In compliance with ABA Standard 509, the following information about UW Law School and its JD Program is provided to current and prospective students. The 2020 Standard 509 Information Report (PDF) is compiled from the latest information submitted in the annual ABA questionnaire.
Section 509 (b):
A law school shall publicly disclose on its website, in the form and manner and for the time frame designated by the Council, the following information:
Admissions Data
Tuition, Fees, Living Costs, Financial Aid
Conditional Scholarships
Conditional scholarship retention data is not available because UW Law School does not award conditional scholarships as defined under ABA Standard 509(d). Therefore, we do not post an ABA Conditional Scholarship Retention Worksheet.
Enrollment Data, Transfer, and Attrition/Graduation Rates
Number of Full-time and Part-time Faculty and Administrators
Class Size, Number of Seminars, Clinical and co-curricular offerings
Employment Outcomes
Employment Summaries
- Employment Summary for 2019 Graduates
- Employment Summary for 2018 Graduates
- Employment Summary for 2017 Graduates
NALP Reports
- NALP 2018 Employment Report (PDF)
- NALP 2017 Employment Report (PDF)
- NALP 2016 Employment Report (PDF)
Bar Passage Information & the Diploma Privilege
Bar passage data is based on the number of graduates who took the required courses to qualify for admission to the State Bar of Wisconsin via the diploma privilege. Wisconsin is the only remaining U.S. jurisdiction that retains the diploma privilege. Wisconsin Supreme Court Rule 40.03 allows for the admission to practice by diploma privilege, rather than bar examination, of applicants who have been awarded a J.D. from an ABA-approved law school in Wisconsin and met legal competence requirements with respect to satisfactory academic performance and satisfactory completion of certain mandatory and elective subject matter areas.
Of the 153 students who received J.D. degrees during 2017, all 153 of them took the courses that are required to satisfy the diploma privilege, and those 153 are treated as having "sat for" the Wisconsin bar exam in February or July of 2017. All 153 graduates satisfied the minimum GPA requirement in the diploma privilege courses, and are therefore treated as having "passed" the Wisconsin bar exam.
Of the 151 students who received J.D. degrees during 2019, 149 of them took the courses that are required to satisfy the diploma privilege, and those 149 are treated as having "sat for" the Wisconsin bar exam in February or July of 2019. All 149 of them satisfied the minimum GPA requirement in the diploma privilege courses, and are therefore treated as having "passed" the Wisconsin bar exam. The other two students who received their J.D. during 2019 did not sit for a bar exam in any state in 2019.
Section 509 (c):
A law school shall publicly disclose on its website, in a readable and comprehensive manner, the following information on a current basis:
Refund Policies
Curricular Offerings, Academic Calendar, and Academic Requirements
- Academic Calendar
- Course Catalog
- Clinical Offerings
- JD Curriculum and Graduate Degrees
- Academic Requirements
Policies Regarding Transfer Credits
- Credit Transfer Policy
- The Law School does not have any articulation agreements with other schools.
Section 509 (d)
A law school shall distribute the data required under Standard 509(b)(3) to all applicants being offered conditional scholarships at the time the scholarship is extended.
The ABA’s definition of a conditional scholarship is: “any financial aid award, the retention of which is dependent upon the student maintaining a minimum grade point average or class standing, other than that ordinarily required to remain in good academic standing.” UW Law School does not award scholarships that are conditional on law school academic performance; therefore we do not post an ABA Conditional Scholarship Retention Worksheet.
The University of Wisconsin Law School is approved by the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association (ABA), 321 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60654, 312-988-6738. Information about the approval process can be found on the ABA website, or by contacting the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.
Recent Admissions Statistics
Entering Class | 2020* | 2019* | 2018* |
---|---|---|---|
Total Applicants | 1559 | 1704 | 1712 |
Enrolled Students | 241 | 223 | 275 |
Median LSAT | 163 | 162 | 162 |
25%-75% LSAT Score | 158-165 | 156-164 | 158-164 |
Median GPA | 3.61 | 3.65 | 3.58 |
25%-75% GPA | 3.31-3.75 | 3.42-3.79 | 3.23-3.76 |
Colleges & Universities Represented |
119 | 120 | 130 |
Colleges & Universities with Most Students Enrolled |
|
|
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States/Territories Represented | 32 | 30 | 34 |
States with Most Students Enrolled |
|
|
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% In-State Residents | 53% | 47% | 49% |
Average Entering Age | 25 | 25 | 25 |
Age Range | 19-51 | 21-46 | 19-50 |
% Women Students | 44% | 53% | 49% |
% Students of Color | 26% | 25% | 20% |
Employment Summary For 2019 Graduates
Employment Status | Full Time Long Term |
Full Time Short Term |
Part Time Long Term |
Part Time Short Term |
Number |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Employed - Bar Passage Required | 133 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 135 |
Employed - JD Advantage | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
Employed - Professional Position | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Employed - Non-Professional Position | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Employed - Law School/University funded | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Employed - Undeterminable | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Pursuing Graduate Degree Full Time | 3 | ||||
employed - Start Date Deferred | 0 | ||||
Unemployed - Not Seeking | 0 | ||||
Unemployed - Seeking | 3 | ||||
Employment Status Unknown | 0 | ||||
Total graduates (each graduate is counted only once in this section) | 155 |
Law School/University Funded Positions | Full Time Long Term |
Full Time Short Term |
Part Time Long Term |
Part Time Short Term |
Number |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Employed - Bar Passage Required | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Employed- J.D. Advantage | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Employed - Professional Position | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Employed - Non-Professional Position | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total Employed by Law School/University | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Employment Type | Full Time Long Term |
Full Time Short Term |
Part Time Long Term |
Part Time Short Term |
Number |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Law Firms | |||||
Solo | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
2-10 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 |
11-25 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
26-50 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
51-100 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
101-250 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
251-500 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
501+ | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
Unknown Size | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Business & Industry | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
Government | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
Pub. Int. | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 |
Clerkships | |||||
Federal | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
State & Local | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Education | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Employer Type Unknown | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 147 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 149 |
Employment Location | State | Number |
---|---|---|
State - largest employment | Wisconsin | 106 |
State - 2nd largest employment | Illinois | 10 |
State - 3rd largest employment | Minnesota | 6 |
# employed in foreign countries | 2 |
Employment Summary For 2018 Graduates
Employment Type | Full Time Long Term |
Full Time Short Term |
Part Time Long Term |
Part Time Short Term |
Number |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Employed - Bar Passage Required | 143 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 149 |
Employed - JD Advantage | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 |
Employed - Professional Position | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Employed - Non-Professional Position | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Employed - Law School/University funded | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Employed - Undeterminable | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Pursuing Graduate Degree Full Time | 3 | ||||
employed - Start Date Deferred | 3 | ||||
Unemployed - Not Seeking | 0 | ||||
Unemployed - Seeking | 7 | ||||
Employment Status Unknown | 0 | ||||
Total graduates (each graduate is counted only once in this section) | 185 |
Law School/University Funded Positions | Full Time Long Term |
Full Time Short Term |
Part Time Long Term |
Part Time Short Term |
Number |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Employed - Bar Passage Required | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Employed- J.D. Advantage | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Employed - Professional Position | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Employed - Non-Professional Position | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total Employed by Law School/University | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Employment Type | Full Time Long Term |
Full Time Short Term |
Part Time Long Term |
Part Time Short Term |
Number |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Law Firms | |||||
Solo | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
2-10 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 27 |
11-25 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
26-50 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
51-100 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
101-250 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
251-500 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
501+ | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
Unknown Size | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Business & Industry | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
Government | 35 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 36 |
Pub. Int. | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
Clerkships | |||||
Federal | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
State & Local | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Education | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Employer Type Unknown | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 164 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 172 |
Employment Location | State | Number |
---|---|---|
State - Largest Employment | Wisconsin | 111 |
State - 2nd Largest Employment | Illinois | 16 |
State - 3rd Largest Employment | Minnesota | 14 |
# Employed in Foreign Countries | 1 |
Employment Summary For 2017 Graduates
Employment Type | Full Time Long Term |
Full Time Short Term |
Part Time Long Term |
Part Time Short Term |
Number |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Employed - Bar Passage Required | 118 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 122 |
Employed - JD Advantage | 13 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
Employed - Professional Position | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
Employed - Non-Professional Position | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Employed - Law School/University Funded | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Employed - Undeterminable | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Pursuing Graduate Degree Full Time | 1 | ||||
Unemployed - Start Date Deferred | 1 | ||||
Unemployed - Not Seeking | 0 | ||||
Unemployed - Seeking | 8 | ||||
Employment Status Unknown | 0 | ||||
Total graduates | 159 |
LAW SCHOOL/UNIVERSITY FUNDED POSITIONS | FULL TIME LONG TERM |
FULL TIME SHORT TERM |
PART TIME LONG TERM |
PART TIME SHORT TERM |
NUMBER |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Employed - Bar Passage Required | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Employed- J.D. Advantage | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Employed - Professional Position | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Employed - Non-Professional Position | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total Employed by Law School/University | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Law School/University Funded Positions | Full Time Long Term |
Full Time Short Term |
Part Time Long Term |
Part Time Short Term |
Number |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Law Firms | |||||
Solo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2-10 | 25 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 28 |
11-25 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
26-50 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
51-100 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
101-250 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
251-500 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
501+ | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Unknown Size | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Business & Industry | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 16 |
Government | 36 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 37 |
Pub. Int. | 15 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 |
Clerkships | |||||
Federal | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
State & Local | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Education | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Employer Type Unknown | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 140 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 149 |
Employment Location | State | Number |
---|---|---|
State - Largest Employment | Wisconsin | 100 |
State - 2nd Largest Employment | Minnesota | 11 |
State - 3rd Largest Employment | Illinois | 10 |
# Employed in Foreign Countries | 1 |