University of Hawaii, Manoa, William S. Richardson School of Law Admission
University of Hawaii, Manoa, William S. Richardson School of Law Undergraduate Program
University of Hawaii, Manoa, William S. Richardson School of Law Application

The Facts

The University of Hawaii is a rather large, public institution located in the city of Honolulu, Hawaii, and has a combined graduate and undergraduate population of over 25,550 students. The university’s William S. Richardson School of Law, however, is significantly smaller, and is home to about 330 graduate law students. The average age of enrollment is around 25, and it is fairly rare for any of the students to enter the school directly from their undergraduate education. The school is perhaps best known for its huge amount of internship, externship, and clerkship opportunities, its connections within Hawaii’s professional and legal communities, as well as for its tremendous diversity. The school offers degrees in the 3 year JD, as well as combined degrees and specializations in the JD in environmental law, the JD in Pacific Asian legal studies, the JD in graduate ocean policy, the JD/MA, the JD/MBA, the JD/MS, the JD/MSW, as well as the JD/PhD. Some of the most popular programs of study include courses in the areas of environmental law as well as international law.

Admission to the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law is quite competitive among those who apply; last year, over 1,080 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 230 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 100 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming semester. The admitted students had an average LSAT score ranging from 154 to 160, as well as an average undergraduate GPA of about a 3.4. Students are notified of their admissions status on a rolling basis, and there is currently no early application program in place.

The Richardson School of Law has 38 faculty members, all of whom come from extremely diverse legal and professional backgrounds. Students rave about their political involvement, as well as their excellent teaching skills. They are always available to give assistance and are very dedicated to their students and to the school itself. The school has a very manageable student to faculty ratio of about 15:1, and the small classes allow for plenty of discussion and interaction between students and their professors.

Employment Facts

Students at the Richardson School of Law don’t seem terribly concerned about finding jobs after graduating. In fact, over 96% of the most recently graduating students were able to find jobs within a few months of receiving their degrees, and had an average starting salary of about $45,000. Students are most frequently hired by employers such as the Hawaii state judiciary, the state office of the prosecuting attorney, the public defender’s office, Ashford and Wriston, Bays Deaver et. al., Cades Schutte, Carlsmith Ball, as well as Goodsill Anderson Quinn and Stifel.

What's Good

“Everyone here is really passionate about what they do, and that enthusiasm is quite infectious.”

“There is a huge variety of classes and specializations here. You have a lot of choices.”

“The administration is actually very helpful when it comes to getting questions answered and problems solved.”

What's Bad

“There are the inevitable students who feel the need to get competitive.”

“The really good internships are really competitive to get into.”

“Some of the facilities could use a bit of work. They can get kind of cramped.”

Get assistance with your Law School essay or application.

• View our services
• Send a request now
• Read articles about applying to college