funding, through an agreement called financial self-sufficiency.

Students walk down the hall

Enrollment

J.D. enrollment (as of Oct. 5, 2023): 911

50.8% women; 48.7% men; 0.4% nonbinary, transgender or gender-nonconforming

33.7% people of color (not including people of Middle Eastern descent, who are counted as Caucasian by the ABA)

2022-23 degrees awarded: 284 J.D.s, 40 LL.M.s

Students have class on the lawn

Applications

J.D. application due: March 1
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LL.M. application deadline: Feb. 1
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S.J.D. application deadline: April 1
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Students in class

Academics

Academic year: Semester | View Calendar

Degree programs: Juris Doctor (J.D.), Master of Laws (LL.M.), Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.)

14 dual-degree programs at UVA and 4 external degree programs

More than 250 courses each year, including 24 clinics

11 international exchange programs

26 centers and programs

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Students eat lunch

Student Life

The 2023 Princeton Review rankings rated UVA Law as No. 1 in Quality of LifeNo. 2 in Best Career Prospects and No. 4 for Best ProfessorsBest Classroom Experience and Best for Federal Clerkships.

Student-faculty ratio: 6.4 to 1 (as of fall 2023)

Student-run academic journals: 10

Student organizations: 73, including 20 affinity groups

Video: Life at UVA Law

Student leaves an interview room as another student walks in.

Careers at a Glance

No. 1 in the percentage of Class of 2022 graduates in full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar passage.

Virginia is No. 5 in the percentage of Class of 2022 graduates who went directly to firms of 100 or more attorneys or to federal clerkships.

No. 5 after Harvard, Yale, Stanford and Chicago in placing clerks on the U.S. Supreme Court from 2007-2023.

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Cupola

Alumni and Giving

UVA Law has more than 20,000 alumni worldwide.

Endowment: As of June 30, 2023, the market value of the endowments and quasi-endowments held for the benefit of the Law School was $831 million.

Path at UVA Law School

The Grounds

The Law School is located on North Grounds, about a mile from the UVA campus and next door to the Darden Graduate School of Business and the North Grounds Recreation Center. The Law School has a full-service dining room that is available for lunch during the school year.

The three-floor library includes 726,592 volumes and volume equivalents (as of Oct. 5, 2019).

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Downtown music pavilion

The City

Charlottesville is known for offering the best of urban amenities within a gorgeous natural setting.

Charlottesville population: 45,373 (2022 estimate)

Charlottesville metropolitan area: 223,534 (2022 estimate)

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