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The University of Oklahoma College of Law

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Last updated: September 21, 2026

The University of Oklahoma College of Law

The University of Oklahoma College of Law (OU Law) is the public law school of the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma, that enrolled a first-year class of 200 students in Fall 2025 from 1,391 completed applications, and admitted 33.4% of applicants. It is the state's only public law school and is ranked #62 (tie) in the 2026 U.S. News rankings. The central decision issue for admitted applicants is that OU Law pairs one of the lowest resident price points of any ABA-approved law school — $26,273 in total annual tuition and fees for Oklahoma residents — with a 91.7% first-time bar passage rate and a 92.7% full-credit employment outcome at ten months, set against a placement footprint that is overwhelmingly Oklahoma-centered and a median LSAT that sits in the low 160s.

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OU Law at a Glance

Category Latest information
Founded 1909 (by resolution of the OU Board of Regents; grew under Dean Julien C. Monnet)
Type Public (flagship campus of the University of Oklahoma system)
ABA approval or accreditation ABA approved (Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar); member of the AALS
Location Norman, Oklahoma (300 Timberdell Road)
Latest U.S. News rank #62 tie (2026 edition)
Latest completed applications 1,391 (Fall 2025); 464 offers of admission
Latest acceptance rate 33.4% (Fall 2025)
Latest LSAT median 162 (Fall 2025, 509-derived third-party figure); the school's own class-profile page reports a median of 160 for the Fall 2024 entering class (top quartile 162, bottom quartile 156)
Latest GPA median 3.73 (Fall 2025, 509-derived third-party figure); the school's own page reports 3.74 for Fall 2024 (top quartile 3.89, bottom quartile 3.46)
Latest entering class 200 enrolled (Fall 2025, U.S. News); total J.D. enrollment 539
Current tuition $26,273 resident / $41,998 non-resident (2026–27, total tuition and fees, 30 credit hours)
Current estimated cost of attendance Resident line items below tuition not retrieved this cycle; the university's cost-of-attendance page lists law tuition of $24,210 and fees of $9,971 for 2026–27 (residency basis not confirmed)
Latest first-time bar passage 91.7% (2025 graduates, LawHub); 88.77% (third-party aggregator); the school states its graduates pass the bar at a rate 20% above the state average
Latest bar-required employment 92.7% full-credit outcomes at 10 months (U.S. News, Class of 2025); 90.5% employment score with a 0% underemployment score (LawHub); 79.9% in full-time, long-term bar-required positions (third-party aggregation)
Current dean Anna E. Carpenter (14th dean; appointed effective July 15, 2024)

The admissions figures are drawn from U.S. News and 509-derived aggregations of OU Law's Fall 2025 entering class: 1,391 completed applications, 464 offers of admission, a 33.4% acceptance rate, 200 enrolled students, and total J.D. enrollment of 539. The school's own class-profile page reports a different, earlier cycle in detail — 1,246 applicants and 170 enrolled for 2024, with a median LSAT of 160, a median GPA of 3.74, a top-quartile LSAT of 162 and GPA of 3.89, and a bottom-quartile LSAT of 156 and GPA of 3.46. The two sets reflect different reporting years; this profile uses the more recent 509-derived figures in the infobox. Tuition is from the law school's J.D. Tuition & Fees page for Fall 2026–Spring 2027. Anna E. Carpenter, the Fenelon Boesche Chair in Law and Professor of Law, became the college's 14th dean in July 2024 and leads Oklahoma's only public law school.

Introduction

Oucollegeoflaw.jpg


The University of Oklahoma College of Law, founded in 1909 by resolution of the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents, is the law school of the University of Oklahoma on its Norman campus, roughly 20 miles south of Oklahoma City. It began with Dean Julien C. Monnet leading its early growth and has operated for more than a century as the state's only public law school; it is ABA-approved and a member of the Association of American Law Schools. With a Fall 2025 first-year class of about 200 and total J.D. enrollment of 539, it is a mid-sized public law school serving a consolidated single-state market.

OU Law's identity rests on four pillars: an exceptional resident price point — total annual tuition and fees of $26,273, among the lowest of any ABA-approved law school — paired with a 91.7% first-time bar passage rate; a strong placement record within Oklahoma, where the school supplies a substantial share of the state's bench and bar; a notable civil-rights legacy, anchored by Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher, whose 1948 admission fight and later graduation from the college the school commemorated on its 75th anniversary; and an expanding clinical and advocacy program whose students take the licensed-legal-intern oath while still enrolled.

Rankings and Reputation

OU Law is ranked #62 (tie) in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report law school rankings. Its reputation rests less on overall rank than on three features: near-ideal in-state economics for Oklahoma residents, bar and employment outcomes that outrun its rank band, and its historical role in the desegregation of American legal education through Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher's litigation against the university.

Overall ranking

U.S. News edition OU Law rank
2026 62 (tie)
2025 Not independently confirmed in the sources reviewed

Intervening-year ranks were not independently confirmed in the sources reviewed, and some third-party aggregators list the school in the high 50s. Applicants should treat movement within the 50s and 60s as immaterial to practical career outcomes in Oklahoma, where OU Law's placement is driven by its position as the state's only public law school, its alumni network across the Oklahoma bench and bar, and its resident tuition advantage.

Specialty rankings

Specialty OU Law rank
Business/Corporate Law #85 (tie)
Clinical Training #137 (tie)
Additional fields offered Clinical training, health care law, intellectual property law, international law, business/corporate law, constitutional law, contracts/commercial law, criminal law

OU Law's specialty profile reflects a broad general-practice curriculum rather than deep concentration in a single ranked field. Additional U.S. News specialty rank numbers for the current edition 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 1,391
Offers of admission 464
Acceptance rate 33.4%
Enrollees from applicant pool 200
Total in first-year class 200
Yield (enrollees / offers) Not reported in the sources reviewed (the school's 509 report was not retrievable this cycle)

The school's own class-profile page provides a fuller picture of the immediately preceding cycle: 1,246 applicants and 170 enrolled for 2024, with 70 undergraduate institutions represented, 27% students of color, 50% women, and 7 veterans or current military members in the class. Average first-year section size has run between 42 and 52 students in recent years, indicating a deliberately small-section structure within a mid-sized program.

LSAT and GPA

Statistic 25th percentile Median 75th percentile
LSAT (Fall 2025) Not reported in the sources reviewed 162 Not reported in the sources reviewed
Undergraduate GPA (Fall 2025) Not reported in the sources reviewed 3.73 Not reported in the sources reviewed

For the Fall 2024 entering class, the school's own page reports a median LSAT of 160 (top quartile 162, bottom quartile 156) and a median GPA of 3.74 (top quartile 3.89, bottom quartile 3.46). OU accepts the LSAT; applicants should confirm with the admissions office whether the GRE or JD-Next is accepted in the current cycle. The full 509 percentile table was not retrievable this cycle and is therefore not reproduced here.

Interpreting the numbers

A 33.4% acceptance rate makes OU Law one of the more accessible public law schools in the top-65 band, and the school's own reporting shows its median credentials falling within a narrow band (LSAT 156–162, GPA 3.46–3.89 in Fall 2024). The credentials pattern is distinctive: a median LSAT in the low 160s paired with a strong median GPA near 3.7, typical of a state flagship that draws heavily from its own undergraduate population and screens more on academic record than on test score. No LSAT or GPA guarantees admission given holistic review.

Application timing

OU Law operates rolling admissions, and the financial aid application deadline is June 1. Specific J.D. application deadlines for the current cycle should be confirmed directly with the admissions office, since the school's admissions and disclosure pages were not retrievable in machine-readable form this cycle and the ABA Standard 509 report does not itself publish deadlines. The tuition page notes that the college publishes next-academic-year pricing by July 1 each year.

Cost, Scholarships, and Debt

Tuition

Tuition for Fall 2026–Spring 2027 is charged per credit hour at $643.30 for Oklahoma residents and $1,167.50 for non-residents, plus a flat student fee of $467.50 per semester and a per-hour fee of $201.30. At a full-time load of 15 hours per semester, resident tuition is $9,649.50 per semester ($19,299 annually) with $3,487 in per-semester fees ($6,974 annually), for a resident total of $13,136.50 per semester and $26,273 per year. Non-resident tuition is $17,512.50 per semester ($35,025 annually) with the same fee structure, for a non-resident total of $20,999 per semester and $41,998 per year. U.S. News separately lists full-time tuition of $25,013 in-state and $39,631 out-of-state. The resident figure is among the lowest total tuition-and-fee charges of any ABA-approved law school in the country.

Cost of attendance

Expense (2026–27) Resident Non-resident
Tuition (30 credit hours) $19,299 $35,025
Fees $6,974 $6,974
Tuition and fees subtotal $26,273 $41,998
Books, course materials, supplies, and equipment Not retrieved this cycle Not retrieved this cycle
Housing and food Not retrieved this cycle Not retrieved this cycle
Transportation, personal, loan fees Not retrieved this cycle Not retrieved this cycle
Total estimated cost of attendance Not retrieved this cycle Not retrieved this cycle

The university's cost-of-attendance page lists 2026–27 law tuition of $24,210 and fees of $9,971, a combination whose residency basis could not be confirmed against the law school's own per-credit schedule and which should not be relied on without verification. The full itemized student budget — housing, food, books, transportation, personal expenses, and loan fees — was not retrievable in machine-readable form this cycle. Applicants should obtain the complete budget from the OU Student Financial Center and confirm the residency classification rules that determine the resident rate, which is the single largest economic variable in attending OU Law.

Financial aid

OU Law administers a scholarship and awards program determined through a scholarship questionnaire provided to all first-year students after classes begin in the fall; completing it makes students eligible for consideration for every merit and need-based scholarship for which they qualify, with the Scholarship Committee making decisions in September and March each year. Third-party 509 analysis indicates that roughly 58% of students receive half-tuition awards or better, though the official 509 grant-coverage percentage and median grant amount were not retrievable this cycle and are therefore not published here. Need-based aid is available mainly in the form of federal graduate loans through the OU Student Financial Center. Notably, OU Law does not offer a Loan Repayment Assistance Program for J.D. graduates, per the U.S. News profile — a meaningful difference from most public and private peer schools and a real consideration for graduates targeting public-interest or government work.

Debt perspective

Among 2025 J.D. graduates who incurred law school debt, average indebtedness was $92,647, with 70.9% of graduates borrowing — figures that reflect both the school's low resident tuition and the fact that a substantial share of its students are non-residents paying the $41,998 rate. For Oklahoma residents, the combination of $26,273 in annual tuition and fees with roughly 58% of students receiving half-tuition awards or better produces one of the lowest effective net costs in American legal education. The absence of an LRAP means graduates entering low-paying public-interest roles should plan repayment independently.

Employment Outcomes

Employment (Class of 2025)

Employment metric Class of 2025
Total graduates 193
Employed at graduation 65.3% (U.S. News)
Full-credit outcomes 10 months after graduation 92.7% (U.S. News)
Employment score (ABA-based) 90.5% (LawHub)
Underemployment score 0% (LawHub)
Full-time, long-term, bar-required positions 79.9%; ranked #115 nationally on this measure (third-party aggregation of ABA data)

OU Law publishes its ABA Employment Summary Reports for each graduating class through its career-development page, but the underlying category table for the Class of 2025 was not retrievable in machine-readable form this cycle; the figures above are drawn from U.S. News's report of the school's ABA data and third-party aggregations of it. The reported measures differ by definition: full-credit outcomes at ten months (92.7%) count long-term, full-time positions whether bar-required or J.D.-advantage, while the bar-required measure (79.9%) counts only positions requiring bar admission. The 0% underemployment score is the most favorable single data point — it indicates that essentially no OU Law graduate was working part-time, short-term, or outside the legal field at the ten-month mark.

What these numbers mean

The gap between a 92.7% full-credit outcome rate and a 79.9% bar-required rate suggests OU Law places a meaningful share of graduates into J.D.-advantage positions — compliance, contracts, administration, and business roles — alongside traditional practice. That pattern is common at schools whose graduates stay in a single state with a modest number of large firms: the Oklahoma market absorbs most graduates into small and mid-size firms, state and local government, the judiciary, energy-sector legal departments, and tribal legal systems. A 65.3% employment rate at graduation, rising to 92.7% full-credit at ten months, shows the school's placement process continues well after commencement. The 0% underemployment score is stronger than many higher-ranked peers manage.

Bar passage

Bar statistic Most recent
First-time bar passage rate 91.7% (2025 graduates, LawHub); 88.77% (third-party aggregator)
Performance versus state average The school states its graduates pass the bar at a rate 20% above the Oklahoma state average
Ultimate bar passage (2-year average) Not retrieved this cycle; the school publishes a Bar Passage Outcomes Report on its ABA disclosures page
Oklahoma bar context OU Law is the state's only public law school and its graduates are the largest single cohort of new Oklahoma attorneys

OU Law published a Bar Passage Outcomes Report for 2026 alongside its 2025 report, but neither was retrievable in machine-readable form this cycle; the 91.7% first-time figure from LawHub is the most recent verifiable measure and places the school roughly six points above the national state average of about 85%. The school's claim that its graduates pass the bar at a rate 20% above the Oklahoma average is consistent with its position as the state's flagship public law school, and the ultimate two-year rate should be confirmed from the school's own report.

Where graduates go

OU Law's placement footprint is overwhelmingly Oklahoma, concentrated in Oklahoma City and Tulsa with additional placement in Norman, Lawton, and the state's smaller communities. A significant and distinctive slice of its graduates practice in tribal legal systems and federal Indian law, reflecting Oklahoma's unique jurisdictional landscape — the state contains dozens of federally recognized tribes and a substantial share of the country's Indian law practice. Energy-sector legal work follows the state's oil and gas economy. Verified 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. is a three-year, full-time program with a required first-year curriculum and a broad upper-level elective catalogue spanning clinical training, health care law, intellectual property law, international law, business and corporate law, constitutional law, contracts and commercial law, and criminal law. Average first-year section size has ranged from 42 to 52 students in recent cycles, keeping core doctrinal courses small. The college also offers graduate law programs including an LLM, and its curriculum is supported by the OU Law Center, which has undergone a major expansion.

Curriculum and special strengths

OU Law's academic profile is that of a strong general-practice school rather than a specialty powerhouse: its ranked fields are business and corporate law (#85) and clinical training (#137), and its course catalogue covers the full range of doctrinal and skills subjects. Its most distinctive intellectual asset is its position in a state with an unusually complex jurisdictional environment, giving students rare exposure to federal Indian law, tribal court practice, and cross-jurisdictional issues. The college's civil-rights heritage — anchored by Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher, who was denied admission in 1948 and whose case reached the U.S. Supreme Court, and who later graduated from the college — remains central to its institutional identity and was commemorated on the 75th anniversary of her graduation.

Clinics and experiential learning

OU Law operates a clinical program whose students take the oath to become licensed legal interns while enrolled, allowing supervised practice under Oklahoma's legal intern rule — a meaningful advantage for graduates entering practice immediately. The clinic program pairs students with local judges and alumni for professional formation, and the college offers externships and simulation courses across its doctrinal offerings. Detailed clinic-by-clinic listings were not retrievable in machine-readable form this cycle.

Student Life and Location

Living in Norman

OU Law is located at 300 Timberdell Road on the University of Oklahoma's Norman campus, a college town of roughly 128,000 people about 20 miles south of Oklahoma City. The location offers a low cost of living relative to most metropolitan law schools — a factor that compounds the school's already low resident tuition — along with direct access to the Oklahoma City legal market, the state capital, and the state's federal and tribal courts. Norman is a classic Big Ten–adjacent college town with a strong university identity, and students have access to the wider university's cultural and athletic life. The trade-off is market size: Oklahoma City is a small legal market by national standards, and graduates targeting large coastal firms must build those networks themselves.

Student body

OU Law enrolls roughly 539 J.D. students per U.S. News, with a student-faculty ratio of 12.3:1, and reports that 56.4% of its students are Oklahoma residents against 43.6% non-residents. The Fall 2024 entering class drew from 70 undergraduate institutions and was 27% students of color, 50% women, and included 7 veterans or current military members. The student body reflects both the school's deep in-state recruiting base and a meaningful non-resident cohort drawn by the low non-resident rate relative to private peers. There is no part-time or evening J.D. division noted in the sources reviewed.

How OU Law Compares

Choose OU Law if

  • You are an Oklahoma resident: total annual tuition and fees of $26,273 make OU Law one of the lowest-priced ABA-approved legal educations in the country, with roughly 58% of students receiving half-tuition awards or better.
  • You want a strong bar and employment result for the price: 91.7% first-time bar passage (2025), a 92.7% full-credit employment outcome at ten months, and a 0% underemployment score.
  • You intend to practice in Oklahoma — the school is the state's only public law school and its graduates form the largest single cohort of new Oklahoma attorneys.
  • You are interested in federal Indian law, tribal court practice, or energy law, where Oklahoma's jurisdictional landscape gives OU Law students unusual access.

Consider alternatives if

  • You are a non-resident: the $41,998 non-resident rate erodes much of the value case relative to private schools offering large grants, and roughly 58% of students receive half-tuition awards that do not necessarily close the gap.
  • You need a Loan Repayment Assistance Program — OU Law does not offer one, which materially raises the risk of public-interest and government career paths.
  • You want a national BigLaw pipeline or a large-market private practice track: the placement footprint is Oklahoma-centered and the 79.9% bar-required rate suggests a meaningful share of J.D.-advantage placement.
  • You want a part-time or evening program or a large-city law school experience.

The TLS Verdict

OU Law is one of the best in-state bargains in American legal education. Verified figures make the case: total annual tuition and fees of $26,273 for Oklahoma residents, a 33.4% acceptance rate, a 91.7% first-time bar passage rate for 2025 graduates against a national average near 85%, a 92.7% full-credit employment outcome at ten months, and a 0% underemployment score. Its small sections (42–52 students) and its licensed-legal-intern clinic pathway give students early practice exposure, and its position in Oklahoma provides distinctive access to federal Indian law and tribal court practice. Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher's legacy remains the school's moral center. The trade-offs are real: a median LSAT of 162 places it outside the national elite tier, the 79.9% bar-required rate reflects significant J.D.-advantage placement, the $41,998 non-resident rate undercuts the value proposition for out-of-state students, there is no LRAP, and the placement footprint is almost entirely within Oklahoma. The school's 2025 Standard 509 report, employment summary, bar passage report, and cost-of-attendance breakdown were not retrievable in machine-readable form this cycle, so grant coverage, yield, the full percentile table, and the itemized budget should be confirmed directly before applying. For Oklahoma residents planning to practice in the state — particularly those drawn to energy law, government, tribal practice, or small-and-mid-size firm work — OU Law is among the most cost-effective choices available in the country.

Frequently Asked Questions

How hard is it to get into OU Law?

Accessible for a public flagship: for Fall 2025, OU Law received 1,391 completed applications, made 464 offers, and enrolled 200 students, for a 33.4% acceptance rate. The school's own class-profile page reports 1,246 applicants and 170 enrolled for the 2024 cycle.

What LSAT score is competitive for OU Law?

The Fall 2025 median LSAT was 162 per 509-derived aggregations. The school's own page reports a median of 160 for the Fall 2024 entering class, with a top quartile of 162 and a bottom quartile of 156. Scores at or above 162 place an applicant in the upper quartile; the 509 percentile table was not retrievable this cycle.

What GPA do OU Law applicants typically have?

The Fall 2025 median undergraduate GPA was 3.73 per 509-derived aggregations. The school's own page reports a median of 3.74 for Fall 2024, with a top quartile of 3.89 and a bottom quartile of 3.46.

Does OU Law give scholarships?

Yes. OU Law administers a scholarship and awards program determined through a questionnaire given to all first-year students after classes begin, with the Scholarship Committee deciding in September and March. Third-party 509 analysis indicates roughly 58% of students receive half-tuition awards or better. The official 509 grant-coverage percentage and median grant amount were not retrievable this cycle and are not published here.

What is OU Law's bar passage rate?

First-time bar passage was 91.7% for 2025 graduates (LawHub) or 88.77% (a third-party aggregator), against a national state average of roughly 85%. The school states its graduates pass the bar at a rate 20% above the Oklahoma state average. The ultimate two-year rate was not retrieved this cycle and is published in the school's Bar Passage Outcomes Report.

Is OU Law good for BigLaw?

Not in the national sense. U.S. News reports 92.7% full-credit outcomes at ten months but only 79.9% in full-time, long-term bar-required positions, indicating substantial J.D.-advantage placement, and the placement footprint is concentrated in Oklahoma. OU Law is not a national BigLaw feeder.

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

No part-time or evening J.D. division was identified in the sources reviewed; the J.D. is a three-year, full-time program.

What is OU Law best known for?

OU Law is best known as Oklahoma's only public law school, for its exceptional resident affordability ($26,273 in annual tuition and fees), its 91.7% first-time bar passage rate, its 0% underemployment score, its licensed-legal-intern clinic pathway, and its civil-rights heritage — Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher's successful challenge to the university's segregation, commemorated on the 75th anniversary of her graduation.

Contact and Key Links

The University of Oklahoma College of Law
300 Timberdell Road
Norman, OK 73019-0701

Main Phone: (405) 325-4699

Financial Aid Phone: (405) 325-4521

Official links

TLS Forum Links

Sources

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