Home
Admissions
Schools
Students
Forums
| TLS 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 » West Virginia University College of LawWest Virginia University College of Law, the only law school in the state of West Virginia, is a public law school located in Morgantown, WV. It was founded in 1878, and distinguished alumni include a number of congressmen, senators, and other politicians and diplomats from West Virginia. Admissions and Tuition Getting into West Virginia requires numbers similar to those required by most Tier 3 law schools. Last year, 51% of applicants were accepted (of whom an impressive 47% opted to attend), and matriculants had median GPAs and LSAT scores of 3.41 and 153. The middle 50% of matriculating applicants had GPAs and LSAT scores ranging from 3.12 to 3.70 and 151 to 156, respectively. Those with numbers over the 75th percentiles may be in the running for scholarships. Tuition varies according to residency. For the present academic year, residents of WV pay just over $10,600 for tuition and fees. For non-residents, on the other hand, the bill comes to about $24,000. Both of these costs are extremely competitive with other public law schools around the nation. Roughly 11% of WVU Law students attend on full-tuition or higher scholarships, so students with excellent numbers and/or extremely compelling personal narratives should investigate merit-based aid options. Academics The most notable legal specialties at WVU Law are business law, international law, and family law. The law school takes considerable pride in the West Virginia Law Review, which is the fourth oldest law journal in the nation. The law school places considerable emphasis on developing practical experience and real professional skills in its students. WVU Law also offers opportunities for its students to study law in Mexico and Brazil. First years take a prescribed set of classes including property, civil procedure, criminal law, contracts, torts, constitutional law, professional responsibility and legal research and writing. There is a grading curve, and most recently 8.3% of 1Ls didn’t make it back for a second year at WVU Law. The respectable student-to-faculty ratio of 12.9-to-1, however, suggests that students who are willing to put in some legwork to develop relationships with their professors will be able to do so. Looking ahead, the West Virginia College of Law plans on expanding its clinical programs to include a medical assistance clinic which will work in conjunction with the WVU Health Sciences Center. Furthermore, the school plans on adding an emphasis on energy and sustainability law to its curriculum. Employment Prospects and Bar Passage For what it’s worth, WVU graduates often outperform the statewide bar passage rate in West Virginia—which is probably a good thing, since WVU is the only law school in the state. Most recently, 76% of WVU Law graduates passed the West Virginia state bar (79% state average). Employment prospects are largely regional, but those looking to practice in West Virginia or immediately surrounding areas should not have a huge problem finding work: In fact, 91.7% of the most recent graduating class was able to find work within 9 months of graduation. The median salary for WVU grads going into the private sector was $66,000, compared to $42,612 for those in the public sector. Quality of Life Morgantown, WV (population 29,000) is a classic small college town. Students accustomed to life in Manhattan or a similar locale will no doubt have some adjusting to do, but for those who enjoy small town life, Morgantown can be an excellent choice. The cost of living is low relative to major cities, and Pittsburgh is not too far away for those craving big-city outings. Students will find plenty of bars and eateries catered to their crowd, and also be able to cheer on WVU’s football team. Conclusion Although WVU is hardly the best choice for someone interested in practicing in a major legal market (in fact, most recently not a single firm from NY, DC or CA participated in WVU’s on-campus interview process), it is an excellent choice for those who wish to practice in WV and can take advantage of rock-bottom in-state tuition prices. Quick Reference West Virginia University College of Law Ranking: 93 |
Stanford Law School Yale Law School Harvard Law School University of Virginia School of Law Pepperdine Law School Northwestern Law School Cornell Law School Michigan Law School Golden Gate Law School Duke Law School Columbia Law School Temple Law School Loyola Law School UCLA School of Law Villanova Law School New York University Law School UC Hastings Law School Santa Clara Law School UPenn Law School Berkeley Law (Boalt Hall) University of Chicago Law School UC Davis School of Law (King Hall) Fordham Law School The George Washington University Law School Georgetown University Law Center UNC School of Law Boston College Law School Boston University School of Law Emory University Law School The University of Iowa College of Law University of Minnesota Law School The University of Texas School of Law The University of Southern California School of Law (Gould) Vanderbilt University Law School Washington University in St. Louis School of Law Wisconsin Law School The University of Alabama School of Law George Mason University School of Law The University of Colorado School of Law Indiana University Maurer School of Law University of Notre Dame Law School The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law The University of Illinois College of Law The University of Washington School of Law William & Mary Law School Washington and Lee University School of Law The Arizona State University College of Law The Baylor University School of Law The Case Western Reserve University School of Law The University of Georgia School of Law The Brigham Young University Law School The Southern Methodist University School of Law Tulane University Law School The University of Connecticut School of Law University of Florida Levin College of Law Wake Forest University School of Law Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law / Yeshiva University The University of Tennessee College of Law The University of Cincinnati College of Law The University of Pittsburgh School of Law University of Maryland School of Law The University of Kentucky College of Law University of Houston Law Center The Florida State University College of Law Chicago-Kent College of Law (Illinois Institute of Technology) Brooklyn Law School University of Arizona College of Law American University College of Law University of San Diego School of Law Northeastern University School of Law University Of Miami School Of Law University of Richmond Law Oregon School Of Law Lewis & Clark School of Law Rutgers Law - Camden Seattle University School of Law PSU School of Law DePaul University College of Law Rutgers-Newark School of Law Hofstra Law School Seton Hall University School of Law Indiana University Indianapolis Law Buffalo Law School UNLV Law School St. John's School of Law The University of Denver Law School University of Louisville School of Law The University of Oklahoma College of Law Georgia State University College of Law Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center Loyola University Chicago School of Law Marquette University Law School University of Kansas School of Law University of New Mexico School of Law Catholic University's Columbus School of Law The University of Arkansas School of Law University of San Francisco School of Law University of California – Irvine School of Law The University of Utah College of Law Syracuse University College of Law University of Hawaii Richardson School of Law University of Nebraska-Lincoln, College of Law Pacific McGeorge School of Law West Virginia University College of Law |