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Michigan Law School
Admissions and Tuition
Legal Specialties Michigan Law is not a cutthroat environment, but it is also no cakewalk either: the school aims to curve to an average GPA of 3.19. A wide variety of options are available for law students, who can study everything from corporate law to animal rights and even a course exploring ancient Scandinavian laws. The popular classes are generally with the leading professors, which Michigan boasts in a number of fields including criminal, property, trusts and transactions law. The Law School is also increasing offerings under tax law. Quality of Life
Employment Prospects Michigan Law enjoys a national reputation and a high level of prestige, particularly in Detroit, New York, and Chicago. The school does extremely well in terms of placing its graduates into these major legal markets, although graduates may find it somewhat more challenging to secure jobs in the South or on the West Coast. Nevertheless, the roster of powerful and influential graduates of Michigan Law--from executives of major television networks to top law firm partners and political firebrand Ann Coulter--attests to the school's quality and competitiveness. Contact Information The University of Michigan |
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In 1987, when U.S. News began ranking the top law schools in the nation, Michigan Law was placed as the third best law school in the country, after Yale and Harvard. Although there have been significant changes over the last decade and a half among the top law schools of the U.S., Michigan has remained a highly prestigious member of the upper echelon of law schools. With a location that attracts recruiters from the major legal markets of Chicago and New York, as well as one of the most attractive campuses in the country and a vibrant college town in Ann Arbor, Michigan Law continues to attract applicants of the highest caliber each year. It is a law school that offers a number of appealing contrasts: a top-tier education without a cutthroat atmosphere, a vibrant college and neighboring community without the commotion of a big city, and even different study environments with both a Gothic reading room and an ultra-modern skylit counterpart.
Michigan Law's admissions process has actually come under particular scrutiny, as the Supreme Court weighed in on the system in Grutter v. Bollinger (2003) by upholding the school's ability to use race as a factor in admissions. Affirmative action notwithstanding, Michigan Law does favor in-state residents, while commanding a competitive standard for all successful applicants. The LSAT/GPA percentiles for the class entering in 2007 were recorded at 167-170 and 3.49-3.79, respectively. Michigan does place great emphasis on diversity of experience and a strong personal statement, which should be carefully crafted along with the two "optional" essays (it is recommended that, if possible, applicants opt to write the "Why Michigan?" statement in addition to any other questions they may choose to answer). For their part, the Assistant Dean of Admissions Sarah Zearfoss and the Admissions Office are reputed among law students for being among the most personable and friendly admissions officers from the top-tier law schools. 
The Michigan Law Quad is justly famous for its classic beauty and combination of green lawns and stone buildings. Flying in the face of the stereotype that the law school experience is usually a commuter-based lifestyle, Michigan Law has designated part of the Quad as a dorm for its students. Appropriately, perhaps the most noteworthy structure is the library, which can easily be considered one of the most visually stunning law libraries in the world.The Law School is renowned for its two spectacular reading areas, which offer students a rare combination of old-school and cutting-edge: the main reading room in the Legal Research Building evokes the tall, dark cathedral-like atmosphere of the Ivy League schools (while seating over 500 students), and offers a stunning contrast to the modern study area of the Law Library which is lit by a plunging skylight and framed by dramatic staircases.
Michigan Law has the luxury of being situated in Ann Arbor, a college-friendly town that offers a vast variety of pursuits ranging from fine dining to theaters, cafes, and shopping. For students, social opportunities abound: bars, Canadian casinos, and football games are all in close (relatively speaking) proximity to the school. Students generally report a high level of satisfaction with the quality of life at Michigan Law, and it is generally considered one of the most social and well-rounded experiences available from the top tier of schools.