The Sturm College of Law at University of Denver

Law School Admissions

Application

Director of admissions Iain Davis
Application deadline June 1
Full-time program application fee $65
Part-time program application fee $65
Besides the fall semester, can enter in N/A

The Sturm College of Law at University of Denver

Admissions & Enrollment (Overall)

Acceptance rate 40.7% – Medium
Median undergraduate GPA for all program entrants 3.49
Median LSAT score for all program entrants 159

Admissions & Enrollment (Full-time)

Acceptance rate 41.3%
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) 155-162
Undergraduate GPA (25th-75th percentile) 3.16-3.64
Median undergraduate GPA for full-time program entrants 3.50
Median LSAT score for full-time program entrants 160

Admissions & Enrollment (Part-time)

Acceptance rate 35.2%
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) 153-159
Undergraduate GPA (25th-75th percentile) 3.28-3.66
Median undergraduate GPA for part-time program entrants 3.48
Median LSAT score for part-time program entrants 157

Law School Academics

Academic Program Details

Academic calendar Semester
Joint degrees offered
J.D./M.B.A. J.D./L.L.M. TAX
J.D./M.A. International Studies J.D./M.P.P.
J.D./M.S.W. J.D./M.A. Mass Communications
J.D./M.A. Philosophy J.D./M.S. Computer Science
J.D./M.A. Economics J.D./R.E.C.M.
J.D./M.I.M. JD/G.S.I.S.
J.D./M.S.L.A. JD/Business General
J.D./PSY JD/Theology
Special programs offered to J.D. students (as provided by the school)
DU offers students an externship program including over 400 placements a year & summer international externships particularly in Latin America; JD specializations in International Law,Workplace Law,Business/Commercial Law,Constitutional Rights & Remedies, Lawyering in Spanish & Environmental and Natural Resources Law & an LL.M. in Environmental & Natural Resources;& extensive clinical programs.
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 208
Seminars 20
Positions available in seminars 373
Positions available in simulation courses 403
Positions available in faculty-supervised clinical courses 135
Student activities (as provided by the school)
Students actively participate in a variety of law reviews and groups. Law journals include the Denver Law Review, and The Water Law Review. Some representative student groups include Moot Court Board, competitive trial teams, Public Interest Law Group, NALSA, BALSA, Latino Law Student Association, Outlaws, SBA, Business Law, Natural Resources and Environmental Law Sociey, ADR,Children’s Rights.

Curricular Offerings (Full-time)

Typical first-year full-time section size taught by full-time faculty (excludes small sections) 80
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” 40
Positions filled in full-time program seminars 323
Positions filled in full-time program simulation courses 348
Positions filled in faculty-supervised full-time program clinical courses 127
Full-time students involved in field placements 397
Full-time students involved in law journals 176
Full-time students involved in advanced moot court or trial competitions 66
Full-time students enrolled in independent study 88

Curricular Offerings (Part-time)

Typical first-year part-time section size taught by full-time faculty (excludes small sections) 60
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 50
Positions filled in part-time program simulation courses 55
Positions filled in faculty-supervised part-time program clinical courses 8
Part-time students involved in field placements 34
Part-time students involved in law journals 18
Part-time students involved in advanced moot court or trial competitions 7
Part-time students enrolled in independent study 20

Faculty Profile (Fall 2011)

Student-faculty ratio 11.7:1 – Low
Full- and part-time faculty 101
Full-time minority faculty 31.8%
Part-time minority faculty 7.0%
Total faculty 131
Total faculty (men) 64.9%
Total faculty (women) 35.1%
Total faculty (minorities) 16.0%

Class Size

Law School Ranking

#69 Best Law Schools

(7) Ranking by Specialties

#12 in Clinical Training
#17 in Environmental Law
#67 in Law Firms Rank Schools
#16 in Legal Writing
#13 in Part-time Law
#21 in Tax Law
#11 in Trial Advocacy

Law Ranking Scores

Score 48
Peer assessment score (out of 5) 2.6
Assessment score by lawyers/judges (out of 5) 3.1
GPA (25th-75th percentile) 3.17-3.64
Median undergraduate GPA for all program entrants 3.49
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) 155-161
Median LSAT score for all program entrants 159
Acceptance rate 40.7% – Medium
Student-faculty ratio 11.7:1 – Low
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 48.7% – Medium
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 82.4% – Medium
Bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 86.2% – Medium
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar CO
Statewide bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 82.7%

Law School Student Body

Student Body (Overall)

Total Enrolled 946

Student Body (Full-time)

Enrollment (full-time) 769

Student Body (Part-time)

Enrollment (part-time) 177

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

First-year students discontinuing law school 4.7%
Second-year students discontinuing law school 4.5%
Third-year students discontinuing law school 0.4%
Fourth-year students discontinuing law school N/A
Male students discontinuing law school 3.6%
Female students discontinuing law school 3.0%

Law School Cost

Financial Aid Contact Information

Financial aid director Kasia Palm
Financial aid phone (303) 871-6362
Financial aid application deadline N/A

Expenses

Tuition and fees
Full-time: $38,502 per year
Part-time: $28,382 per year
Room and board $10,222
Books $2,000
Miscellaneous expenses $4,931
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 28.6%
Students receiving grants of one-half tuition or more but less than full 13.3%
Students receiving grants of full tuition 6.2%
Students receiving grants of more than full tuition 0.3%
Median grant amount $17,000
Grant range (25th–75th percentile) $10,000–$22,000
Full-time students receiving grants 48.4%

Grants (Part-time students)

Students receiving grants of less than one-half tuition 18.6%
Students receiving grants of one-half tuition or more but less than full 6.8%
Students receiving grants of full tuition 1.1%
Students receiving grants of more than full tuition 0.0%
Median grant amount $10,000
Grant range (25th–75th percentile) $5,000–$15,000
Part-time students receiving grants 26.6%

Indebtedness

Average indebtedness of 2011 graduates who incurred law school debt $119,056
Proportion who borrowed 87.8%
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) 82,490
Microform titles 118,639
Electronic titles 42,535
Other non-book titles 1,250
Total titles 244,914
Volumes (excluding microforms) 241,077
Volume equivalent microforms 178,930
Total volumes and volume equivalents 420,007
Number of volumes in the collection that are stored off site and are systematically retrievable 37,976
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 108
Number of hours per week professional staff are on duty on a regular schedule 62
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 44
Number of hours of reference service provided per week on a regular schedule 57
Number of weeks per year library operates on an abbreviated schedule 5
Number of hours per week library is open on an abbreviated schedule 70
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 20
Number of hours of reference service provided per week on an abbreviated schedule 40
Number of weeks per year library operates on expanded schedule 4

Information Technology

Department(s) responsible for the law school information technology operations law school information technology department
Approximate number of full-time-equivalent information technology staff (excluding hourly students and other temporary staff) 7
Number of open, wired network connections available to students in the law library (excluding computer labs) 167
Number of open, wired network connections available to students in classrooms 878
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 490
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? Yes

Physical Library Facilities

Net square feet of space assigned for library purposes 36,000
Total seats available for library users 333
Details about the library and other facilities (as provided by the school) First Law School to conform to US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environment Design certifications: 210,000 sq. ft. of classroom, library and meeting space, 17 classrooms, 120-seat lecture hall, 9 seminar rooms, 31 group study rooms, smart classrooms w/ Internet and power connections at every seat, state-of-the-art moot court room; library occupies 35,000 sq.ft. on 3 floors.

Law School Careers

Bar Statistics (Winter and Summer 2010 administrations)

State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar CO
Bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 86.2% – Medium
Statewide bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 82.7%

Class of 2010 Graduates

Total graduates 347
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 48.7%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 82.4%

Class of 2010 Graduates-Class Breakdown at Graduation

Graduates whose employment status is unknown 9.2%
Graduates whose employment status is known 90.8%
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 48.7%
Graduates known to be enrolled in a full-time degree program 4.9%
Graduates known to be unemployed and seeking work 25.9%
Graduates known to be unemployed and not seeking work 11.2%

Class of 2010 Graduates-Class Breakdown at Nine Months

Graduates whose employment status is unknown 1.4%
Graduates whose employment status is known 98.6%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 82.4%
Graduates known to be enrolled in a full-time degree program 5.5%
Graduates known to be unemployed and seeking work 8.6%
Graduates known to be unemployed and not seeking work 2.0%

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

25th percentile private sector starting salary $50,000
Median private sector starting salary $79,250
75th percentile private sector starting salary $100,000
Percent in the private sector who reported salary information 36%
Median public service starting salary $50,000

Areas of Legal Practice (Class of 2010)

Percent employed in academia 3.5%
Percent employed in business and industry 18.9%
Percent employed in government 22.0%
Percent employed in all judicial clerkships 8.7%
Percent employed in law firms 38.8%
Percent employed in public interest 7.0%
Percent employed in an unknown field 1.0%

Employment Location (Class of 2010)

Graduates employed in-state 79%
Graduates employed out-of-state 16.4%
Graduates employed in foreign countries 1%
Number of states where graduates are employed 19
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) 0.3%
Middle Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA) 1.4%
East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) 0.3%
West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) 0.7%
South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) 2.8%
East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) 0.0%
West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) 2.4%
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) 5.6%
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY) 81.8%
Employment location unknown 3.8%

Career Services

(Data appear as originally submitted by this school)

Career services operations One-on-one services as well as school-wide events, programs and workshops including networking events, Mock Interview Day, Career Fair, Corporate Internship Program, OCI, presentations for career options and how to obtain a job; Expand networking contacts and potential employers by conducting employer outreach locally and nationally.

Job Type

Bar admission required/anticipated (e.g., attorney and corporate counsel positions, law clerks, judicial clerks) 77.6%
Bar admission required/anticipated – percent employed in full-time positions 89.2%
J.D. preferred, law degree enhances position (e.g., corporate contracts administrator, alternative dispute resolution specialist, government regulatory analyst, FBI special agent) 7.7%
J.D. preferred – percent employed in full-time positions 81.8%
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) 7.0%
Professional other – percent employed in full-time positions 80.0%
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) 3.8%
Non-professional other – percent employed in full-time positions 45.5%