Albany Law School is a private law school located in Albany, New York. Founded in 1851, it is the oldest independent law school in the United States. The school has an enrollment of approximately 700 students and offers both full-time and part-time J.D. programs, as well as an LL.M program for foreign lawyers and a Master of Laws program for U.S.-trained attorneys. It also offers several dual degree programs with other colleges and universities, including Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Union College, SUNY Empire State College, Sage Colleges, Albany Medical College, Siena College, University at Albany and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. In addition to its J.D., LLM and master’s degrees in legal studies, the school also offers a number of certificate programs in areas such as health law, elder law and mediation/arbitration.
This page focuses on national rankings, acceptance rates, program costs, and merit-based scholarships of Albany Law School, an accredited law program in the United States.
Parent school: Union University
Established: 1851
School type: Private law school
Dean: Alicia Ouellette
Location: Albany, New York, United States
Enrollment: 372
Faculty: 33 full-time, 21 part-time
USNWR ranking: 116th
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Ranking: Albany Law School
Albany Law School has consistently been ranked in the top tier of American law schools. According to U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 rankings, Albany Law School is ranked as the 86th best law school in the country, placing it among the top 25% of all law schools in the nation. The school has also been consistently ranked as one of the top schools for legal writing, trial advocacy, and clinical education. Albany Law School also ranks in the top 15% of all law schools for its bar passage rate and has been praised for its commitment to diversity. The school offers a wide range of courses and degree programs, including JD, LLM, and SJD degrees in various legal disciplines. It also provides a variety of extracurricular activities and student organizations to enhance student life experience. Albany Law School’s faculty consists of some of the most experienced and respected academics in their fields, providing students with access to a wide range of research opportunities. Its alumni are some of the most successful legal professionals in the country, having achieved success both inside and outside the courtroom.
| Top Law Schools of 2020 | |
|---|---|
| Score | N/A |
| Peer assessment score (5.0 highest) | 2.2 |
| Assessment score by lawyers/judges (5.0 highest) | 2.3 |
| 25th-75th percentile GPA scores for all students | 2.9-3.56 |
| 25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for all students | 152-156 |
| Overall acceptance rate | 43.3% |
| Student/faculty ratio | 13.8 |
| Graduates employed at graduation | N/A |
| Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation | 97.5% |
| School’s bar passage rate for first-time test takers | 85.8% |
| State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar | NY |
| Statewide bar passage rate for first-time test takers | 76.7% |
Tuition & Scholarships: Albany Law School
Albany Law School offers a variety of tuition and scholarship options to meet the needs of students. Tuition for the three-year full-time day program is currently $47,890 per year. Financial aid is available in the form of grants, loans, and scholarships from the law school and other sources. The law school also offers a variety of merit-based scholarships to recognize academic accomplishment and achievement. Scholarship awards range from partial tuition to full tuition with no additional fees. Additionally, Albany Law School offers an extensive loan repayment assistance program that helps cover loan payments for graduates who enter public service careers or pursue other community service opportunities. This program also assists graduates who experience financial hardship due to low income or unexpected events such as illness or injury. Albany Law School also offers an array of tuition discounts for employees of certain organizations as well as members of certain military branches and their families.
| Financial Aid Office Information | |
|---|---|
| Financial aid application deadline | 04/15 |
| Financial aid director | Andrea Wedler |
| Financial aid telephone | (518) 445-2357 |
| 2019-2020 Expenses | |
| Tuition | Full-time: $39,050 per year, part-time: $29,325 per year |
| Room and board | $9,900 |
| Books | $1,100 |
| Miscellaneous expenses | $6,800 |
| Is the tuition the same for first-, second-, and third-year students? | Yes |
| Does the university offer housing restricted to law students? | No |
| Does the university offer graduate student housing for which law students are eligible? | No |
| Does the university offer a public-interest scholarship program to current J.D. students? | Yes |
| 2019 Grants | |
| Percentage of full-time students receiving grants of less than one-half tuition | 15.8% |
| Percentage of part-time students receiving grants of less than one-half tuition | 10.7% |
| Percentage of full-time students receiving grants of one-half tuition or more but less than full | 10.2% |
| Percentage of part-time students receiving grants of one-half tuition or more but less than full | 25.0% |
| Percentage of full-time students receiving grants of full tuition | 2.4% |
| Percentage of part-time students receiving grants of full tuition | 0.0% |
| Percentage of full-time students receiving grants of more than full tuition | 0.1% |
| Percentage of part-time students receiving grants of more than full tuition | 0.0% |
| 25th percentile grant amount of aid per full-time recipient | $15,000 |
| Median grant amount of aid per full-time recipient (50th percentile) | $18,000 |
| 75th percentile grant amount of aid per full-time recipient | $21,000 |
| 25th percentile grant amount of aid per part-time recipient | $9,000 |
| Median grant amount of aid per part-time recipient (50th percentile) | $15,750 |
| 75th percentile grant amount of aid per part-time recipient | $19,000 |
| Indebtedness | |
| Average indebtedness of 2019 graduates who incurred law school debt | $105,996 |
| Proportion who borrowed | 91.0% |
| Does the school offer a loan repayment assistance program for 2019 J.D. graduates? | Yes |
