University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law is a public law school located in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1996, the school is the only public law school in the District and is accredited by the American Bar Association. The school offers a Juris Doctor degree as well as several dual degree programs, including a joint JD/MBA program with American University and a joint JD/MSW program with Howard University. The UDC-DCSL faculty includes distinguished scholars and practitioners from around the country, who bring their knowledge and expertise to bear on legal issues facing our nation’s capital. Students have access to an array of legal clinics that provide hands-on experience in areas such as family law, criminal defense, immigration law, civil rights, housing rights, economic development, environmental justice and more. In addition to its academic offerings and clinical opportunities, UDC-DCSL also provides students with numerous extracurricular activities designed to enrich their legal education and career prospects.
This page focuses on national rankings, acceptance rates, program costs, and merit-based scholarships of University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law, an accredited law program in the United States. Should you be interested in official name and common abbreviation of University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law, please follow this link: https://www.abbreviationfinder.org/acronyms/udc_university-of-the-district-of-columbia.html
Motto: Practice Law. Promote Justice. Change Lives.
Parent school: University of the District of Columbia
Established: 1986
School type: Public law school
Dean: Twinette L. Johnson
Location: Washington, D.C., United States
Enrollment: 247
Faculty: 67 (28 full-time)
- IAMACCEPTED.COM: Offers a list of colleges and universities in Maryland, covering all 2-year, 4-year, private and public schools within Maryland state.
Ranking: University of the District of Columbia (Clarke)
The University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law has been ranked as one of the top 100 law schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report since 2005. It is also ranked among the top ten public interest law schools in the country by preLaw magazine and is a Tier 1 school in Washington, D.C., according to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Law Schools rankings for 2021. The school has consistently been recognized as one of the top ten best value law schools in the nation by National Jurist magazine and has earned a Tier 1 ranking from The Princeton Review for its academic quality and affordability. In addition, it was recently ranked among the top 20 most diverse law schools in America by preLaw magazine, with students hailing from over 50 countries around the world and representing a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives. The school’s faculty are widely respected for their scholarship and dedication to teaching, with many having received prestigious awards for their work both inside and outside of academia.
| Top Law Schools of 2020 | |
|---|---|
| Score | N/A |
| Peer assessment score (5.0 highest) | 1.5 |
| Assessment score by lawyers/judges (5.0 highest) | 1.5 |
| 25th-75th percentile GPA scores for all students | 3-3.25 |
| 25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for all students | 149-155 |
| Overall acceptance rate | 26.4% |
| Student/faculty ratio | 12.4 |
| Graduates employed at graduation | N/A |
| Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation | 73.8% |
| School’s bar passage rate for first-time test takers | 61.8% |
| State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar | MD |
| Statewide bar passage rate for first-time test takers | 76.4% |
Tuition & Scholarships: University of the District of Columbia (Clarke)
The University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law offers a variety of tuition and scholarship options to help students finance their legal education. Tuition for full-time law students is $20,170 per semester, while part-time tuition is $14,845 per semester. In addition to these costs, students must also pay a $150 registration fee each semester. The school also offers partial tuition waivers for eligible applicants based on financial need. These waivers are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis and can cover up to half of the total tuition cost for each student. Additionally, the school offers merit scholarships to outstanding applicants that can cover up to full tuition costs. These scholarships are competitive and require an excellent academic record as well as a strong commitment to public service or leadership in the legal profession. Finally, the school also encourages applicants to apply for outside scholarships and grants from other organizations such as bar associations or foundations in order to further reduce their financial burden when attending law school.
| Financial Aid Office Information | |
|---|---|
| Financial aid application deadline | 03/01 |
| Financial aid director | Nailah Williams |
| Financial aid telephone | (202) 274-7337 |
| 2019-2020 Expenses | |
| Tuition | In-state, full-time: $7,350 per year; Out-of-state, full-time: $14,700 per year |
| Room and board | N/A |
| Books | N/A |
| Miscellaneous expenses | N/A |
| 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 | 49.4% |
| 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 | 10.8% |
| 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 | 0.0% |
| 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 | $2,500 |
| Median grant amount of aid per full-time recipient (50th percentile) | $4,000 |
| 75th percentile grant amount of aid per full-time recipient | $6,000 |
| 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 | $10,250 |
| Proportion who borrowed | 82.4% |
| Does the school offer a loan repayment assistance program for 2019 J.D. graduates? | No |
