University of Arizona Law School: Ranking, Programs, and Admissions

The University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law has a long-standing national reputation for educational excellence and rigor. In the words of our students, University of Arizona Law “defies all stereotypes” when it comes to the experience you might expect at a top-tier law school. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the University of Arizona Law School, covering its rankings, academic programs, admissions process, and other factors to consider when applying.

Overview of the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law

Arizona Law is part of the University of Arizona, one of the country’s top research institutions, where you’ll find people celebrating the successful launch of a UA-led NASA mission right alongside another win from the championship basketball team. UA’s programs in environmental science, astronomy, optics, and geology are among the world’s best. The Eller College of Management-next door to the law school-delivers top-ranked programs available to law students seeking careers in law and business. The University of Arizona and Arizona Law have a strong history of serving military veterans, providing “one-stop” assistance and additional support.

Beyond UA’s borders lies the metropolitan Tucson area of about one million people. We enjoy some 350 days each year of sunny weather, perfect for exploring outdoor activities and Tucson’s spectacular landscape. Here you will never run out of delicious food-Tucson was recently named a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World City of Gastronomy, the first city in the United States to receive the designation. With a diverse, international student body of about 450, students benefit from small class sizes (more than 140 upper-division classes with fewer than 25 students), individualized support, and close working relationships with faculty who are leaders in their respective fields. A distinguishing feature of Arizona Law is its emphasis on individualized, highly supportive legal education. The rich resources of the UA are accessible to students who want interdisciplinary study. The college is home to the Rehnquist Center and is affiliated with the National Law Center for Inter-American Free Trade. Fourteen faculty members have been elected to the American Law Institute. Arizona Law’s state-of-the-art building and library, the Law Commons, is designed to enhance student learning and engagement. The Daniel F. Cracchiolo Law Library is one of the foremost legal research facilities in the Southwest. It is a fully networked, technologically sophisticated facility that is constantly evolving to meet research and student needs. Students also have access to the resources of the Arizona Health Sciences Library and university libraries, with collections exceeding 11 million volumes.

Rankings and Reputation

Law school rankings are difficult to navigate because they can be so subjective. Law school rankings matter greatly, but to others rankings are hardly given a second thought. Prestige isn't everything. For law school applicants interested in the 2024 admissions cycle at University of Arizona Law School, 1600 candidates submitted JD applications and 486 received acceptance letters. This means that of the 486 applicants who received law school acceptance letters, 102 chose to enroll.

Academic Programs

The University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law offers a variety of programs designed to cater to different academic interests and career aspirations.

Read also: Comprehensive Guide to ASU Law

Juris Doctor (JD) Program

We offer a full-time JD program, typically completed in six consecutive semesters of study. International JD students who have completed a law degree outside the United States may receive a JD in two years or less, which qualifies them to sit for the bar examination in American jurisdictions. JD students in the advanced placement program receive the same JD degree as the students in the traditional three-year JD program, but in less time and at a reduced tuition. During the first year, you are assigned to a small section-usually 28-30 students-and coursework is largely predetermined. First-year students may select one elective from an approved list in the second semester. In your second and third years, you have considerable flexibility in choosing your coursework, and may concentrate on a broad, general curriculum or focus your studies in a specific area of law.

JD certificates are available in Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy, Family and Juvenile Law, Environmental Law, International Economic Law and Policy, Criminal Law and Policy, Business Litigation, Transactional Business Law, Tax Law and Policy, Health Law, and Intellectual Property.

Master of Laws (LLM) Programs

ITBL LLM candidates at University of Arizona Law complete a minimum of 26 credit hours for the degree, including research and writing techniques.

General LLM: The Master of Laws in General Studies (General LLM) offered by University of Arizona Law is a one-year, full-time course of study. It is distinctive in its flexibility and breadth of offerings. You may choose to pursue a general course of study or one of three concentrations: Critical Race Theory/Practice, Cultural Resources, or Human Rights.
IPLP LLM: The Master of Laws in Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy (IPLP LLM) is an intensive one-year course specializing in Indian and Indigenous peoples law. This LLM program provides both academic and practical training in all three areas of the field--international law relating to Indigenous peoples, Federal Indian Law, and Tribal Law.

Experiential Learning

The great majority of our students participate in meaningful experiential-or “hands-on”-learning through clinics, workshops, and special projects. Arizona Law guarantees clinical placement for every student who wants it. Many of our students benefit from supervised, credit-bearing internships and externships that reflect their individual interests. In Washington, DC, students have worked in congressional offices, executive agencies, the White House, and a wide range of nonprofit organizations.

Clinics offer “hands-on experience” in areas including immigration, child advocacy, and indigenous peoples’ law. The Roger College of Law Clinics include:

Arizona Attorney General’s Office Clinic
Child & Family Law Clinic
Immigration Law Clinic
Education Advocacy Clinic
Criminal Defense Clinic
Tribal Justice Clinic
Worker’s Rights Clinic
Domestic Violence Law Clinic

Admissions

For a competitive law school application to University of Arizona Law School, students should aim to meet or exceed the median statistics shown below.

Application Materials

Additional required application materials include academic record, personal statement, and letters of recommendation. Additional factors considered include the nature and rigor of the undergraduate experience; graduate education; work and travel experience; unique talents or accomplishments; significant extracurricular activities; leadership, strength of character, and integrity; substantial community service; significant challenges overcome; tribal affiliation of applicants who are enrolled members of federally recognized tribes; and other circumstances that have influenced the candidate’s life or given him or her direction.

Bar Exam

Under Arizona Law leadership, the Arizona Supreme Court approved an initiative allowing law students meeting certain criteria to sit for the Arizona Bar Exam in the spring of their 3L year, thus making it possible for you to be more competitive in entering the employment market, or to take another state bar exam in the summer. Students who elect this option will participate in an intensive “post-bar curriculum” after the bar and before graduation in May. Arizona is also a Uniform Bar Exam state, meaning that your score can be transferred to seek admission in more than 20 other UBE jurisdictions, including Colorado, Utah, New York, and Washington, DC. For JD graduates from University of Arizona Law School, the first-time bar exam pass rate is 78.45%.

Interdisciplinary Study

As part of one of the strongest research universities in the nation, students interested in interdisciplinary study have a wealth of resources and options. You need not pursue a dual degree in order to study in another area, however. Many of our students take courses in business, science, or the social sciences, with up to six credits countable toward the JD degree.

Cost and Financial Aid

Arizona Law offers one of the most affordable, high-quality legal educations in the country, thanks to low resident and nonresident tuition and our generous scholarship options. In the 2015-16 academic year, nearly 80 percent of students received a grant or scholarship. Law school tuition at University of Arizona Law School is $59k annually (calculated from semester costs). Ask for fee waivers, most schools are generous.

Read also: History of the Block 'M'

Career Development

Arizona Law’s Career Development Office helps you develop the professional skills you need to launch a successful career in a wide range of practice areas and work settings. Innovative programs offered through the Career Development Office consistently produce outstanding results. Our students routinely maintain one of the highest rates of 1L summer legal clerkships and internships in the country. The office hosts more than 120 employers as part of the on- and off-campus interviewing programs, facilitating interviews with employers in major metropolitan areas, including Albuquerque, Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, New York City, Phoenix, and Washington, DC. The annual on-campus Sonoran Desert Career Fair attracts a wide range of regional employers, and the office maintains an assistant dean for employer outreach in Phoenix to connect with employers and facilitate student opportunities with them. Finally, a well-developed judicial clerkship program helps students secure prestigious jobs in numbers that far outpace the national average. After completing their JD program at University of Arizona Law School, graduates entering private law firms earn a median starting salary of $90,000. JD graduates pursuing public sector legal careers start at approximately $69,658. Additionally, 20.8% of graduates obtain prestigious judicial clerkships, and 12.5% pursue public interest law careers.

Some students tell us that the “very helpful” Career and Professional Development Office at the U of A is “active in helping students connect with amazing internship and job opportunities in both the public sector and in law firms” in Arizona, California, and other Western states. If a student “is clear about where she wants to live or what she wants to do, the Career Office will give that student personal attention to strategize a plan to get there,” although some complain that “they don’t care what job you get, as long as you get one somewhere.”

Firms and Courts

Firms: Snell & Wilmer; Perkins Coie; Lewis & Roca; Kirkland & Ellis; Heller Erhman; Quarles & Brady; Bryan Cave; Greenberg Traurig; Squire Sanders; Gibson Dunn; Skadden Arps; Sonnenschein Nath; Sullivan & Cromwell; Osborn Maledon; Jennings Strouss & Salmon; Latham & Watkins; Fennemore Craig; Gallagher & Kennedy.

Courts: Arizona Supreme Court & AZ Court of Appeals; US Dist. Courts; US Circuit Courts.

Government: Dept. of Justice; State Attorney General's Office; Pima Co. and Maricopa Co.

Student Life

The Student Bar Association (SBA) is an autonomous organization that promotes a cohesive community and consults with the administration to ensure that student interests are well represented in college decision-making. In a typical year, between 30 and 40 student organizations are active at Arizona Law, sponsoring social gatherings, lectures and learning opportunities, academic support and study sessions, and career networking. Other important student activities focus on career preparation through active moot court and trial skills competition teams.

There is a “relaxed Arizonan attitude” among the “amazingly friendly, smart” students at the U of A. “There is definitely competition here, as is unavoidable, but the school has a very laid-back atmosphere that allows you to keep things in perspective.” “The second-and third-year students are very active in assisting the first-years adapt to law school through tutorials for all first-year classes,” and teaching assistants “help with briefing and outlining.” “Despite the curve, grades are not a big issue among students, and we tend to be excited for others’ successes,” declares a 1L. “This place is the opposite of cutthroat.” Small sections for first-year students “are really conducive to forming lasting friendships.” “I became very close with the other twenty-six students in my small section and continue to be good friends with several of them,” says a 2L. “There is an overriding sense that everyone, from faculty to administration to students, really wants to be at the school and wants to see the school succeed.”

The social atmosphere is “very vibrant.” “There are thirty-plus student organizations that cover different religious, political, social and ethnic categories.” That translates into lots of events. “ “I have had so much fun in law school,” gushes a 1L. “Almost every day, there are informative and thought-provoking guest speakers, panel discussions, or film screenings, especially during the lunch hour.” Intramural sports are also popular.

Facilities on campus are impressive. “The new building is gorgeous, especially the library. Tons of technology and connectivity. Little things like plugs at every desk and the latest projectors for classrooms make a big difference.” Another student concurs, “The classrooms are brand-new and state-of-the-art-in my Family Law Class last semester we were able to video conference with a teacher in Canada to talk about divorce law without any extraneous equipment.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Law School

The location of your intended law school is important for more than one reason. Try and find a law school where you will enjoy the climate and environment. It will most likely be where you end up practicing as a lawyer. Consider before applying to a school what kind of career you see yourself having. Consider what kind of financial support you can expect to receive. Some law schools are better than others when it comes to different practice areas of the law.

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