Deciding where to go to law school is an important first step in your professional journey. The University of Virginia School of Law offers students an unparalleled experience, giving them the tools to launch successful and fulfilling careers across the legal profession. 

The information below represents some of what we want you to know about UVA Law School, but there are intangibles the data can’t fully capture, such as the depth of relationships among students, faculty and staff.  As you go through the application process, we encourage you to engage with the UVA Law community however you can, through in-person and virtual visits; by connecting with students, faculty, staff and alumni; by watching our videos and by following us on social media. 

Student Characteristics and Admissions Data

The American Bar Association Standard 509 information reports contain basic information about admissions, curriculum, enrollment, financial aid, tuition and other required areas in an ABA-approved format.

UVA Law’s ABA 509 report

Class of 2029

  • Median LSAT: 173
  • 25%-75% LSAT: 168-175
  • Median GPA: 3.99
  • 25%-75% GPA: 3.82-4.04

Full Class Profile

Students walk in Clay Hall

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Faculty and Intellectual Life

  • Student-Faculty Ratio: 5.74 to 1
  • Resident Faculty (full-time): 106
  • Other Faculty: 160 (adjuncts/visitors from practice, lecturers, etc.)

Data for 2024-25

The 2025 Princeton Review rankings rated UVA Law School as No. 1 in Best Professors and Best Classroom Experience. These rankings are based on student surveys.

19 resident faculty members are former U.S. Supreme Court clerks.

9 professors are members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

35 professors are members of the American Law Institute.

Reflecting the school’s emphasis on the interdisciplinary study of law, 24 resident faculty members hold doctoral degrees in a variety of related fields, including economics, history, philosophy and psychology.

Cynthia Nicoletti in class

Academics and Study Environment

Supreme Court Litigation Clinic
Members of the Supreme Court Litigation Clinic heard oral arguments in their case, delivered by Professor Xiao Wang, in January 2025. The clinic won two cases 9-0 during the 2024 term.
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Outcomes

We want to prepare students to successfully pursue any career path. The Law School’s career development program is often described as a three-legged stool: private practice, clerkships and public service. UVA uniquely balances and shines in all three areas.

Private Sector

Salaries for the 230 students going into the private sector in the Class of 2025 reflect these outcomes:

75th percentile: $225,000
50th percentile: $225,000
25th percentile: $225,000

No. 1 in the country with a 100% ultimate bar passage rate, in the most recent data reported to the American Bar Association.

Virginia is No. 4 in the percentage of Class of 2025 graduates who went directly to firms of 500 or more attorneys or to federal clerkships.

No. 3 in Above the Law’s 2026 rankings, which focus on employment outcomes. More

No. 2 in the number of chief legal officers reported in SEC filings by the nation’s top 500 companies, according to Law360. More

Virginia has graduates in all 100 of the American Lawyer top 100 firms (as of June 2025).

Public Service and Nonprofits

Where Students and Graduates Work in Public Service

High-profile graduates have a history of public service: Alums include Robert F. Kennedy ’51, Ted Kennedy ’59, Robert Mueller ’73, former Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuño ’85, former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano ’83, former D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine ’89, and numerous governors and state legislators. As of 2025, four senators and one representative who graduated from the Law School served in the U.S. Congress, tied for No. 4 among law schools. Graduates are regularly chosen for elite government honors programs, and many serve as federal prosecutors across the country.

Outside of government, alumni pursue a range of public interest and nonprofit careers. Those range from federal and state public defenders to attorneys working at a diverse range of nonprofit and legal aid organizations. Alumni include the president and founder of Global Action on Gun Violence; the executive directors of Ayuda, which provides legal services to immigrant populations; and Blue Ridge Legal Services.

Many alumni also serve as judges, including at federal appellate, district courts and state supreme courts, and even as the president of the World Court.

Alumni have had notable careers in academia, and several graduates are serving or have served as university presidents.

Graduates are supported through the Virginia Loan Forgiveness Program and a range of salaried fellowships and sources of funding for summer jobs. The Law School has an extensive alumni mentoring network to set students on the fast track to understanding their future careers in public service, and the Public Service Center provides highly individualized counseling to both students and alumni.

Clerkships and Courts

No. 5 in placing clerks on the U.S. Supreme Court from 2007-2026.

No. 6 in the percentage of graduates from the classes of 2023-25 going directly to federal clerkships after law school, according to ABA data.

Hundreds of alumni are judges, including at federal appellate courts, state supreme courts and the World Court.

More Stats on Careers

Map: Where Our Graduates Go

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Student at the UVA Law Library

The Student Experience

Though data cannot fully capture our student experience, surveys and alumni giving rates show the high level of alumni satisfaction. Admitted students are given the opportunity to connect with students and alumni to learn more about student life and the alumni network.

  • 919 J.D. students, 32 LL.M. students and 7 S.J.D. students are enrolled at the Law School (as of Oct. 5, 2025).
  • The Law School has been ranked No. 1 in Best Quality of Life for 10 of the last 11 years by Princeton Review, which uses student surveys.
  • The Law School has more than 75 student organizations and 10 academic journals. These organizations are leaders, along with centers and programs, in organizing hundreds of lectures, panels and other events at the Law School each year.
  • Public service is an important part of life at the Law School; 90 Class of 2026 graduates completed at least 75 hours of pro bono while in law school, completing the school's Pro Bono Challenge. During 2025-26, students logged 15,558 pro bono hours.
  • Charlottesville, the Law School’s hometown, is frequently rated highly for its livability and natural beauty. The Law School's Living in Charlottesville website captures what life in Charlottesville is like. Be sure to check out Student Favorites and find things to do in An Evening in Charlottesville.
  • The University of Virginia has a strong tradition of student self-governance, and includes a student-run honor system and judiciary system.

A class meets in Spies Garden

Alumni Satisfaction

  • Over the past 20 years, 43% or more of alumni have given back to the Law School.
  • UVA Law School was the subject of a longitudinal study of alumni satisfaction, conducted by social science and psychology expert and UVA Law professor John Monahan. The latest iteration revealed a 91% career and life satisfaction rate.
  • In the annual giving campaign that ended June 30, 2025, 7,975 alumni contributed and gifts totaled $23.5 million.

Testimonials

Courtney Douglas

“You will be amazed at what your peers accomplish during their three years here. For me, the greatest honor of being a Virginia Law student and now alumna has been watching my brilliant friends shine. I have had the privilege of cheering (silently) for one of my friends as she argued before the D.C. Circuit this spring, watching another friend prepare to publish his phenomenal tax law scholarship, beaming as another friend introduced Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar to a packed Caplin Pavilion, seeing another friend pursue his passion for privacy law, celebrating another friend when she hosted her journal’s symposium after months of preparation, and so much more.”
—Courtney Douglas ’25
 

Simeon Daferede

“UVA Law was the perfect place for me to go to law school and to grow into the person that I’ve always wanted to be, thanks to the collegiality of the student body, the engaging learning environment, the readily accessible professors and the exciting social activities! The school not only awarded me with a Public Service Scholarship to be able to pursue my passions, but also gave me an incredibly supportive community that has helped me achieved my dreams and goals.” 
—Simeon Daferede ’25

 

Read more about what recent graduates have to say

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Students in Scott Commons

Resources and Support

We devote significant resources, supported by the fourth-largest law school endowment in the country, to financial and institutional support of students and graduates. This support comes in many forms:

Student Services

Public Service

Alumni Support and Endowment

  • Endowment: As of June 30, 2025, the market value of the endowments held for the benefit of the Law School was $954 million.
  • The Law School has a robust alumni network of more than 20,000 graduates around the world. Students and graduates have access to the Law Alumni Connection tool to connect with alumni on similar career trajectories. (See Prominent Alumni)
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Comparative Tools and Rankings

Information provided by the following nonprofit sources may prove helpful.

Rankings

Though rankings cannot capture much that is important about a school, and we recommend not relying on any single source, they can be useful in comparing data across schools.

More Facts and Statistics About UVA Law School