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University Of Miami School Of Law

Palm trees and casebooks? It seems an odd mix; but it is exactly the mix that students at the University Of Miami School Of Law enjoy. The University of Miami School of Law is located in Coral Gables, Florida on the main campus of its parent University. The law school boasts a beautiful campus in a sub-tropical environment at the crossroads of the Americas. Despite the high tuition, Miami should be a consideration for an applicant who is intent on practicing law in Florida. 

Admissions & Tuition

Miami does have a slightly relaxed admissions rate. In 2009, the law school granted admission to 52.3% (2,409 out of 4,605). This is a high percentage for a Tier-2 school. For those who were admitted, the 25th to 75th percentile GPA range was 3.25-3.66 and the range for the LSAT was 155-159.

Full-time tuition at Miami is $38,012. Room and Board costs an additional $13,302, $1,200 for books, and $7,161 for miscellaneous expenses. This is a hefty price-tag, but the University of Miami does offer generous grants. In 2009, 14.5% of full-time students received grants of less than one-half tuition. Additionally, 14.1% of full-time students received grants of one-half tuition or more but less than full. The average indebtedness of 2009 graduates who incurred law school debt was $87,272.

As a private law school, Miami is more expensive than its two primary competitors – the University of Florida and Florida State University. For the University of Florida: in-state, full-time: $14,228 per year; Out-of-state, full-time: $33,593 per year. For Florida State University: in-state, full-time: $14,239 per year; Out-of-state, full-time: $31,250 per year. Florida residents should keep Miami’s higher tuition in mind. However, the majority of Miami’s student body does come from out of state. For the class of 2012, 58% claim residence in a state other than Florida.

Employment

In July 2009, Miami graduates passed the bar at a rate of 83.9%, exceeding the state-wide passage rate of 80.0%. This is a drop in Miami’s performance.

At the time of graudation, 77.7% of students have obtained employment. Nine months later, the figure rises to 96.4%. Private pratice is without contest the most popular choice for Miami grads with 66% of employed Miami graduates chose private practice last year. Salary is surely the motivating factor. Miami grads working in the private sector enjoyed a starting salary range of $70,000-$135,000, with a median of $102,000 (USNews, however, cites that only 30% of graduates are reporting their salaries). The median starting salary for those working in public service was significantly lower at $44,000.

This is consistant with Miami’s primary competitors. The 25th percentile of University of Florida graduates had a private sector starting salary $70,000 and a 75th percentile private sector starting salary $130,000. The median salary was $85,000 (USNews, 73% reporting). 76.2% of Florida grads were employed at the time of graduation with 96.6% employed 9 months afterr graduation. Florida State University has an employment rate of 76.4% at the time of graduation and 97.6% within 9 months of graduation. The median starting salary for Florida State graduates is $70,000 (USNews, 48% reporting).

Most Miami graduates (66%) stay in Florida after graduation. Of those who did leave Florida, the majority stayed in the Southeast region. Miami law is certainly a regional school. Applicants should keep this in mind.

Academics

Miami has been ranked 60th by U.S News and World Report. Miami does have a stellar tax law program which has been ranked 5th in the country. In addition to an LL.M. in Tax Law, Miami offers LL.M. programs in International Law, Real Property Development, Estate Planning, and Ocean and Coastal Law.

Miami offers several clinical programs such as the Children & Youth Law Clinic, the Community and Lawyering Clinic, the Federal Appellate Clinic, the Immigration Clinic, the Bankruptcy Assistance Clinic, and the Tenant’s Rights Clinic.

The student-faculty ratio is not a selling point, with 16.6 students to every professor.

Quality of Life

Though law students are known for being confined to their casebooks, those who can escape from the library take advantage of Miami Law’s warm-weather location and enjoy the Sunshine State for all that it is worth.