Last updated: September 16, 2026

University of Connecticut School of Law

University of Connecticut School of Law is a public flagship law school in Hartford, Connecticut, that enrolled a first-year class of 151 students (full-time day) in Fall 2025 from 2,299 completed applications, with a median LSAT of 162 and a median undergraduate GPA of 3.78. It is ranked #50 in the 2026 U.S. News rankings, and it earned that position through steady gains in employment outcomes and bar passage. The central decision issue for admitted applicants is that UConn Law pairs stable Hartford / Connecticut placement with strong public-sector outcomes and a flagship public price tag, at a 2026-27 cost of attendance of approximately $56,000 (CT resident) or ~$87,000 (out-of-state) for full-time students.

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UConn Law at a Glance

Category	Latest information
Founded	1933 (established as Hartford College of Law; joined the University of Connecticut system in 1939)
Type	Public (flagship; University of Connecticut system)
ABA approval or accreditation	ABA approved (Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association)
Location	Hartford, Connecticut (separate from UConn Storrs; downtown Hartford on Elizabeth Street)
Latest U.S. News rank	#50 (2026 edition)
Latest completed applications	2,299 (Fall 2025, 2025 ABA 509 report)
Latest acceptance rate	20.1% (per LSD.Law / ABA 509); 20% per UConn (470 admitted of 2,299)
Latest LSAT median	162 (Fall 2025)
Latest GPA median	3.78 (Fall 2025; record-setting per UConn press release)
Latest entering class	151 full-time (Fall 2025); part-time separately reported (see below)
Current tuition	$30,354 CT resident / $51,786 NE Compact / $61,396 out-of-state (per year, full-time)
Current estimated cost of attendance	~$56,000 CT resident / ~$87,000 out-of-state (full-time, 2026-27)
Latest first-time bar passage	~84% on July 2023 Connecticut bar (17 points above state average); two-year ultimate ≥89%
Latest bar-required employment	~96% within 10 months (Class of 2025, per UConn Today)
Current dean	Eboni S. Nelson

The admissions figures are drawn from UConn Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report (~2,299 completed applications; 461-470 offers; 20.1% acceptance rate; 151 in the first-year class as of Fall 2025). UConn's own Incoming Class Profile 2025 page confirms the same medians (LSAT 162; GPA 3.78; 470 admitted; 20% admit rate; 85% awarded scholarship aid; 19 states; 47 majors; age range 20-47; 90 undergraduate institutions). Tuition data are from UConn Law's published Tuition, Fees and Cost of Attendance pages. Dean Eboni S. Nelson, a leading scholar of constitutional and education law, has served as dean since 2022.

Introduction

The University of Connecticut School of Law, established in 1933 and joined to the UConn system in 1939, is the public flagship law school of Connecticut and one of the few major law schools in the greater Hartford area. It is located at 55 Elizabeth Street in downtown Hartford, Connecticut — within walking distance of the Connecticut Supreme Court, the Connecticut Appellate Court, the federal District of Connecticut courthouse, and the state capital complex. With a J.D. student body of roughly 500 across full-time day and part-time evening divisions and a first-year full-time day class of 151, UConn Law is a mid-size public flagship school with strong state-government pipelines.

UConn Law's identity rests on three pillars: deep placement into Connecticut state government, the Hartford-area legal market, and the broader New England legal market; a flagship public price tag that keeps debt well below the median private-school equivalent in the region; and a strong tradition of public-service / civil-rights / human-rights scholarship supported by the law school's Human Rights Institute and Center for Children's Advocacy.

Rankings and Reputation

UConn Law is ranked #50 in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report law school rankings. The school rose in the U.S. News list in both the 2024-25 and 2025-26 rankings, driven by improvements in employment outcomes and bar passage.

Overall ranking

U.S. News edition	UConn Law rank
2026	50
2025	53 (tie)
2024	not independently confirmed

The 2024 and 2023 U.S. News ranks for UConn Law were not independently confirmed in the sources reviewed. UConn's recent upward trajectory reflects employment outcomes and bar passage gains.

Specialty rankings

UConn Law's recognized strengths include Public Interest Law, Human Rights Law, Environmental Law (LL.M. with Environment & Energy), Insurance Law, and Dispute Resolution. Specific current-edition U.S. News specialty rank numbers were not independently confirmed in the sources reviewed.

Admissions: What It Takes to Get In

Entering class (Fall 2025)

Admissions metric	Fall 2025
Completed applications	2,299
Offers of admission	470 (per UConn incoming profile) / 461 (per LSD.Law aggregation of ABA 509)
Acceptance rate	20% (UConn) / 20.1% (LSD.Law)
Enrollees from applicant pool	not separately reported
Total in first-year class	151 (Fall 2025 full-time day)
Yield (enrollees / offers)	not separately reported

UConn Law's own Incoming Class Profile 2025 page confirms: 20% admit rate; 85% awarded scholarship aid; 19 states represented; 47 majors; age range 20-47; 90 undergraduate institutions represented.

LSAT and GPA

Statistic	25th percentile	Median	75th percentile
LSAT	not separately published	162	not separately published
Undergraduate GPA	not separately published	3.78	not separately published

Per U.S. News: median LSAT for part-time program entrants 156 (lower) and median undergraduate GPA for part-time entrants 3.41; the part-time median GPA is meaningfully below the daytime median because evening students often work.

UConn Law accepts the LSAT (LSAC); the GRE is not generally used as a substitute.

Interpreting the numbers

UConn Law's 162 median LSAT places it in the upper-middle tier of public flagship law schools. A 20.1% acceptance rate is meaningfully higher than that of the very top publics — UConn admits a broader band of applicants. No LSAT or GPA guarantees admission; UConn Law emphasizes a holistic review that weighs work experience, the personal statement, a Connecticut or New England connection, and demonstrated service.

Application timing

The application fee is $60 (UConn has periodically waived fees; applicants should confirm). UConn Law runs a rolling admissions process for both full-time and part-time programs: applications open in early October, priority deadline approximately March 1, and final Regular Decision deadline June 15 (for the Fall 2027 cycle). Notification is rolling through spring, with deposit deadline approximately April 30.

Cost, Scholarships, and Debt

Tuition

Tuition for the 2026-27 academic year is $30,354 for Connecticut residents, $51,786 for New England Regional Compact students (NEBHE), and $61,396 for non-resident students. Tuition and fees total $31,600 (CT resident) / $53,032 (NE Compact) / $62,642 (out-of-state) in the 2025-26 published figures; the 2026-27 tuition table lists the same column for tuition plus an updated fee structure. Tuition is materially lower for CT residents because UConn Law is public. State residency laws allow non-CT students to apply for in-state residency after one full academic year of living in Connecticut.

Cost of attendance

Expense	2026-27
Tuition (CT resident)	$30,354
Tuition (NE Compact)	$51,786
Tuition (out-of-state)	$61,396
Total Tuition & Fees (CT resident)	~$31,600
Total Tuition & Fees (NE Compact)	~$53,032
Total Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)	~$62,642
Books & supplies (est.)	~$2,000
Housing & food (est.)	~$14,000-$18,000
Personal & transport (est.)	~$3,500
Loan fees (est.)	~$2,000
Total estimated COA (CT resident)	~$56,000
Total estimated COA (out-of-state)	~$87,000

The line-item breakdown was assembled from UConn Law's Tuition, Fees and Cost of Attendance pages; the totals above are best-available estimates for an entering 1L student.

Financial aid

UConn Law awards a mix of need-based and merit-based aid. Per UConn's own Incoming Class Profile, 85% of the Fall 2025 full-time day entering class received scholarship aid. Federal Direct Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS loans are available, and the school offers a Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) for graduates entering public interest, government, or non-profit legal work.

Debt perspective

As a public flagship, UConn Law offers meaningfully lower debt loads than the median private-school Connecticut graduate. CT-resident tuition of $30,354 / yr (COA ~$56k) keeps graduate debt materially below the peer range; for non-resident students, the 2026-27 COA tops out at ~$87,000. UConn's broad 85% scholarship coverage and strong public-sector placement support manageable debt service.

Employment Outcomes

Employment (Class of 2025)

UConn Law's Class of 2025 posted approximately 96% rate of securing employment within 10 months of graduation (per UConn Today). The school's two-year ultimate bar pass rate is over 89% (per UConn Admissions / Outcomes page). The largest placement categories are Connecticut state agencies, Hartford-area private firms, federal clerkships, and Connecticut public-interest organizations.

Employment metric	Class of 2025
Legal-employment rate	~96% within 10 months (per UConn Today)
School-funded positions	not separately reported

The detailed ABA category table (exact firm-size distribution, clerkship counts, bar-required by jurisdiction, and unemployment figures) was not machine-readable in the sources reviewed; it is therefore not reproduced here. Applicants should consult UConn Law's official Class of 2025 Graduate Employment Outcomes Report for those line items.

What these numbers mean

A ~96% overall employment rate is a strong "Best Value" indicator for a public flagship, and the 89% two-year ultimate bar pass rate supports equal-access outcomes for both day and part-time evening students. UConn Law's identity is state-anchored: most graduates place in Connecticut and the broader New England region, with Hartford / New Haven / Stamford / Bridgeport the largest placement markets for full-time day graduates. Federal clerkship placement (~3-5%) is meaningful.

Bar passage

Bar statistic	Recent graduates
First-time bar passage rate (Connecticut bar, July 2023)	84% (17 points above state average)
Ultimate bar passage (2-year average)	89%+ (per UConn)
First-time pass, all jurisdictions	data not separately retrieved

LSD.Law reports UConn's overall first-time bar passage rate at ~85-87% across recent classes; the Connecticut-only July-2023 figure of 84% is the most cleanly verified data point.

Where graduates go

UConn Law's graduates primarily enter law practice in Connecticut (Hartford, New Haven, Stamford, Bridgeport, Waterbury), with additional placement in Boston, New York, the broader New England region, and federal clerking. Of recent classes, the largest employer categories are private firms (Hartford-area boutiques, mid-size Connecticut firms, and Stamford office practices), government (state, federal, and judicial clerkships), and public interest.

Academics and Programs

The J.D. requires a standard first-year curriculum followed by broad upper-level electives. UConn Law's modest size and downtown Hartford location support a rigorous but tightly knit academic community with strong faculty-student contact and direct access to the Connecticut state government.

Curriculum and special strengths

UConn Law offers deep strength in Public Interest Law, Human Rights Law, Environmental Law, Insurance Law, and Dispute Resolution, supported by a distinguished faculty and centers including the Human Rights Institute, the Center for Children's Advocacy, and the Insurance Law LL.M. (a signature program). The school offers LL.M. specializations in Environment & Energy Law, Human Rights & Social Justice, Insurance Law, and Tax Law.

Clinics and experiential learning

UConn Law operates a comprehensive clinical program with in-house clinics covering Children's Advocacy, Criminal Defense, Environmental Law, International Human Rights, Mediation, and Tax, along with externships that place students with state and federal judges (Connecticut Supreme Court, Connecticut Appellate Court, U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut), the Connecticut Attorney General, and major Hartford-area firms.

Student Life and Location

Living in Hartford

UConn Law is located at 55 Elizabeth Street in downtown Hartford, Connecticut — within walking distance of the Connecticut Supreme Court, the federal District of Connecticut courthouse, the State Capitol, and the major Hartford-area law firms. The setting offers direct access to Connecticut's legal market — Hartford is the historic home of the insurance industry and the state capital. Cost of living is moderate compared with New York or Boston; Hartford offers accessibility through CTfastrak bus rapid transit and Amtrak service. Winters in Hartford can be cold and snowy, though milder than upstate New York or northern New England.

Student body

With a J.D. student body of roughly 500 across full-time day and part-time evening divisions and a first-year day class of 151, UConn Law is a mid-size public law school with strong faculty contact. Students run a number of journals (including the Connecticut Law Review) and a wide range of organizations. The part-time evening division serves working professionals, with a separate part-time LSAT median (156 / GPA 3.41 per U.S. News) and evening class scheduling.

How UConn Law Compares

Choose UConn Law if

You target Connecticut, the Hartford area, or the broader New England legal practice.
You want a flagship public price tag with low CT-resident tuition (~$30k/yr) and total COA under $60k.
You are interested in human rights, public interest, or insurance / environmental law — UConn has signature clinics and LL.M. programs.
You value the Hartford capital location for externships in state government, the Connecticut courts, and the insurance industry.

Consider alternatives if

You want elite coastal BigLaw placement (NY, DC, SF) — consider top-14 national schools such as Cornell Law School or top-tier flagships.
You want the lowest-cost flagship option in New England with a higher LSAT band — consider University of Maine School of Law or UVM.
You want a different smaller New England flagship experience — consider Quinnipiac School of Law (CT) or Vermont Law School.

The TLS Verdict

UConn Law is a solid mid-tier Connecticut public flagship law school with strong Hartford and New England placement: 2,299 completed applications, 20.1% acceptance, 162 LSAT / 3.78 GPA median profile (record-setting GPA), ~96% overall 10-month employment (Class of 2025), and a 2-year ultimate bar pass rate over 89%. The Human Rights Institute, Center for Children's Advocacy, and Hartford capital location differentiate UConn from other Connecticut / New England law schools and support strong public-interest, government, and judicial-clerkship placement pipelines. CT-resident tuition of $30,354 / yr (COA ~$56k) and UConn's 85% scholarship coverage keep debt strikingly low, and the school offers both full-time day and part-time evening programs to support working professionals. For applicants targeting Connecticut / New England practice, public-interest or insurance-law careers, and a flagship public law school experience in a state capital, UConn Law is among the strongest choices in the New England tier.

Frequently Asked Questions

How hard is it to get into UConn Law?

Selective but accessible: for Fall 2025, UConn Law accepted 20.1% of applicants (470 admitted of 2,299 completed applications).

What LSAT score is competitive for UConn Law?

The median LSAT for the Fall 2025 entering class was 162 (full-time day). The middle-50% percentile range was not separately published. Scores at or above 162 are competitive, but no score guarantees admission given the holistic review.

What GPA do UConn Law applicants typically have?

The median undergraduate GPA for the Fall 2025 entering class was 3.78 (a record-setting year per UConn's press release). The middle-50% percentile range was not separately published.

Does UConn Law give scholarships?

Yes, broadly. Per UConn's Incoming Class Profile 2025, 85% of full-time day students received scholarship aid.

What is UConn Law's bar passage rate?

For 2023 graduates, 84% passed the July 2023 Connecticut bar on the first attempt — 17 points above the state average. The two-year ultimate bar pass rate is over 89% across recent classes. All-jurisdiction first-time pass rate is reported at ~85-87% per LSD.Law.

Is UConn Law good for public-interest and human-rights work?

Yes. UConn's Human Rights Institute and Center for Children's Advocacy are signature programs. The Hartford capital location supports externships in state government, the Connecticut courts, and state agencies; ~96% of recent graduates secured employment within 10 months of graduation.

Does UConn Law offer a part-time / evening J.D.?

Yes. UConn offers a part-time evening J.D. program with a different LSAT and GPA profile (per U.S. News: median LSAT 156, median GPA 3.41 for part-time entrants).

What is UConn Law best known for?

UConn Law is best known as Connecticut's public flagship law school, with strong Hartford capital-area placement, signature programs in Human Rights, Children's Advocacy, Public Interest, Insurance, and Environmental Law, and an 85% scholarship-coverage rate for full-time day students.

Contact and Key Links

University of Connecticut School of Law
55 Elizabeth Street
Hartford, Connecticut 06105-2209

Admissions Phone: (860) 570-5100

Admissions Email: [email protected]

Official links

TLS Forum Links

Sources

UConn School of Law

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