Villanova University School of Law was founded in 1953 and is located in Villanova, Pennsylvania. The school has a long and rich history, beginning with its founding by the Augustinian Order of Friars. At the time of its inception, the school was affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church and was one of a few schools that offered legal education for Catholics. The school’s original mission was to provide quality legal education for those who would otherwise be unable to access it due to their religious affiliation.
In its early years, Villanova Law School had a faculty of three full-time professors and two part-time instructors who taught classes in the evenings. The curriculum focused on traditional areas like contracts, torts, criminal law and procedure, property law, civil procedure, evidence and constitutional law. In addition to these core courses, Villanova also offered classes in international law as well as specialized seminars on topics such as labor law and tax law. As the school grew over the years, so did its faculty size and course offerings; today there are over 50 full-time faculty members teaching more than 200 courses each year.
The school’s academic program has continued to expand throughout its history with new degrees being added such as an LLM in Taxation (1977), an MSL in Corporate Compliance (2007), an MSL in Intellectual Property (2008), an MSL in Regulatory Compliance (2010) and a JD/MBA program (2011). The school also offers joint degree programs for students interested in pursuing both a JD and another degree at the same time such as a JD/MSW or JD/MPH. Additionally, Villanova Law School offers several unique experiential learning opportunities including clinics, externships and study abroad programs which allow students to gain hands-on experience while still completing their degree requirements.
Villanova University School of Law is located in the state of Pennsylvania. As one of the leading law programs, Villanova University School of Law has a high average LSAT score of 160-163 when recruiting new students. As a return, the median starting salary for law graduates reaches $101,250 per year. See the following table for detailed admissions information and career profiles of Villanova University School of Law.
Admissions: Villanova University
Villanova University School of Law is an accredited law school located in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1953 and is part of the Villanova University system. The school enrolls approximately 600 students each year, with approximately 60% of those students being female and 40% male. In terms of race, the student body is comprised of 42% White/Caucasian, 28% Asian American, 14% African American, 11% Hispanic/Latino, and 5% other races or ethnicities. The median LSAT score for incoming students is 162, with a GPA range from 3.2-3.8. In terms of admissions acceptance rate, the school offers a competitive rate at 33%. This rate has remained relatively stable over the past few years despite an increasing number of applicants each year. Additionally, Villanova School of Law offers a variety of scholarships to reward applicants for their academic achievements as well as their commitment to public service and leadership roles in their communities. These scholarships include merit-based awards as well as need-based grants and loan assistance programs.
Fall 2019 Admissions and Enrollment Statistics
Total number of full- and part-time applicants
3,254
Total number of full- and part-time acceptances
1,401
Overall acceptance rate
43.1%
Total number of full- and part-time first-year students enrolled
255
Number of full-time program applicants
3,254
Number of full-time program acceptances
1,401
Full-time acceptance rate
43.1%
Number of first-year full-time students enrolled
255
Number of part-time program applicants
N/A
Number of part-time program acceptances
N/A
Part-time acceptance rate
N/A
Number of first-year part-time students enrolled
N/A
Fall 2019 GPA and LSAT Scores
25th-75th percentile GPA scores for all students
3.17-3.63
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for all students
160-163
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for full-time students
3.17-3.63
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for full-time students
160-163
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for part-time students
N/A
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for part-time students
N/A
Careers: Villanova University
Bar Statistics (Winter and Summer 2018 administrations)
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar
PA
School’s bar passage rate for first-time test takers
91.9%
Statewide bar passage rate for first-time test takers
86.7%
Class of 2018 Graduates
Total graduates
226
Graduates employed at graduation
64.5%
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
$55,781
Median private sector starting salary
$101,250
75th percentile private sector starting salary
$108,750
Percent in the private sector who reported salary information
72%
Median public service starting salary
$49,000
Areas of Legal Practice (Class of 2018)
Percent employed in academia
0.0%
Percent employed in business and industry
17.0%
Percent employed in government
6.0%
Percent employed in all judicial clerkships
15.0%
Percent employed in law firms
56.0%
Percent employed in public interest
6.0%
Percent employed in an unknown field
0.0%
Percent employed in a judicial clerkship by an Article III federal judge
3.4%
2018 Graduates Employment Location
Graduates employed in-state
60%
Graduates employed in foreign countries
0.5%
Number of states where graduates are employed
15
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)
3.0%
Middle Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA)
80.0%
East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
1.0%
West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)
0.0%
South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV)
14.0%
East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN)
0.0%
West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX)
1.0%
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)
0.5%
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY)
0.5%
Employment location unknown
0.0%
Career Services
(Data appear as originally submitted by this school)
Career services operations
Career Strategy is dedicated to coaching students to legal career success. Three attorneys, including a full time professional devoted to public service and pro bono and a skilled assistant, provide counseling, workshops, recruitment and networking opportunities for students. Career Strategy uses state-of-the-art technology to manage programs and student profile information.
Job Type
Bar admission required or anticipated (e.g., attorney and corporate counsel positions, law clerks, judicial clerks)
89.0%
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)
3.5%
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)
