Top-Law-Schools.comTLS
Home
Law School
Admissions
Law
Schools
Law
Students
TLS
Forums
 
Rankings and Top 100 Profiles     3rd and 4th Tier Profiles     Dean Interviews     Discuss Your School     TLS Stats     TLS Programs     International Profiles     Law School Articles

Home » Law Schools » Rankings and Profiles »

University of Hawaii Richardson School of Law

Published June 2008, last updated October 2011

For many, spending three years in Honolulu would be dream come true; it behooves future law students to remember, however, that the majority of their time will be spent in the library, not at the beach. And so, prospective students should look beyond the University Of Hawaii Richardson School Of Law’s picturesque location when deciding whether to attend. It is likely that they will not be disappointed with what they find—though job-placement statistics will undoubtedly serve as cause for concern.

Admissions & Tuition

Admissions at Hawaii are more competitive than the raw numbers suggest. The Princeton Review gives the school an “Admissions Selectivity Rating” of 87 out of a possible 100. This seems high given the 25th to 75th percentile ranges for GPA and LSAT (3.21-3.68 and 155-160 for full time). A closer look, however, shows that Hawaii selects only 20% of applicants (224 out of 1,098). This can most reasonably be taken to indicate that the admissions committee at Hawaii looks beyond the numbers, searching for soft-factors would add that “something extra” to the entering class, and in-state status is one of those. Numbers are still important, however, so applicants above Hawaii's full time program medians of 3.51 and 157 will stand a better chance of admission.

Hawaii also accepts applicants on a part-time basis. Here, we find the admissions process to be competitive as well. 14% of applicants were accepted to the part time program last year. Those admitted had GPA’s ranging from 3.02 to 3.61 for the 25th to 75th percentiles, and LSAT scores which ranged from 147 to 154. The part time program's medians were 3.43 and 151.

Hands down, Hawaii is one of the cheapest tier-2/tier-3 law schools in the country. In-state students pay an uncommonly low $15,581 per year in tuition, while out-of-staters pay a still decent $28,565. With all other expenses (room & board, books, misc. fees) totaling only around $16,000, in-state students enjoy an annual cost of attendance just over $30,000, which is what tuition alone costs at many U.S. law schools.

Perhaps because of the low cost of attendance, the financial aid office at Hawaii has become slightly stingier recently. Only 6% of students receive grants totaling more than half the cost of tuition; and the median grant is $5,223, though this is still good relative to the school's costs. The strength of the school’s financial aid program (combined with the cheap tuition, of course) is best evidenced by graduates’ low average indebtedness: only $53,569 per student (USNews).

Employment

Employment prospects for Hawaii grads do not provide quite as much hope for one’s financial future as the school’s low tuition does. Hawaii employs about 70% of students upon graduation, leaving 30% to search for jobs after that. Hawaii grads do fare better, however, with time. According to USNews, 100% of graduates secured employment within nine months of graduation, though Brian Leiter of the Leiter Rankings casts doubt on that number.

For those who do find jobs, the private sector is the most common. 37% of graduates entered this field, according to US News, with salaries ranging from $55,000 to $80,000. Those who entered the public sector earned less money with a median of $55,200 (though it should be noted that this number is high when compared to schools across the country).

Most students— around 85%—stay in Hawaii after graduation; and those who do leave the state generally do not go far, with most finding work in the Pacific states. US News reports that 3% found work abroad and 6% in other parts of the country. It is possible, then, for Hawaii grads to find work outside of the pacific states.

Academics

Overall, Hawaii does not shine academically. The school ranks 72nd among 195 law schools in the country. This is a solid ranking, but it will do little to give the school national recognition. As the school’s Dean correctly points out, however, the school’s “face-to-face culture and the extraordinary ways in which our students look out for one another cannot be easily measured. In addition, these rankings are skewed against smaller schools like us”

More narrowly, students praise the school’s program in environmental law. A search on the school’s website reveals that the course offerings in the field are strong; but the school does fail to place in the top-20 on USNews’ ranking of Environmental Law programs (not that this is sufficient in determining the worth of the program).

Hawaii does stand out with its focus on Pacific-Asian Legal Studies, for which it has a very strong clinic and a strategic location for studying. Other clinics include: the Native Hawaiian Rights Clinic, the Family Law Clinic, and the Prosecution Clinic, among others.

Quality of Life

While some students complain about job placement, or grumble on about the school’s facilities, few will complain about the quality of life at Hawaii Law.

With a total enrollment around 300, Hawaii students enjoy a small and reportedly tight-knit community. Competition is said to be rare, as “[t]he culture and values of Hawaii permeate the school and administration,” as one student interviewed by the Princeton Review puts it. Also likely to contribute to the non-competitive atmosphere is the school’s location. Yes, downtime is a rarity any law student; but those who can find some during their time at Hawaii have seemingly limitless options for de-stressing. It is Hawaii, after all. There are a wide variety of academic and social clubs (including a Surf Club) that allow students to enjoy each other’s company, and Hawaii’s unique environment, outside of the classroom.

Also notable as influential on quality of life at Hawaii are the school’s efforts to build a diverse faculty and student-body. A testament to the success of such efforts is the Princeton Review’s ranking of Hawaii as #3 on a list of schools providing the “Best Environment for Minority Students” and #5 on a list of schools with the “Most Diverse Faculty.”

Conclusion

Hawaii’s quality of life is tough to beat, as is the school’s low cost of attendance; but many Hawaii graduates struggle to find work, and those that do are often limited geographically. These are all factors, among many others, that any prospective student should keep in mind when evaluating the University of Hawaii Richardson School of Law.

Quick Reference

U.S. News Ranking: 95; 26th Part-Time Program
LSAT Median: 157 (FT), 153 (PT)
GPA Median: 3.37 (FT), 3.32 (PT)
Multiple LSAT scores: Higher score accepted
Application Deadlines: 02/01
Application fee: $75
Entering class size: 88 (FT), 28 (PT)
2009-2010 Tuition: $8,364 (In-State), $15,936 (Out-of-State)

Bar passage rate: 75% (First-Time Hawai'i Bar)
Graduates employed or seeking graduate degrees 9 months after graduation: 92%
Median private sector starting salary: $55,000 (88 graduates reporting from the class of 2009)



Admit Advantage Interview





Yale Law School

Stanford Law School

Harvard Law School

Columbia Law School

University of Chicago Law School

New York University Law School

Berkeley Law (Boalt Hall)

UPenn Law School

University of Virginia School of Law

Michigan Law School

Duke Law School

Northwestern Law School

Georgetown University Law Center

Cornell Law School

UCLA School of Law

The University of Texas School of Law

Vanderbilt University Law School

USC Gould School of Law

University of Minnesota Law School

The George Washington University Law School

University of Washington School of Law

University of Notre Dame Law School

Washington University Law

Emory University Law School

Washington and Lee University School of Law

The Arizona State University College of Law

Boston University School of Law

Indiana University Maurer School of Law

Boston College Law School

Fordham Law School

The University of Alabama School of Law

UC Davis School of Law (King Hall)

The University of Iowa College of Law

The University of Georgia School of Law

William & Mary Law School

The University of Illinois College of Law

Wisconsin Law School

UNC School of Law

The Brigham Young University Law School

George Mason University School of Law

Moritz College of Law

University of Maryland School of Law

University of Arizona College of Law

UC Hastings Law School

The University of Colorado School of Law

Wake Forest University School of Law

The University of Utah College of Law

University of Florida Levin College of Law

American University College of Law

Pepperdine Law School

The Baylor University School of Law

The Florida State University College of Law

Loyola Law School

SMU Dedman School of Law

Tulane University Law School

Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

University of Houston Law Center

Georgia State University College of Law

Lewis & Clark School of Law

Temple Law School

University of Richmond Law

Chicago-Kent College of Law

University of Connecticut School of Law

The University of Kentucky College of Law

Brooklyn Law School

University of San Diego School of Law

Case Western Reserve University School of Law

Loyola University Chicago School of Law

Seton Hall University School of Law

The University of Cincinnati College of Law

The University of Denver Law School

University of Miami School of Law

University of New Mexico School of Law

The University of Pittsburgh School of Law

The University of Tennessee College of Law

Northeastern University School of Law

PSU School of Law

UNLV Law School

LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center

St. John's School of Law

Missouri - Columbia Law School

Columbus School of Law

Michigan State University College of Law

Rutgers-Newark School of Law

Buffalo Law School

The University of Oklahoma College of Law

Oregon School Of Law

Indiana University Indianapolis Law

The University of Arkansas School of Law

University of Kansas School of Law

University of Louisville School of Law

University of Nebraska College of Law

Marquette University Law School

Santa Clara Law School

Syracuse University College of Law

Rutgers Law - Camden

University of Tulsa College of Law

University of Hawaii Richardson School of Law

West Virginia University College of Law

South Carolina Law

Villanova Law School