The University of Nevada–Las Vegas William S. Boyd School of Law was established in 1998, as the state’s first public law school. The school was named after William S. Boyd, a prominent Nevada businessman and philanthropist who contributed $1 million to the founding of the law school. The inaugural class enrolled in August 1999 and the school graduated its first class in May 2002. Since then, the school has grown to include over 1,000 students and offers over 20 legal specialties. In addition to traditional legal education programs, UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law also offers an innovative clinical education program that allows students to gain real-world experience by working with local attorneys and judges on actual cases. This program has been extremely successful and has helped many students find meaningful careers in the legal profession after graduation. The school also offers a variety of other degree programs including a Master’s Degree in Dispute Resolution, Juris Doctorate Degree, and a Master’s Degree in Legal Studies. Additionally, UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law provides students with numerous opportunities for academic advancement including internships and externships with local courts and firms as well as study abroad programs in countries such as England, France, Germany and Australia.
University of Nevada–Las Vegas William S. Boyd School of Law is located in the state of Nevada. As one of the leading law programs, University of Nevada–Las Vegas William S. Boyd School of Law has a high average LSAT score of 156-160 when recruiting new students. As a return, the median starting salary for law graduates reaches $78,000 per year. See the following table for detailed admissions information and career profiles of University of Nevada–Las Vegas William S. Boyd School of Law.
Admissions: University of Nevada–Las Vegas (Boyd)
The University of Nevada–Las Vegas William S. Boyd School of Law is an excellent law school located in the heart of Las Vegas. The school has a total enrollment of 1,100 students with a majority being full-time students. The admissions rate for the law school is around 33%, which means that only one in three applicants are accepted into the school. The average LSAT score for incoming students is 158 and the median GPA is 3.4. The school also requires applicants to submit two letters of recommendation and a personal statement. Furthermore, the law school offers six dual degree programs, five joint degrees, and several concentration options to further specialize your studies. Additionally, the Boyd School of Law has several clinics which provide students with practical experience in various areas such as family law and criminal defense, allowing them to gain invaluable experience while they pursue their degree.
Fall 2019 Admissions and Enrollment Statistics
Total number of full- and part-time applicants
1,737
Total number of full- and part-time acceptances
381
Overall acceptance rate
21.9%
Total number of full- and part-time first-year students enrolled
158
Number of full-time program applicants
1,511
Number of full-time program acceptances
333
Full-time acceptance rate
22.0%
Number of first-year full-time students enrolled
122
Number of part-time program applicants
226
Number of part-time program acceptances
48
Part-time acceptance rate
21.2%
Number of first-year part-time students enrolled
36
Fall 2019 GPA and LSAT Scores
25th-75th percentile GPA scores for all students
3.18-3.66
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for all students
155-160
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for full-time students
3.19-3.67
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for full-time students
156-160
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for part-time students
3.13-3.64
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for part-time students
152-158
Careers: University of Nevada–Las Vegas (Boyd)
Bar Statistics (Winter and Summer 2018 administrations)
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar
NV
School’s bar passage rate for first-time test takers
81.5%
Statewide bar passage rate for first-time test takers
76.9%
Class of 2018 Graduates
Total graduates
140
Graduates employed at graduation
86.7%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation
97.8%
Starting Salaries of 2018 Graduates Employed Full-time
25th percentile private sector starting salary
$62,000
Median private sector starting salary
$78,000
75th percentile private sector starting salary
$105,000
Percent in the private sector who reported salary information
67%
Median public service starting salary
$56,000
Areas of Legal Practice (Class of 2018)
Percent employed in academia
2.3%
Percent employed in business and industry
12.2%
Percent employed in government
9.9%
Percent employed in all judicial clerkships
16.0%
Percent employed in law firms
55.0%
Percent employed in public interest
3.8%
Percent employed in an unknown field
0.8%
Percent employed in a judicial clerkship by an Article III federal judge
0.8%
2018 Graduates Employment Location
Graduates employed in-state
83%
Graduates employed in foreign countries
1%
Number of states where graduates are employed
11
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)
1.5%
West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)
0.0%
South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV)
3.8%
East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN)
0.0%
West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX)
0.8%
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)
5.3%
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY)
87.8%
Employment location unknown
0.0%
Career Services
(Data appear as originally submitted by this school)
Career services operations
The Department of Career Services offers programs and services aimed at giving students the tools to achieve their career goals, both during law school and after graduation. Through individual counseling, training, on-campus interviewing, networking opportunities, and a state-of-the-art on-line career services database system, Career Services strives to meet the needs of students and alumni.
Job Type
Bar admission required or anticipated (e.g., attorney and corporate counsel positions, law clerks, judicial clerks)
85.4%
J.D. preferred, law degree enhances position (e.g., corporate contracts administrator, alternative dispute resolution specialist, government regulatory analyst, FBI special agent)
3.6%
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)
7.9%
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)
