The University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law was founded in 1996 as the first public law school in Washington, D.C. It was created to provide access to legal education for those from diverse backgrounds, including those from minority and underserved communities. The school has a strong commitment to public service, providing students with an opportunity to serve their community through legal aid clinics, internships and pro bono work. The curriculum focuses on social justice and public interest law, with classes such as Constitutional Law, Civil Rights and Poverty Law. The school also offers specialized courses such as Immigration Law and International Human Rights Law, allowing students to gain a deeper understanding of these topics. Since its founding, the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law has become a leader in preparing students for careers in public service law and advocating for justice in underserved communities across the country. The school has produced numerous prominent alumni who have gone on to pursue successful careers in the legal field, including former UDC President William H. Gray III, former Deputy Attorney General Elena Kagan and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law is located in Washington DC. As one of the leading law programs, University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law has a high average LSAT score of 149-153 when recruiting new students. As a return, the median starting salary for law graduates reaches $72,000 per year. See the following table for detailed admissions information and career profiles of University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law.
Admissions: University of the District of Columbia (Clarke)
The University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law is a top-tier law school with a high admissions rate. The school has an acceptance rate of 75%, meaning that out of all applicants, 75% are accepted into the program. This acceptance rate is higher than many other law schools in the United States and makes it one of the most accessible programs for those looking to pursue a legal career. The average GPA for admitted students is 3.3, which is slightly lower than other top-tier schools, but still competitively high. Additionally, the median LSAT score for admitted students is 155, which demonstrates that UDC Law takes academic rigor seriously and seeks to admit only highly qualified students.
Fall 2019 Admissions and Enrollment Statistics
Total number of full- and part-time applicants
1,641
Total number of full- and part-time acceptances
366
Overall acceptance rate
22.3%
Total number of full- and part-time first-year students enrolled
123
Number of full-time program applicants
1,601
Number of full-time program acceptances
336
Full-time acceptance rate
21.0%
Number of first-year full-time students enrolled
96
Number of part-time program applicants
40
Number of part-time program acceptances
30
Part-time acceptance rate
75.0%
Number of first-year part-time students enrolled
27
Fall 2019 GPA and LSAT Scores
25th-75th percentile GPA scores for all students
2.8-3.26
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for all students
149-153
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for full-time students
2.83-3.28
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for full-time students
149-153
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for part-time students
2.6-3.21
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for part-time students
149-154
Careers: University of the District of Columbia (Clarke)
Bar Statistics (Winter and Summer 2018 administrations)
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar
MD
School’s bar passage rate for first-time test takers
92.3%
Statewide bar passage rate for first-time test takers
85.4%
Class of 2018 Graduates
Total graduates
68
Graduates employed at graduation
N/A
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation
79.6%
Starting Salaries of 2018 Graduates Employed Full-time
25th percentile private sector starting salary
N/A
Median private sector starting salary
N/A
75th percentile private sector starting salary
N/A
Percent in the private sector who reported salary information
N/A
Median public service starting salary
N/A
Areas of Legal Practice (Class of 2018)
Percent employed in academia
5.0%
Percent employed in business and industry
17.0%
Percent employed in government
19.0%
Percent employed in all judicial clerkships
11.0%
Percent employed in law firms
27.0%
Percent employed in public interest
19.0%
Percent employed in an unknown field
2.0%
Percent employed in a judicial clerkship by an Article III federal judge
N/A
2018 Graduates Employment Location
Graduates employed in-state
55%
Graduates employed in foreign countries
0%
Number of states where graduates are employed
11
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)
0.0%
Middle Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA)
7.1%
East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
2.4%
West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)
0.0%
South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV)
83.3%
East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN)
2.4%
West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX)
2.4%
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)
0.0%
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY)
2.4%
Employment location unknown
0.0%
Career Services
(Data appear as originally submitted by this school)
Career services operations
N/A
Job Type
Bar admission required or anticipated (e.g., attorney and corporate counsel positions, law clerks, judicial clerks)
53.0%
J.D. preferred, law degree enhances position (e.g., corporate contracts administrator, alternative dispute resolution specialist, government regulatory analyst, FBI special agent)
30.0%
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)
9.0%
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)
