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University of Washington School of Law

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Last updated: September 16, 2026

University of Washington School of Law

University of Washington School of Law is a public flagship law school in Seattle, Washington, that enrolled a first-year class of 208 students in Fall 2025 from 3,423 completed applications, with a median LSAT of 165 and a median undergraduate GPA of 3.76. It is ranked #50 (tie) in the 2026 U.S. News rankings, and it has held a steady mid-tier position among Pacific Northwest public law schools. The central decision issue for admitted applicants is that UW Law pairs strong Seattle / Pacific Northwest placement with a flagship-public price tag, at a 2026-27 cost of attendance of approximately $57,000 (WA resident) or ~$72,000 (non-resident) for full-time students.

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University of Washington Law at a Glance

Category Latest information
Founded 1899 (originally the Department of Law within the University of Washington)
Type Public (flagship; University of Washington main campus)
ABA approval or accreditation ABA approved (Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association)
Location Seattle, Washington (William H. Gates Hall, 4293 Memorial Drive NE)
Latest U.S. News rank #50 tie (2026 edition)
Latest completed applications 3,423 (Fall 2025, 2025 ABA 509 report)
Latest acceptance rate 19.6% (Fall 2025)
Latest LSAT median 165 (Fall 2025)
Latest GPA median 3.76 (Fall 2025)
Latest entering class 208 (Fall 2025; per UW 2025 Entering J.D. Class Profile)
Current tuition $47,073 in-state / $58,956 out-of-state (per U.S. News, 2025-26 reference)
Current estimated cost of attendance ~$57,000 WA resident / ~$72,000 out-of-state (2026-27 estimate)
Latest first-time bar passage ~92% on July Washington bar (Class of 2025); ~9 points above state overall average
Latest bar-required employment ~91% overall employment at 10 months (Class of 2025, per HeyFutureLawyer aggregation)
Current dean not independently confirmed (dean transition noted as of Fall 2026)

The admissions figures are drawn from UW Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report (3,423 completed applications; 667 admitted; ~19.6% acceptance rate; 208 in the first-year class as of October 2025). UW's own 2025 Entering J.D. Class Profile page confirms the same medians (LSAT 165 with 25th-75th 162-167; GPA 3.76 with 25th-75th 3.60-3.87) and reports an average age of 25 (range 21-43). Tuition and cost data are from UW Law's Tuition & Fees page, the UW Office of Admissions Cost of Attendance reference, and U.S. News Law Program Data.

Introduction

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The University of Washington School of Law, founded in 1899 and housed in William H. Gates Hall on the western edge of the UW main campus in Seattle, is the public flagship law school of Washington and one of the most selective Pacific Northwest law schools. Within walking distance of the Washington State Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, and the federal Ninth Circuit courthouse, UW Law blends a flagship research university environment with direct access to Seattle's robust legal market. With a J.D. student body of roughly 600 across day and evening programs and a first-year full-time class of 208, UW is a mid-size public law school with strong Pacific Northwest placement.

UW Law's identity rests on three pillars: deep placement into Seattle BigLaw, the broader Pacific Northwest legal market, and Seattle's tech-sector corporate counsel ranks; a flagship public price tag that keeps debt well below the median private-school Pacific Northwest graduate; and a strong technology-law / health-law / environmental-law tradition that leverages the broader University of Washington's research enterprise. Alumni cluster in Seattle and the Cascadia region, with additional national reach for patent law, environmental law, and health law.



Rankings and Reputation

UW Law is ranked #50 (tie) in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report law school rankings, holding a stable position among Pacific Northwest public law schools. The school's reputation in Seattle and the broader Pacific Northwest legal market is strong.

Overall ranking

U.S. News edition UW Law rank
2026 50 (tie)
2025 50 (tie)

The 2024 and 2023 U.S. News ranks for UW Law were not independently confirmed in the sources reviewed. UW Law has held a stable mid-tier position among Pacific Northwest public flagships for several consecutive editions.

Specialty rankings

UW Law's recognized strengths include Environmental Law (Pacific Northwest public-lands focus), Health Law (leveraging the broader UW Health Sciences Center), Intellectual Property / Technology Law (Seattle tech sector), and Native American / Indigenous Law (Tribal Court Public Defense Clinic). 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 3,423
Offers of admission 667
Acceptance rate 19.6%
Enrollees from applicant pool not separately reported
Total in first-year class 208
Yield (enrollees / offers) ~31% (calculated)

UW Law's own 2025 Entering J.D. Class Profile page confirms the same medians and reports: average age 25 (range 21-43); GPA range 3.60 (25th) to 3.87 (75th); LSAT range 162 (25th) to 167 (75th); 42% of incoming class identifying in at least one diversity category.

LSAT and GPA

Statistic 25th percentile Median 75th percentile
LSAT 162 165 167
Undergraduate GPA 3.60 3.76 3.87

UW Law accepts the LSAT (LSAC); the GRE is not generally used.

Interpreting the numbers

UW Law's 165 median LSAT places it in the upper-middle tier of public flagship law schools. A 19.6% acceptance rate is meaningfully lower than at the very top publics — UW admits a narrower band of applicants, with a 25th-percentile LSAT of 162. No LSAT or GPA guarantees admission; UW Law emphasizes a holistic review that weighs work experience, the personal statement, a Pacific Northwest or Washington connection, and demonstrated service.

Application timing

The application fee is $60 and the application deadline is March 15. UW Law runs a primary rolling admissions process for the day program, with the binding Early Decision deadline approximately November 1 and Regular Decision deadline March 15 (for the Fall 2027 cycle). Notification is on a rolling basis through spring, with a deposit deadline of approximately April 30.

Cost, Scholarships, and Debt

Tuition

Tuition for the 2025-26 academic year is published at $47,073 (WA resident) and $58,956 (out-of-state) per U.S. News; UW's estimated 2026-27 program costs are around $65,800 for some cohorts. The UW Office of Admissions Cost of Attendance reference lists nine-month graduate non-resident tuition at $44,460 for 2026-27. Tuition is materially lower for WA residents because UW Law is public. State residency laws allow non-WA students to apply for in-state residency after one full academic year of living in Washington.

Cost of attendance

Expense 2026-27
Tuition (WA resident) ~$47,073
Tuition (non-resident) ~$58,956
Books & supplies ~$2,000
Housing & food (est.) ~$15,000
Personal & transport (est.) ~$3,500
Loan fees (est.) ~$2,000
Total estimated COA (WA resident) ~$57,000
Total estimated COA (out-of-state) ~$72,000

The line-item breakdown was assembled from UW Law's Tuition & Fees page, the UW Cost of Attendance reference, and the UW Office of Admissions nine-month matrix; the totals above are best-available estimates for an entering 1L student.

Financial aid

UW Law awards a mix of need-based and merit-based 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. Public service and tech-sector corporate-counsel placement are both strong.

Debt perspective

As a public flagship, UW Law offers meaningfully lower debt loads than the median private-school graduate in the Pacific Northwest. WA-resident tuition of ~$47,073 (COA ~$57k) keeps debt materially below the peer range; for non-resident students, the 2026-27 COA tops out at ~$72,000. Seattle's starting-salary profile (corporate counsel and BigLaw) supports manageable debt service.

Employment Outcomes

Employment (Class of 2025)

UW Law's Class of 2025 posted approximately 90.96% overall employment at 10 months (per the HeyFutureLawyer aggregation). The largest placement categories are Seattle-area private firms, Pacific Northwest state government, federal clerkships, and corporate-counsel roles in the Seattle tech sector. UW's own ABA Employment Summary for 2025 Graduates is published at the Careers / Employment Statistics page.

Employment metric Class of 2025
Legal-employment rate ~91% overall employment at 10 months
Bar-required (full-time, long-term) not separately reported in the sources reviewed
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 UW Law's official Class of 2025 ABA Employment Summary for those line items.

What these numbers mean

A ~91% overall employment rate places UW Law in the upper-middle tier of public flagship law schools for graduate outcomes. UW Law's identity is regional-anchored: most graduates place in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, with additional placement in the Bay Area, D.C., and Portland / Vancouver. Seattle's tech-sector corporate counsel ranks (Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Apple, Tableau, Zillow, etc.) provide distinctive placement opportunities.

Bar passage

Bar statistic 2025 graduates
First-time bar passage rate (Washington bar, July) ~92% (per LexInter; ~9 points above state overall average of ~82-83%)
First-time pass, all jurisdictions ~91% (per HeyFutureLawyer aggregation)
Ultimate bar passage (2-year average) ~94% (per ABA disclosures estimate)
  • UW's Washington bar first-time rate substantially exceeds the state average, indicating strong bar-prep support.

Where graduates go

UW Law's graduates primarily enter law practice in Seattle (the largest single metro area in the Pacific Northwest), with additional placement in Portland, the Bay Area, D.C., and Anchorage. Of recent classes, the largest employer categories are Seattle-area private firms (regional boutiques, mid-size firms, and a strong AmLaw / national-firm presence), tech-sector corporate counsel, government (state, federal, and judicial clerkships), and public-interest organizations.

Academics and Programs

The J.D. requires a standard first-year curriculum followed by broad upper-level electives. UW Law's modest size and Seattle location support a rigorous but tightly knit academic community with strong faculty-student contact.

Curriculum and special strengths

UW Law offers deep strength in Environmental Law, Health Law, Intellectual Property / Technology Law, and Native American / Indigenous Law, supported by a distinguished faculty and centers including the school's Environmental and Land Use Law Program, the Law, Technology & Arts Program, and the Indigenous Law Center. The broader University of Washington Health Sciences Center and the UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences cross-disciplinary ties support Health Law and Environmental Law placements.

Clinics and experiential learning

UW Law operates a comprehensive clinical program with in-house clinics covering Environmental Law, Federal Tax, Health Law, Innocence Project, International Human Rights, Native American Tribal Court Public Defense, and Technology & Privacy, along with externships that place students with state and federal judges (Washington Supreme Court, Washington Court of Appeals, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, Ninth Circuit panels), the Washington Attorney General, and major Seattle firms.

Student Life and Location

Living in Seattle

UW Law is located at William H. Gates Hall, 4293 Memorial Drive NE, on the western edge of the UW main campus in the University District of Seattle, Washington — within walking distance of the Washington State Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, and the federal Ninth Circuit courthouse. The setting offers direct access to Seattle's robust legal market (~2.5M metro, ~5M Greater Puget Sound) and the broader Pacific Northwest. Cost of living in Seattle is high compared with the national median; tech-sector salaries offset this for tech-counsel placement. Winters are mild; summers are dry and warm.

Student body

With a J.D. student body of roughly 600 across day and evening programs and a first-year class of 208, UW Law is a mid-size public law school with strong faculty contact and a student-faculty ratio of approximately 5.8:1. Students run a number of journals (including the Washington Law Review) and a wide range of organizations. The Evening program (a part-time program attended by working professionals) provides scheduling flexibility not available at most peer schools.

How UW Law Compares

Choose UW Law if

  • You target Seattle, the Pacific Northwest, or the broader Cascadia region.
  • You want a flagship public price tag with low WA resident tuition and in-state total COA under $60k.
  • You are interested in tech law, environmental law, or health law — UW Law has signature programs in each.
  • You value small class sizes and individualized faculty mentorship in a Pacific Northwest college-town-meets-tech-hub setting.

Consider alternatives if

  • You want elite coastal BigLaw placement (NY, DC, SF) — consider top-14 national schools such as Cornell Law School.
  • You want the lowest-cost flagship option in the West — consider University of Oregon School of Law (COA under $60k resident) or University of Arizona Law.
  • You want a different region entirely — UW's regional placement means non-Pacific-Northwest applicants should give careful thought.

The TLS Verdict

UW Law is a stable mid-tier Seattle public flagship law school with strong Pacific Northwest placement: 3,423 completed applications, 19.6% acceptance, 165 LSAT / 3.76 GPA median profile, ~91% overall 10-month employment (Class of 2025), and ~92% first-time Washington bar passage (~9 points above state average). The Environmental Law, Health Law, and IP / Technology Law programs support distinctive placement opportunities including Seattle tech-sector corporate counsel, federal environmental agencies, and Pacific Northwest public-lands counsel. WA-resident tuition of $47,073 (COA ~$57k) keeps debt materially below the private-school Pacific Northwest graduate, and UW's LRAP supports public-interest outcomes. For applicants targeting Seattle / Pacific Northwest practice, tech-counsel or environmental-law careers, and a flagship public law school experience in a leading Pacific Northwest city, UW Law is among the strongest choices in its tier.

Frequently Asked Questions

How hard is it to get into UW Law?

Selective but accessible for the tier: for Fall 2025, UW Law accepted 19.6% of applicants (667 admitted of 3,423 completed applications).

What LSAT score is competitive for UW Law?

The median LSAT for the Fall 2025 entering class was 165, with a middle-50% range of 162 to 167. Scores at or above 165 are competitive, but no score guarantees admission given the holistic review.

What GPA do UW Law applicants typically have?

The median undergraduate GPA for the Fall 2025 entering class was 3.76, with a middle-50% range of 3.60 to 3.87.

Does UW Law give scholarships?

Yes. UW Law offers both need-based and merit-based aid, with scholarship consideration as part of the admissions process; specific grant amounts were not separately retrieved in the sources reviewed.

What is UW Law's bar passage rate?

For 2025 graduates, the first-time Washington bar passage rate was approximately 92% — roughly 9 points above the ~82-83% state average. All-jurisdiction first-time pass rate is approximately 91%. Ultimate two-year bar passage is approximately 94%.

Is UW Law good for environmental, health, and IP / tech law?

Yes. UW Law has signature programs in Environmental Law (public-lands focus), Health Law (leveraging the UW Health Sciences Center), and IP / Technology Law (leveraging Seattle's tech sector). The Tribal Court Public Defense Clinic and the Indigenous Law Center support public-interest pipelines.

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

Yes. UW offers an evening program that serves working professionals, with separate admissions criteria and academic profile. Specific evening LSAT and GPA data were not separately retrieved.

What is UW Law best known for?

UW Law is best known as the public flagship law school of Washington State, with strong Seattle / Pacific Northwest placement, signature programs in Environmental, Health, and IP / Technology Law, and proximity to Washington's courts and the Seattle tech-sector corporate counsel market.

Contact and Key Links

University of Washington School of Law
William H. Gates Hall
4293 Memorial Drive NE
Seattle, Washington 98195-4633

Admissions Phone: (206) 543-2586

Admissions Email: [email protected]

Official links

TLS Forum Links

Sources

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