Class of 2023 Profile

As of Oct. 5, 2020 | Related Story

The Class of 2023 is the most diverse on record at UVA Law, and the first to have a majority of students be women. The 299 students come from 38 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, Nigeria and the Bahamas, and attended 144 undergraduate institutions.

  • Median LSAT: 170
  • 25%-75% LSAT: 164-172
  • Median GPA: 3.90
  • 25%-75% GPA: 3.49-3.96
  • Age Range: 20 to 37 (average age is 24)
  • 299 students enrolled from among 5,458 applicants
  • 52% women, 48% men
  • 33% identify themselves as people of color (including people of Middle Eastern descent, who are counted as Caucasian by the ABA)
  • 70% have postgraduate experience
     

Geographic Representation

Students come from 38 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, Nigeria and the Bahamas. In addition to Virginia, the following states are represented by five or more students:

California 24 New Jersey 7
New York 22 Pennsylvania 7
Texas 20 Arizona 6
Florida 16 North Carolina 6
Maryland 16 Ohio 6
Georgia 15 Tennessee 6
Illinois 9 Alabama 5
Massachusetts 9 Colorado 5
Washington, D.C. 9    


Where They Went to College

Members of the Class of 2023 come from 144 undergraduate schools. Schools with three or more first-years represented include:

University of Virginia 23 Harvard University 4
University of Georgia 8 Ohio State University, Columbus 4
University of Alabama 7 University of California, Berkeley 4
College of William & Mary 6 University of Pittsburgh 4
George Mason University 6 Vanderbilt University 4
New York University 6 American University  3
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 6 Florida State University 3
University of Notre Dame 6 Indiana University, Bloomington 3
University of Pennsylvania 6 James Madison University 3
Virginia Tech 6 Johns Hopkins University  3
Brigham Young University 5 Middlebury College  3
University of California, Los Angeles 5 Princeton University 3
University of Florida 5 Stanford University 3
University of Maryland, College Park 5 Tulane University 3
University of Texas, Austin 5 University of Kentucky, Lexington 3
Arizona State University 4 University of Mississippi 3
Georgetown University 4 University of Texas, Dallas 3
George Washington University 4 Washington & Lee University 3

 

Class of 2022 Profile

Samira Nematollahi

SAMIRA NEMATOLLAHI, a first-generation college student from Simpsonville, South Carolina, graduated from the University of South Carolina.

“I chose UVA Law because I was impressed by its ability to provide students both an academically rigorous curriculum and an active student body with a strong sense of community,” she said. “This balance that the school has been able to achieve is unrivaled, and that is what made the school stand out to me.”
 

Probese Leo

PROBESE LEO, born in Nassau, Bahamas, graduated with an economics degree from Bucknell University, and later worked as a senior software analyst and agile scrum master at Geico before law school. He said he wants to use his J.D. to help clients navigate the legal system, adding that capable legal representation is crucial to having a good outcome.

“My immigration journey in the U.S. taught me this lesson firsthand, as I was fortunate to have a lawyer help me through that process,” he said. “But I know of many others who were not so fortunate and struggled along the way.”
 

Brooke Schafer

Chebanse, Illinois, native BROOKE SCHAFER, who earned her B.S. in agricultural economics and agronomy from Purdue University, said UVA Law’s diversity of classes appealed to her.

“Most of all, I was drawn to the Law School because of its stellar reputation for providing a world-class legal education, while still maintaining an incredibly collegial environment,” Schafer said.