Top Law Schools

University of Washington School of Law
Leaders for the Global Common Good

Application Deadlines

September 1, 2017 | Application Opens
November 15, 2017 | Early Decision Deadline (more information)
January 15, 2018 | Gates Public Service Fellowship Application Deadline (more information
March 15, 2018 | JD Admissions Application Deadline

Entering Class Information

2016 | Class of 2020
Forthcoming

2015 | Class of 2019
Applications: 2,517
Admitted: 677
Enrolled: 156
LSAT (75th/50th/25th): 165/163/157
GPA (75th/50th/25th): 3.80/3.68/3.43

2014 | Class of 2018
Applications: 2,877
Admitted: 775
Enrolled: 170
LSAT (75th/50th/25th): 166/164/159
GPA (75th/50th/25th): 3.78/3.65/3.41

Bar Passage and Employment Information

2016 | Class of 2016
Bar Passage Forthcoming
Bar Passage Required: 75.2%
Biglaw: 14.3%
FedClerk: 4.6%
Total BL+FC: 18.9%
PI: 6.5%

2015 | Class of 2015
Takers: 157
Passers: 142
Pass Rate: 90.45%
----
Bar Passage Required: 74.9%
Biglaw: 17.3%
FedClerk: 3.1%
Total BL+FC: 20.4%
PI: 5.2%

2014 | Class of 2014
Takers: 172
Passers: 145
Pass Rate: 84.30%
----
Bar Passage Required: 66.5%
Biglaw: 11.5%
FedClerk: 5.0%
Total BL+FC: 16.5%
PI: 7.5%

Admissions Graphs

Admissions Timeline | 2014-2016 Cycles


Admissions Chart | 2016-2017 Cycle


Previous Threads

Class of 2020
Class of 2019
Class of 2018
Class of 2017

Checking in! I loved Seattle area when I visited and I'm considering to send an app here as safe school if they waive the app fee!

This is me! I'm from a smaller Cascadian city, but I have friends and family in Seattle.
I love this region and it's important to me that I study in the area I want to live/work in so I'm not moving my child around too much.

Checking in, one of my top choices for location reasons.

Incoming 1L just stopping by to wish everyone applying this cycle the best of luck! I'm just twiddling my thumbs right now cause most everyone else has started their CivPro readings while we have another month before classes start haha.

rozes wrote:Incoming 1L just stopping by to wish everyone applying this cycle the best of luck! I'm just twiddling my thumbs right now cause most everyone else has started their CivPro readings while we have another month before classes start haha.

Will be hoping to pick your brain throughout the process!

Just a heads up: they were super stingy last year. I was well above both 75ths, PNW native, and got offered $0 in scholarships. Seems like a great school but hard to stomach without any $$$. I hope things look better this year for everyone applying.

whodareswins wrote:Just a heads up: they were super stingy last year. I was well above both 75ths, PNW native, and got offered $0 in scholarships. Seems like a great school but hard to stomach without any $$$. I hope things look better this year for everyone applying.

I saw some people seem to get money after having deposited and asked again - I wonder if they have some weird sort of $$ yield protect?

Checking in!

abujabal wrote:

whodareswins wrote:Just a heads up: they were super stingy last year. I was well above both 75ths, PNW native, and got offered $0 in scholarships. Seems like a great school but hard to stomach without any $$$. I hope things look better this year for everyone applying.

I saw some people seem to get money after having deposited and asked again - I wonder if they have some weird sort of $$ yield protect?

Incoming 1L here. I was also ghosted at first despite being overqualified numerically but was able to get $$ in the second round of offers. I think the key for me was to make clear my intentions of attending if admitted. I literally told them I would attend if I got a competitive scholarship offer and got one a few weeks later. I think they just don't want to offer people money who they think won't attend since they have very limited funding available. At any rate, don't be discouraged if you don't get money in the first round of offers. Many people, myself included, only get an offer in one of their later rounds.

Good luck all! And anyone, feel free to PM me if you're looking for advice on the application process.

I got my app fee so yeah, definitely applying!

Thoughts about the William H. Gates scholarship? Do you know something specific about that? I mean, does that work as a boost for PI positions? I'd like to apply but it is very binding (5 years of we in public interest!) - which is good if they can provide some good link to that sector... The first concern is about position: I'd love PI but definitely not in WA... More like DC / NYC / abroad!

InterLaw wrote:I got my app fee so yeah, definitely applying!

Thoughts about the William H. Gates scholarship? Do you know something specific about that? I mean, does that work as a boost for PI positions? I'd like to apply but it is very binding (5 years of we in public interest!) - which is good if they can provide some good link to that sector... The first concern is about position: I'd love PI but definitely not in WA... More like DC / NYC / abroad!

If my goal after graduation is to do public service with an international organization, will that type of work satisfy the Gates PSL Scholarship’s public service requirement?
As long as the public service work fits within the Gates PSL Scholarship Program guidelines, your post-graduate public service law work can be accomplished anywhere in the world.
https://www.law.washington.edu/gatessch ... aspx?set=2

Also:
https://www.law.washington.edu/gatessch ... olars.aspx

DorkothyParker wrote:

InterLaw wrote:I got my app fee so yeah, definitely applying!

Thoughts about the William H. Gates scholarship? Do you know something specific about that? I mean, does that work as a boost for PI positions? I'd like to apply but it is very binding (5 years of we in public interest!) - which is good if they can provide some good link to that sector... The first concern is about position: I'd love PI but definitely not in WA... More like DC / NYC / abroad!

If my goal after graduation is to do public service with an international organization, will that type of work satisfy the Gates PSL Scholarship’s public service requirement?
As long as the public service work fits within the Gates PSL Scholarship Program guidelines, your post-graduate public service law work can be accomplished anywhere in the world.
https://www.law.washington.edu/gatessch ... aspx?set=2

Also:
https://www.law.washington.edu/gatessch ... olars.aspx

I've been under the impression that the Gates also has a pretty steep "experience requirement" for selection as well, in that most of their awardees seem to have been pretty accomplished viz. public service already. Any current students/incomings have any insight into the extent that that may be the case?

PDX4343 wrote:

abujabal wrote:

whodareswins wrote:Just a heads up: they were super stingy last year. I was well above both 75ths, PNW native, and got offered $0 in scholarships. Seems like a great school but hard to stomach without any $$$. I hope things look better this year for everyone applying.

I saw some people seem to get money after having deposited and asked again - I wonder if they have some weird sort of $$ yield protect?

Incoming 1L here. I was also ghosted at first despite being overqualified numerically but was able to get $$ in the second round of offers. I think the key for me was to make clear my intentions of attending if admitted. I literally told them I would attend if I got a competitive scholarship offer and got one a few weeks later. I think they just don't want to offer people money who they think won't attend since they have very limited funding available. At any rate, don't be discouraged if you don't get money in the first round of offers. Many people, myself included, only get an offer in one of their later rounds.

Good luck all! And anyone, feel free to PM me if you're looking for advice on the application process.

Yeah, I wouldn't be discouraged by the weird scholarship scheduling and distribution (definitely NOT numbers driven, from what I could tell). It admittedly did make working with deposits at other schools an absolutely nightmare, but like PDX says, if you're transparent with them about your interest, they will respond in kind. I also did not receive any money the first round, received a good offer the second round, and paid a deposit while requesting additional funds if I withdrew from my other schools. I received an additional boost a couple of weeks later.

Feel free to PM me as well, though I anticipate my login frequency to rapidly decrease in a couple of weeks.

Note: For an insight into why the scholarship process is so strange compared to other schools, please see last year's thread. It has a lot to do with WA's state higher education funding situation, which is getting better but hasn't really fully recovered from the recession. The demigod mcmand has a lot of information about it.

abujabal wrote:

DorkothyParker wrote:

InterLaw wrote:I got my app fee so yeah, definitely applying!

Thoughts about the William H. Gates scholarship? Do you know something specific about that? I mean, does that work as a boost for PI positions? I'd like to apply but it is very binding (5 years of we in public interest!) - which is good if they can provide some good link to that sector... The first concern is about position: I'd love PI but definitely not in WA... More like DC / NYC / abroad!

If my goal after graduation is to do public service with an international organization, will that type of work satisfy the Gates PSL Scholarship’s public service requirement?
As long as the public service work fits within the Gates PSL Scholarship Program guidelines, your post-graduate public service law work can be accomplished anywhere in the world.
https://www.law.washington.edu/gatessch ... aspx?set=2

Also:
https://www.law.washington.edu/gatessch ... olars.aspx

I've been under the impression that the Gates also has a pretty steep "experience requirement" for selection as well, in that most of their awardees seem to have been pretty accomplished viz. public service already. Any current students/incomings have any insight into the extent that that may be the case?

It's critical to note the Gates is an independent scholarship not funded or doled out by UW. They DGAF about USNWR or medians. It's more to encourage strong candidates to go into PI than it is to encourage them to go to UW.

Is anyone else tempted to call it the Gates Pumpkin Spice Law-tte scholarship?

rowdy wrote:

abujabal wrote:

DorkothyParker wrote:

InterLaw wrote:I got my app fee so yeah, definitely applying!

Thoughts about the William H. Gates scholarship? Do you know something specific about that? I mean, does that work as a boost for PI positions? I'd like to apply but it is very binding (5 years of we in public interest!) - which is good if they can provide some good link to that sector... The first concern is about position: I'd love PI but definitely not in WA... More like DC / NYC / abroad!

If my goal after graduation is to do public service with an international organization, will that type of work satisfy the Gates PSL Scholarship’s public service requirement?
As long as the public service work fits within the Gates PSL Scholarship Program guidelines, your post-graduate public service law work can be accomplished anywhere in the world.
https://www.law.washington.edu/gatessch ... aspx?set=2

Also:
https://www.law.washington.edu/gatessch ... olars.aspx

I've been under the impression that the Gates also has a pretty steep "experience requirement" for selection as well, in that most of their awardees seem to have been pretty accomplished viz. public service already. Any current students/incomings have any insight into the extent that that may be the case?

It's critical to note the Gates is an independent scholarship not funded or doled out by UW. They DGAF about USNWR or medians. It's more to encourage strong candidates to go into PI than it is to encourage them to go to UW.

I got it, and it is indeed just a try I wanted to give... However, I'm interested in a kind of PI for which I'm not sure UW would be a good option, and so I was wondering if being a Gates scholar is in itself kind of a boost... I mean, I saw the profiles of past scholars and they are not actually pursuing the path I would love to pursue - even geographically...

InterLaw wrote:
I got it, and it is indeed just a try I wanted to give... However, I'm interested in a kind of PI for which I'm not sure UW would be a good option, and so I was wondering if being a Gates scholar is in itself kind of a boost... I mean, I saw the profiles of past scholars and they are not actually pursuing the path I would love to pursue - even geographically...

Would love some insight from a current student on this, but I'm under the impression that the Gates isn't like a Ruby or a Hamilton in that it's awarded based on merit, but is a separate process for people continuing in the field of PI, akin to NYU's Root-Tilden. Any thoughts? I'm basing this purely on anecdotes, so would love more anecdata in that regard

Double posting, but anyone have any idea what's going on here?



Doesn't gel with what's stated on this page - is this a change for Fall 2018?

abujabal wrote:Double posting, but anyone have any idea what's going on here?

Doesn't gel with what's stated on this page - is this a change for Fall 2018?

I'm also confused bc info says app opens on September 1st but I only see the option to fill out a visiting app...am I missing something?

sabraph wrote:

abujabal wrote:Double posting, but anyone have any idea what's going on here?

Doesn't gel with what's stated on this page - is this a change for Fall 2018?

I'm also confused bc info says app opens on September 1st but I only see the option to fill out a visiting app...am I missing something?

OH! That's what it is - I guess the visiting student app doesn't require LORs. I know the regular app opens on the 31st, that must be what it is

My understanding is that the state of Washington doesn't "allow" a URM bump. I've tried Googling, but can't really find much on that. Does anyone have any knowledge on that. I wrote my personal statement and while it hints at some "diversity" issues I've overcome (first generation student, low income), it is *not* a diversity statement. Will I need to create a statement that focuses on these issues as well as my being Mexican-American? Would that be helpful at all?
I'm a little stretched.

Anyone have info. on class of 2020 stats?

DorkothyParker wrote:My understanding is that the state of Washington doesn't "allow" a URM bump. I've tried Googling, but can't really find much on that. Does anyone have any knowledge on that. I wrote my personal statement and while it hints at some "diversity" issues I've overcome (first generation student, low income), it is *not* a diversity statement. Will I need to create a statement that focuses on these issues as well as my being Mexican-American? Would that be helpful at all?
I'm a little stretched.

I've heard something about this, but I'm not sure about what the actuality of it is. Perhaps rozes or mcmand would have more insight. That said, looking at LSN, the URM graphs seem to be largely the same as the general pop graph, in that 164+ tends to get you accepted. Not sure how it plays into $$.

Huskies13! wrote:Anyone have info. on class of 2020 stats?

Been checking the ABA disclosures regularly, no luck.