Ave Maria School of Law Admission
Ave Maria School of Law Undergraduate Program
Ave Maria School of Law Application

The Facts

The Ave Maria School of Law is a rather small, private institution located in the town of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and is affiliated with the Roman Catholic church. The school is only a law school, and is not affiliated with a larger university. The school of law has about 302 graduate law students, and the average age of enrollment is around 26. It is quite rare for students to enter the school directly from their undergraduate education. The school is perhaps best known for its emphasis on ethics, as well as for its strong Catholic influence. In fact, most classes begin with a prayer or a Hail Mary. The school offers degrees in the 3 year JD program only, as it is a fairly new school, and hasn't had the time to really build up its curriculum yet. The school does have plenty of internship, externship and clerkship opportunities, as well as frequent seminars and guest lecturers. The core requirements include courses in the areas of jurisprudence, law, ethics, public policy, as well as moral foundations of the law.

Admission to the Ave Maria School of Law is not terrifically competitive among the relatively few students who apply, however, those who do apply tend to be quite accomplished. Last year, over 793 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 540 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 146 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming semester. The admitted students had an average LSAT score ranging from 152 to 161, as well as an average undergraduate GPA of about a 3.2. Students are notified of their admissions status on a rolling basis, and there is currently no early application program in place.

The Ave Maria School of Law has 38 faculty members, and students agree that they are really the best aspect of the school. They are always available to students, and truly care about their success and well-being. In addition, they have plenty of experience, and great professional and personal advice to give. The school has a very manageable student to faculty ratio of 14:1, and the small classes allow for plenty of interaction and discussion between students and their professors.

Employment Facts

Students at the Ave Maria School of Law have frequently complained that the school doesn't do a good enough job of attracting firms to the school to recruit students. However, over 83% of the most currently graduating class were able to find jobs within the first few months of receiving their degrees, and had an average starting salary of about $50,800. Students are most frequently hired by employers such as business and industry organizations, government agencies, judicial clerkships, as well as private practice firms.

What's Good

"The faculty here is incredible for their availability, and for how much they truly care about us."

"It's nice to be at such a small school where you know everyone and everyone knows you."

"I really like the emphasis on the ethics of law. I think it's a much overlooked subject nowadays."

What's Bad

"There is never any parking around school, and there's really no point in brining your car."

"There is no housing available through the school, and it can be very expensive otherwise."

"The school is very very new, so law firms don't really know about it yet, and don't come here to recruit."

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