Overview

Applicants
1,921
Acceptance Rate
50%
Median Undergrad GPA
3.56
Accepted Applicants Who Attend
220

Test Scores

LSAT
25th-75th percentile
(enrolled students)
154 - 161

Deadlines

Application Deadlines
April 1

Application Process

Rolling Admissions
Yes

Application Fee
$70

CAS Service Used
Yes

Applicants accepted in terms other than fall
No

Transfer Applicants Accepted
Yes

Deferred Admission
Yes

Other Admission Factors

Academic

LSAT Score
Undergraduate GPA
Letters of Recommendation
Essay / Personal Statement

Selectivity Rating

Faculty Information

Student/Faculty
6:1
Total Faculty
176

40.9
Female
14.2
Underrepresented Minorities


Students Say

With “great opportunities for hands-on lawyering,” and low in-state tuition for residents, the University of Maryland School of Law is “very well-connected to the Baltimore/Maryland legal community,” with a “strong commitment to public service and social justice,” and recognized legal specialties in health, environmental law, clinical law, and trial advocacy. The school “has tremendous relationships with organizations in Washington, D.C., the Maryland legislature, and many congressional offices,” which makes it “extremely easy” to gain the kind of practical experience legal employers will be looking for come hiring season. The clinical offerings here are both required and “hard to beat:” “Not only was I able to argue before a state appellate court during my second year, but I have also received credit for doing two externships during my third year,” says a 3L.
Seven professional schools all share the same campus in Baltimore, which can over-burden some of the administrative offices; students cite the financial aid office’s lag time, and a career development office that “generally lacks important contacts in the work field.” Still, the school boasts an active recruiting program and a high job placement rate, while the main head honchos at the school are very accessible, and “many of the deans also teach classes and are available to all students, even if you don’t have them as a professor.” The school’s great strength is “teaching you how to be a smart and effective lawyer,” through a few students say there is relatively little class time devoted to “cutting-edge legal scholarship and critical theory,” and complain that “the popular courses are filled so quickly.”
Maryland professors are “top-notch,” being both “incredibly smart legal thinkers and, more importantly, fantastic teachers in the classroom.” Nearly all of the professors “have practiced law for a decade or more before coming to the law school,” which not only contributes to their legal experience, but to their sympathy for the demands of the profession. Professors and staff are all “very accommodating” to students trying to get through law school while working—night classes are made available to students in their second and third years—and faculty are “very helpful in advising students on how to mitigate stress and handle the competing interests of law school.” “I have had a number of brilliant and committed adjunct professors who understand the burdens associated with working and going to school full-time,” says a student. “Even if you are not in their class, they help you with course-related questions, study skills, and exam strategies,” says another.

Career overview

Pass Rate for First-Time Bar Exam
80%
Median Starting Salary
$56,793
% of graduates who are employed within ten months of graduation
93%
% of job accepting graduates providing useable salary information
90%

Career Services

On campus summer employment recruitment for first year JD students
Yes

On campus summer employment recruitment for second year JD students
Yes

# of Employers that Recruit on Campus Each Year
200

Employers who most frequently hire graduates
DLA Piper; Venable; Covington & Burling; Hogan Lovells; Finnegan, Henderson; U.S. Department of Justice; U.S. Department of Health & Human Services; Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. Courts; MD Judiciary; MD Office of the State's Attorney; MD Office of the Public Defender; U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; Richards, Layton & Finger

Graduates Employed by Area

33%
Judicial Clerkships
27%
Private Practice
12%
Business/Industry
12%
Government
5%
Academic
4%
Public Interes

Graduates Employed by Region

87%
South
5%
Mid-Atlantic
3%
Pacific
2%
MidWest
1%
International
1%
Mountain
1%
South West
1%
New England

Prominent Alumni

Christine A. Edwards
Partner, Chair Bank Regulatory Practice, Winston & Strawn

Ava Lias-Booker
Partner, Chair (National), Diversity and Inclusion Committee, McGuireWoods

Senator Joseph D. Tydings
Sr. Counsel, Blank Rome LLP

Senator Benjamin L. Cardin
US Senator for MD

Congressman Elijah Cummings
US Representative, 7th Congressional Dist

Dates

Financial Aid Rating
Mar 1
Application Deadlines
Mar 15

Financial Aid Statistics

Average Annual Total Aid Package Awarded
$68,874

% Students Receiving Some Aid
92%

Expenses per Academic Year

In-State Tuition
$31,743
Out-Of-State Tuition
$46,833
Estimated On-Campus Room and Board
$15,750
Estimated Off-Campus Room and Board
$15,750
Estimated Cost for Books / Academic Expense
$1,725
Fees
$1,922

Student Body Profile

Total Enrollment
638
Parent Institution Enrollement
6,777

Number of Foreign Countries Represented
4
Average Age at Entry
25

% Out-of-State
33%
% International
2%

Demographics

32.00%
% Under-represented Minorities

83% are full time
17% are part time
57% female
43% male

Campus Life

Students Say

As a whole, there is a presiding “positive attitude” among the “friendly” student body, which is “smart and capable.” Cliques do tend to form within sections (as with many law schools), and “day students are way more social than the evening students,” but there is definitely a sense of “we’re all in it together.” The student body is also quite diverse, and people “don’t have the sense that cultural groups self-segregate here.”
While the law school itself is “beautiful,” and “new and gorgeous with all the technical bells and whistles,” the location of the law school is “truly the worst…although that is not really the school’s fault.” “Baltimore is an impressive city in many respects, but the campus is not located in one of the city’s many pleasant neighborhoods,” says a student of the surrounding area, where “things around school shut down as soon as it is dark.” There is “no need to go out and buy a Kevlar vest or anything,” but “just be sure to do your research, and if you have a chance to, come look around before signing a lease—I would advise that.” Students who live on campus are often disappointed with restaurant and nightlife options, and some students feel that finding entertainment “is difficult if you don’t own a car,” as the social life at the school struggles “because many students commute…and this damages the sense of community.” On-campus activities tend to be based on legal issues and career-building, rather than pure socialization, though law students can take advantage of the gym, pool, and student lounge at the brand new campus center.
The law school curve does incite a bit of competition among students, which is more “collaborative” than cutthroat, but it still creates an atmosphere “with enough competition to encourage a race to the top.” “Although we all compete against each other, I do not think that anyone at this law school would sabotage another student in anyway,” says one, and everyone seems to agree.

More Information

% of Classrooms with Internet Access
100%

Admissions Office Contact

Contact
Katrin Hussmann Schroll
Assistant Dean for Admissions

Address
500 West Baltimore Street
Baltimore, MD 21201

Phone
410-706-3492

Email
admissions@law.umaryland.edu