Washington and Lee University, School of Law Admission
Washington and Lee University, School of Law Undergraduate Program
Washington and Lee University, School of Law Application

The Facts

Washington and Lee University is a rather small, private institution located in the city of Lexington, Virginia, and has a combined graduate and undergraduate population of over 4,500 students. The university's School of Law, however, is significantly smaller, and is home to about 400 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 wonderful research resources, its emphasis on practical legal skills such as writing, as well as for its wonderful clinical law programs. The school offers degrees in the 3 year JD, as well as the 1 year LLM in American law for foreign law school graduates. Some of the most popular programs of study include courses in the areas of advocacy, criminal law, civil procedure, human rights law, international law, property, taxation, commercial law, as well as corporation securities law.

Admission to Washington and Lee University's School of Law is quite competitive among the many students who apply; last year, over 3,710 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 710 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 128 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming semester. The admitted students had an average LSAT score ranging from 162 to 167, as well as an average undergraduate GPA of about a 3.5. Students are notified of their admissions status on a rolling basis, and there is currently no early application program in place.

The School of Law has 61 faculty members, all of whom come from very diverse legal and professional backgrounds, and are all very experienced in the professional and legal worlds. In general, students rave about the erudition, wit, and accessibility of their professors, saying that they are always willing to help students out when needed. The school has a very manageable student to faculty ratio of about 11:1, and the very small classes allow for plenty of interaction between students and their professors.

Employment Facts

Students at the School of Law don't seem terribly nervous about finding jobs after graduating; in fact, over 93% 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 $67,386. Students at the school are most frequently hired by employers such as various national and local private firms, judicial clerkships, as well as the legal departments of businesses and corporations.

What's Good

"The school is very small, and there's a wonderful feeling of community here."

"The career services office is very well connected within the legal and professional communities, which is great in terms of getting a job."

"The professors really know what they're doing, and it's quite obvious that they love their jobs."

What's Bad

"Sometimes the social scene feels a bit like high school; there isn't really anything to do besides sit around and drink."

"Students tend to be a bit competitive here, which can really get on your nerves sometimes."

"Tuition keeps getting higher and higher with each passing year, and financial aid keeps getting lower and lower."

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