Western New England College School of Law was founded in 1969 as the Western New England College School of Law. The school was established by a group of local attorneys who wanted to provide legal education and practice opportunities to students in the greater Springfield area. The college’s mission is “to provide an excellent legal education that prepares students to be well-rounded, ethical, and successful lawyers.”
The school has grown since its founding, adding new programs and faculty members over the years. In 1991, the school opened its doors to first-year students and began offering a full range of legal courses. The curriculum focuses on traditional areas of law such as constitutional law, criminal law, contracts, torts and civil procedure. It also offers specialized classes in areas such as intellectual property, alternative dispute resolution and international law. In addition to classroom instruction, the college offers experiential learning opportunities through clinics, externships and internships with local businesses and organizations. Western New England College School of Law also provides various student services including career counseling services and academic support services for struggling students.
Western New England College School of Law is located in the state of Massachusetts. As one of the leading law programs, Western New England College School of Law has a high average LSAT score of 151-156 when recruiting new students. As a return, the median starting salary for law graduates reaches $60,000 per year. See the following table for detailed admissions information and career profiles of Western New England College School of Law.
Admissions: Western New England College
Western New England College School of Law has an acceptance rate of 60%, with approximately 200 students admitted each year. The school’s student body is composed of students from all over the United States, as well as a few international students. The average GPA among accepted students is 3.3 and the median LSAT score is 155. Incoming applicants are typically in the top 25% of their class, and most have completed some form of graduate work prior to attending law school. Additionally, the school offers a variety of scholarships and financial aid packages to make attendance more accessible for those who qualify. The school also has a strong commitment to diversity, with a wide range of backgrounds and interests represented in its student body.
Fall 2019 Admissions and Enrollment Statistics
Total number of full- and part-time applicants
1,696
Total number of full- and part-time acceptances
901
Overall acceptance rate
53.1%
Total number of full- and part-time first-year students enrolled
181
Number of full-time program applicants
1,423
Number of full-time program acceptances
769
Full-time acceptance rate
54.0%
Number of first-year full-time students enrolled
131
Number of part-time program applicants
273
Number of part-time program acceptances
132
Part-time acceptance rate
48.4%
Number of first-year part-time students enrolled
50
Fall 2019 GPA and LSAT Scores
25th-75th percentile GPA scores for all students
2.99-3.51
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for all students
150-155
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for full-time students
2.94-3.55
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for full-time students
151-156
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for part-time students
3.09-3.4
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for part-time students
147-151
Careers: Western New England College
Bar Statistics (Winter and Summer 2018 administrations)
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar
CT
School’s bar passage rate for first-time test takers
76.6%
Statewide bar passage rate for first-time test takers
86.5%
Class of 2018 Graduates
Total graduates
139
Graduates employed at graduation
N/A
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation
81.3%
Starting Salaries of 2018 Graduates Employed Full-time
25th percentile private sector starting salary
$50,000
Median private sector starting salary
$60,000
75th percentile private sector starting salary
$75,000
Percent in the private sector who reported salary information
33%
Median public service starting salary
$47,000
Areas of Legal Practice (Class of 2018)
Percent employed in academia
2.0%
Percent employed in business and industry
16.5%
Percent employed in government
9.7%
Percent employed in all judicial clerkships
15.5%
Percent employed in law firms
48.5%
Percent employed in public interest
7.8%
Percent employed in an unknown field
0.0%
Percent employed in a judicial clerkship by an Article III federal judge
0.0%
2018 Graduates Employment Location
Graduates employed in-state
36%
Graduates employed in foreign countries
1%
Number of states where graduates are employed
16
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)
71.2%
Middle Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA)
17.8%
East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
1.0%
West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)
1.0%
South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV)
3.0%
East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN)
1.0%
West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX)
1.0%
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)
1.0%
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY)
2.0%
Employment location unknown
0.0%
Career Services
(Data appear as originally submitted by this school)
Career services operations
Services include individual advising, job search workshops, resume and cover letter critiques, mock interviews, Career Resource Room, handouts, job postings, Alumni Contact Files, employer panels, information sessions, recruitment programs at the Law School Law Placement Consortiums, newsletter, recruitment book, and Alumni Job Bulletin.
Job Type
Bar admission required or anticipated (e.g., attorney and corporate counsel positions, law clerks, judicial clerks)
67.0%
J.D. preferred, law degree enhances position (e.g., corporate contracts administrator, alternative dispute resolution specialist, government regulatory analyst, FBI special agent)
14.0%
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)
16.0%
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)
