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Quinnipiac University School of Law

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Last updated: October 27, 2026

Quinnipiac University School of Law

Quinnipiac University School of Law is a private law school in North Haven, Connecticut, that enrolled a first-year class of 135 students (115 full-time, 20 part-time) in Fall 2025 from 1,485 completed applications, with a median LSAT of 155 and a median undergraduate GPA of 3.65. It is ranked #136 (tie) of 194 in the 2026 U.S. News rankings — #45 of 78 among part-time programs — and its 2025 first-time bar takers outperformed the national weighted average by 4.15 points (75.44% vs. 71.29%), including a 77.38% pass rate on the Connecticut bar against a 67.60% statewide average. The central decision issue for admitted applicants is that Quinnipiac pairs one of the lowest student-faculty ratios in the country (4.8:1), the nation's only standalone LL.M. in health law tradition, non-conditional scholarships for 85% of students (median $25,000), and a Connecticut-corridor placement record (69.4% of employed graduates practice in-state) with a thin BigLaw pipeline (zero graduates at 501+ firms in 2025), a low 20.78% yield, and a New York bar pass rate (60.00% in 2025) that badly trails that state's average, at a 2026–27 tuition of $58,300.

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Quinnipiac Law at a Glance

Category Latest information
Founded 1972 (as the Wethersfield School of Law, Hartford; University of Bridgeport School of Law 1977–1992; Quinnipiac since 1992)
Type Private
ABA approval or accreditation ABA approved (Council of the Section of Legal Education) — "Council Approved Since 1992" per the 2025 509 report, with accreditation uninterrupted through the 1992 transfer
Location North Haven, Connecticut (School of Law Center, 370 Bassett Road; mail: 275 Mount Carmel Avenue, Hamden, CT 06518)
Latest U.S. News rank #136 tie of 194; #45 of 78 in Part-time Law (2026 edition)
Latest completed applications 1,485 (Fall 2025, 2025 509 report)
Latest acceptance rate 43.10% (Fall 2025)
Latest LSAT median 155 (Fall 2025)
Latest GPA median 3.65 (Fall 2025)
Latest entering class 135 (115 full-time, 20 part-time) (Fall 2025)
Current tuition $58,300 full-time (2026–27, $29,150/semester); $57,760 tuition and fees (2025–26 509/U.S. News); part-time $1,980 per credit plus $1,090 fees
Current estimated cost of attendance ≈$88,724 computed subtotal (2026–27 tuition and fees plus the 509's $29,274 off-campus living allowance); full official COA total not published in machine-readable form
Latest first-time bar passage 75.44% (2025 first-time takers, school bar passage report) vs. 71.29% Council weighted average; U.S. News cohort basis 73.7%
Latest bar-required employment 94 of 109 full-time, long-term positions (86.2%) — Class of 2025, ABA data; 91.0% overall employment rate
Current dean Brian Gallini (since July 2024)

The admissions figures are drawn from Quinnipiac's 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report (1,485 completed applications, 640 offers, 43.10% acceptance rate, 135 in the first-year class as of October 2025), and this profile uses the standardized 509 figures throughout. Tuition data are from the 509 report, the U.S. News profile ($57,760 = $56,610 tuition + $1,150 fees for 2025–26), and the school's costs and budgets page ($29,150 per semester for 2026–27). Brian Gallini — a scholar of criminal law, federal criminal law, and criminal procedure — was appointed dean and tenured professor of law in February 2024 and took office in July 2024; he also serves as co-chair of a statewide initiative on attorney licensure.

Introduction

Quinnipiac.jpeg



Quinnipiac Law traces its origins to 1972, when the Wethersfield School of Law was established in Hartford. The school moved to Bridgeport in 1977 and operated as the University of Bridgeport School of Law until August 1992, when the American Bar Association approved its transfer to Quinnipiac College — allowing operations to continue without interruption of accreditation, with Terence H. Benbow, the sitting dean, publicly supporting the move. The school now occupies the School of Law Center on Quinnipiac's North Haven campus (370 Bassett Road), with a mailing address of 275 Mount Carmel Avenue, Hamden, and total J.D. enrollment of 392.

The school's identity rests on three pillars: an unusually intimate academic community (a 4.8:1 student-faculty ratio per U.S. News, with 37 full-time faculty supported by 118 non-full-time practitioners), a practical-training infrastructure of six in-house clinics, more than 250 externship field sites, and the "Bridge to Practice" workshop series, and a placement record centered on Connecticut's courts, firms, and agencies — 69.4% of the employed Class of 2025 practice in-state, with New York and New Jersey as secondary destinations. Its degree roster includes the J.D., a J.D./M.B.A. double degree, and an LL.M. in health law, with concentrations spanning civil advocacy and dispute resolution, criminal law and advocacy, family law, health law, intellectual property, tax law, workplace law, and international law and policy.

Rankings and Reputation

Quinnipiac Law is ranked #136 (tie) of 194 in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report law school rankings and #45 of 78 in the Part-time Law category — a placement confirmed by 7Sage's consolidated table, the TaxProf Blog's peer-reputation compilation, and the school's Wikipedia infobox. Its reputation is built on small classes and clinical training rather than overall rank; the school's own channels cite a #89 top-100 placement in the 2023–24 edition, a figure that could not be independently confirmed against the current release.

Overall ranking

U.S. News edition Quinnipiac Law rank
2026 136 (tie) of 194; #45 of 78 part-time
2025 Not independently confirmed in the sources reviewed

The 2025, 2024, and 2023 ranks were not independently confirmed in the sources reviewed (the school's social media cites #89 of 196 for the 2023–24 edition). Applicants should treat movement within this band as immaterial to Quinnipiac's practical career outcomes, which are driven by bar results, price, and Connecticut-corridor placement rather than rank position.

Specialty rankings

Quinnipiac is widely regarded for its health law program — home to an LL.M. in health law and a health law concentration — and for its practical-skills and part-time offerings, and the Part-time Law category rank of #45 of 78 is confirmed for the 2026 edition. Specific U.S. News specialty rank numbers beyond the part-time category were not independently confirmed in the sources reviewed and are therefore not listed here.

Admissions: What It Takes to Get In

Entering class (Fall 2025)

Admissions metric Fall 2025
Completed applications 1,485
Offers of admission 640
Acceptance rate 43.10%
Enrollees from applicant pool 133
Total in first-year class 135 (115 full-time, 20 part-time)
Yield (enrollees / offers) 20.78%

Total J.D. enrollment stood at 392 as of October 2025 — 137 first-years, 136 second-years, 106 third-years, and 13 fourth-years — with 5 transfer students in and 6 out.

LSAT and GPA

Statistic 25th percentile Median 75th percentile
LSAT 153 155 158
Undergraduate GPA 3.41 3.65 3.84

The full-time cohort reports LSAT 153/155/158 and GPA 3.47/3.70/3.85; the part-time cohort reports LSAT 152/156/158 and GPA 3.14/3.42/3.71. Whether Quinnipiac accepts the GRE in addition to the LSAT was not independently confirmed in the sources reviewed.

Interpreting the numbers

Quinnipiac's 43.10% acceptance rate sits below the 50%-plus rates common in its rank band — roughly one in five applicants nationwide at this tier — and its 3.65 median GPA is stronger than most peers at #136. The striking number is the 20.78% yield: fewer than one in five admitted applicants enrolls, reflecting the reality that Quinnipiac's admit pool is heavily cross-offered by Connecticut, New York, and other regional schools. The 509's enrollment rate from completed applications (8.96%) is among the lowest such figures, which means the school fills a small class from a broad admit pool. Applicants at or above the medians are strong candidates; the part-time cohort's 3.14 25th-percentile GPA keeps the evening-accessible door open. No LSAT or GPA guarantees admission.

Application timing

The application fee is $0. Per the 2025 509 report, the application deadline is August 1, with a priority financial aid deadline of March 1. A new three-year Evening J.D. program is scheduled to launch for the 2027–2028 academic year, with tuition of $2,040 per credit plus a $45-per-credit fee (capped) per the school's tuition page — applicants targeting the evening format should confirm the launch and its application cycle directly with the admissions office.

Cost, Scholarships, and Debt

Tuition

Tuition for the 2025–26 academic year is $56,610 plus $1,150 in fees ($57,760 all-in, per the 509 report and U.S. News). For 2026–27, the school's costs page sets full-time J.D. tuition at $29,150 per semester — $58,300 for the year. Tuition is the same for residents and non-residents because Quinnipiac is private. Part-time study is billed at $1,980 per credit plus $1,090 in fees.

Cost of attendance

Expense 2026–27
Tuition (full-time) $58,300
Total estimated cost of attendance ≈$88,724 (computed subtotal)

The computed subtotal adds the 509's fees ($1,150) and off-campus living allowance ($29,274) to 2026–27 tuition; the school's full official COA total — including books, transportation, and personal allowances — was not published in machine-readable form in the sources reviewed and is therefore not reproduced here. The costs page explains that budgets cover the academic period (generally nine months for full-time students and nine months plus nine weeks for evening students), are built on student expenses only, and that increases for childcare, health care, or additional credits must be requested in writing with documentation.

Financial aid

Per the 2025 Standard 509 report, 85% of students (332 of 389) received grants, with a median grant of $25,000, a 25th percentile of $14,000, and a 75th percentile of $35,000. Critically, the awards are non-conditional: the 509 report states that "the school does not award scholarships that may be reduced or eliminated based on law school academic performance other than failure to maintain good academic standing" — a structural advantage over the conditional-award regimes common at peer schools. The financial aid office is reachable at [email protected], with a priority aid deadline of March 1.

Debt perspective

The average law-school debt, borrowing rate, and LRAP status for recent classes were not reported in the sources reviewed this cycle and are therefore not listed here. What is verifiable: a $25,000 median grant against $58,300 tuition compresses the effective annual price by roughly 43% for the median aid recipient, and a three-year tuition sticker of about $174,900 (computed at 2026–27 rates) sits below comparably located private schools in the New York–Boston corridor. Because 69.4% of employed graduates remain in Connecticut — a market with public-sector and small-firm salary ranges — applicants should request the school's debt and repayment disclosures directly before borrowing.

Employment Outcomes

Employment (Class of 2025)

Per ABA data as tabulated by OpenLawPrep (status roughly ten months after graduation), the class of 123 graduates produced a 91.0% employment rate (#129 of 195 schools): 111 of the 122 graduates with known status were employed, including 109 in full-time, long-term positions. The school separately reports that 94% of its Class of 2025 graduates in the job market were employed by April 1, 2026.

Employment metric Class of 2025
Employment rate (10 months) 91.0% (#129 of 195 schools, ABA data)
School-funded positions 0

The detailed ABA categories are machine-readable in the tabulation: 94 graduates hold bar-required positions (94 of them full-time, long-term — 86.2% of all full-time, long-term positions) and 13 hold J.D.-advantage positions, plus 3 in other professional roles. Employers: law firms 69 (63.3% of full-time, long-term — solo 0; 1–10 attorneys 38; 11–25: 12; 26–50: 8; 51–100: 6; 101–250: 2; 251–500: 2; 501+ (BigLaw): 0; size not reported 1), government 18, business and industry 9, state and local clerkships 7, federal clerkships 0, public interest 4, education 2. Six graduates were seeking work, two were not seeking, two had start dates after the reporting date, and one enrolled in further graduate study. No salary statistics for the Class of 2025 were published in the sources reviewed and are therefore not listed here.

What these numbers mean

The 91.0% employment rate is respectable but ranks only #129 of 195 — the composition explains why. Nearly two-thirds of full-time, long-term graduates enter law firms, but the hiring is concentrated in the 1–10-attorney tier (38 graduates, 34.9%), with just four graduates at firms above 100 attorneys and none at 501+. Government (18), public interest (4), and clerkships (7) together account for 29 of 109 full-time, long-term positions. The placement story is regional depth rather than national reach: strong Connecticut penetration, thin BigLaw, and no federal clerkships in this class.

Bar passage

Bar statistic 2025 graduates
First-time bar passage rate (all jurisdictions) 75.44% (school bar passage report); 75.4% (LawHub); 73.7% (U.S. News cohort basis)
Council weighted average bar pass rate, same jurisdictions 71.29% (Quinnipiac exceeded it by 4.15 points)
Ultimate bar passage (2-year) 80.6% (U.S. News); 87.50% for the 2023 cohort (120 takers, 105 passed, school report)
Connecticut bar, 2025 first-time takers 77.38% vs. 67.60% statewide (+9.78); New York: 60.00% vs. 87.27% (−27.27)

The trajectory matters as much as the level: Quinnipiac underperformed the national weighted average in 2023 (66.09% vs. 69.24%) and landed essentially even in 2024 (73.68% vs. 73.89%) before the 2025 rebound. The jurisdictional detail shows the trade: graduates beat the Connecticut average by nearly ten points but passed the New York bar at only 60.00% against an 87.27% average for the same administration — applicants planning New York practice should weigh that gap carefully. The school's social media reports that July 2026 Connecticut takers exceeded the statewide first-time rate by nine points with 90% passage, a claim not independently confirmed against the official bar admission report.

Where graduates go

The Class of 2025's geography is Connecticut-centered: 77 of the 111 employed graduates (69.4%) work in Connecticut, with New York (11, 9.9%) and New Jersey (10, 9.0%) next. Employers split across small firms (the 1–10-attorney tier is the single largest group at 38), Connecticut state and local government (18), the state courts (7 clerkships), and a scattering of business, public-interest, and education roles. No graduates took federal clerkships or 501+-attorney firm positions, and none took school-funded positions.

Academics and Programs

The J.D. is offered full-time (115 of 135 Fall 2025 entrants) and part-time (20 entrants), with professional development woven through the curriculum from the first year via the Bridge to Practice workshop series — mock law firm practice with visiting attorneys and practitioner-led sessions on the business of law.

Curriculum and special strengths

Quinnipiac offers the J.D., a J.D./M.B.A. double degree, and an LL.M. in health law, with J.D. concentrations in civil advocacy and dispute resolution, criminal law and advocacy, family law, health law, intellectual property, tax law, workplace law, and — since Fall 2017 — international law and policy. The health law program is the school's signature academic asset, anchored by the health law journal and the LL.M. The student-run journals are the Quinnipiac Law Review, the Quinnipiac Health Law Journal, and the Quinnipiac Probate Law Journal. Faculty practice credentials are a point of emphasis: career-development materials highlight professors drawn from Ivy League law schools, Supreme Court clerkships, and major-firm practice.

Clinics and experiential learning

The school operates six in-house clinics — the civil justice, tax, advanced (all areas), evening, defense appellate, and prosecution appellate clinics — in which students represent clients who otherwise could not afford an attorney. Externships are coordinated by the school across more than 250 field sites, spanning corporate counsel, criminal justice, family and juvenile law, judicial, legal services, legislative, mediation, and public-interest placements, with a second-level field placement course for returning students. The career development office, staffed by lawyers, supports students through the network of more than 6,000 alumni practicing in Connecticut and beyond.

Student Life and Location

Living in North Haven

The School of Law Center sits on Quinnipiac's North Haven campus (370 Bassett Road), north of New Haven, with the university's main Hamden campus and its Mount Carmel Avenue mailing address nearby. The 509 report's living allowance is $29,274 off campus and $20,166 at home; no on-campus living allowance is listed. The location places students inside Connecticut's compact legal market — state agencies, New Haven's firms and courts, and the Connecticut judiciary — with the school's own materials emphasizing its position in the corridor between New York and Boston. The local cost of living is materially below that of New York City schools, reflected in the living allowance.

Student body

Total J.D. enrollment is 392, of whom 115 of the 135 first-years study full-time; U.S. News reports a 4.8:1 student-faculty ratio — among the lowest in the country. The faculty comprises 37 full-time members, 118 non-full-time members, and 4 librarians. Detailed student-body demographics and gender/ethnicity percentages for faculty were not retrievable from the sources reviewed and are therefore not listed. The small class sizes are the school's own first talking point: the community is built around close faculty contact, a personalized career-development office, and a part-time cohort that keeps working professionals in the classroom.

How Quinnipiac Compares

Choose Quinnipiac if

  • You want an intimate classroom — a 4.8:1 student-faculty ratio, small sections, and a career office staffed by lawyers — with non-conditional scholarships (85% of students, $25,000 median) that cannot be clawed back for class rank.
  • You are targeting Connecticut practice — 69.4% of employed graduates stay in-state, and the 2025 first-time takers beat the Connecticut average by nearly ten points (77.38% vs. 67.60%).
  • You value the health law specialty, six live-client clinics, 250+ externship sites, and a part-time option (with a new evening J.D. launching 2027–28) — all inside the New York–Boston corridor at below-metropolitan prices.

Consider alternatives if

  • You are chasing BigLaw or national placement — zero Class of 2025 graduates joined 501+ firms and none took federal clerkships; UConn or a national school fits that goal better.
  • You plan to practice in New York — Quinnipiac's 2025 first-time New York pass rate was 60.00% against an 87.27% jurisdiction average, a 27-point gap that dwarfs the school's Connecticut overperformance.
  • You want a high-yield, selective cohort culture — the 20.78% yield and 8.96% enrollment-from-applications rate mean the class is small and heavily cross-admitted, and the 91.0% employment rate ranks #129 of 195.

The TLS Verdict

Quinnipiac Law is a boutique regional school that has fixed its most glaring weakness. Two years ago the story was sub-par bar results (66.09% first-time in 2023, below the national weighted average); in 2025 the school's takers beat the Council average by 4.15 points and the Connecticut average by nearly ten. The rest of the template is consistent: universal-accessible admissions (43.10% acceptance), non-conditional aid for 85% of students at a $25,000 median, the country's smallest classroom ratios (4.8:1), a health law program with the state's only LL.M. of its kind, and placement that runs straight into Connecticut's firms, agencies, and courts. The constraints are structural: zero BigLaw hires and zero federal clerkships in the Class of 2025, a 60.00% New York pass rate for graduates who look south, a #129-of-195 employment rank, and a 20.78% yield that signals heavy cross-admission competition. For an applicant bound for Connecticut practice — especially health law, small firms, or state government — Quinnipiac delivers personalized training at a defensible price. For anyone else, the Connecticut line is real.

Frequently Asked Questions

How hard is it to get into Quinnipiac Law?

Moderately selective: for Fall 2025, Quinnipiac accepted 43.10% of applicants (640 offers from 1,485 completed applications), with 133 students enrolling from the applicant pool into a class of 135. The 8.96% enrollment rate from applications is among the lowest in the country, reflecting a small class drawn from a broad admit pool.

What LSAT score is competitive for Quinnipiac?

The median LSAT for the Fall 2025 entering class was 155, with a middle-50% range of 153 to 158 — identical percentiles for the full-time and part-time cohorts. Scores at or above 155 are competitive, but no score guarantees admission.

What GPA do Quinnipiac applicants typically have?

The median undergraduate GPA for the Fall 2025 entering class was 3.65, with a middle-50% range of 3.41 to 3.84. Full-time entrants report a 3.47–3.85 band; part-time entrants a wider 3.14–3.71 band.

Does Quinnipiac give scholarships?

Yes, broadly and without clawbacks. Per the 2025 ABA 509 report, 85% of students received grants (median $25,000; 25th–75th percentiles $14,000–$35,000), and the school does not reduce or eliminate scholarships based on law school academic performance, other than failure to maintain good academic standing.

What is Quinnipiac's bar passage rate?

For 2025 first-time takers, 75.44% — beating the Council weighted average of 71.29% by 4.15 points and the Connecticut average (67.60%) by nearly ten points (77.38% on the Connecticut exam). The New York figure was 60.00% against an 87.27% average. Ultimate (2-year) passage is 80.6% per U.S. News, and 87.50% for the school's 2023 cohort per its own report.

Is Quinnipiac good for BigLaw?

No. Zero Class of 2025 graduates joined firms of 501+ attorneys and none took federal clerkships; firm hiring is concentrated in the 1–10-attorney tier (38 graduates), with government (18) and state and local clerkships (7) the other principal destinations.

Does Quinnipiac offer a part-time J.D.?

Yes. Twenty of the 135 Fall 2025 entrants study part-time (billed at $1,980 per credit plus $1,090 in fees), the program ranks #45 of 78 in U.S. News's Part-time Law category, and the school's tuition page lists a new three-year Evening J.D. launching for the 2027–2028 academic year.

What is Quinnipiac Law best known for?

Quinnipiac Law is best known for its health law program (LL.M. and J.D. concentration), its 4.8:1 student-faculty ratio and clinic-heavy practical training (six clinics, 250+ externship sites, Bridge to Practice), its Connecticut-corridor placement record, its non-conditional scholarships, and alumni ranging from Joe Tacopina and Michael van der Veen (University of Bridgeport era) to Hartford mayor Arunan Arulampalam and state legislators Gennaro Bizzarro and Herron Gaston.

Contact and Key Links

Quinnipiac University School of Law
370 Bassett Road
North Haven, CT 06473
(Mail: 275 Mount Carmel Avenue, Hamden, CT 06518)

Admissions Phone: (203) 582-3200

Official links

TLS Forum Links

Sources

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