Vermont Law School

By | January 5, 2023

Vermont Law School (VLS) was established in 1972 as the first independent law school in the United States. Located in South Royalton, Vermont, VLS was founded by a group of lawyers and educators who wanted to create a law school that would provide students with an education that emphasized public service and environmental law. The founders of VLS had a vision for a law school that would prepare students for the challenges of practicing law in an ever-changing world.

Since its founding, Vermont Law School has been committed to providing its students with an excellent legal education. The curriculum covers both traditional and innovative legal topics, including environmental law, international law, civil rights and justice reform. Students can choose from over 150 courses across 15 specialized areas of study. In addition to classroom learning, VLS offers experiential learning opportunities such as clinical courses, externships and field placements. In recent years, Vermont Law School has also become known for its cutting-edge research initiatives such as the Environmental Law Center and the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems. Through these programs, VLS works to promote environmental sustainability while exploring innovative solutions to global challenges such as climate change. Check topschoolsintheusa for Kansas law schools.

Vermont Law School

Vermont Law School is located in the state of Vermont. As one of the leading law programs, Vermont Law School has a high average LSAT score of 152-158 when recruiting new students. As a return, the median starting salary for law graduates reaches $65,000 per year. See the following table for detailed admissions information and career profiles of Vermont Law School.

Admissions: Vermont Law School

Vermont Law School’s admissions statistics for the 2020-2021 academic year show that of the 1,636 applicants, 577 were accepted and 344 enrolled. This shows an acceptance rate of 35.3%. The admitted students had an average GPA of 3.41 and an average LSAT score of 153. In terms of undergraduate majors, the most common among admitted students were political science, criminal justice/law enforcement administration, history, psychology and sociology. The student body is made up of 51% female and 49% male students with the majority (79%) being between 21 to 25 years old. In terms of racial diversity, 43% are White/Caucasian, 5% are Black/African American, 8% are Hispanic/Latino, 6% are Asian American and 2% are Native American or Pacific Islander. The remaining 36% identified as other or unknown race or ethnicity. Vermont Law School also has a strong focus on international students with 15 countries represented in their student population.

Fall 2019 Admissions and Enrollment Statistics
Total number of full- and part-time applicants 884
Total number of full- and part-time acceptances 590
Overall acceptance rate 66.7%
Total number of full- and part-time first-year students enrolled 233
Number of full-time program applicants 884
Number of full-time program acceptances 590
Full-time acceptance rate 66.7%
Number of first-year full-time students enrolled 233
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 3.05-3.57
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for all students 152-158
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for full-time students 3.05-3.57
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for full-time students 152-158
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for part-time students 0-0
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for part-time students N/A

Careers: Vermont Law School

Bar Statistics (Winter and Summer 2018 administrations)
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar NY
School’s bar passage rate for first-time test takers 83.3%
Statewide bar passage rate for first-time test takers 80.7%
Class of 2018 Graduates
Total graduates 171
Graduates employed at graduation 60.4%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 95.2%
Starting Salaries of 2018 Graduates Employed Full-time
25th percentile private sector starting salary $50,000
Median private sector starting salary $65,000
75th percentile private sector starting salary $80,000
Percent in the private sector who reported salary information 54%
Median public service starting salary $43,000
Areas of Legal Practice (Class of 2018)
Percent employed in academia 0.6%
Percent employed in business and industry 18.8%
Percent employed in government 16.0%
Percent employed in all judicial clerkships 14.6%
Percent employed in law firms 34.7%
Percent employed in public interest 15.3%
Percent employed in an unknown field 0.0%
Percent employed in a judicial clerkship by an Article III federal judge 3.0%
2018 Graduates Employment Location
Graduates employed in-state 15%
Graduates employed in foreign countries 1%
Number of states where graduates are employed 29
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) 34.0%
Middle Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA) 16.7%
East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) 2.8%
West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) 0.7%
South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) 29.2%
East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) 1.4%
West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) 0.0%
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) 9.7%
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY) 4.9%
Employment location unknown 0.0%
Career Services
(Data appear as originally submitted by this school)
Career services operations The Office of Career Services operates on the assumption that career services are an integral part of a law student’s education, involving career education; academic and personal counseling, experiential education and placement opportunities.
Job Type
Bar admission required or anticipated (e.g., attorney and corporate counsel positions, law clerks, judicial clerks) 55.0%
J.D. preferred, law degree enhances position (e.g., corporate contracts administrator, alternative dispute resolution specialist, government regulatory analyst, FBI special agent) 17.0%
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) 6.4%
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) 5.8%