Last updated: September 17, 2026

University of Tennessee Winston College of Law

The University of Tennessee Winston College of Law is the public law school of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, that enrolled a first-year class of roughly 140 students in Fall 2025 from 2,176 completed applications, with a median LSAT of 164 and a median undergraduate GPA of 3.89. It is ranked #57 in the 2026 U.S. News rankings and 29th among public law schools, and it was renamed the Frank Winston College of Law in 2025 after a $32.5 million gift from The Bill Gatton Foundation. The central decision issue for admitted applicants is that Winston Law pairs a low in-state price, a long-running advocacy and dispute-resolution identity, and one of the country's oldest continuously operating for-credit legal clinics with a regional Tennessee-and-Southeast placement footprint, at a 2026–27 cost of attendance of $45,524 for residents and $64,268 for non-residents.

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Winston Law at a Glance

Category	Latest information
Founded	1890 (began as the Department of Law)
Type	Public (flagship campus of the University of Tennessee system)
ABA approval or accreditation	ABA approved (Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar); charter member of the AALS
Location	Knoxville, Tennessee (1505 W. Cumberland Ave.)
Latest U.S. News rank	#57 (2026 edition); 29th among public law schools
Latest completed applications	2,176 (Fall 2025)
Latest acceptance rate	24.8% (Fall 2025)
Latest LSAT median	164 (Fall 2025)
Latest GPA median	3.89 (Fall 2025)
Latest entering class	140 enrolled (Fall 2025, U.S. News); the school reports a Class of 2028 of 144 students
Current tuition	$20,508 in-state / $39,252 out-of-state (2026–27, tuition and fees)
Current estimated cost of attendance	$45,524 in-state / $64,268 out-of-state (2026–27)
Latest first-time bar passage	85.6% (107 of 125 first-time sitters, 2025 — aggregated third-party figure); UT's official ABA bar-passage report was not retrieved this cycle
Latest bar-required employment	Not retrieved from UT's official ABA employment summary this cycle
Current dean	Paula Schaefer (Interim Dean; Lonnie T. Brown, Jr. served through 2026)

The admissions figures above are drawn from the school's reported class profile and the U.S. News profile of UT Knoxville: 2,176 applicants, 539 offers, 140 enrolled, and a 24.8% acceptance rate. UT's 2025 Standard 509 Information Report states an enrollment rate from completed applications of 6.39% and an enrollment rate from offers of admission of 25.79%, consistent with those counts. The school's own "Incoming Class" page reports a Class of 2028 of 144 students with a median LSAT of 165 and a median GPA of 3.89, a one-point difference from the 509 LSAT median of 164 that reflects differing reporting dates and rounding; this profile uses the 509/aggregated median of 164 in the infobox. Tuition and cost data are from the law school's tuition page and the university One Stop cost-of-attendance page. Paula Schaefer, Art Stolnitz Distinguished Professor of Law, is serving as Interim Dean following Lonnie T. Brown, Jr., whose tenure concluded in 2026.

Introduction

The University of Tennessee Winston College of Law, founded in 1890, is the law school of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville — the flagship campus of the University of Tennessee system. It began its existence as the Department of Law under the deanship of former Tennessee Supreme Court justice Thomas J. Freeman, and it is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and a charter member of the Association of American Law Schools. With a Fall 2025 first-year class of about 140 and total enrollment reported in the low 400s by U.S. News, it is a mid-sized public law school in a small-city Southern market.

In 2025, The Bill Gatton Foundation made a $32.5 million gift to the college, and the UT Board of Trustees approved renaming the school the Frank Winston College of Law in honor of the late alumnus Frank Winston (Class of 1952), a Bristol trial lawyer and former Tennessee state representative. The gift also created the Frank Winston Public Interest Law Fellows and Frank Winston Business Law Fellows. Winston Law's identity rests on three pillars: a long-standing advocacy and dispute-resolution specialization, a nationally recognized clinical program — its Advocacy Clinic is the longest continuously operating for-credit clinic in the country — and a very low in-state price anchored by one of the country's most generous public-university scholarship rates.

Rankings and Reputation

Winston Law is ranked #57 in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report law school rankings and 29th among public law schools. Its reputation rests less on overall rank than on clinical and advocacy training, on a strong value proposition for Tennessee residents, and on a legal-writing and practice-readiness emphasis that regional employers cite as a strength of its graduates. PreLaw Magazine ranked it 13th among its 2025 Best Value Law Schools.

Overall ranking

U.S. News edition	UT Knoxville rank
2026	57
2024	52 (tie)

The 2025 rank was not independently confirmed in the sources reviewed. Applicants should treat movement within the 50s as immaterial to practical career outcomes in the Tennessee and Southeast markets, where Winston Law's placement is driven by its alumni network, clinics, and in-state tuition advantage rather than by rank position.

Specialty rankings

Specialty	UT Knoxville rank
Legal Clinic (clinical training)	7th among public law schools (2025 U.S. News)
Business & Corporate Law	10th among public law schools (2025 U.S. News)
Overall among public law schools	29th (2025 U.S. News)
Best Value Law School	13th nationally (PreLaw Magazine, 2025)

Winston Law offers academic concentrations in Advocacy and Dispute Resolution and in Business Transactions, both of which align with its ranked specialties. 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	2,176
Offers of admission	539
Acceptance rate	24.8%
Enrollees from applicant pool	140
Total in first-year class	140 (U.S. News); 144 (school-reported Class of 2028)
Yield (enrollees / offers)	25.79% (2025 Standard 509 report)

The school reports that the Class of 2028 matriculated from 70 different undergraduate institutions, drawing heavily from Tennessee, the Southeast, and Big Ten and SEC schools, with a substantial cohort from the University of Tennessee system itself.

LSAT and GPA

Statistic	25th percentile	Median	75th percentile
LSAT	Not reported in the sources reviewed	164	Not reported in the sources reviewed
Undergraduate GPA	Not reported in the sources reviewed	3.89	Not reported in the sources reviewed

The school's own Class of 2028 profile reports a median LSAT of 165 and a median GPA of 3.89. UT's 2025 Standard 509 Information Report was not retrievable in machine-readable form this cycle, so the 25th and 75th percentile figures are marked as not reported rather than estimated. In the prior cycle (Class of 2027, Fall 2024), the entering class of 133 students posted a median GPA of 3.82 and a median LSAT of 163, which the college described at the time as the strongest credentials in its history.

Interpreting the numbers

Winston Law's median LSAT of 164 sits solidly above the national median but well below the top-30 band, and its 3.89 median GPA is high relative to its LSAT position — a pattern typical of public flagships that attract strong in-state undergraduates. The 24.8% acceptance rate makes it moderately selective, and the 25.79% enrollment rate from offers indicates that admitted students frequently choose other options, a dynamic that public schools with modest sticker prices often counteract through aggressive in-state scholarship offers. No LSAT or GPA guarantees admission given holistic review.

Application timing

There is no application fee. For the Fall 2027 cycle, the application opens September 1, 2026; the Tennessee Early Decision deadline is December 1, 2026; the Transfer Early Decision deadline is March 1, 2027; Admitted Students Day is April 9, 2027; and the Regular Transfer deadline is July 1, 2027. U.S. News lists a general application deadline of August 7. Early Decision at Winston Law is tied to Tennessee residency incentives and should be reviewed carefully before committing.

Cost, Scholarships, and Debt

Tuition

Tuition and fees for the 2026–27 academic year are $20,508 for Tennessee residents and $39,252 for non-residents. U.S. News separately reports full-time tuition of $20,562 in-state and $39,322 out-of-state, and the university's One Stop page lists $20,710 in-state and $39,496 out-of-state; the small differences reflect differing inclusion of mandatory fees and differing update dates, and the law school's own tuition page is treated as authoritative here. Winston Law's in-state price is among the lowest of any ABA-approved law school in the country, and several out-of-state scholarship programs are explicitly designed to subsidize the non-resident differential.

Cost of attendance

Expense (2026–27)	In-state	Out-of-state
Tuition and fees	$20,508	$39,252
Housing and food	$16,448	$16,448
Books, course materials, supplies, and equipment	$1,600	$1,600
Transportation	$3,706	$3,706
Miscellaneous personal expenses	$3,042	$3,042
Loan fees	$220	$220
Total estimated cost of attendance	$45,524	$64,268

The published total excludes optional health insurance and any program-specific charges. Mandatory charges outside the tuition line include a Student Programs and Services Fee of $519 per year, a Facilities Fee of $300 per semester for in-state students and $450 per semester for out-of-state students, a Law Fee of $695 per semester, a Law Students Library Fee of $125 per semester, a Technology Fee of $14 per credit hour (capped at $120 per semester), and a Transportation Fee of $12 per credit hour (capped at $97).

Financial aid

Winston Law states that 96–97% of the entering class is awarded scholarships, one of the highest coverage rates in American legal education. Named programs include:

Frank Winston Fellows — up to six selected annually, each receiving full tuition, fees, a living-expense stipend for fall and spring, university health insurance, and support for summer internships.
Torchbearer Law Scholars — full tuition, fees, a living-expense stipend, and university health insurance, contingent on completing program requirements.
Dean's Scholarship — funding covering the full out-of-state portion of tuition for three years.
Volunteer Law Scholarship — $10,000 per year toward the out-of-state portion of tuition for three years.
Frank Winston Law Grants — fifty students annually receive a $1,000 grant.
Merit Scholarships — awarded at admission and applied across all three years; amounts are not separately published.

Per the 2025 Standard 509 report, 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 — meaning Winston Law's awards are effectively non-conditional, which protects recipients from the scholarship-loss risk reported at many peer schools. Federal Direct Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS loans are available, the FAFSA is required for federal aid, and the university maintains a Loan Repayment Assistance Program for qualifying graduates. Veterans and other individuals eligible for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs educational benefits may not be charged out-of-state tuition while enrolled, utilizing those benefits, and living in Tennessee.

Debt perspective

The combination of a $20,508 in-state tuition and near-universal scholarship coverage makes Winston Law one of the most affordable paths to a J.D. in the country for Tennessee residents. Non-residents paying full price still face a three-year cost approaching $193,000. Among 2025 J.D. graduates who borrowed, average indebtedness was $87,840, with 69.4% of graduates incurring law school debt — a figure substantially below the national private-school average and consistent with the school's low in-state price and heavy grant coverage.

Employment Outcomes

Employment (Class of 2025)

Employment metric	Class of 2025
Employed in full-time, long-term bar-required positions	Not retrieved from UT's official ABA employment summary this cycle
Class size	Not retrieved from UT's official ABA employment summary this cycle
Bar-required employment (all categories)	Not retrieved from UT's official ABA employment summary this cycle

UT publishes an ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2025 on its disclosures page, but the underlying report was not retrievable in machine-readable form this cycle; applicants should read that PDF directly rather than rely on any aggregate here. For context, the ABA reported that 87.7% of Class of 2025 graduates across all accredited law schools held full-time, long-term, bar-required positions ten months after graduation.

What these numbers mean

Because the official category table could not be verified this cycle, no inference should be drawn from it. Historically, Winston Law's graduates cluster in Tennessee firms of all sizes, the Tennessee state government and judiciary, public-interest organizations, and regional corporate legal departments, with a steady pipeline into Knoxville, Nashville, Memphis, and Chattanooga practices. The school's low debt load means most graduates reach repayment with substantially less pressure than peers at private schools.

Bar passage

Bar statistic	Most recent
First-time bar passage rate	85.6% (107 of 125 first-time sitters, 2025 — third-party aggregation); a separate aggregator reports 91.9% first-time with a +13.5% margin over the Tennessee average
Two-year ultimate bar admission rate	Not retrieved this cycle; UT publishes a Bar Passage Outcomes Report on its ABA disclosures page
Tennessee state overall pass rate (2025 comparison)	The July 2025 Tennessee results were not independently confirmed in the sources reviewed

The two published first-time figures differ materially (85.6% versus 91.9%) because they draw on different aggregations and reporting windows; UT's official Bar Passage Outcomes Report is the authoritative source and should be consulted directly. Both figures place Winston Law near or above the national state average of roughly 80–85%.

Where graduates go

Winston Law's placement footprint is regional: Tennessee first, followed by surrounding Southeast markets. The school's best-documented recent outcome data point is from the Class of 2020, when 89% of the 118 graduates held full-time, long-term bar-required jobs ten months after graduation — the college described that as running 12 points above the national average at the time. 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 first-year required courses followed by upper-level electives, and it offers academic concentrations in Advocacy and Dispute Resolution and in Business Transactions. Dual-degree programs are available in law and business (J.D./M.B.A.), law and philosophy (J.D./M.A. in Philosophy), law and public health (J.D./M.P.H.), and law and public administration (J.D./M.P.A.), with structured cross-credit arrangements between the College of Law and the partner department. Winston Law has operated for more than 130 years and emphasizes ethics and public service in its mission.

Curriculum and special strengths

Winston Law's signature strength is advocacy and dispute resolution, supported by its ranked clinical program (7th among public law schools) and by its business and corporate law curriculum (10th among public law schools). The college's stated identity is practical: students describe courses that embed experiential components into doctrinal teaching, and the school markets itself explicitly on producing practice-ready graduates. The Frank Winston Public Interest Law Fellows and Frank Winston Business Law Fellows programs, created with the 2025 Gatton gift, provide funded pathways into public-interest and business practice.

Clinics and experiential learning

The Advocacy Clinic is the longest continuously operating for-credit law clinic in the United States, and the college's clinical program overall ranks 7th among public law schools. Students gain supervised client representation through the clinic, externships, and simulation courses, with the college reporting a heavy emphasis on trial advocacy and dispute resolution. The college's legal clinic operates a dedicated line (865-974-2331) alongside the main law school.

Student Life and Location

Living in Knoxville

Winston Law sits at 1505 W. Cumberland Avenue on the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville, a mid-sized city in East Tennessee at the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains. The location offers a materially lower cost of living than major coastal markets and a compact, walkable campus environment adjacent to the university's undergraduate core. The local legal market is modest relative to national hubs, and students targeting larger markets travel to Nashville, Atlanta, or beyond for interviews and summer positions, though Knoxville's proximity to Nashville (roughly three hours) and to the Tennessee state legal community keeps regional recruiting accessible.

Student body

Winston Law enrolls roughly 419 students per U.S. News and about 460 per third-party counts, with a student-faculty ratio of 6:1. The entering class draws from 70 different undergraduate institutions, with a strong presence from Tennessee, SEC, and Big Ten schools. The law school library is the Joel A. Katz Law Library. The community is anchored by the university's Volunteer identity, and the college markets its collegiality as a defining feature; there is no evening or part-time J.D. division noted in the sources reviewed.

How UT Knoxville Compares

Choose UT if

You are a Tennessee resident and want a high-quality J.D. at one of the lowest in-state prices in the country, with 96–97% of the entering class receiving scholarships.
You are targeting practice in Tennessee or the Southeast, where the school's alumni network and regional brand are strongest.
You want a strong clinical and advocacy education — the Advocacy Clinic is the oldest continuously operating for-credit clinic in the country, and the clinical program ranks 7th among public law schools.
You value non-conditional scholarship terms that are not reduced for academic performance short of losing good standing.

Consider alternatives if

You are a non-resident paying full price — the out-of-state cost of attendance of $64,268 and three-year cost approaching $193,000 change the value calculation substantially.
You are targeting elite BigLaw on the coasts or a national federal-clerkship pipeline; schools with larger national recruiting footprints will serve you better.
You need a part-time or evening J.D. program.
You want a large urban legal market during the academic year rather than a mid-sized Southern city.

The TLS Verdict

Winston Law is one of the strongest value propositions in American legal education for Tennessee residents: an ABA-approved, AALS-charter-member public law school with a $20,508 in-state tuition, 96–97% of the entering class on scholarship, non-conditional award terms, a 7th-ranked clinical program, and the country's longest continuously operating for-credit clinic. The 2025 renaming and the $32.5 million Gatton gift, which created funded public-interest and business-law fellowships, strengthen its financial position and programmatic reach. The trade-offs are concentration and reach: placement is heavily regional, the LSAT median of 164 places it outside the national elite tier, and non-residents paying full price face a cost structure that erodes much of the value case. Verified Class of 2025 employment and bar figures were not retrievable from UT's official disclosures this cycle, and both should be checked directly before applying. For Tennessee residents planning to practice in the Southeast, Winston Law is among the most cost-effective and practice-oriented choices available; for applicants optimizing for national portability or coastal BigLaw, the regional footprint and rank position warrant careful comparison.

Frequently Asked Questions

How hard is it to get into Winston Law?

Moderately selective: for Fall 2025, UT Knoxville received 2,176 completed applications, made 539 offers, and enrolled 140 students, for a 24.8% acceptance rate and a 25.79% enrollment rate from offers.

What LSAT score is competitive for Winston Law?

The median LSAT for the Fall 2025 entering class was 164, and the school's own Class of 2028 profile reports a median of 165. 25th and 75th percentile figures were not retrievable from the 509 report this cycle and are therefore not published here. Scores at or above 164 are competitive.

What GPA do Winston Law applicants typically have?

The median undergraduate GPA for the Fall 2025 entering class was 3.89 — high relative to the school's LSAT median. The prior entering class posted a median GPA of 3.82.

Does Winston Law give scholarships?

Yes, very broadly: 96–97% of the entering class is awarded scholarships, including Frank Winston Fellows (full tuition plus stipend and health insurance), Torchbearer Law Scholars (full tuition plus stipend and insurance), the Dean's Scholarship (full out-of-state tuition differential), the Volunteer Law Scholarship ($10,000 per year of the out-of-state differential), and Frank Winston Law Grants ($1,000 to fifty students annually). Per the 2025 Standard 509 report, the school does not award scholarships that may be reduced or eliminated based on academic performance other than failure to maintain good standing.

What is Winston Law's bar passage rate?

Published third-party figures diverge: one aggregation reports 85.6% (107 of 125 first-time sitters in 2025) and another reports 91.9% first-time, running 13.5 points above the Tennessee average. UT's official Bar Passage Outcomes Report is the authoritative source and was not retrievable in machine-readable form this cycle.

Is Winston Law good for BigLaw?

Not in the national sense. Placement is concentrated in Tennessee and the Southeast across firms of all sizes, government, the judiciary, and public-interest organizations. Applicants targeting large coastal firms should weigh schools with larger national recruiting footprints.

Does Winston 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 full-time program.

What is Winston Law best known for?

Winston Law is best known for advocacy and dispute resolution, its clinical program (7th among public law schools) and the Advocacy Clinic — the longest continuously operating for-credit clinic in the country — its business and corporate law curriculum (10th among public law schools), its exceptional in-state value and 96–97% scholarship coverage, and its 2025 renaming after a $32.5 million gift from The Bill Gatton Foundation.

Contact and Key Links

University of Tennessee Winston College of Law
1505 W. Cumberland Avenue
Knoxville, TN 37996-1810

Main Phone: (865) 974-4241

Admissions Phone: (865) 974-4131

Admissions Email: [email protected]

General Inquiries: [email protected]

Official links

TLS Forum Links

Sources

University of Tennessee College of Law

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