Barry University School of Law

Overview

Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law describes itself as “an independent, coeducational Catholic international institution of higher education, within the Judeo-Christian heritage and the tradition of St. Dominic" that offers both a full-time and a part-time law program. The law school went from provisional ABA approval to full ABA-accreditation in 2006.

Admissions and Tuition

Gaining admission to Barry requires numbers similar for admission to other Tier 4 law schools. The Class of 2012 had median GPAs and LSAT scores of 2.90 and 150. About 44% of applicants are rejected, so those with their sights set on Barry should diligently prepare their resumes and personal statements if their GPA or LSAT is sub-par. Although about 60 percent of students at Barry are from Florida, its student body exhibits some diversity, with 32 states represented and 17 percent minority enrollment (and 17 percent not reported). Students describe the admissions process as ordinary; the law school asks for the typical requirements – resume, LSAT, GPA and personal statement.

Full-time tuition at Barry is $31,700, while part-time tuition runs in the neighborhood of $24,000. The law school seems to favor distributing its grant aid as widely as possible, as 87 percent of full-time students and about 77 percent of part-time students receive some form of grant or scholarship. This means that full tuition grants are nonexistent, and the median grant amount is $6,000 for all students. Grants above the median are more likely to go to part-time students than anyone else.

Living in Orlando is not cheap, and for Barry students that is true as well. The law school's Web site advises students to budget $22,000 a year for living expenses. Due to the high cost of living, tuition and the relatively low amount of grant money provided, 2009 graduates of Barry University incurred an average of just over $107,000 in law school related debt.

Academics

Barry University School of Law has a typically first-year section size of 105 students, greater than at most law schools. Despite a high 26.7 to 1 student to faculty ratio, students claim to enjoy small class sizes and easy access to the 55 faculty members.

All students at Barry must complete 90 semester hours of study with first-year requisite courses of civil procedure, contracts, criminal law, property, torts, and two legal research and writing classes.

Quality of Life

Barry University is located on Colonial Drive, the busiest road in Orlando, but the law school is in a rural area. There is no on-campus housing for law students, so students generally rent apartments and commute to the law school. Outside of the law school, there is plenty to do. Orlando is well-known for tourist attractions such as Disney World and Sea World, and contains the distractions one would expect to find in any metropolitan area of more than 2 million people. Fans of NBA basketball will be delighted to live so close to Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic.

Employment Prospects and Bar Passage

Just over 70 percent of the Class of 2008 graduates reported landing a job nine months after graduation. Of these graduates, 84 percent were employed in Florida. These figures underscore the regional quality of Barry’s degree and should be noted when applying. The median salary of Barry Law graduates is $55,000 in the private sector and $44,000 in the public sector.

About 767 percent of graduates pass the Florida bar, slightly lower than the overall Florida bar passage rate of 81 percent.

Conclusion

As a 4th Tier law school, Barry’s reputation makes it difficult for students who wish to work out-of-state. Before putting down a deposit, applicants need to consider the relatively low median salaries and substantially high average debt. However, for someone looking for a Catholic legal education in Florida or receiving a rare scholarship above the median, Barry University School of Law can be a decent choice.

Contact Information

Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law
Office of JD Admissions
6441 East Colonial Drive
Orlando, FL 32807
(321) 206-5683
krupert@mail.barry.edu
http://www.barry.edu/law/

Quick Facts

U.S. News & World Report ranking: Tier 4
LSAT Median: 150
GPA Median: 2.90
Application Deadline: April 1
Application fee: $50
Entering class size: 214 (FT), 39 (PT)
Yearly Tuition: $31,700 (FT), $23,920 (PT)
Bar passage rate in Florida: 76.5%
Percent of graduates employed 9 months after graduation: 70.7%
Median private sector salary: $55,000 (Class of 2008, 73% reporting)