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Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law
The Arizona State University College of Law enjoys the distinction of being the only ABA-accredited law school in the large Phoenix metropolitan area. This distinction enables Arizona State Law's students to benefit from close access to many of the state capital's legal and professional resources. Also, it secures their tremendous job prospects in the city's vast legal market. At the same time, the school's impressive student/faculty ratio, which ranks among the best in the nation, enables students to get the most out of their legal education through frequent interaction with Arizona State Law's reputable faculty corps. Especially for Arizona residents, who pay a low in-state rate of tuition at the school, the Arizona State University College of Law is a great place to pursue a legal education.
Contents
History
The history of the Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law began with G. Homer Durham, the president of ASU, from 1960 to 1969. One of his goals was establishing a law school, so in 1965 he hired Willard H. Pedrick as the first dean. The inaugural class of 117 students started classes in 1967, and 83 students graduated with their Juris doctorates in 1970. The ASU College of Law has been educating lawyers and impacting the legal profession for 50 years.
Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law has a long and storied history, detailed in Gary Stuart's book. The college was founded by a group of dedicated faculty members who saw the need for a law school to lead legal and educational reform. Over the past fifty years, the college has graduated over 8,000 students and has become a well-respected institution. Today, it is located in the Beus Center for Law & Society in downtown Phoenix, where it continues to foster collaboration among ASU, the bench and bar, and all facets of the industry. The book clarifies that no other law school like the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law exists.
Admissions
The JD application typically opens on August 10, 2024, with a priority deadline of February 1, 2025, followed by a regular decision deadline of April 15, 2025 for general JD applicants. For scholarship and financial aid consideration, submitting by the priority date is strongly encouraged.
Admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis, so early submission can enhance scholarship opportunities and acceptance prospects. Required application materials include LSAC CAS reports, official transcripts, a resume, and a personal statement. Optional submissions may include letters of recommendation, an inclusive excellence statement, residency form, or an addendum to enhance the application.
Several binding admission programs are available:
- The O’Connor Merit Scholars Program, intended for applicants certain about attending ASU Law, guarantees admission with no minimum GPA or LSAT threshold.
- The O’Connor Honors Program targets academically exceptional students, generally requiring an LSAT of 165 and a GPA around 3.9, and includes full‑tuition scholarships contingent on a pro bono commitment.
- The Indian Law Leadership Program is a specialized binding option for applicants with demonstrated leadership and ties to Indian Country and offers admission without preset GPA or LSAT criteria. Applicants submit a two‑page leadership statement instead of standardized benchmarks.
ASU Law also welcomes transfer and visiting JD applicants—those who have completed the first year of an ABA‑accredited JD program—and operates on separate deadlines: for transfers, early fall applications must be submitted by March 15, 2025, and for visiting students, a fall deadline of July 1, 2025, spring by January 5, and summer by May 12.
In summary, the admissions process is competitive and holistic, with defined deadlines and special programs to support students with various backgrounds and goals.
Statistics
| Admissions Stats | ||
| Class of: | 2023-2024 | 2024-2025 |
| 25th - 50th - 75th percentile LSAT | 157 - 167 - 169 | 156 - 165 - 167 |
| 25th - 50th - 75th percentile GPA | 3.47 - 3.90 - 3.97 | 3.62 - 3.9 - 4 |
| Acceptance rate | 19.7% | 22.1% |
| Applications received | 4178 | 4117 |
| Acceptances | 889 | 908 |
| Matriculants | 194 | 247 |
For the 2024–2025 admissions cycle at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, the school experienced a slight uptick in competitiveness compared to the previous year. While the LSAT middle 50% range remained steady at 156–165–167, the median GPA range rose to 3.62–3.9–4. This reflects a continued emphasis on strong academic performance. Out of 4,117 applications received, 908 were accepted, yielding an acceptance rate of 22.1%, up from 19.7% the prior year. A total of 247 students matriculated into the class, marking a notable increase from the 194 matriculants the year before. These figures indicate a growing interest in the program as well as an increasingly competitive applicant pool.
Acceptance Rate
The acceptance rate for the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University for the 2024‑2025 admissions cycle was approximately 22.05%, based on 4,118 applications with 908 offers of admission.
Application Fee
This year, there is no application fee to apply to the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. To learn more about obtaining a fee waiver, click here.
Personal Statement
The personal statement should give the committee a better picture of who you are beyond your academic achievements and resume. It should be compelling, show off your writing skills, and include some discussion of why you want to go to law school. It is also an opportunity to highlight specific reasons for your interest in ASU Law. Your personal statement should be no more than two double-spaced, typed pages and in a font size no smaller than 11 points. For personal statements and application essays, check out the TLS Guide to Personal Statements.
Resume
Your resume should include details about your educational background, work history, military service, leadership roles, honor societies, scholarships, extracurricular activities, public/community service, honors and awards, publications, foreign language proficiencies, and other significant achievements. Work history includes significant employment during and post-college (including organization name, dates of employment, and hours worked). Your resume should be no more than two typed pages in a font size smaller than 11 points. For advice about creating a professional law school resume, click here.
Letters of Recommendation
ASU Law accepts up to two letters of recommendation. The recommender should submit the letter directly to LSAC. Since letters of recommendation are optional, the Admissions Office will not wait for letters to complete your file for review. For additional advice on obtaining letters of recommendation, click here.
Tuition and Financial Assistance
Starting with tuition, the annual JD program fees for the 2025–2026 year are set at $28,299 for Arizona residents and $50,317 for non‑residents. Notably, resident tuition decreased slightly by about 1.9%, while non‑resident tuition remained unchanged from the prior year.
In terms of financial assistance:
- Nearly 97.5% of full‑time JD students received some form of grant or scholarship.
- The average award amount is approximately $20,000, covering around 40% of tuition costs.
- These scholarships include merit and need‑based awards, and many students benefit from named or institutional scholarships automatically as part of the admissions process.
To help manage out-of-pocket costs, ASU also encourages students to file the FAFSA (Federal School Code 001081), and where eligible, the CSS Profile (for institutional aid)—though only one is required depending on citizenship status.
Tuition for residents remains under thirty thousand, and non‑residents under fifty‑one thousand. Almost all students receive aid, typically around $20K, reducing net tuition significantly, with a blend of merit and need-based support widely available.
Cost of Attendance
For the 2025–2026 academic year, the total cost of attendance (COA) at ASU Law includes not only tuition and fees but also estimates for living expenses, books, and other personal costs. For Arizona residents, the total COA is approximately $60,000, while for non-residents, it approaches $82,000. These estimates help students budget realistically for housing, transportation, health insurance, and supplies. The COA figures are used to determine financial aid eligibility and reflect a comprehensive view of what a typical law student might need for the year.
| Category | Arizona Residents | Non-Residents |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition & Fees | $28,299 | $50,317 |
| Room & Board | $14,522 | $14,522 |
| Books & Supplies | $1,692 | $1,692 |
| Transportation | $3,720 | $3,720 |
| Personal Expenses | $4,774 | $4,774 |
| Health Insurance | $6,410 | $6,410 |
| Total Estimated COA | $59,417 | $81,435 |
Loans
A student loan is money you borrow to pay for college with the condition that it be paid back over a certain period with interest. Students often use student loans when their family's contributions, scholarships, and grants do not cover the total cost of attendance. O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University is one of the many schools offering student loans. The application process is quick and easy, and the money can be used for tuition, books, housing, and other expenses. Once you have graduated, you will have up to 10 years to repay your loan. You can choose to make monthly payments, or you can make larger payments more frequently. You can also defer your payments if you have difficulty repaying your loan. If you have any questions about student loans, please get in touch with the financial aid office at your school.
Academics & Curriculum
As is standard practice in American law schools, students at Arizona State Law enroll in required classes during their 1L year, including Criminal Law, Torts, and Property. After this first and most rigorous year, students must pass 3 more requirements and are free to choose from among up to 140 elective courses to complete their 88-credit JD degrees. The fact that about two-thirds of these upper-level electives contain less than 20 seats, combined with the school's impressive 10 to 1 student-to-faculty ratio, ensures that Arizona State Law students can establish close contact with classmates and faculty in courses specific to their areas of interest. Aside from required and elective courses, students can also pursue JD/MBA, JD/Ph.D., and JD/MD programs at Arizona State Law and are also able to partake in several clinical opportunities in various areas. In addition, the school houses the Center for the Study of Law, Science, and Technology as well as an Indian Legal Program, both of which enjoy national prominence in their respective fields. Finally, select students can participate in prestigious law journals at Arizona State Law, and those wishing to take their legal education beyond American borders can do so through the school's various study abroad programs.
Externship
ASU Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law students can pursue externships nationwide in Arizona, including popular destinations such as Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. The ASU Law Externship Program is a valuable way to obtain practical legal experience and network with prominent judges and lawyers in a real-world setting. The Externship Program is designed to enhance the educational experience of second and third-year law students by providing an opportunity to do advanced legal work that is generally unavailable through the College of Law curriculum. Externships are typical with judicial, government, and nonprofit organizations and are done under the supervision of a U.S. attorney.
Students earn one (1) credit for every 55 hours of legal work completed through an externship, up to 12 credits of externship work while in law school. Students undertaking externships in DC or LA can also take courses from ASU Law professors. You must have a minimum of 28 credits in order to participate in any externship. All externships earn pass/fail credits, and 19 pass/fail credits may be applied toward graduation.
Clinics
The Clinical Program at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University helps students develop the legal expertise and professional judgment they need to bridge the gap between a law degree and practicing law. In the clinics, students challenge and reward legal cases for real clients. Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor has cited clinical experience as one of the most important aspects of legal education. Many students find their clinical experience the high point of their law school education.
The Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law offers students a chance to get real-world experience through its ten clinics. These include the Civil Litigation, First Amendment, Immigration, Indian Legal, Patent, and Post-Conviction clinics and the four outside clinics: Innovation Advancement, Lodestar Mediation, Public Defender, and Prosecution. These clinics provide students with the invaluable experience they can carry into their legal careers.
Moot Court
Moot Court is an opportunity for law students to use the skills they have learned in the classroom in a simulated trial or advocacy environment. Judges and jurors for these competitions are often practitioners or sitting judges. Law students often work with junior high and high school students in mock trial/moot court activities. This provides them with valuable experience in oral and written advocacy.
Quality of Life
Whereas students at most law schools brace for icy winters yearly, Arizona State Law students have been known to enjoy midnight swims throughout January and February. Of course, late summer months in Phoenix are usually marked by temperatures in the triple figures, but in general, the weather of the area is considered a great draw for most Arizona State Law School students. Another draw of the Phoenix area is its variety of bars, clubs, and restaurants, which allow busy law students the opportunity to unwind after a long week of classes, usually by way of the weekly bar reviews hosted by the school's student government. Housing options in the area are plentiful and affordable, for the most part, and law students are generally able to find suitable apartments near the law school campus. Public transportation, on the other hand, is not as efficient as in other large metropolitan areas. According to many Arizona State Law students, an automobile is practically necessary for life as a law student in Phoenix. In sum, the quality of life for students at Arizona State Law promises to be high, mainly due to the great year-round weather of the Phoenix area.
Employment Prospects & Bar Passage
ASU Law’s Class of 2024 demonstrated outstanding employment outcomes, with 97.5% of graduates reporting employment within ten months of graduation, and 89% securing long‑term, full‑time positions either requiring bar passage or offering JD‑advantage roles. Nearly 50% of employed graduates entered private law firms, 18.7% took government positions, and about 12.5% pursued judicial clerkships. Other career paths included employment in industry, education, and public interest sectors.
On the bar passage front, ASU Law continues its strong track record: the 2024 first‑time Uniform Bar Exam pass rate for its graduates was approximately 86.6%, significantly above the national average of around 77%. Historically, ASU Law has also consistently led the state of Arizona in bar exam performance.
Complementing these outcomes, ASU Law provides comprehensive career services support, including individualized counseling, résumé and cover letter review, mock interviews, and access to an online job board. Many students also gain practical experience through 2L or 3L externships in various legal fields.
ASU Law graduates in the most recent cohort enjoyed nearly universal employment, with a strong share in high-quality, full‑time legal roles and a bar passage rate well above national norms—reinforced by robust institutional support in career development and practical training.
Synopsis
Arizona State University College of Law is a great place to pursue a legal education for residents of Arizona and applicants hoping to secure employment in the state and its surrounding region. Applicants who enroll at the school can look forward to a sunny three years of law school and can count on great job prospects in Phoenix and all of Arizona after graduation.
Contact Information
Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law
Admissions Office
MC 9520
Arizona State University
111 E. Taylor Street
Phoenix, AZ 85004-4467
Phone: 480-965-1474
Email: asulaw.admissions@asu.edu
https://law.asu.edu/contacts
Summary
| Established | 1965 |
| Location | Phoenix, AZ |
| Dean | Susan Chesler |
| 2025 US News Ranking | 45th |
| LSAT Median Score | 165 |
| GPA Median Score | 3.9 |
| Bar Passage Rate | 86.6% (2025) |
| Employment Rate | 81.9% (2025) |
| Cost | "$29,037 (in-state, full-time),
$51,359 (out-of-state, full-time)" |
| Average Debt | $110,440 |
| Application Deadline | March 1, 2025 |
Forum and Discussion
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Reference
https://law.asu.edu/
Rank #45
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