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University of Pittsburgh School of Law
Last updated: September 29, 2026
Contents
- 1 University of Pittsburgh School of Law
- 1.1 Pitt Law at a Glance
- 1.2 Introduction
- 1.3 Rankings and Reputation
- 1.4 Admissions: What It Takes to Get In
- 1.5 Cost, Scholarships, and Debt
- 1.6 Employment Outcomes
- 1.7 Academics and Programs
- 1.8 Student Life and Location
- 1.9 How Pitt Law Compares
- 1.10 The TLS Verdict
- 1.11 Frequently Asked Questions
- 1.11.1 How hard is it to get into Pitt Law?
- 1.11.2 What LSAT score is competitive for Pitt Law?
- 1.11.3 What GPA do Pitt Law applicants typically have?
- 1.11.4 Does Pitt Law give scholarships?
- 1.11.5 Does Pitt Law have conditional scholarships?
- 1.11.6 What is Pitt Law's bar passage rate?
- 1.11.7 Is Pitt Law good for public interest work?
- 1.11.8 Is there a loan repayment program?
- 1.11.9 What is Pitt Law best known for?
- 1.11.10 Does Pitt Law offer a part-time J.D.?
- 1.12 Contact and Key Links
- 1.13 TLS Forum Links
- 1.14 Sources
University of Pittsburgh School of Law
The University of Pittsburgh School of Law is the public law school of the University of Pittsburgh, that enrolled a first-year class of 155 students in Fall 2025 from 1,606 completed applications, with a median LSAT of 160 and a median undergraduate GPA of 3.54. It is ranked #77 (tie) in the 2026 U.S. News rankings, and in the Class of 2025 it placed 98.1% of employed graduates in full-time, long-term bar-required or J.D.-advantage jobs. The central decision issue for admitted applicants is that Pitt Law pairs a low student-faculty ratio and an unusually deep grant program — 82% of students receive aid, with a $30,000 median award and no conditional scholarships — with a 2026–27 cost of attendance of about $65,200 for Pennsylvania residents.
Forum Links
Pitt Law at a Glance
| Category | Latest information |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1895 (law department first established 1843; permanent law school founded 1895) |
| Type | Public (University of Pittsburgh) |
| ABA approval or accreditation | ABA approved (Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar); charter member of the Association of American Law Schools since 1900 |
| Location | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (3900 Forbes Avenue, Oakland campus) |
| Latest U.S. News rank | #77 tie of 194 (2026 edition); Top 50 in the 2026 Above the Law rankings; #32 among U.S. law schools in the 2026 Times Higher Education Law rankings |
| Latest completed applications | 1,606 (Fall 2025, 2025 509 report); 2,251 reported for the 2026 entering class |
| Latest acceptance rate | 34.87% (Fall 2025) |
| Latest LSAT median | 160 (Fall 2025); 163 for the 2026 entering class |
| Latest GPA median | 3.54 (Fall 2025); 3.58 for the 2026 entering class |
| Latest entering class | 155 (Fall 2025); 154 for the 2026 entering class |
| Current tuition | $40,734 Pennsylvania resident / $55,570 non-resident (2026–27); $39,936 resident / $53,434 non-resident plus $1,697 fees (2025–26, 509 report) |
| Current estimated cost of attendance | Approximately $65,200 Pennsylvania resident / $80,000 non-resident (2026–27, computed from published tuition, fee and living-expense line items) |
| Latest first-time bar passage | 93% (2025 graduates, LawHub); 86.3% on the 2024 administrations versus an 80.2% Pennsylvania rate (+6.1 points) |
| Latest bar-required employment | 98.1% of employed Class of 2025 graduates in full-time, long-term bar-required or J.D.-advantage jobs; 85.9% in bar-passage-required positions (most recent ILRG report) |
| Current dean | Jerry Dickinson |
The admissions figures are drawn from Pitt Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report (1,606 completed applications, 560 offers, a 34.87% acceptance rate, 155 first-year students and a total J.D. enrollment of 389, with 9 transfers in). The school's own admissions page reports the 2026 entering class separately — 2,251 applications, 154 enrolled, a 163 LSAT median and a 3.58 GPA median — and this profile presents the two sets side by side rather than blending them. Tuition data comes from the university's tuition page for 2026–27, from the 509 report for 2025–26, and from the school's own fee schedule. Jerry Dickinson, a Pittsburgh native, constitutional law scholar and former civil rights lawyer, was appointed dean effective January 15, 2025, having previously served as professor and vice dean.
Introduction
The University of Pittsburgh School of Law, founded in 1895 and known as Pitt Law, is the law school of the University of Pittsburgh. It is located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, adjacent to the university's main campus and a short distance from the city's courts, major firms and corporate headquarters. With a J.D. enrollment of 389 and a first-year class of 155, it is a small school by national standards, and it reports a student-faculty ratio of 4.8:1 — among the lowest of any ABA-approved law school.
Pitt Law's identity rests on three pillars: an exceptionally low student-faculty ratio paired with a small entering class, one of the most substantial grant programs in the country relative to its class size, and a practical, clinic-heavy curriculum anchored by the Hickton Center for Community Legal Services. The school is also publicly known for JURIST, the legal news service published at Pitt Law, and it has been a national leader in legal education technology since the 1960s, when it developed the first computer-assisted legal research systems.
Rankings and Reputation
Pitt Law is ranked #77 (tie) of 194 in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report law school rankings. Its national standing is stronger on outcome-based measures than on the U.S. News composite: the school ranks #30 nationally for overall employment ten months after graduation (97.0%) and #61 for bar-required employment (85.9%) in ILRG's 2026 analysis, while Above the Law placed it among the nation's top 50 law schools for 2026, and Times Higher Education ranked it #32 among U.S. law schools in its 2026 Law subject rankings — the only Pitt school to improve its position that year, a rise driven by research quality.
Overall ranking
| U.S. News edition | Pitt Law rank |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 77 (tie) of 194 |
| 2025 | 79 (tie) per U.S. News and Wikipedia; the school publicized a 12-spot climb in an earlier edition |
Reporting caveat: Pitt Law has publicly stated its intention to withdraw from the U.S. News rankings, joining a group of schools that declined to participate. The #77 (tie) figure is what the current U.S. News profile returns and is used here as the source of record; applicants should confirm the current edition directly and weigh the outcome-based rankings, which do not depend on participation, alongside it. A separate U.S. News URL for the school (schoolId 03130) resolves to a different institution and should not be used.
Specialty rankings and outcome placements
| Metric (2026 reporting cycle) | Pitt Law placement |
|---|---|
| Overall employment, 10 months after graduation | #30 nationally (97.0%) |
| Bar-required employment (full-time, long-term) | #61 nationally (85.9%) |
| Bar passage rate, first-time takers | #67 nationally (86.3%), +6.1 points over Pennsylvania |
| Federal clerkship rate | #78 nationally (2.0%) |
| Student-faculty ratio | #49 nationally (9.5:1 on ABA faculty headcount) |
| Acceptance rate (selectivity) | #96 nationally (34.9%) |
| LSAT composite | #83 nationally (160.3 average of 25th/50th/75th) |
| GPA composite | #135 nationally (3.51 average of 25th/50th/75th) |
| Female faculty representation | 40.8% (tied #137) |
| Minority faculty representation | 17.1% (#109) |
| Above the Law 2026 Top 50 Law Schools | Top 50 |
| Times Higher Education 2026 Law rankings | #32 in the United States; top 175 worldwide |
U.S. News specialty rank numbers for individual practice areas in the 2026 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 | 1,606 |
| Offers of admission | 560 |
| Acceptance rate | 34.87% |
| Total in first-year class | 155 |
| Total J.D. enrollment | 389 |
| Transfers in | 9 |
| Yield (enrollees / offers) | 27.7% |
The school's own 2026 entering class profile reports 2,251 total applications and 154 enrolled students, with a median LSAT of 163 and a 25th–75th percentile range of 160–165, and a median undergraduate GPA of 3.58 with a 25th–75th percentile range of 3.41–3.72.
LSAT and GPA
| Statistic | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT (Fall 2025, 509 report) | 158 | 160 | 163 |
| Undergraduate GPA (Fall 2025, 509 report) | 3.26 | 3.54 | 3.74 |
| LSAT (2026 entering class, school profile) | 160 | 163 | 165 |
| Undergraduate GPA (2026 entering class, school profile) | 3.41 | 3.58 | 3.72 |
Pitt Law accepts the LSAT and the GRE, and its application requires a personal statement, a résumé and letters of recommendation submitted through LSAC's Credential Assembly Service.
Interpreting the numbers
The two profile years tell noticeably different stories, and applicants should read both. The Fall 2025 cohort (509 report) posted a 160 LSAT median and a 3.54 GPA median, which places Pitt Law in the middle of the national distribution. The 2026 entering class jumped to a 163 LSAT median and a 3.58 GPA median — a three-point rise in one of the two headline statistics — even as the applicant pool grew from 1,606 to 2,251 while enrolled students held steady at 154–155. A small class and a rising median together mean the school can be selective without expanding, and the 34.87% acceptance rate has actually loosened from 29.3% in 2019 even as the credentials of enrolled students improved, which suggests the school is admitting fewer applicants but admitting stronger ones. No LSAT or GPA guarantees admission.
Application timing
- October — application period opens (LSAC)
- May 1 — J.D. application deadline
- February 1 and April 15 — financial aid deadlines
The application fee is $65 and is non-refundable. Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis, so earlier applications are considered against less competition for both admission and scholarship funds.
Cost, Scholarships, and Debt
Tuition
Pitt Law is public, so tuition differs sharply by residency. Tuition rates and fees are adjusted annually on recommendations from the University Board of Trustees and announced in July. For 2026–27, the JD tuition is $40,734 for Pennsylvania residents and $55,570 for non-residents, with per-credit rates of $1,532 resident and $2,431 non-resident. The 2025–26 figures per the 509 report were $39,936 resident and $53,434 non-resident, both plus $1,697 in fees. U.S. News reports a third set for the same general period ($41,633 in-state and $55,131 out-of-state), reflecting its own reporting date.
| Category | 2025–26 (ABA 509) | 2026–27 (university tuition page) |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time, Pennsylvania resident | $39,936 plus $1,697 fees | $40,734 (per-credit rate $1,532) |
| Full-time, non-resident | $53,434 plus $1,697 fees | $55,570 (per-credit rate $2,431) |
| LL.M. (resident and non-resident) | Not reported separately | $47,270 annual (per-credit rate $1,892 resident) |
| Application fee | $65 | $65 |
Universal university fees for 2026–27 total $1,630 over two full-time terms ($815 per term; $484 per term part-time), comprising a transportation fee ($310), a student activity fee ($60), a wellness and recreation support fee ($810) and a computing and network services fee ($450). Law-specific fees are charged in addition: a Law Exam Fee of $66.50, a Law Public Service Interest Fee of $50, a Law Bar Success Fee of $550, and a $1,200 Laptop Fee for first-year students only.
Cost of attendance
| Expense | Full-time, two terms (2026–27) |
|---|---|
| Tuition, Pennsylvania resident | $40,734 |
| Tuition, non-resident | $55,570 |
| Universal fees | $1,630 |
| Housing | $10,374 |
| Food | $6,118 |
| Books and supplies | $1,730 |
| Transportation | $884 |
| Miscellaneous personal expenses | $3,520 |
| Loan fees | $218 |
| Total non-tuition budget | $22,844 |
| Computed total, Pennsylvania resident | $65,208 |
| Computed total, non-resident | $80,044 |
The $22,844 non-tuition budget is the university's published figure; the two totals above are computed by adding it to each residency's tuition and universal fees, and are labeled as computed rather than official. A separate LSAC profile lists an older-year cost of attendance of $59,494 for residents and $72,950 for non-residents on tuition of $39,154 and $51,380 with $1,230 in fees — noticeably below the current line-item total, which illustrates why applicants should use the university's current-year schedule. Pitt Law develops a standard cost of attendance each year covering tuition, fees, books and living expenses for the August–May enrollment period, and students with extraordinary documented expenses may petition for an individual budget increase, subject to federal guidelines; credit card and car payments cannot be included.
Financial aid
Pitt Law's grant program is one of its strongest features. Per the 2025 Standard 509 report, 305 students — 82% of the student body — received grants, with a 25th-percentile award of $24,000, a median of $30,000 and a 75th-percentile award of $38,000. The distribution is narrow and high: even the 25th-percentile recipient receives more than half of resident tuition. Critically, the school does not award conditional scholarships — its disclosures state that it does not award scholarships that may be reduced or eliminated based on academic performance other than failure to maintain good academic standing, so it publishes no conditional-scholarship retention chart. Every admitted applicant is considered for merit-based scholarships without a separate application, and the school maintains a scholarship dashboard through PittFundMe for named and donor-funded awards. The university also offers federal and private loan programs, and the financial aid office is directed by Meme Jeffries.
Debt perspective
The average indebtedness of 2025 J.D. graduates who incurred law school debt is $90,375, with 60.7% of graduates borrowing — a substantially lower borrow rate than at most schools of comparable size, reflecting a grant program that covers 82% of students. Pitt Law does offer a loan repayment assistance program for 2025 graduates: the LRAP provides direct financial assistance to qualifying graduates who enter public-interest careers by contributing toward their educational loan repayment. U.S. News reports an April 15 financial aid deadline. For Pennsylvania residents in particular, the combination of $40,734 tuition, a $30,000 median grant and a low cost of living makes Pitt Law one of the better cost-adjusted options in the Mid-Atlantic; non-residents paying $55,570 with the same grant structure still net out favorably against most private schools.
Employment Outcomes
Employment (Class of 2025)
Pitt Law reports that 122 students graduated in the Class of 2025, and that 109 graduates — 89.3% — had obtained full-time, long-term employment as of March 16, 2026. Of those 109 employed graduates, 98.1% held full-time, long-term bar-required or J.D.-advantage positions.
| Employment metric | Class of 2025 |
|---|---|
| Graduates | 122 |
| Full-time, long-term employment as of March 16, 2026 (school-reported) | 89.3% (109 of 122) |
| Employed in full-time, long-term bar-required or J.D.-advantage jobs (of the 109 employed) | 98.1% |
| Overall employment at 10 months (ILRG, 2024 outcomes) | 97.0% (#30 nationally) |
| Full-time, long-term bar-passage-required (ILRG, 2024 outcomes) | 85.9% (#61 nationally) |
| Federal clerkship rate (ILRG) | 2.0% (#78 nationally) |
| Graduates per U.S. News (Class of 2025 count basis) | 179 |
| Employment setting (of 109 employed graduates) | Share |
|---|---|
| Private law firms | 59.6% |
| Public interest or government | 23.8% |
| Business or industry | 9.1% |
| Federal or state judicial clerkships | 7.3% |
The 122-graduate count in the school's own Class of 2025 report and the 179-graduate count reported by U.S. News differ, which is the main reason the school-reported and ILRG percentages are not directly comparable; each row above is labeled by source. Salary-by-setting data for the Class of 2025 was not published in machine-readable form in the sources reviewed and is therefore not reproduced here. Applicants should consult Pitt Law's official Class of 2025 ABA Employment Summary — linked from the school's employment data page alongside summaries for every class back to 2018 — for bar-required counts, firm-size distribution and salary line items.
What these numbers mean
Pitt Law's employment profile is one of the strongest in the Mid-Atlantic outside the top tier, and it is unusually broad for a school of its size. Nearly all employed graduates land full-time, long-term bar-required or J.D.-advantage work, and the 7.3% judicial clerkship share — 2.0% federal on ILRG's separate measure — is above what most schools at this rank produce. The practice-area mix is balanced rather than firm-dominated: private practice at 59.6% is below the national pattern for schools in large markets, while public interest and government together account for nearly a quarter of employed graduates, which fits both Pittsburgh's institutional landscape and the school's LRAP. Placement geography is regional but not provincial: graduates from this class work in Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., New York, Ohio, New Jersey, Texas, Nevada, New Mexico and North Carolina.
Bar passage
| Bar statistic | Figure |
|---|---|
| First-time bar passage, 2025 graduates (LawHub) | 93% |
| First-time bar passage, 2024 administrations (ILRG, primary state Pennsylvania) | 86.3%, versus an 80.2% Pennsylvania rate (+6.1 points) |
| First-time bar passage, 2019 administrations (ILRG) | 85.5%, versus a 79.6% Pennsylvania rate (+5.9 points) |
| First-time pass rate, most recent February administration (school-reported) | 80%, versus a 57.32% statewide average |
Pitt Law has also reported the highest overall bar passage rate in Pennsylvania for a July administration. The pattern across measures is a school that consistently outperforms its home-state average by five to six points, with the most recent first-time figure available at 93%. Different report years, administrations and primary-state mixes explain the spread between the 86.3% and 93% figures, and neither should be read as a single stable rate.
Where graduates go
Pitt Law graduates practice in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania, in Washington, D.C., New York, Ohio, New Jersey, Texas and a scattering of other states, in firms of every size, government, public-interest organizations, corporate legal departments and judicial chambers. The school's Professional Development Office supports students pursuing firms, public-interest organizations, government agencies, corporations and judicial clerkships.
Academics and Programs
Pitt Law offers four degrees: the Juris Doctor (J.D.), the Master of Laws (LL.M.), the Master of Studies in Law (M.S.L.S.) and the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D.), along with online programs in health care compliance, human resources law and international business law. Joint degree programs are offered with other graduate schools within Pitt and with Carnegie Mellon University, meeting the demand for attorneys with interdisciplinary training. The J.D. curriculum pairs rigorous coursework with clinics, practicums, externships and other hands-on learning.
Curriculum and special strengths
Pitt Law's academic identity is a practical, small-cohort model with an unusually low student-faculty ratio — 4.8:1 on U.S. News's measure, 9.5:1 on ILRG's ABA faculty-headcount calculation — which supports close faculty contact and a curriculum that leans heavily on experiential work. The school's faculty of 152 includes 41 full-time and 111 non-full-time members, and the school has invested in chaired professorships, including the W. Edward Sell Chair in Business Law, appointed under Dean Dickinson. Centers and institutes focus on both traditional and emerging practice areas, with interdisciplinary collaboration across the university; the Institute for Bioethics brings together clinicians, scholars and investigators from multiple disciplines to work on bioethics and health law, and the Center for International Legal Education supports comparative and international law study. Pitt Law is also the home of JURIST, the widely cited legal news service staffed by law students, and it pioneered computer-assisted legal research — its early systems work in the 1960s is a founding chapter in legal technology.
Clinics and experiential learning
Pitt Law's clinics operate through the Hickton Center for Community Legal Services, which provides free civil legal services to the community while training students: under the supervision of full-time faculty who are practicing attorneys, student attorneys represent real clients as part of their legal education, and students may enroll in a clinic beginning in the second semester of their second year. In-house clinics include the Tax Clinic, Securities Arbitration Clinic, Family Law Clinic, Environmental Law Clinic, Health Law Clinic, Elder Law Clinic and Immigration Law Clinic. Because clinics follow the academic calendar, availability varies by term. Clinics, practicums and externships together form the school's experiential core, and the law library provides 475 seats for users.
Journals and scholarly output
Pitt Law publishes the University of Pittsburgh Law Review, the Journal of Law and Commerce, the Pittsburgh Tax Review, and the Pittsburgh Journal of Technology Law & Policy; the Pittsburgh Journal of Environmental and Public Health Law ceased publication in 2024.
Student Life and Location
Living in Pittsburgh
Pitt Law sits at 3900 Forbes Avenue in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood, adjacent to the university's main campus and within reach of the city's courts, downtown firms and corporate headquarters. The setting offers something increasingly rare among mid-Atlantic law schools: a genuine urban legal market at a cost of living far below that of New York, Washington or Boston, with housing budgeted at $10,374 and food at $6,118 for the academic year. Pittsburgh's legal community is substantial enough to support firm, government, corporate and public-interest practice, and the school's graduates stay in the region at high rates while also placing in Washington, New York, Ohio and New Jersey. The trade-offs are a smaller market than the largest coastal cities and winters comparable to other northeastern cities.
Student body
With 389 total J.D. students and a first-year class of 155, Pitt Law is small by national standards — a deliberate scale that supports the 4.8:1 student-faculty ratio and the school's collegial culture. The student body is 46.8% men, 51.4% women and 1.8% non-binary or other. The fall 2025 profile is drawn from an applicant pool of 1,606, and the 2026 cohort was drawn from 2,251 applications against the same class size, which means entering students are being selected from a materially larger pool. The faculty of 152 is 40.8% women and 17.1% racial or ethnic minority. First-year students are formally welcomed at the school's annual Class Swearing-In Ceremony, and the school runs an active roster of organizations alongside its law reviews, moot court programs and clinical offerings.
How Pitt Law Compares
Choose Pitt Law if
- You value a small program with an exceptionally low student-faculty ratio: 4.8:1 on U.S. News's measure, with a first-year class of about 155.
- You want scholarship predictability — 82% of students receive grants with a $30,000 median and a $24,000 floor, and the school awards no conditional scholarships at all.
- You are a Pennsylvania resident comparing cost: $40,734 in tuition against a median $30,000 grant and a $65,200 all-in budget is among the strongest cost-adjusted packages in the Mid-Atlantic.
- You want clinical training in a specific practice area — tax, securities arbitration, family, environmental, health, elder or immigration law all have in-house clinics.
- You want public-interest or government work: 23.8% of employed 2025 graduates entered those sectors, and Pitt Law operates an LRAP for public-interest graduates.
Consider alternatives if
- You want a top-tier national ranking or BigLaw placement in New York or Washington at scale — Pitt Law's placement is strong but regional and its overall U.S. News position sits in the 70s.
- You are a non-resident focused on cost: at $55,570 in tuition and about $80,000 all-in, the value case narrows considerably.
- You want a large student body, a broad out-of-state alumni network, or a big-city market — 155 students per class means a smaller network and a smaller local market than Chicago, New York or Los Angeles.
- You are targeting federal appellate clerkships — the 2.0% federal clerkship rate is solid for this tier but below the top programs'.
- You want a wide array of U.S. News specialty rankings to compare against peer schools — the 2026 specialty figures were not confirmed in the sources reviewed.
The TLS Verdict
The University of Pittsburgh School of Law is one of the strongest cost-adjusted values in the Mid-Atlantic and an outlier on the two metrics that matter most day to day: a 4.8:1 student-faculty ratio in a class of about 155, and a grant program that reaches 82% of students with a $30,000 median award and no conditional scholarships to put at risk. Its employment record is genuinely strong for its rank — 98.1% of employed 2025 graduates in full-time, long-term bar-required or J.D.-advantage jobs, 97.0% overall employment at ten months (ranked #30 nationally), a 2.0% federal clerkship rate, and a 23.8% share entering public interest or government, backed by an actual LRAP. Bar outcomes consistently beat Pennsylvania's average by five to six points, with a 93% first-time rate for 2025 graduates. The principal trade-offs are reach and cost for non-residents: placement is concentrated in Pennsylvania and neighboring markets, the overall U.S. News position is #77 (tie) — and the school has publicly moved away from participating in those rankings — and average debt among the 60.7% who borrow is $90,375. For applicants who want a small, clinic-heavy program, predictable scholarship money, or public-interest practice in a mid-sized city, Pitt Law is among the best choices available.
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is it to get into Pitt Law?
Moderately selective and getting more so: for Fall 2025, Pitt Law accepted 34.87% of applicants — 560 offers from 1,606 completed applications — and enrolled 155 students. The 2026 entering class was drawn from 2,251 applications with 154 enrolled.
What LSAT score is competitive for Pitt Law?
The Fall 2025 entering class posted a 160 median with a middle-50% range of 158 to 163. The 2026 entering class rose to a 163 median with a range of 160 to 165, so a 163 or above is now the target figure; a 160 remains competitive but no longer at the median. No score guarantees admission.
What GPA do Pitt Law applicants typically have?
The median undergraduate GPA was 3.54 for the Fall 2025 entering class, with a middle-50% range of 3.26 to 3.74. The 2026 entering class posted a median of 3.58 with a range of 3.41 to 3.72.
Does Pitt Law give scholarships?
Yes, substantially. Per the 2025 ABA 509 report, 305 students — 82% of the student body — received grants, with a median award of $30,000, a 25th-percentile award of $24,000 and a 75th-percentile award of $38,000. No separate application is required.
Does Pitt Law have conditional scholarships?
No. The school states that it does not award scholarships that may be reduced or eliminated based on academic performance other than failure to maintain good academic standing, and therefore publishes no conditional-scholarship retention chart.
What is Pitt Law's bar passage rate?
The first-time bar passage rate for 2025 graduates was 93%, per LawHub. On the 2024 administrations, ILRG reported 86.3% for first-time takers against an 80.2% Pennsylvania average, a 6.1-point advantage, and the school has reported the highest overall bar passage rate in Pennsylvania for a July administration.
Is Pitt Law good for public interest work?
Yes, relative to its size. Nearly a quarter — 23.8% — of employed Class of 2025 graduates entered public interest or government positions, and the school operates a Loan Repayment Assistance Program providing direct financial assistance to qualifying graduates who enter public-interest careers. Average debt among the 60.7% of graduates who borrowed is $90,375.
Is there a loan repayment program?
Yes. Pitt Law offers a Loan Repayment Assistance Program for graduates entering public-interest careers, contributing toward their educational loan repayment.
What is Pitt Law best known for?
Its very low student-faculty ratio (4.8:1), its broad grant aid (82% of students, $30,000 median, no conditional awards), its clinic-heavy curriculum through the Hickton Center for Community Legal Services, its role as the home of JURIST, and its history as a pioneer of computer-assisted legal research.
Does Pitt Law offer a part-time J.D.?
Not in the way most schools do. The 509 report lists part-time tuition as $0, indicating no separately enrolled part-time cohort, and the school's fee schedule includes part-time per-term rates for students taking reduced loads rather than a distinct part-time division. Applicants seeking a formal evening or part-time program should confirm directly with admissions.
Contact and Key Links
University of Pittsburgh School of Law
3900 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Main Phone: 412-648-1490
Admissions Phone: 412-648-1413
Admissions Email: [email protected]
Financial Aid Phone: 412-648-1415
Dean: Jerry Dickinson ([email protected])
Vice Dean: John Linarelli ([email protected])
Official links
- University of Pittsburgh School of Law — Official Website
- J.D. Admissions
- Latest Entering Class Profile
- Latest ABA Standard 509 Report
- 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report (PDF)
- Latest Employment Data
- Class of 2025 ABA Employment Summary (PDF)
- Latest Bar Passage Data
- Tuition and Cost of Attendance
- School of Law Tuition Rates and Fees, 2026–27
- Loan Repayment Assistance Program
- Academic Programs
- Hickton Center for Community Legal Services
- Centers and Institutes
- Office of the Dean
TLS Forum Links
Sources
- University of Pittsburgh School of Law — Official Website
- ABA — University of Pittsburgh School of Law 2025 Standard 509 Information Report
- Pitt Law — Consumer Information (ABA Required Disclosures)
- Pitt Law — Apply to Pitt Law and Entering Class Profile
- Pitt Law — Tuition and Financial Aid, Fee Schedule and Cost of Attendance
- University of Pittsburgh — School of Law Graduate Cost of Attendance, 2026–27
- Pitt Law — Loan Repayment Assistance Programs
- Pitt Law — Employment Data and Class of 2025 ABA Employment Summary
- Pitt Law — ABA Data for the Class of 2025 (PDF)
- Pitt Law — Pitt Law Ranked #32 in the U.S. in 2026 Times Higher Education Law Rankings
- Pitt Law — Jerry Dickinson Appointed Dean of the School of Law
- Pitt Law — Dean Jerry Dickinson Profile
- University of Pittsburgh Provost — Appointment of the New Dean of the School of Law
- Pitt Law — Hickton Center for Community Legal Services and Clinical Legal Education
- Pitt Law — Centers and Institutes
- U.S. News — University of Pittsburgh Law School Profile
