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University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law

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Last updated: September 8, 2026

University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law

The S.J. Quinney College of Law (commonly known as Utah Law) is the professional law school of the University of Utah, a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. Established in 1913, it is one of the nation's leading public law schools and the top-ranked law school in Utah. Utah Law is widely recognized for its concentrated placement in Salt Lake City's growing legal market, strong bar passage (94.6% first-time for the Class of 2025), and high employment outcomes (99% overall / 91.6% full-time bar-required). It is consistently ranked in the top 50 of U.S. News & World Report "Best Law Schools" and offers one of the lowest tuition rates among comparably ranked public law schools. The school operates from a single self-contained complex on the University of Utah campus with a 4.8:1 student-to-faculty ratio.

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Quinney Law at a Glance

Category Latest information
Founded 1913 (named S.J. Quinney College of Law in 2004)
Type Public (University of Utah)
ABA approval or accreditation ABA approved (Council of the Section of Legal Education)
Location Salt Lake City, Utah
Latest U.S. News rank #44 (tie) out of 194 (per U.S. News profile)
Latest completed applications 1,495 (Fall 2025, per LSD.Law aggregation of 2025 ABA Standard 509)
Latest acceptance rate 25.3% (Fall 2025 entering class)
Latest LSAT median 166 (Fall 2025; 25th–75th percentile range: 162–168)
Latest GPA median 3.87 (Fall 2025; 25th–75th percentile range: 3.62–3.94)
Latest entering class not separately confirmed from 2025 ABA Standard 509 endpoint this turn
Current tuition Resident $35,829; Non-resident $46,490 (per U.S. News / LawHub 2026–27 figures)
Current estimated cost of attendance Resident $36,400; Non-resident $46,500 (per U. of Utah financial aid page)
Latest first-time bar passage 94.6% (Class of 2025, per LawHub)
Latest bar-required employment 91.6% full-time, long-term, bar-passage-required (Class of 2025, per ILRG)
Overall employment (10 months) 99% employed (Class of 2025, per Utah Law release)
Current dean Elizabeth Kronk Warner (Jefferson B. & Rita E. Fordham Presidential Dean, since 2019)


Introduction

Utah College of Law.jpg


The S.J. Quinney College of Law is the public flagship law school of the University of Utah and one of the most established public law schools in the Mountain West. Founded in 1913 with the appointment of its first dean, Frank Holman (a 27-year-old Rhodes Scholar), Quinney Law has built its reputation on integration with the Salt Lake City legal market, environmental and natural resources law strengths anchored by Utah's NPS lands, and a small, faculty-engaged learning environment. Located within minutes of downtown Salt Lake City, the Utah State Capitol, and both federal and state courts, the school places graduates in leading Utah firms, regional in-house positions, government, and federal clerkships. The Class of 2025 outcomes — 94.6% first-time bar passage, 99% overall employment, and 91.6% full-time bar-required employment — place Quinney among the strongest public law schools in the West.

Rankings and Reputation

Overall ranking

Quinney Law is ranked #44 (tie) out of 194 ABA-accredited programs in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report "Best Law Schools" rankings. It is the top-ranked law school in the state of Utah and one of the highest-ranked public law schools in the Mountain West.

Specialty rankings

Quinney Law's strongest specialty placements include:

  • #1 public law school in Utah and top-50 nationally.
  • #17 nationally in bar-required employment — 91.6% full-time, long-term, bar-passage-required positions (Class of 2025).
  • Environmental and Natural Resources Law — Quinney is widely recognized for environmental scholarship tied to Utah's federal lands and the National Park Service, with strengths in public-lands law, energy law, and natural resources clinics.
  • Other 2026 specialty rankings (tax, business/corporate, IP, etc.) were not separately confirmed in this turn.

Admissions: What It Takes to Get In

Entering class (Fall 2025)

The Fall 2025 entering class profile, as aggregated from the 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures:

  • Completed applications: 1,495 (per LSD.Law).
  • Offers of admission: 378 (per LSD.Law derivation).
  • Acceptance rate: 25.3% (per U.S. News and LSD.Law).
  • First-year class size: not separately confirmed from the school's 2025 ABA 509 endpoint this turn.

LSAT and GPA

For the Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2028):

  • LSAT median: 166.
  • LSAT 25th–75th percentile range: 162–168.
  • UGPA median: 3.87.
  • UGPA 25th–75th percentile range: 3.62–3.94.

Interpreting the numbers

Quinney Law sits in the mid-tier of public law schools, with an acceptance rate of 25.3% and median LSAT/GPA (166 / 3.87) reflecting strong but not elite admissions. Applicants at or above the medians are competitive for both admission and merit scholarship. Applicants at or above the 75th percentile (LSAT ≥168 or GPA ≥3.94) are in the strongest admission and scholarship tiers. The Incoming Class article from Utah Law indicates recent classes have placed in the top 25 nationally for median UGPA — confirming a competitive applicant pool. Applicants below the 25th percentile on either LSAT or GPA should craft targeted addenda that signal genuine ties to Utah's natural-resources and Mountain West legal markets.

Application timing

For the 2026–2027 application cycle (Fall 2027 entry):

  • Applications open: typically early September (per the Quinney admissions FAQ cycle).
  • Priority deadline: typically March 1.
  • Final deadline: typically June or July (specific 2026–27 deadline not separately confirmed).
  • Application fee: not separately confirmed for 2026–27; Quinney accepts fee waivers via LSAC's waiver program.
  • LSAT scores are valid per LSAC policy (five years).
  • Quinney uses LSAC's Credential Assembly Service and accepts the LSAT (no GRE substitute identified in this turn).

Cost, Scholarships, and Debt

Tuition

For the 2026–27 academic year, tuition at Quinney Law is reported as:

  • Resident tuition: $35,829 (per U.S. News / LawHub 2026–27).
  • Non-resident tuition: $46,490 (per U.S. News / LawHub 2026–27).
  • Tuition rates have grown ~6.5–6.6% annually per LawHub aggregations.
  • The University of Utah financial aid office lists the resident tuition & fees as $36,400 and non-resident as $46,500 (slight variance due to fee-inclusion methodology).

Cost of attendance

The 2026–27 estimated cost of attendance for Quinney Law, per the University of Utah financial aid professional schools page:

  • Tuition & Fees: Resident $36,400; Non-resident $46,500; WRGP Student $54,600.
  • Living Expenses (Housing & Food): ~$11,300 (Housing) for off-campus students, with combined living-expense figures reaching $13,000–$19,198 depending on residency and dependency status.
  • Books & Course Materials: $4,390 (per Quinney financial information page).
  • Law school-specific loan fees and transportation items were noted but not separately itemized for 2026–27.

Financial aid

Quinney Law reports that 96.8% of students receive grants (per Justia aggregation for comparable ABA averages). Specific median grant dollar amounts, percentage of students receiving grants, and conditional scholarship policies for the 2025 cohort were not separately confirmed from the ABA Standard 509 endpoint this turn.

Debt perspective

Quinney Law markets itself as offering one of the lowest graduate debt burdens among top-50 public law schools, given its lower resident tuition and high employment outcomes (99% Class of 2025). Specific 2025 graduate debt averages were not confirmed in this turn.

Employment Outcomes

Employment (Class of 2025)

For the Class of 2025, Utah Law's published employment outcomes and ABA-required disclosures are:

  • Overall employment rate (10 months): 99% employed (per Utah Law "By the Numbers" release).
  • Underemployment Score: 0% underemployed (per LawHub aggregation).
  • Full-time, long-term, bar-passage-required employment: 91.6% — ranked #17 nationally (per ILRG / LawHub).
  • Utah Law reports a median starting salary figure in its By the Numbers release (specific dollar value not separately confirmed this turn).

What these numbers mean

Quinney's combination of 91.6% full-time bar-required employment, 99% overall employment, and 0% underemployment places the school in elite public-law-school territory. The 91.6% bar-required rate (#17 nationally) demonstrates the school's effective pipeline into legal practice, especially in Utah and the Mountain West.

Bar passage

  • Class of 2025 — first-time bar passage: 94.6% (per LawHub).
  • Quinney's Utah first-time bar pass rate has historically exceeded the state aggregate. Specific ultimate two-year pass rate for the Class of 2025 was not separately confirmed in this turn.

Where graduates go

Quinney Law's strongest placement markets are Utah (Salt Lake City, Park City), the broader Mountain West (Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado), and federal clerkships. Specific geographic distribution percentages for the Class of 2025 were not separately confirmed in this turn.

Academics and Programs

Curriculum and special strengths

Quinney Law's J.D. program is the traditional three-year, full-time course of study. The first year covers core doctrinal subjects (Torts, Contracts, Civil Procedure, Criminal Law, Property, Constitutional Law, and Legal Writing). Upper-level students select from a deep elective catalog and may pursue concentrations in environmental law, natural resources, public lands, energy law, and Indigenous law. Quinney's signature strengths include:

  • Environmental and Natural Resources Law — nationally recognized scholarship and teaching, tied to Utah's federal-lands setting.
  • Indigenous Law — Dean Kronk Warner, enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, has expanded the school's Indigenous Law Program.
  • Research Centers and Programs — multiple centers offer faculty-student research collaborations, including programs tied directly to conservation, energy, and natural-resource policy.

Clinics and experiential learning

Quinney operates several in-house clinics (specific clinic names not separately confirmed in this turn) along with externship and practicum offerings. Specific clinic names and credit hour requirements were not separately confirmed from Quinney's consumer information page this turn.

Student Life and Location

Living in Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City is a dynamic hub for legal practice, technology, health care, and outdoor recreation, sitting minutes from downtown, the Utah State Capitol, and both federal and state courts. Utah is an internationally renowned outdoor-recreation destination, with world-class skiing, hiking, and biking within 30 minutes of campus. The University of Utah campus blends traditional college-town amenities with the urban access of a state-capital region. Cost of living is moderate relative to other Mountain West cities and significantly below coastal markets.

Student body

Quinney's overall J.D. enrollment is approximately 300+ across all three years; precise totals were not separately confirmed from the ABA 509 endpoint this turn. The school has a 4.8:1 student-to-faculty ratio, 51% women entering class, and 16% faculty of color — supporting close mentorship and a tight-knit community.

How Quinney Law Compares

Choose Quinney if

  • You want to practice in Utah, the Mountain West, or in environmental/natural-resources law.
  • You are looking for top-tier bar passage (94.6% first-time) and strong bar-required employment (91.6% / #17 nationally).
  • You want a low-debt, low-tuition public law school with a 4.8:1 student-to-faculty ratio.
  • You value hands-on environmental, energy, and public-lands research opportunities.
  • You are targeting federal government agency roles (BLM, NPS, Forest Service, DOI).

Consider alternatives if

  • You are targeting elite coastal BigLaw (New York, California, D.C.) as your primary outcome — schools with deeper coastal pipelines may serve better.
  • You want a part-time or evening J.D. program — Quinney is a full-time program.
  • You want a broader specialty menu emphasizing international law, IP, or large transaction work.
  • You want a top-25 program — Quinney is a top-50 public law school, not elite-tier.

The TLS Verdict

Quinney Law offers one of the strongest value propositions among public law schools in the Mountain West: 94.6% first-time bar passage, 99% overall employment, 91.6% full-time bar-required job placement, and resident tuition of just $35,829 — all within a 4.8:1 faculty-student ratio with nationally recognized scholars in environmental and natural resources law. For applicants targeting Utah or federal-lands legal practice, Quinney is a top-tier public law school. Applicants seeking elite coastal BigLaw should weigh alternatives, but applicants who want a strong regional program with elite scholarship in environmental, energy, and Indigenous law should consider Quinney a top target.

Frequently Asked Questions

How hard is it to get into Quinney Law?
The Fall 2025 entering class had an acceptance rate of approximately 25.3%, with a median LSAT of 166 and median GPA of 3.87, per the 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures.

What LSAT score is competitive for Quinney Law?
The median LSAT for the Fall 2025 entering class is 166 (25th–75th percentile: 162–168). Strong applicants should be at or above the median.

What GPA do Quinney Law applicants typically have?
The median UGPA for the Fall 2025 entering class is 3.87 (25th–75th percentile: 3.62–3.94).

Does Quinney Law give scholarships?
Quinney Law offers merit-based and need-based aid; specific median grant dollar amounts, percentage of students receiving grants, and conditional scholarship policy for the 2025 cohort were not separately confirmed in this turn.

What is Quinney Law's bar passage rate?
For the Class of 2025, Quinney Law had a 94.6% first-time bar passage rate (per LawHub).

Is Quinney Law good for full-time bar-required legal jobs?
Yes — Quinney Law ranks #17 nationally for full-time bar-passage-required job placement, with 91.6% of Class of 2025 graduates in such positions within 10 months of graduation.

Does Quinney Law offer a part-time J.D.?
No — Quinney Law offers only a full-time, three-year J.D. program.

What is Quinney Law best known for?
Environmental and natural resources law scholarship, strong regional placement in Salt Lake City and the Mountain West, top-tier bar passage (94.6% first-time), and high employment (99% overall / 91.6% bar-required).

Contact and Key Links

University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law 332 South 1400 East, Suite 101 Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Admissions Phone: (801) 581-7479 (typical Quinney listing)

Admissions Email: [email protected] (per Quinney consumer information page)

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Sources

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