Navigating the University of Richmond School of Law: A Comprehensive Overview of Rankings and Academics
The University of Richmond School of Law (Richmond Law), established in 1870 as a college within the University of Richmond, stands as a private institution dedicated to providing an exceptional legal education. Located just 15 minutes from downtown Richmond, the school has relationships with federal and state courts, law firms, corporations, and a “distinguished and supportive alumni network.” It is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) and the Order of the Coif honorary scholastic society, Richmond Law is known as much for its close-knit community and small student-faculty ratio as for its rigorous academic program. This article provides a thorough examination of Richmond Law, covering its rankings, academic programs, bar passage rates, employment outcomes, and other key aspects relevant to prospective students.
Rankings and Recognition
It is essential for prospective students to consider various ranking systems when evaluating law schools. While rankings should not be the sole determinant in choosing a law school, they offer insight into a school's academic reputation and competitiveness.
- U.S. News & World Report: The U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks University of Richmond School of Law among the top law schools in the United States.
- ILRG Law School Rankings: ILRG designates its analysis as the 2026 Law School Rankings because it is built for applicants planning to start law school in fall 2026. The rankings rely on the ABA's most recent 509 disclosures (released December 2025), which report the fall 2025 entering class, 2024 bar passage, and 2024 employment outcomes.
Admissions and Selectivity
The University of Richmond School of Law maintains a competitive admissions process, seeking students with strong academic backgrounds and diverse experiences.
- Acceptance Rate: Based on the 2025 ABA 509 Report, 1738 candidates submitted JD applications to University of Richmond School of Law and 689 received acceptance letters. For the class entering in 2023, the University of Richmond School of Law accepted 41.46% of applicants, with 19.45% of those accepted enrolling.
- LSAT and GPA: For a competitive law school application to University of Richmond School of Law, students should aim to meet or exceed the median statistics shown below.
- Richmond Law ranks #37 in GPA composite (3.80), an average of its 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile GPAs (3.66 · 3.81 · 3.92).
- Richmond Law ranks #51 in LSAT composite (163.3), an average of its 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile LSAT scores (159 · 164 · 167).
- Holistic Review: Applications are reviewed as they become complete. In considering a candidate, the admission committee undertakes a holistic review of the entire application, placing weight on LSAT score, GPA, narrative statement, work history, community service, extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation, and character and fitness to practice law.
Academic Programs and Curriculum
Richmond Law seamlessly integrates theory and practice in a curriculum led by some of the best teacher-scholars in the nation. The curriculum is designed to provide students with a strong foundation in legal principles and practical skills.
- First-Year Curriculum: Courses in contracts, torts, criminal law, civil procedure, property, constitutional law, and legislation and regulation comprise the first-year curriculum.
- Upper-Level Courses: Required upper-level courses include professional responsibility and an upper-level writing seminar. All students complete a comprehensive two-year program in legal reasoning, writing, research, and fundamental lawyering skills.
- Professional Identity Formation Program: Additionally, all first-year students participate in the Professional Identity Formation program. Through a combination of curricular and co-curricular offerings, the Professional Identity Formation program allows students to discern their own values, strengths, and motivating interests in relation to their individual practice, the legal profession, and society.
- Experiential Learning: The curriculum calls for all students to complete a Writing in Practice course and earn a minimum number of credits through experiential courses such as clinics, clinical placements, or simulation courses. Options for these requirements include the London Clinical Placement Program or the DC Externship Program, which places students in federal agencies or nonprofit organizations where they spend a semester completing 500 hours of supervised legal work while taking a weekly seminar. Plus, “there are even placements in niche areas,” including the Housing Law Practicum, Public Policy Research and Drafting, and International Business Practice courses. They can also choose from in-house clinics such as the Children's Defense Clinic and the Institute for Actual Innocence, which provide socially responsible real-world experience.
- Centers of Focused Research: Richmond Law is also home to four centers of focused research: the Robert R. Merhige Jr.
- Two-Year JD for International Lawyers: Additionally, lawyers with a first degree in law from outside the United States are eligible for the Two-Year JD for International Lawyers.
- Clinical Placements: Exciting clinical placements are arranged for academic credit in various legal arenas. Over 60 placements offer a wide range of opportunities with public interest, government agencies, non-profit organizations, international and national corporations, and trial and appellate judicial chambers at the state and federal levels. The DC Externship Program places students in federal agencies or nonprofit organizations in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Students complete 500 hours of supervised substantive legal work over the course of the fall semester and participate in a weekly two-hour seminar.
- Cambridge Study Abroad Program: In the four-week Cambridge Study Abroad Program, students live and learn with other Richmond Law students and legal scholars from across the country and around the world at Emmanuel College at the University of Cambridge. Courses are taught by Cambridge faculty and supplemented by Richmond Law faculty, focusing on areas of intersectional and international law. Students also learn about the U.K.’s legal system and laws as well as those of other countries, particularly the E.U.
Bar Passage and Employment Outcomes
A crucial factor in evaluating a law school is its graduates' success in passing the bar exam and securing employment in the legal field.
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- Bar Passage Rate: Richmond Law ranks #105 in terms of bar passage rate among first-time test takers (80.1%), and it outperforms by +2.8% the state of Virginia's overall bar passage rate of 77.3%.
- Employment Rate: According to Richmond School of Law's official 2018 ABA-required disclosures, 85% of the Class of 2018 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation (i.e. "Bar-required" jobs are full-time, long-term positions that require bar admission. "JD advantage" positions are those where the employer requires a JD or considers it an advantage, but bar admission is not required. The salary statistics are those of full-time, long-term employed law graduates for the Class of 2023, reported ten months after graduation, as self-reported by the graduates.
- Career Development Office (CDO): Career planning begins at Orientation with extensive career programming and is as personalized as the rest of the Richmond Law experience. Our Career Development Office (CDO) offers one-on-one advising that allows us to get to know our students and their interests, past experiences, and objectives. The CDO works with students to create an individualized job search strategy based upon a student’s career aspirations and intended practice location. With the guidance and nationwide contacts of our CDO, Richmond Law students confidently set out on varied career paths. Our young alumni join large and small law firms, government agencies, corporations, and nonprofit organizations. The CDO conducts a comprehensive on-campus interview program that includes law firms and government and public interest employers, and it participates in a number of national job fairs. It also maintains an extensive employment database and organizes regular informational programs and networking opportunities.
- Bridge-to-Practice Fellowship: New graduates are eligible for a four-month Bridge-to-Practice Fellowship, a law school-funded launchpad to career success for students interested in government and public interest law. These positions allow postgraduates to work while waiting for licensure and often result in a permanent position. Recipients of these fellowships have pursued internships with the International Criminal Tribunal (in The Hague, the Netherlands), the United States Congress, the Office of the Federal Public Defender, and more.
Cost and Financial Aid
The cost of attending law school is a significant consideration for prospective students.
- Tuition: Law school tuition at University of Richmond School of Law is $0k annually (calculated from semester costs). Richmond Law ranks #195 in terms of highest tuition among full-time law students ($57,700). The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at Richmond Law for the 2020-21 academic year is $67,550. The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years, based on data from the 2020-21 academic year, is $202,650.
- Scholarships: All Richmond Law applicants are considered for our generous merit scholarships, which are granted based upon applicants’ academic records, test scores, and leadership potential. For the 2024 entering class, 76% of students received scholarship funding ranging from 20% to 100% of tuition. The average award was $31,231.
- Loans and Financial Aid: By filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), students may apply for loans and work-study employment. Additionally, Federal Direct Loans are available to all students without consideration of parental income even if one is currently a dependent. While Richmond Law recognizes that there are many opportunities for paid legal employment, we also realize that sometimes the placement that is of most interest to the student may be an unpaid position with a government or nonprofit employer.
Student Life and Location
The University of Richmond and the city of Richmond offer a vibrant and enriching environment for law students.
- Location: Situated on a stunning campus just 15-minutes from vibrant downtown Richmond, the University of Richmond School of Law has provided an exceptional legal education since 1870. Richmond itself “encompasses the perfect mix between city and outdoor life, with the James River and … trails right in the downtown area.” There “are always festivals, live music, and food trucks,” and “many students live within the city in order to experience the best of both worlds.” It has “countless destinations to bask in nature and eat good food,” says a student.
- Richmond's Legal Community: Home to more courts-federal, state, and local-than almost any other city in the nation, Richmond is also known for its thriving legal community that includes some of the nation’s largest law firms. It is also home to important federal agencies, including the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, as well as several Fortune 500 companies.
- Recognition: Recently named a Top 20 “Millennial Magnet” City, Best River Town, Happiest Metro Area in the United States, and #1 Craft Beer town, Richmond isn’t just a great city to study law.
Notable Alumni
The University of Richmond School of Law has produced numerous distinguished alumni who have made significant contributions to the legal profession and beyond.
- Leon Bazile - Trial judge in the case of Loving v.
- Harry L.
- Deputy Attorney General James B. Comey
- Watkins Moorman Abbitt
- WARD LYNN ARMSTRONG
- Leon M. (Leon Maurice) Bazile
- Mary Daniel
- Jenna Ellis
- Lawrence L. Koontz, Jr.
- G. Manoli Loupassi
- Robert R. Merhige, Jr.
- Nathan H. Miller
- Owen B. Pickett
- Absalom Willis Robertson
- Harvey E. Schlesinger
- Frederick Pfarr Stamp Jr.
- Saman Imtiaz - Justice at the Islamabad High Court (IHC) since 17 December 2021.
- Tony Pham
Additional Resources and Initiatives
- Harry L. Carrico Center for Pro Bono & Public Service: The University of Richmond School of Law created the Harry L. Carrico Center for Pro Bono & Public Service in recognition of an attorney’s professional obligation to serve the community, as well as a law school’s responsibility to educate its students on the need for pro bono legal services.
- Moot Court Activities: Beginning in the 1L year, Richmond’s moot court activities allow students to test their research, brief-writing, trial, negotiation, and appellate advocacy skills. Students participate in intraschool tournaments that lead to membership on the Moot Court Board, the Trial Advocacy Board (TAB), Negotiation and Alternative Dispute Resolution Board (NADR).
- Institute for Actual Innocence: The Institute for Actual Innocence, founded in 2005, works to identify and exonerate wrongfully convicted individuals in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The institute is an academic program that partners students with local attorneys and community leaders to seek post-conviction relief for wrongfully convicted prisoners in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
- University of Richmond Law Review: The University of Richmond Law Review, founded in 1958, publishes four issues a year: the Annual Survey in November, the Symposium Issue in March, and two general issues in January and May. In addition, since 2015, the Law Review has published an online volume each year.
- Richmond Public Interest Law Review (PILR): The Richmond Public Interest Law Review (PILR) is a law review published by the University of Richmond School of Law. The journal, formerly known as the Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest, vol. 1 (1996) - vol. Publishing three annual volumes, PILR posts its articles and other related content online. Of these annual publications, two volumes are the following. The General Assembly in Review issue, an annual print volume focused exclusively on the legislative work of the Virginia General Assembly and its implications for the Commonwealth's citizens and future. The PILR Symposium issue provides discussions of contemporary social welfare issues and controversial topics.
- Richmond Journal of Law and Technology (JOLT): The Richmond Journal of Law and Technology (JOLT) is a law review published by the School of Law. First published on April 10, 1995, the journal focused on the impact of computer-related and other emerging technologies on the law.
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