The Law Center at University of Houston

Law School Admissions

Application

Director of admissions Jamie West
Application deadline February 15
Full-time program application fee $70
Part-time program application fee $70
Besides the fall semester, can enter in N/A

The Law Center at University of Houston

Admissions & Enrollment (Overall)

Acceptance rate 26.9% – Low
Median undergraduate GPA for all program entrants 3.42
Median LSAT score for all program entrants 161

Admissions & Enrollment (Full-time)

Acceptance rate 29.1%
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) 159-164
Undergraduate GPA (25th-75th percentile) 3.22-3.61
Median undergraduate GPA for full-time program entrants 3.43
Median LSAT score for full-time program entrants 162

Admissions & Enrollment (Part-time)

Acceptance rate 16.5%
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) 160-162
Undergraduate GPA (25th-75th percentile) 2.9-3.53
Median undergraduate GPA for part-time program entrants 3.28
Median LSAT score for part-time program entrants 160

Law School Academics

Academic Program Details

Academic calendar Semester
Joint degrees offered
J.D./M.B.A. J.D./M.S.W.
J.D./M.P.H. J.D./Ph.D. Medical Humanities
J.D./Ph.D. Criminal Justice J.D./M.D.
J.D./M.A. History
Special programs offered to J.D. students (as provided by the school)
Nationally ranked programs include our Health Law & Policy Institute and the nation’s largest and most comprehensive health law curriculum; and Institute for Intellectual Property & Information Law. Other top programs include the Blakely Advocacy Institute (15 mock trial and moot court titles since 2004) and the Center for Consumer Law, which administers the Texas Consumer Complaint Center.
Programs/courses offered in
appellate advocacy intellectual property law
clinical training international law
dispute resolution tax law
environmental law trial advocacy
health care law

Curricular Offerings (Overall)

Classroom course titles, beyond the first-year curriculum, offered last year 219
Seminars 20
Positions available in seminars 284
Positions available in simulation courses 235
Positions available in faculty-supervised clinical courses 235
Student activities (as provided by the school)
Student-run journals: Environmental & Energy Law & Policy Journal; Houston Business and Tax Law Journal; Houston Journal of Health Law & Policy; Houston Journal of International Law; Houston Law Review; and Journal of Consumer & Commercial Law. Students learn first-hand in clinical settings, and we administer a robust judicial clerkship and externship program. 40+ student groups on campus.

Curricular Offerings (Full-time)

Typical first-year full-time section size taught by full-time faculty (excludes small sections) 70
Is there typically a full-time “small section” of the first-year class taught by full-time faculty (excluding Legal Writing)? Yes
Typical size of first-year “small section” 35
Positions filled in full-time program seminars 199
Positions filled in full-time program simulation courses 92
Positions filled in faculty-supervised full-time program clinical courses 92
Full-time students involved in field placements 258
Full-time students involved in law journals 125
Full-time students involved in advanced moot court or trial competitions 80
Full-time students enrolled in independent study 28

Curricular Offerings (Part-time)

Typical first-year part-time section size taught by full-time faculty (excludes small sections) 50
Is there typically a part-time “small section” of the first-year class taught by full-time faculty (excluding Legal Writing)? Yes
Positions filled in part-time program seminars 37
Positions filled in part-time program simulation courses 12
Positions filled in faculty-supervised part-time program clinical courses 12
Part-time students involved in field placements 12
Part-time students involved in law journals 14
Part-time students involved in advanced moot court or trial competitions 13
Part-time students enrolled in independent study 19

Faculty Profile (Fall 2011)

Student-faculty ratio 11.2:1 – Low
Full- and part-time faculty 273
Full-time minority faculty 15.8%
Part-time minority faculty 25.8%
Total faculty 282
Total faculty (men) 73.0%
Total faculty (women) 27.0%
Total faculty (minorities) 20.9%

Class Size

Law School Ranking

#57 Best Law Schools

(4) Ranking by Specialties

#8 in Healthcare Law
#4 in Intellectual Property Law
#58 in Law Firms Rank Schools
#11 in Part-time Law

Law Ranking Scores

Score 53
Peer assessment score (out of 5) 2.6
Assessment score by lawyers/judges (out of 5) 3.1
GPA (25th-75th percentile) 3.16-3.6
Median undergraduate GPA for all program entrants 3.42
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) 157-163
Median LSAT score for all program entrants 161
Acceptance rate 26.9% – Low
Student-faculty ratio 11.2:1 – Low
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 82.4% – High
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 91.9% – High
Bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 89.4% – Medium
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar TX
Statewide bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 82.5%

Law School Student Body

Student Body (Overall)

Total Enrolled 830

Student Body (Full-time)

Enrollment (full-time) 676

Student Body (Part-time)

Enrollment (part-time) 154

Attrition Rates for Full- and Part-time Students (2010-2011)

First-year students discontinuing law school 0.4%
Second-year students discontinuing law school 4.2%
Third-year students discontinuing law school 1.3%
Fourth-year students discontinuing law school N/A
Male students discontinuing law school 1.6%
Female students discontinuing law school 2.1%

Law School Cost

Financial Aid Contact Information

Financial aid director Laura Neal
Financial aid phone (713) 743-2269
Financial aid application deadline April 1

Expenses

Tuition and fees
Full-time: $28,130 per year (in-state)
Full-time: $38,805 per year (out-of-state)
Part-time: $19,889 per year (in-state)
Part-time: $27,006 per year (out-of-state)
Room and board $9,800
Books $1,200
Miscellaneous expenses $5,122
Is the tuition the same for first-, second-, and third-year students? No
Does the university offer housing restricted to law students? No
Does the university offer graduate student housing for which law students are eligible? Yes
Does the university offer a public-interest scholarship program to current J.D. students? Yes

Grants (Full-time students)

Students receiving grants of less than one-half tuition 67.8%
Students receiving grants of one-half tuition or more but less than full 5.6%
Students receiving grants of full tuition 0.1%
Students receiving grants of more than full tuition 0.1%
Median grant amount $2,200
Grant range (25th–75th percentile) $2,000–$5,000
Full-time students receiving grants 73.7%

Grants (Part-time students)

Students receiving grants of less than one-half tuition 0.0%
Students receiving grants of one-half tuition or more but less than full 0.0%
Students receiving grants of full tuition 0.0%
Students receiving grants of more than full tuition 0.0%
Median grant amount $0
Grant range (25th–75th percentile) $0–$0
Part-time students receiving grants 0.0%

Indebtedness

Average indebtedness of 2011 graduates who incurred law school debt $75,387
Proportion who borrowed 77.9%
Does the school offer a loan repayment assistance program for 2011 J.D. graduates? No

Law School Library

Library Information Resources

Print titles (excluding nonbook titles) 63,561
Microform titles 37,152
Electronic titles 23,263
Other non-book titles 281
Total titles 124,257
Volumes (excluding microforms) 278,032
Volume equivalent microforms 282,971
Total volumes and volume equivalents 554,954
Number of volumes in the collection that are stored off site and are systematically retrievable 0
Library’s online catalog or website includes links to electronic titles or databases made available by another campus library or consortia Yes

Library Schedule of Operation

Number of hours per week library is open on a regular schedule 168
Number of hours per week professional staff are on duty on a regular schedule 78
Number of hours per week only full-time support staff are on duty on a regular schedule 0
Number of hours per week only students or other part-time staff are on duty on a regular schedule 29
Number of hours of reference service provided per week on a regular schedule 73
Number of weeks per year library operates on an abbreviated schedule 8
Number of hours per week library is open on an abbreviated schedule 168
Number of hours per week professional staff are on duty are on an abbreviated schedule 45
Number of hours per week only full-time support staff are on duty on an abbreviated schedule 0
Number of hours per week only students or other part-time staff are on duty on an abbreviated schedule 8
Number of hours of reference service provided per week on an abbreviated schedule 40
Number of weeks per year library operates on expanded schedule 0

Information Technology

Department(s) responsible for the law school information technology operations law school information technology department, university information technology department
Approximate number of full-time-equivalent information technology staff (excluding hourly students and other temporary staff) 9
Number of open, wired network connections available to students in the law library (excluding computer labs) 0
Number of open, wired network connections available to students in classrooms 0
Number of open, wired network connections available to students in computer labs 0
Number of open, wired network connections available to students elsewhere in the law school 0
Does the law school have a wireless network? Yes
Wireless network is available in the law library, in classrooms, in computer labs, in administrative/faculty offices and work areas, elsewhere in the law school
Does the school require entering students to own a computer? No

Physical Library Facilities

Net square feet of space assigned for library purposes 61,480
Total seats available for library users 546
Details about the library and other facilities (as provided by the school) Our O’Quinn Law Library is a U.S. government depository for all federal publications in selected subjects. We maintain the Frankel Rare Books Library and special collections for health law and higher education law. Broad wireless connectivity ensures easy access to online databases, and our students consistently rank among the heaviest users of online information among U.S. law schools.

Law School Careers

Bar Statistics (Winter and Summer 2010 administrations)

State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar TX
Bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 89.4% – Medium
Statewide bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 82.5%

Class of 2010 Graduates

Total graduates 284
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 82.4%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 91.9%

Class of 2010 Graduates-Class Breakdown at Graduation

Graduates whose employment status is unknown 4.2%
Graduates whose employment status is known 95.8%
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 82.4%
Graduates known to be enrolled in a full-time degree program 1.4%
Graduates known to be unemployed and seeking work 10.6%
Graduates known to be unemployed and not seeking work 1.4%

Class of 2010 Graduates-Class Breakdown at Nine Months

Graduates whose employment status is unknown 0.7%
Graduates whose employment status is known 99.3%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 91.9%
Graduates known to be enrolled in a full-time degree program 1.8%
Graduates known to be unemployed and seeking work 2.1%
Graduates known to be unemployed and not seeking work 3.5%

Starting Salaries of Graduates Employed Full-time (Class of 2010)

25th percentile private sector starting salary $56,000
Median private sector starting salary $80,000
75th percentile private sector starting salary $140,000
Percent in the private sector who reported salary information 80%
Median public service starting salary $54,381

Areas of Legal Practice (Class of 2010)

Percent employed in academia 1.9%
Percent employed in business and industry 23.0%
Percent employed in government 9.2%
Percent employed in all judicial clerkships 4.2%
Percent employed in law firms 57.5%
Percent employed in public interest 4.2%
Percent employed in an unknown field 0.0%

Employment Location (Class of 2010)

Graduates employed in-state 92%
Graduates employed out-of-state 7.7%
Graduates employed in foreign countries 0.4%
Number of states where graduates are employed 10
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) 0.0%
Middle Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA) 0.0%
East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) 0.0%
West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) 0.4%
South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) 3.8%
East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) 0.0%
West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) 92.7%
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) 1.9%
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY) 0.8%
Employment location unknown 0.0%

Career Services

(Data appear as originally submitted by this school)

Career services operations The cornerstone of our placement office is superior career counseling designed to enable students to explore career options and develop job searching skills. Through counseling, panel discussions, networking receptions, workshops, job fairs, and partnership with the surrounding legal community we promote numerous legal and non-legal employment opportunities to our students.

Job Type

Bar admission required/anticipated (e.g., attorney and corporate counsel positions, law clerks, judicial clerks) 77.4%
Bar admission required/anticipated – percent employed in full-time positions 96.5%
J.D. preferred, law degree enhances position (e.g., corporate contracts administrator, alternative dispute resolution specialist, government regulatory analyst, FBI special agent) 15.3%
J.D. preferred – percent employed in full-time positions 82.5%
Professional other (jobs that require professional skills or training but for which a J.D. is neither preferred nor particularly applicable; e.g., accountant, teacher, business manager, nurse) 6.5%
Professional other – percent employed in full-time positions 82.4%
Non-professional other (job that does not require any professional skills or training or is taken on a temporary basis and not viewed as part of a career path) 0.8%
Non-professional other – percent employed in full-time positions 50.0%