Home
Admissions
Schools
Students
Forums
| TLS Home | Law School Admissions | Law Schools | Law Students | TLS Forums |
| Rankings and Top 100 Profiles 3rd and 4th Tier Profiles Dean Interviews Discuss Your School TLS Stats TLS Programs International Profiles Law School Articles |
|
Home » Law Schools » Rankings and Profiles » Gonzaga University School of Law
Admissions & Tuition Gaining admission to Gonzaga Law requires numbers similar to other schools at the bottom of the top-100 or the top of the Third Tier (schools ranked by USNews between 100 and 150), where Gonzaga was ranked until recently. In fact, Gonzaga Law’s 75th percentile LSAT score of 157 is one of the lowest of the top-100. Matriculants had median GPAs and LSAT scores of 3.30 and 155, respectively. The middle 50% of accepted applicants had GPAs ranging from 3.05 to 3.51 and LSAT scores ranging from 153 to 157. Over the past eight years, Gonzaga Law has averaged an acceptance rate of 43.8%, although it has been has high as 60.2% (in 2001) and as low as 33% (in 2004). This means that the admissions process is a marginally competitive one, however applicants with numbers above the medians and strong personal statements should feel comfortable about their chances of securing admission. Once admitted, of course, there comes the issue of paying for tuition. Tuition at Gonzaga is comparable to that of most private schools. It is calculated by the credit hour, with each one costing $1,044 for the 2009-2010 school year. For a typical student taking 30 credit hours over the school year, the tuition bill would thus come to $31,320 for the academic year. That figure does not include roughly $400 in annual fees, and other costs, including books and living expenses. The good financial news for Gonzaga Law students is that the cost of living in Spokane, Washington is low. Students are advised to budget between $8,000 and $9,000 for an academic year’s worth of room and board. Bar Passage & Employment Prospects As with many comparably ranked law schools, Bar passage rates are not one of Gonzaga’s strong points. Most recently, Gonzaga University School of Law graduates passed the Bar Examination (in Washington State, where the majority opt to sit for the exam) at a rate of 75.4%, 2.7 points below the statewide average. While this is almost a decent showing, between 2001 and the present, Gonzaga grads have averaged a Bar passage rate of only 72.6%, 5.2% worse than the statewide average. One can hope that their slightly higher recent showing is a sign of an overall improvement rather than a statistical anomaly, however the trend between 2001 and now indicates that it was the latter. Employment is another area of concern for Gonzaga graduates. Employment figures 9 months after graduation are relatively positive: Most recently, 85.9% of graduates had found work (and not additional grad school) within that timeframe, a statistic consistent with their recent average. However, it is troubling that the school does not release statistics showing what percentage of their graduates are employed at the time of graduation. As with most 2nd and 3rd tier schools, job opportunities for Gonzaga graduates are primarily regional. Those wishing to practice in Spokane or the interior of the Pacific Northwest will probably be just fine choosing to attend Gonzaga, however others should very seriously consider the limited options that accompany a Gonzaga J.D. No firms from New York, California or DC participate in Gonzaga’s OCI (on-campus interview) process, and even in Washington’s largest legal market, Seattle, Gonzaga graduates face an uphill battle competing for jobs with graduates of the University of Washington and Seattle University, both of which are generally considered superior law schools. Academics 1Ls at Gonzaga follow a prescribed path similar to that of 1Ls just about anywhere: The fall semester includes civil procedure, torts, perspectives on the law, legal research and writing, and a litigation skills and professionalism lab. In the spring semester, 1Ls at Gonzaga take contracts, property, criminal law, legal research and writing II, and a transactional skills and professionalism lab. Students may elect to enroll in the Early Start Summer Program, which allows them to do 5 credit hours worth of coursework over the summer prior to 1L. Students are assigned a faculty advisor prior to the start of 1L, and this individual theoretically guides the student through the logistics of law school as well as the career search and other important aspects of their legal education and beyond. Gonzaga prides itself on its legal research and writing program, which is ranked 12th nationwide. While specialty rankings are not always of paramount importance to employers, it is safe to say that these skills are important to the career of any lawyer. Gonzaga offers three concentrations, which students are able to choose from during 2L. Those are public interest law, business law, and environmental/natural resources law. They also offer several joint degree programs, including a JD/MBA and a JD/Masters in Social Work.
Spokane is not exactly New York City, however the region does possess many excellent attributes. For one thing, the aforementioned low cost of living is fantastic for law students trying to keep their loan bills down. Additionally, with a population of over 200,000, Spokane has many of the amenities one might want from a city, without the chaos and traffic of a New York or an L.A. Spokane is surrounded by wilderness, so fans of outdoor recreation will no doubt be thrilled. The town has a vibrant art and music scene, and it is also a center of the timber and mining industries. While there are no professional sports teams, Gonzaga always has an exciting basketball team to watch when NCAA Tournament time rolls around. Conclusion Gonzaga University School of Law, recently ranked in the Third Tier by USNews and World Report but now among the top-100, offers many compelling attributes including an excellent legal research and writing program. That said, potential applicants should very seriously consider the limited regional job prospects when they are weighed against the substantial tuition of a private law school. Those funding their legal education largely or entirely through loans should be very realistic about the slim chances of a “biglaw” salary after their time at Gonzaga is through. Quick Reference U.S. News Ranking: 100 Interview: Dean Earl Martin of Gonzaga University School of Law Interview: Susan Lee, Director of Admissions at Gonzaga University School of Law |
Stanford Law School Yale Law School Harvard Law School University of Virginia School of Law Pepperdine Law School Northwestern Law School Cornell Law School Michigan Law School Golden Gate Law School Duke Law School Columbia Law School Temple Law School Loyola Law School UCLA School of Law Villanova Law School New York University Law School UC Hastings Law School Santa Clara Law School UPenn Law School Berkeley Boalt Hall University of Chicago Law School UC Davis Law School Fordham Law School George Washington Law School Georgetown University Law Center UNC Chapel Hill Law School Boston College Law School Boston University School of Law Emory University Law School The University of Iowa College of Law University of Minnesota Law School The University of Texas School of Law The University of Southern California School of Law (Gould) Vanderbilt University Law School Washington University in St. Louis School of Law Wisconsin Law School The University of Alabama School of Law George Mason University School of Law The University of Colorado School of Law Indiana University School of Law - Bloomington University of Notre Dame Law School The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law The University of Illinois College of Law The University of Washington School of Law William & Mary Law School Washington and Lee University School of Law The Arizona State University College of Law The Baylor University School of Law The Case Western Reserve University School of Law The University of Georgia School of Law The Brigham Young University Law School The Southern Methodist University School of Law Tulane University Law School The University of Connecticut School of Law University of Florida Levin College of Law Wake Forest University School of Law Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University The University of Tennessee College of Law The University of Cincinnati College of Law The University of Pittsburgh School of Law University of Maryland School of Law The University of Kentucky College of Law The University of Houston College of Law The Florida State University College of Law Chicago-Kent College of Law (Illinois Institute of Technology) Brooklyn Law School University of Arizona College of Law American University College of Law University of San Diego School of Law Northeastern University School of Law University Of Miami School Of Law University of Richmond Law Oregon School Of Law Lewis & Clark School of Law Rutgers Law - Camden South Carolina Law Seattle University School of Law PSU School of Law DePaul University College of Law Rutgers-Newark School of Law Hofstra Law School Seton Hall Law School Missouri - Columbia Law School Indiana University Indianapolis Law Buffalo Law School UNLV Law School St. John's School of Law The University of Denver Law School University of Louisville School of Law The University of Oklahoma College of Law Georgia State University College of Law Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center Loyola University Chicago School of Law Marquette University Law School University of Kansas School of Law St. Louis University School of Law University of New Mexico School of Law Catholic University's Columbus School of Law The University of Maine School of Law Gonzaga University School of Law The University of Arkansas School of Law University of San Francisco School of Law University of California – Irvine School of Law |
Established in 1912 and recently “promoted” into the top-100 law schools by US News and World Report, Gonzaga University School of Law is a compelling law school with a strong regional reputation. Nevertheless, potential applicants will want to weigh heavily the high tuition against Gonzaga’s limited job placement opportunities. Still, many Gonzaga Law graduates go on to achieve very prestigious careers, a fact to which Gonzaga Law alum and Washington governor Christine Gregorie can no doubt attest.
Quality of Life