The University of Denver Sturm College of Law was founded in 1892, making it the oldest law school in the Rocky Mountain region. The College of Law began as a department within the University of Denver and was originally housed in an old Victorian mansion on the university’s campus. The first class had only ten students, but by 1901 that number had grown to fifty-nine. In 1921, the law school moved to its current location in downtown Denver and was renamed the University of Denver College of Law. It was during this time that the college began to focus on teaching practical legal skills such as trial practice and legal writing. In addition, they offered courses in specialized areas such as international law, tax law, and environmental law. Over the years, the college has continued to expand its curriculum to include courses in business and corporate law as well as media law and intellectual property rights. The college also offers a variety of clinical programs that provide students with real-world experience working with clients on actual cases. Today, the University of Denver Sturm College of Law is one of the top-ranked law schools in the country and continues to be an innovator in legal education.
University of Denver Sturm College of Law is located in the state of Colorado. As one of the leading law programs, University of Denver Sturm College of Law has a high average LSAT score of 156-161 when recruiting new students. As a return, the median starting salary for law graduates reaches $70,000 per year. See the following table for detailed admissions information and career profiles of University of Denver Sturm College of Law.
Admissions: University of Denver (Sturm)
The University of Denver Sturm College of Law is a highly competitive school with an acceptance rate of just above 37%. The median LSAT score for accepted students is 158, and the median GPA is 3.55. The entering class comprises students from all over the country, representing 94 different undergraduate institutions. Approximately 40% of enrolled students are from out-of-state. Additionally, approximately half of the student body identifies as a minority group. Sturm College of Law also has a very diverse faculty, with professors coming from around the world and representing different backgrounds and perspectives. As part of their commitment to diversity and inclusion, they offer numerous initiatives such as the Diversity Fellowship Program and the Multicultural Scholars Program to ensure that all students feel welcome and supported in their academic pursuits.
Fall 2019 Admissions and Enrollment Statistics
Total number of full- and part-time applicants
2,925
Total number of full- and part-time acceptances
961
Overall acceptance rate
32.9%
Total number of full- and part-time first-year students enrolled
300
Number of full-time program applicants
2,587
Number of full-time program acceptances
862
Full-time acceptance rate
33.3%
Number of first-year full-time students enrolled
237
Number of part-time program applicants
338
Number of part-time program acceptances
99
Part-time acceptance rate
29.3%
Number of first-year part-time students enrolled
63
Fall 2019 GPA and LSAT Scores
25th-75th percentile GPA scores for all students
3.23-3.69
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for all students
155-160
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for full-time students
3.27-3.69
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for full-time students
156-161
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for part-time students
3.15-3.67
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for part-time students
154-158
Careers: University of Denver (Sturm)
Bar Statistics (Winter and Summer 2018 administrations)
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar
CO
School’s bar passage rate for first-time test takers
80.4%
Statewide bar passage rate for first-time test takers
83.2%
Class of 2018 Graduates
Total graduates
314
Graduates employed at graduation
71.2%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation
94.2%
Starting Salaries of 2018 Graduates Employed Full-time
25th percentile private sector starting salary
$51,000
Median private sector starting salary
$70,000
75th percentile private sector starting salary
$105,000
Percent in the private sector who reported salary information
58%
Median public service starting salary
$49,400
Areas of Legal Practice (Class of 2018)
Percent employed in academia
1.0%
Percent employed in business and industry
17.0%
Percent employed in government
14.0%
Percent employed in all judicial clerkships
10.0%
Percent employed in law firms
52.0%
Percent employed in public interest
4.0%
Percent employed in an unknown field
2.0%
Percent employed in a judicial clerkship by an Article III federal judge
1.0%
2018 Graduates Employment Location
Graduates employed in-state
77%
Graduates employed in foreign countries
1%
Number of states where graduates are employed
23
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)
1.0%
Middle Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA)
1.0%
East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
2.0%
West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)
2.0%
South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV)
5.0%
East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN)
0.0%
West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX)
1.0%
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)
3.0%
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY)
83.0%
Employment location unknown
1.5%
Career Services
(Data appear as originally submitted by this school)
Career services operations
One-on-one services as well as school-wide events, programs and workshops including networking events, Mock Interview Day, Career Fair, Corporate Internship Program, OCI, presentations for career options and how to obtain a job; Expand networking contacts and potential employers by conducting employer outreach locally and nationally.
Job Type
Bar admission required or anticipated (e.g., attorney and corporate counsel positions, law clerks, judicial clerks)
84.0%
J.D. preferred, law degree enhances position (e.g., corporate contracts administrator, alternative dispute resolution specialist, government regulatory analyst, FBI special agent)
6.0%
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)
7.0%
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)
