Vanderbilt University, Law School Admission
Vanderbilt University, Law School Undergraduate Program
Vanderbilt University, Law School Application

The Facts

Vanderbilt University is a rather large, private institution located in the city of Nashville, Tennessee, and has a combined graduate and undergraduate population of over 12,000 students. The university's Law School, however, is significantly smaller, and is home to about 632 graduate law students. The average age of enrollment is around 24, 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 clout within the national legal job market, its emphasis on practical legal skills as well as theory, and its excellent research resources. The school offers degrees in the 1 year LLM, the 3 year JD, as well as combined degrees in the JD/MBA, the JD/MA, the JD/PhD, the JD/MDiv, the JD/MTS, the JD/MD, the JD/MPP, as well as the LLM/MA in Latin American studies. Some of the most popular programs of study include courses in the areas of civil procedure, commercial law, constitutional law, corporation securities law, criminal law, environmental law, government services, human rights law, intellectual property law, international law, labor law, legal history, legal philosophy, property, as well as taxation.

Admission to the university's Law School is extremely competitive among the many students who apply; last year, over 3,770 students apply for admission to the school, and approximately 763 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 227 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming semester. The admitted students had an average LSAT score ranging from 164 to 166, as well as an average undergraduate GPA of about a 3.6. Students are notified of their admissions status on a rolling basis, and are able to take advantage of the school's early application program if they so choose.

The Law School has 67 faculty members, all of whom come from very diverse legal and professional backgrounds. In general, students rave about the approachability and accessibility of their professors, saying that they are usually quite willing to give students the help and support they need. The school has a very manageable student to faculty ratio of about a 16:1, and the small classes allow for plenty of discussion and interaction between students and their professors.

Employment Facts

Students at the Law School don't seem terribly concerned about finding jobs after graduating; in fact, over 98% of the most recently graduating students were able to find jobs within the first few months of receiving their degree, and had an average starting salary of about $100,674. Students are most frequently hired by employers such as King and Spalding, Alston and Bird, Sherman and Sterling, Kirkland and Ellis, Bass Berry and Sims, Waller Lansden Dortch and Davis, as well as Locke Liddell and Sapp.

What's Good

"The school has a flawless reputation, and it definitely helps in terms of finding a job after leaving."

"The professors all have incredible experience under their belt, as well as amazing advice to give along with it."

"The city is a wonderful place to study law; there is plenty to do, and many connections to make."

What's Bad

"Students tend to get ridiculously competitive, which can make your life quite miserable."

"The school is extremely expensive, and the administration isn't terrifically fond of giving financial assistance."

"There are some professors who seem to think that their class is the only one you have."

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