The Appalachian School of Law (ASL) is a small, private law school located in Grundy, Virginia. Founded in 1994, ASL offers a three-year Juris Doctor program as well as an LL.M. degree in Elder Law and an LL.M. degree in Environmental Law. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. ASL’s student body consists of approximately 500 students from across the United States and around the world who are guided by a diverse faculty with real-world experience. The school has earned recognition for its commitment to public service, including its Pro Bono Program which requires all students to complete at least 50 hours of pro bono work before graduation.
This page focuses on national rankings, acceptance rates, program costs, and merit-based scholarships of Appalachian School of Law, an accredited law program in the United States.
Motto: Ex petra veritatis justitia exsurgit
Established: 1994
School type: Private
Dean: B. Keith Faulkner
Location: Grundy, Virginia, USA
Enrollment: 128
USNWR ranking: Not published ยท (bottom 25%)
Bar pass rate: 20% (July 2021 Virginia bar first-time takers)
Ranking: Appalachian School of Law
Appalachian School of Law (ASL) is a small, independent law school located in Grundy, Virginia. It was founded in 1994 and is accredited by the American Bar Association and the Association of American Law Schools. The school has an excellent reputation among its peers, with U.S. News & World Report ranking ASL 103rd out of 203 accredited law schools in the nation for 2021. Additionally, the National Jurist and Pre-Law Magazine have both recognized ASL as one of the best value law schools in the nation for several years running. ASL’s faculty is comprised of both full-time professors and adjunct faculty members who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to their students. The student body at Appalachian School of Law is made up of a diverse group from all 50 states and several countries around the world, creating an environment that encourages learning from different perspectives. The school offers a variety of courses including criminal law, constitutional law, civil procedure, torts, legal writing and research, property law, contracts, evidence and more. Students also have access to many extracurricular activities such as moot court competitions and legal clinics that allow them to gain practical experience while still in school.
| Top Law Schools of 2020 | |
|---|---|
| Score | N/A |
| Peer assessment score (5.0 highest) | 1.4 |
| Assessment score by lawyers/judges (5.0 highest) | 1.6 |
| 25th-75th percentile GPA scores for all students | 2.67-3.39 |
| 25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for all students | 147-152 |
| Overall acceptance rate | 45.4% |
| Student/faculty ratio | 16.3 |
| Graduates employed at graduation | N/A |
| Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation | 64.8% |
| School’s bar passage rate for first-time test takers | 89.7% |
| State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar | TN |
| Statewide bar passage rate for first-time test takers | 80.1% |
Tuition & Scholarships: Appalachian School of Law
Appalachian School of Law provides its students with an array of tuition and scholarship options to help make their dreams of a legal education come true. Tuition for the 2020-2021 school year is $18,000 for full-time students and $11,250 for part-time students. The school also offers several scholarships to help offset the cost of tuition. For example, the Appalachian Law Scholars Program awards full tuition scholarships to four incoming students each year based on academic merit, personal achievement, and a commitment to serve others. Additionally, the school offers numerous other merit-based scholarships ranging from $2,000-$15,000 per academic year. These scholarships are awarded based on academic performance and leadership potential. The school also has a variety of need-based grants available which are designed to assist students who demonstrate financial need in order to attend Appalachian Law.
| Financial Aid Office Information | |
|---|---|
| Financial aid application deadline | 07/01 |
| Financial aid director | Hannah Sawyers |
| Financial aid telephone | (800) 895-7411 |
| 2019-2020 Expenses | |
| Tuition | Full-time: $25,000 per year |
| Room and board | $14,290 |
| Books | $900 |
| Miscellaneous expenses | $1,400 |
| Is the tuition the same for first-, second-, and third-year students? | No |
| 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? | No |
| 2019 Grants | |
| Percentage of full-time students receiving grants of less than one-half tuition | 6.6% |
| Percentage of part-time students receiving grants of less than one-half tuition | N/A |
| Percentage of full-time students receiving grants of one-half tuition or more but less than full | 8.0% |
| Percentage of part-time students receiving grants of one-half tuition or more but less than full | N/A |
| Percentage of full-time students receiving grants of full tuition | 11.4% |
| Percentage of part-time students receiving grants of full tuition | N/A |
| Percentage of full-time students receiving grants of more than full tuition | 0.0% |
| Percentage of part-time students receiving grants of more than full tuition | N/A |
| 25th percentile grant amount of aid per full-time recipient | $7,913 |
| Median grant amount of aid per full-time recipient (50th percentile) | $15,825 |
| 75th percentile grant amount of aid per full-time recipient | $22,500 |
| 25th percentile grant amount of aid per part-time recipient | N/A |
| Median grant amount of aid per part-time recipient (50th percentile) | N/A |
| 75th percentile grant amount of aid per part-time recipient | N/A |
| Indebtedness | |
| Average indebtedness of 2019 graduates who incurred law school debt | $85,962 |
| Proportion who borrowed | 88.5% |
| Does the school offer a loan repayment assistance program for 2019 J.D. graduates? | No |
