Baylor University Sheila & Walter Umphrey Law Center

By | January 5, 2023

The Sheila & Walter Umphrey Law Center at Baylor University opened its doors in the fall of 1997, and has since become one of the top law schools in the nation. The facility was named after longtime supporters of the university, Sheila and Walter Umphrey, who provided a generous endowment to help fund its construction. The center is located on Baylor’s campus in Waco, Texas and consists of three buildings: a main building with classrooms, offices, and a library; an adjacent building for moot courtrooms; and a third building for student services.

The Law Center is home to many programs that are designed to educate students on important legal topics. These include the Legal Research Center which offers legal research resources for students; the Business Transactions Clinic which provides legal services to small businesses; and the Immigration Clinic which provides free representation to individuals seeking asylum or other relief from deportation. Additionally, students have access to several experiential learning opportunities such as externships with local law firms or government agencies as well as clinics that give students real-world experience in different areas of law. The Law Center also houses several moot court competitions each year that draw teams from around the country.

Baylor University Sheila & Walter Umphrey Law Center

The faculty at Baylor’s Law Center is composed of accomplished scholars who provide excellent instruction that prepares graduates for successful legal careers. In addition, many courses are taught by adjunct professors who are practicing attorneys in their respective fields. With its commitment to developing highly qualified lawyers, Baylor University’s Sheila & Walter Umphrey Law Center has become one of the leading institutions for legal education in Texas and throughout the country.

Baylor University Sheila & Walter Umphrey Law Center is located in the state of Texas. As one of the leading law programs, Baylor University Sheila & Walter Umphrey Law Center has a high average LSAT score of 156-162 when recruiting new students. As a return, the median starting salary for law graduates reaches $75,000 per year. See the following table for detailed admissions information and career profiles of Baylor University Sheila & Walter Umphrey Law Center.

Admissions: Baylor University (Umphrey)

Baylor University Sheila & Walter Umphrey Law Center is one of the top-ranked law schools in the country and has a competitive admissions process. The school boasts an average LSAT score of 162 and GPA of 3.61 for its incoming class. This puts it among the top 15% of all law schools in terms of the number of applicants that are accepted each year. The acceptance rate for Baylor Law is around 24%, meaning that only about one out of four applicants will be accepted into the program. Additionally, Baylor Law has an impressive bar passage rate of 88%, which is well above the national average. The school also has a strong network of alumni and faculty who can provide mentorship, support, and guidance to students throughout their legal education and beyond.

Fall 2019 Admissions and Enrollment Statistics
Total number of full- and part-time applicants 3,659
Total number of full- and part-time acceptances 1,090
Overall acceptance rate 29.8%
Total number of full- and part-time first-year students enrolled 197
Number of full-time program applicants 3,659
Number of full-time program acceptances 1,090
Full-time acceptance rate 29.8%
Number of first-year full-time students enrolled 197
Number of part-time program applicants 0
Number of part-time program acceptances 0
Part-time acceptance rate N/A
Number of first-year part-time students enrolled 0
Fall 2019 GPA and LSAT Scores
25th-75th percentile GPA scores for all students 3.4-3.8
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for all students 156-162
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for full-time students 3.4-3.8
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for full-time students 156-162
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for part-time students N/A
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for part-time students N/A

Careers: Baylor University (Umphrey)

Bar Statistics (Winter and Summer 2018 administrations)
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar TX
School’s bar passage rate for first-time test takers 93.0%
Statewide bar passage rate for first-time test takers 84.4%
Class of 2018 Graduates
Total graduates 153
Graduates employed at graduation N/A
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 94.6%
Starting Salaries of 2018 Graduates Employed Full-time
25th percentile private sector starting salary $60,000
Median private sector starting salary $75,000
75th percentile private sector starting salary $105,000
Percent in the private sector who reported salary information 69%
Median public service starting salary $52,730
Areas of Legal Practice (Class of 2018)
Percent employed in academia 2.0%
Percent employed in business and industry 9.0%
Percent employed in government 12.0%
Percent employed in all judicial clerkships 10.0%
Percent employed in law firms 65.0%
Percent employed in public interest 1.0%
Percent employed in an unknown field 1.0%
Percent employed in a judicial clerkship by an Article III federal judge 5.0%
2018 Graduates Employment Location
Graduates employed in-state 90%
Graduates employed in foreign countries 0%
Number of states where graduates are employed 12
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) 0.0%
Middle Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA) 0.0%
East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) 0.0%
West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) 1.0%
South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) 1.0%
East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) 1.0%
West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) 91.0%
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) 2.0%
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY) 4.0%
Employment location unknown 0.0%
Career Services
(Data appear as originally submitted by this school)
Career services operations The Career Services Office helps students plan their career strategies, identify job opportunities, market themselves, and improve their interviewing skills. The CSO also works with employers to assist in their hiring needs and many resources are provided through Symplicity, an online career network. Symplicity workshops are regularly held to assist students in their professional development.
Job Type
Bar admission required or anticipated (e.g., attorney and corporate counsel positions, law clerks, judicial clerks) 91.0%
J.D. preferred, law degree enhances position (e.g., corporate contracts administrator, alternative dispute resolution specialist, government regulatory analyst, FBI special agent) 4.0%
Professional/other (jobs that require professional skills or training but for which a J.D. is neither preferred nor particularly applicable; e.g., accountant, teacher, business manager, nurse) 4.0%
Nonprofessional/other (job that does not require any professional skills or training or is taken on a temporary basis and not viewed as part of a career path) N/A