Last updated: September 14, 2026

University of Colorado Boulder School of Law

University of Colorado Boulder School of Law is a public flagship law school in Boulder, Colorado, that enrolled a first-year class of 190 students in Fall 2025 from 1,964 completed applications, with a median LSAT of 166 and a median undergraduate GPA of 3.83. It is ranked #46 (tie) in the 2026 U.S. News rankings, and it is the #1-ranked environmental law program (U.S. News specialty ranking) in the country. The central decision issue for admitted applicants is that Colorado Law pairs a top-ranked environmental and natural-resources program with strong Colorado / Mountain West placement at a flagship-public price tag, at a 2026–27 cost of attendance of ~$58,000 (resident) or ~$83,000 (non-resident).

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University of Colorado Law School at a Glance

Category	Latest information
Founded	1892 (ABA approved since 1923)
Type	Public (flagship)
ABA approval or accreditation	ABA approved (Council of the Section of Legal Education)
Location	Boulder, Colorado
Latest U.S. News rank	#46 tie (2026 edition)
Latest completed applications	1,964 (Fall 2025, 2025 509 report)
Latest acceptance rate	27.56% (Fall 2025)
Latest LSAT median	166 (Fall 2025)
Latest GPA median	3.83 (Fall 2025)
Latest entering class	190 (Fall 2025)
Current tuition	$38,680 resident / $63,230 non-resident (2026–27)
Current estimated cost of attendance	~$58,000 resident / ~$83,000 non-resident (2026–27)
Latest first-time bar passage	89.7% (2025 graduates, LawHub); 93% on the 2025 Colorado bar (July 2025)
Latest bar-required employment	93% full-time, long-term, bar-required; 96% any employment at 10 months (Class of 2025)
Current dean	Lolita Buckner Inniss (17th dean, since 2024)

The admissions figures are drawn from Colorado Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report (1,964 completed applications; ~953 offers per derivative reporting; 27.56% acceptance rate; 190 in the first-year class as of October 2025). Colorado Law's own class-profile page reports the same Fall 2025 medians (LSAT 166 / GPA 3.83) with 25th–75th percentile ranges of 163–168 and 3.66–3.93 and an average age of 25. Tuition and cost data are from Colorado Law's Bursar and Tuition pages. Lolita Buckner Inniss, a legal historian who joined the school from Case Western Reserve, has served as the 17th dean since June 2024.

Introduction

The University of Colorado Boulder School of Law, founded in 1892, is the law school of the University of Colorado Boulder and the only top-50 public law school in Colorado. It is located in Wolf Law Building on CU Boulder's campus in Boulder, Colorado, at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. With a J.D. student body of roughly 480 and a first-year class of roughly 190, Colorado Law is one of the smaller top-50 flagship law schools in the West.

Colorado Law's identity rests on three pillars: the #1-ranked environmental and natural-resources program (U.S. News), strong placement into Colorado and the broader Mountain West legal market, and a flagship-public price tag that keeps debt markedly lower than the private-school average. Alumni cluster in Denver/Boulder, with growing national reach into Texas, D.C., and California, and the school maintains meaningful federal-clerkship pipelines in Colorado.

Rankings and Reputation

Colorado Law is ranked #46 (tie) in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report law school rankings, holding the only top-50 public law-school spot in Colorado. The school's reputation among environmental, energy, and technology employers remains exceptionally strong: U.S. News has ranked Colorado Law #1 in Environmental Law for several consecutive editions, and the Silicon Flatirons Center drives the school's recognition in technology, privacy, and intellectual-property law.

Overall ranking

U.S. News edition	Colorado Law rank
2026	46 (tie)
2025	40 (tie)

The 2024 and 2023 U.S. News ranks for Colorado Law were not independently confirmed in the sources reviewed. Movement within the top-50 for a public flagship rarely signals a meaningful change in career outcomes, which are driven by employment data rather than rank position.

Specialty rankings

Colorado Law's signature strength is its #1 ranking in Environmental Law (U.S. News), supported by deep offerings in Energy & Climate Law, Natural Resources & Water Law, and Technology / Telecommunications Law via the Silicon Flatirons Center. The school has also been recognized as a "Best Value" law school (National Jurist). Specific current-edition U.S. News specialty rank numbers beyond Environmental Law were not independently confirmed and are not listed here.

Admissions: What It Takes to Get In

Entering class (Fall 2025)

Admissions metric	Fall 2025
Completed applications	1,964
Offers of admission	~953 (per derivative reporting)
Acceptance rate	27.56%
Enrollees from applicant pool	not reported in machine-readable form
Total in first-year class	190
Yield (enrollees / offers)	not reported in machine-readable form

Colorado Law's own Fall 2025 class-profile page confirms the same medians (LSAT 166 / GPA 3.83) with an average age of 25 and an age range of 21-38.

LSAT and GPA

Statistic	25th percentile	Median	75th percentile
LSAT	163	166	168
Undergraduate GPA	3.66	3.83	3.93

Colorado Law accepts the LSAT (LSAC); the GRE is not generally used.

Interpreting the numbers

Colorado Law's 166 median LSAT places it firmly in the upper tier of public flagship law schools, but its 27.56% acceptance rate is meaningfully higher than that of the very top publics — the school admits a broader band of applicants, with a 25th-percentile LSAT of 163. No LSAT or GPA guarantees admission; Colorado Law emphasizes a holistic review that weighs work experience, the personal statement, and a demonstrated connection to the West or public-land / environmental interests.

Application timing

The application fee is $65. Colorado Law runs a rolling admissions process: applications open in early September / October 1, the priority scholarship deadline is March 1, and the final Regular Decision deadline is April 1 (for the Fall 2027 cycle). Notification is rolling through spring, with a deposit deadline around April 30.

Cost, Scholarships, and Debt

Tuition

Resident tuition for the 2026–27 academic year is $38,680; non-resident tuition is $63,230 (total JD). The total estimated cost of attendance is ~$58,000 (resident) or ~$83,000 (non-resident), including housing, food, books, personal, and transportation. Because Colorado Law is public, in-state tuition is materially lower than the out-of-state price.

Cost of attendance

Expense	2026–27
Tuition (resident)	$38,680
Tuition (non-resident)	$63,230
Books & supplies	~$1,500
Housing & food (est.)	~$16,000
Personal & transport (est.)	~$2,500
Loan fees (est.)	~$200
Total estimated COA (resident)	~$58,000
Total estimated COA (non-resident)	~$83,000

The line-item breakdown was assembled from Colorado Law's Tuition page and the CU Bursar's Cost for Law JD page; the totals above are best-available estimates.

Financial aid

Colorado Law awards a mix of need-based and merit-based aid. Per the 2025 Standard 509 report, the school does not publicly publish median grant levels, but scholarship consideration is automatic with the admission application. Federal Direct Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS loans are available.

Debt perspective

Consistent with its "Best Value" designation, Colorado Law graduates carry meaningfully lower debt than median private-school graduates. Resident tuition of $38,680 (COA ~$58k) and strong in-state bar-required employment keep graduate debt well below national averages for top-50 law schools. Students paying near full price over three years face a cost approaching $175,000 (resident) or $250,000 (non-resident). Colorado Law's Loan Repayment Assistance Program supports graduates entering public-interest, government, or non-profit legal work.

Employment Outcomes

Employment (Class of 2025)

Colorado Law's Class of 2025 posted a 98% overall employment rate and 96% full-time, long-term employment at 10 months, with 93% in bar-passage-required positions. Of 154 employed graduates, 56% landed in law firms, 14% accepted judicial clerkships, and 15% worked in government or public-interest positions, with the balance in academia, business, and other sectors.

Employment metric	Class of 2025
Legal-employment rate	96% full-time, long-term; 98% any employment at 10 months
School-funded positions	not reported

The detailed ABA category table (exact firm-size distribution, clerkship counts, and unemployment figures) was presented graphically on Colorado Law's career-outcomes page and was not machine-readable in the sources reviewed; it is therefore not reproduced here. Applicants should consult Colorado Law's official Class of 2025 ABA Employment Summary for those line items.

What these numbers mean

A 96% full-time, long-term rate plus 93% bar-required places Colorado Law in the top tier of public law schools for graduate outcomes. The school's identity is firmly regional-first: most graduates place in Colorado, with growing national reach into Texas, California, and D.C. Federal clerkship placement (≈1.8%, rank ≈81) is meaningful but more modest than larger flagship publics.

Bar passage

Bar statistic	2025 graduates
First-time bar passage rate (all jurisdictions)	89.7% (LawHub)
First-time pass, Colorado bar (July 2025)	93% (117/126 first-time takers; well above state average)
Ultimate bar passage (2-year average)	~95% (per ABA disclosures)

The different first-time figures reflect different methodologies (state bar pass/fail reports versus multi-jurisdiction compilations); both place Colorado Law well above the national state average of roughly 80–85%.

Where graduates go

Colorado Law's graduates primarily enter law practice in the Colorado Front Range — Denver, Boulder, and Colorado Springs — followed by Washington, D.C., California, Texas, and the broader Mountain West. Exact state-by-state counts for the Class of 2025 were not published in machine-readable form in the sources reviewed.

Academics and Programs

The J.D. requires a standard first-year curriculum followed by broad upper-level electives. Colorado Law's small size supports a rigorous but tightly knit academic community with strong faculty-student contact.

Curriculum and special strengths

Colorado Law offers deep strength in environmental and natural-resources law (the signature program), supported by a distinguished faculty, the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment, and the Silicon Flatirons Center for technology, privacy, and intellectual-property law. The school also offers notable concentrations in Energy & Climate Law, Native American / Indigenous Law, Business and Corporate Law, and Trial Advocacy.

Clinics and experiential learning

Colorado Law operates a comprehensive clinical program with in-house clinics covering Civil Practice, Criminal Defense, Environmental Law, Juvenile and Family Law, Immigration, and Trial Advocacy, along with externships that place students with state and federal judges, the Colorado Attorney General, environmental NGOs, and tech startups through Silicon Flatirons.

Student Life and Location

Living in Boulder

Colorado Law is located in Wolf Law Building on CU Boulder's campus in Boulder, Colorado, a college town in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains about 30 minutes from Denver and roughly 90 minutes from Rocky Mountain National Park. The setting is renowned for its natural beauty (Flatirons, trails, gorges), its high quality of life, and a moderate-to-high cost of living — reflected in Colorado Law's housing allowance of roughly $16,000. The trade-off vs. urban peer schools is small-town setting; students travel to Denver for on-campus recruiting events, and the local legal market is centered in Denver / Boulder. Winters in Boulder can be long; the campus has substantial snow-removal infrastructure.

Student body

With a first-year class of roughly 190 (about 480 total J.D. students), Colorado Law is among the smaller of the top-50 public flagship law schools, which produces a close-knit, collegial community with strong faculty contact. Students run a number of journals (including the Colorado Law Review and the Journal on Telecommunications & High Tech Law) and a wide range of organizations. There is no part-time or evening division; the J.D. is full-time and residential.

How Colorado Law Compares

Choose Colorado Law if

You want the #1-ranked environmental and natural-resources program in the country, in a public flagship setting.
You target Colorado or Mountain West legal practice, or public-land / energy / environmental advocacy anywhere in the West.
You prefer a top-50 public law school with low in-state tuition (~$38k/yr) and a total in-state COA under $60k.
You value small class sizes, individualized faculty mentorship, and outdoor access in one of America's best college towns.

Consider alternatives if

You want elite coastal BigLaw placement (NY, DC, SF) — consider top-14 national schools such as Cornell Law School or top-20 flagships.
You need a part-time or evening program — Colorado Law is full-time only.
You want a large, urban campus experience with deep public-interest funding — consider larger flagship publics.

The TLS Verdict

Colorado Law is an underrated flagship public law school that outperforms its #46 ranking: 27.56% acceptance, 166 LSAT / 3.83 GPA median profile, 89.7% first-time bar passage (Colorado 93%), 96% full-time long-term employment, and 98% overall 10-month employment. The #1 Environmental Law program and the Silicon Flatirons Center make Colorado Law a top destination for energy, climate, technology, and public-lands careers. In-state tuition of $38,680 (COA ~$58k) keeps debt strikingly low, and the school's regional placement in Denver/Boulder is steady. The principal trade-offs are geography (Boulder is a college town, not a major-coastal market) and a more modest federal-clerkship rate than some larger flagship publics. For applicants targeting Colorado / Mountain West practice, environmental and natural-resources law, and a flagship public law school experience in one of the country's most desirable college towns, Colorado Law is among the strongest choices nationwide.

Frequently Asked Questions

How hard is it to get into Colorado Law?

Selective but more accessible than the very top flagship publics: for Fall 2025, Colorado Law accepted 27.56% of applicants (~953 offers from 1,964 completed applications).

What LSAT score is competitive for Colorado Law?

The median LSAT for the Fall 2025 entering class was 166, with a middle-50% range of 163 to 168. Scores at or above 166 are competitive, but no score guarantees admission given the holistic review.

What GPA do Colorado Law applicants typically have?

The median undergraduate GPA for the Fall 2025 entering class was 3.83, with a middle-50% range of 3.66 to 3.93.

Does Colorado Law give scholarships?

Yes. Colorado Law offers both need-based and merit-based aid, with automatic scholarship consideration at the time of admission; the strongest consideration goes to applicants who submit by the March 1 priority deadline.

What is Colorado Law's bar passage rate?

For 2025 graduates, the first-time bar passage rate was 89.7% across all jurisdictions (LawHub) and 93% on the July 2025 Colorado bar exam, well above the state average. Ultimate two-year bar passage is approximately 95%.

Is Colorado Law good for environmental and government practice?

Yes, exceptionally so. Colorado Law is ranked #1 in Environmental Law (U.S. News) and offers strong placement into federal agencies, state government, public-lands counsel, environmental NGOs, and the Colorado Attorney General's Office. Alumni also place into top Denver firms, AmLaw 100 offices, and the Colorado state and federal judiciaries.

Does Colorado Law offer a part-time J.D.?

No. The J.D. is full-time and residential, with no evening or part-time option.

What is Colorado Law best known for?

Colorado Law is best known for its #1-ranked environmental and natural resources law program, its Silicon Flatirons Center for technology and IP law, and its strong flagship-public placement into Colorado and the Mountain West.

Contact and Key Links

University of Colorado Boulder School of Law
Wolf Law Building, UCB 403
2450 Kittredge Loop Drive
Boulder, Colorado 80309-0403

Admissions Phone: (303) 492-7203

Admissions Email: [email protected]

Official links

TLS Forum Links

Sources

Colorado Law

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