The School of Law at Boston University

Law School Admissions

Application

Director of admissions Alissa Leonard
Application deadline N/A
Full-time program application fee $75
Part-time program application fee N/A
Besides the fall semester, can enter in N/A

The School of Law at Boston University

Admissions & Enrollment (Overall)

Acceptance rate 19.7% – Low
Median undergraduate GPA for all program entrants 3.72
Median LSAT score for all program entrants 167

Admissions & Enrollment (Full-time)

Acceptance rate 19.7%
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) 163-167
Undergraduate GPA (25th-75th percentile) 3.5-3.78
Median undergraduate GPA for full-time program entrants 3.72
Median LSAT score for full-time program entrants 167

Admissions & Enrollment (Part-time)

Applicants N/A
Acceptance rate N/A
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) N/A
Undergraduate GPA (25th-75th percentile) N/A
Median undergraduate GPA for part-time program entrants N/A
Median LSAT score for part-time program entrants N/A

Law School Academics

Academic Program Details

Academic calendar Semester
Joint degrees offered
J.D./M.B.A. Management J.D./M.A. Preservation Studies
J.D./M.P.H. J.D./M.A. Philosophy
J.D./M.S. Communications J.D./LL.M. Banking and Financial Law
J.D./M.A. International Relations J.D./LL.M. M.B.A. Health Sector Mgmt
J.D./LL.M . Tax
Special programs offered to J.D. students (as provided by the school)
We offer several clinics in each of these areas: criminal law, civil litigation (employment, housing, family and disability law), immigration law, human rights, and legislative process. We also offer six externship programs, including a full-time program for placements away from Boston. We have 17 academic-year programs that allow students to study at leading universities around the world.
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 192
Seminars 74
Positions available in seminars 1,373
Positions available in simulation courses 492
Positions available in faculty-supervised clinical courses 192
Student activities (as provided by the school)
Have 6 student-edited journals including law review and those specializing in law & medicine, international law, banking & finance, public-interest law, science & technology; have 5 in-school competitions for moot court, negotiation, client counseling; sponsor 7 teams to compete in national competition; have over 25 organizations on substantive interests in legal study.

Curricular Offerings (Full-time)

Typical first-year full-time section size taught by full-time faculty (excludes small sections) 89
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” 45
Positions filled in full-time program seminars 1,077
Positions filled in full-time program simulation courses 424
Positions filled in faculty-supervised full-time program clinical courses 140
Full-time students involved in field placements 113
Full-time students involved in law journals 319
Full-time students involved in advanced moot court or trial competitions 46
Full-time students enrolled in independent study 62

Curricular Offerings (Part-time)

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

Faculty Profile (Fall 2011)

Student-faculty ratio 12.2:1 – Medium
Full- and part-time faculty 143
Full-time minority faculty 12.7%
Part-time minority faculty 11.4%
Total faculty 156
Total faculty (men) 63.5%
Total faculty (women) 36.5%
Total faculty (minorities) 11.5%

Class Size

Law School Ranking

#26 Best Law Schools

(4) Ranking by Specialties

#5 in Healthcare Law
#8 in Intellectual Property Law
#18 in Law Firms Rank Schools
#6 in Tax Law

Law Ranking Scores

Score 67
Peer assessment score (out of 5) 3.4
Assessment score by lawyers/judges (out of 5) 3.8
GPA (25th-75th percentile) 3.5-3.78
Median undergraduate GPA for all program entrants 3.72
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) 163-167
Median LSAT score for all program entrants 167
Acceptance rate 19.7% – Low
Student-faculty ratio 12.2:1 – Medium
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 82.8% – High
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 86.8% – Medium
Bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 96.9% – High
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar MA
Statewide bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 88.2%

Law School Student Body

Student Body (Overall)

Total Enrolled 799

Student Body (Full-time)

Enrollment (full-time) 799

Student Body (Part-time)

Enrollment (part-time) N/A
Gender distribution (part-time) N/A

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

First-year students discontinuing law school 6.0%
Second-year students discontinuing law school N/A
Third-year students discontinuing law school 0.7%
Fourth-year students discontinuing law school N/A
Male students discontinuing law school 2.4%
Female students discontinuing law school 1.9%

Law School Cost

Financial Aid Contact Information

Financial aid director Alissa Leonard
Financial aid phone (617) 353-3160
Financial aid application deadline March 1

Expenses

Tuition and fees
Full-time: $42,654 per year
Room and board $12,070
Books $1,374
Miscellaneous expenses $4,174
Is the tuition the same for first-, second-, and third-year students? Yes
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 39.7%
Students receiving grants of one-half tuition or more but less than full 27.0%
Students receiving grants of full tuition 0.8%
Students receiving grants of more than full tuition 1.4%
Median grant amount $15,000
Grant range (25th–75th percentile) $10,000–$25,000
Full-time students receiving grants 68.8%

Grants (Part-time students)

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

Indebtedness

Average indebtedness of 2011 graduates who incurred law school debt $108,267
Proportion who borrowed 87.9%
Does the school offer a loan repayment assistance program for 2011 J.D. graduates? Yes

Law School Library

Library Information Resources

Print titles (excluding nonbook titles) 96,619
Microform titles 150,886
Electronic titles 504,773
Other non-book titles 305
Total titles 752,583
Volumes (excluding microforms) 345,981
Volume equivalent microforms 328,501
Total volumes and volume equivalents 674,482
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 102
Number of hours per week professional staff are on duty on a regular schedule 73
Number of hours per week only full-time support staff are on duty on a regular schedule 27
Number of hours per week only students or other part-time staff are on duty on a regular schedule 2
Number of hours of reference service provided per week on a regular schedule 71
Number of weeks per year library operates on an abbreviated schedule 14
Number of hours per week library is open on an abbreviated schedule 40
Number of hours per week professional staff are on duty are on an abbreviated schedule 40
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 0
Number of hours of reference service provided per week on an abbreviated schedule 40
Number of weeks per year library operates on expanded schedule 9

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) 8
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 37,138
Total seats available for library users 600
Details about the library and other facilities (as provided by the school) The library has one of the largest legal research collections with over 750,000 titles and over 670,000 volumes in various formats. It offers a fully automated environment for conducting legal and interdisciplinary research. The library is staffed by experienced lawyer-librarians who provide research instruction and training in the use of all research resources.

Law School Careers

Bar Statistics (Winter and Summer 2010 administrations)

State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar MA
Bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 96.9% – High
Statewide bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 88.2%

Class of 2010 Graduates

Total graduates 273
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 82.8%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 86.8%

Class of 2010 Graduates-Class Breakdown at Graduation

Graduates whose employment status is unknown 0.4%
Graduates whose employment status is known 99.6%
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 82.8%
Graduates known to be enrolled in a full-time degree program 4.4%
Graduates known to be unemployed and seeking work 11.0%
Graduates known to be unemployed and not seeking work 1.5%

Class of 2010 Graduates-Class Breakdown at Nine Months

Graduates whose employment status is unknown 0.4%
Graduates whose employment status is known 99.6%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 86.8%
Graduates known to be enrolled in a full-time degree program 2.9%
Graduates known to be unemployed and seeking work 7.0%
Graduates known to be unemployed and not seeking work 2.9%

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

25th percentile private sector starting salary $140,500
Median private sector starting salary $145,000
75th percentile private sector starting salary $160,000
Percent in the private sector who reported salary information 31%
Median public service starting salary $54,838

Areas of Legal Practice (Class of 2010)

Percent employed in academia 8.9%
Percent employed in business and industry 8.0%
Percent employed in government 8.9%
Percent employed in all judicial clerkships 8.0%
Percent employed in law firms 57.0%
Percent employed in public interest 9.3%
Percent employed in an unknown field 0.0%

Employment Location (Class of 2010)

Graduates employed in-state 49%
Graduates employed out-of-state 50.2%
Graduates employed in foreign countries 1%
Number of states where graduates are employed 25
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) 51.9%
Middle Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA) 24.9%
East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) 3.4%
West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) 0.0%
South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) 8.4%
East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) 0.8%
West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) 0.4%
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) 6.8%
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY) 2.1%
Employment location unknown 0.0%

Career Services

(Data appear as originally submitted by this school)

Career services operations Staffed by 7 attorneys,4 administrators,and PT attorney advisers. Students have access to hundreds of employers through on-and off-campus recruiting as well as resume collections.Assistance is provided through individual advising, resume writing, interviewing and networking techniques and numerous programs, featuring practicing attorneys.The office maintains extensive career-related resources.

Job Type

Bar admission required/anticipated (e.g., attorney and corporate counsel positions, law clerks, judicial clerks) N/A
Bar admission required/anticipated – percent employed in full-time positions N/A
J.D. preferred, law degree enhances position (e.g., corporate contracts administrator, alternative dispute resolution specialist, government regulatory analyst, FBI special agent) N/A
J.D. preferred – percent employed in full-time positions N/A
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) N/A
Professional other – percent employed in full-time positions N/A
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) N/A
Non-professional other – percent employed in full-time positions N/A