The University of Tulsa College of Law
The information on this page was provided by the law school.
Official Guide to ABA-Approved JD Programs
The University of Tulsa College of Law (UTulsa Law) strives to attract and maintain a diverse student body of learners prepared to make a difference in the world. At $29,370 per year, our tuition is competitive among private and public law programs across the country. With a 9:1 student-faculty ratio and a commitment to community and inclusivity, students are supported, encouraged and mentored. UTulsa Law offers both academic and bar support, an extensive legal writing program to help students sharpen their persuasive writing skill and a thriving Student Bar Association mentor program for incoming students. By providing an outstanding legal education with a broad variety of experiential learning opportunities, UTulsa Law empowers students to meet short and long-term goals.
The JD Program
The University of Tulsa College of Law emphasizes small class sizes to foster a tight-knit community. Every student who entrusts their future to us receives a rigorous legal education by professors who combine practical experience and deep, research-driven expertise.
UTulsa Law is a private law school with a total enrollment of approximately 275 students and a student-to-faculty ratio of 9.5:1. It provides an academically rigorous yet collegial atmosphere with opportunities for scholarship, leadership, and faculty mentoring. Students develop practical skills through participation in student-driven legal journals, award-winning moot court teams, on-campus clinics, and a robust externship program. UTulsa Law’s Mabee Legal Information Center is recognized as one of the nation’s top university law libraries.
At UTulsa Law, we place a high priority on preparing of our graduates for outstanding careers in a wide variety of fields that have a positive impact of the justice system and the community at large. We focus on turning passion into practice! This is not an empty slogan. It embodies a firm commitment: To ensure that each student who graduates with a Juris Doctor from TU Law is fully prepared to practice in their chosen area of the law. For more than100 years, we’ve proven the truth of this effort by providing strong learning opportunities for students in the classroom and through our experiential learning programs.
Alternate Start Dates, Areas of Curricular Focus
Full-time and reduced-schedule options; summer, fall, or spring start options; Beyond our required curriculum, students may pursue interests across a broad array of subject areas, or focus on a specific area of concentration, including Sustainable Energy and Natural Resources Law, Criminal Law, Immigration Law, and Health Law.
Students at TU Law have a great variety of career choices available to them that are enhanced by the opportunity for interdisciplinary study. Students may pursue a JD concurrently with graduate degrees in other disciplines, including business, psychology, and cyber security.
Social Justice - Public Defender Clinic
TThe Public Defender Clinic (PDC) is a public service, criminal defense-adjacent program for law students. The PDC has provides opportunities for students to get one-on-one advocacy experience through multiple avenues. Clinical students may help presently incarcerated individuals with commutation and parole, ultimately advocating for them in front of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board. Additionally, students may be introduced to the Tulsa Country District Court system through work on misdemeanor cases, representing clients from arraignment through disposition. The PDC supports efforts to reduce Oklahoma’s incarceration rate directly and by supporting legislation with an emphasis on Oklahoma’s female incarceration crisis.
Access to Justice - Terry West Civil Legal Clinic
The Terry West Civil Legal Clinic is supported by the Sarkeys Foundation. It addresses access to justice for marginalized communities in Tulsa, with a particular focus on the intersection of legal needs within these communities. While serving individual clients, students also engage more broadly with the justice system and structural access to justice barriers. The clinic explores different mechanisms of advocacy, including court observations, fact-finding and reporting, impact litigation, and legislative advocacy. Students may also create know your rights materials and presentations.
Community- Buck Colbert Franklin Legal Clinic
The B.C. Franklin Legal Clinic launched in fall 2021 and serves north Tulsa residents and businesses. Prior to the launch, TU Law clinical faculty and students met with community leaders, including clergy, businesspeople, service providers, and attorneys, to determine legal needs and services available. Subsequently, students in the launch semester did an in-depth needs assessment with residents and entrepreneurs to hear about their legal needs.
Requests for services are continually evaluated to determine changes/additions in the community’s legal needs.
In the clinic seminar, students delve into the history of north Tulsa and the impact of that history on today’s community. They study the Tulsa Race Massacre and the attempts to obtain justice for the survivors and descendants of the victims. These discussions allow students to gain an understanding of the role of the justice system in the lives of marginalized communities, the implicit bias and systemic racism inherent in the systems in which lawyers work, the challenges of public interest lawyering, and the balance between community education and individual representation.
Student Life
Student Organizations
AGRICULTURAL LAW ASSOCIATION
AMERICAN CONSTITUTION SOCIETY
ASIAN LAW STUDENT ASSOCIATION
BLACK LAW STUDENTS ASSOCIATION (BLSA)
BOARD OF ADVOCATES (BOA) EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY
CRIMINAL LAW CLUB
EDUCATION AND OKLAHOMA POLICY LAW CLUB
ENERGY LAW JOURNAL (ELJ)
FAMILY LAW STUDENT ASSOCIATION
FEDERAL BAR ASSOCIATION (FBA)
FEDERALIST SOCIETY
FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIANS AT LAW
HEALTH LAW SOCIETY
IMMIGRATION LAW SOCIETY (immLaw)
LATINX LAW STUDENT ASSOCIATION (LLSA)
NATIVE AMERICAN LAW STUDENTS ASSOCIATION (NALSA)
OUTLAWS
PAW LAW
PHI ALPHA DELTA LEGAL FRATERNITY
PLAINTIFFS LAWYERS ASSOCIATION AT TU (PLATU)
PUBLIC INTEREST BOARD
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS LAW SOCIETY
RESOURCES, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL LAW SOCIETY (REELS)
STUDENT BAR ASSOCIATION (SBA)
TULSA BUSINESS LAW SOCIETY (TBLS)
TULSA LAW GOLF CLUB
TULSA LAW REVIEW
WOMEN’S LAW CAUCUS
Housing
UTulsa Law students may choose to live on or off campus. On-campus housing includes well-maintained and modern apartments located within an easy walking distance from the law school. Additional convenient and equally well-maintained and modern options exist within a short driving or walking distance from the law school. With a very attractive low cost of living, the city of Tulsa offers a great variety of affordable housing opportunities.
Law Journals
TU College of Law students have the opportunity to publish in two highly respected journals to enhance their academic experience. Students work directly with editors and distinguished contributors nationwide.
Energy Law Journal
The Energy Law Journal is a preeminent bi-annual energy publication. The journal reaches approximately 3,000 subscribers in the United States and 10 foreign countries, and has been cited by the United States Supreme Court as well as federal courts and agencies. Students are eligible to apply upon completion of their first year of law school to begin their candidacy in the fall semester. The Energy Law Journal enables students to gain valuable writing and editing skills that employers seek, while also offering numerous networking opportunities.
Tulsa Law Review
The Tulsa Law Review (TLR) has served as the flagship law journal for the College of Law since 1964. A student-run law review, TLR publishes scholarly works covering the full legal spectrum to stimulate critical thinking, provoke legal debate and guide the law in a direction that better serves our society. 3L editors manage the journal and 2L associate editors help edit issues and write notes or comments on topics of their choice. TLR publishes three issues each year. Two issues contain scholarly articles written by legal experts and select student works. Typically, the third issue contains book reviews.
Experiential Learning / Externships
The externship program at the University of Tulsa College of Law offers 2L and 3L students the opportunity to earn academic credit while gaining practical, live client experience in the field. Students work in a legal setting under the supervision of a licensed attorney or judge while also taking a contemporaneous academic course, which provides the opportunity for reflection and additional substantive knowledge.
Externship opportunities exist in a broad range of civil and criminal litigation as well as transactional law. In addition to the many placement opportunities provided by the College of Law, students can secure their own placement, subject to approval, or work directly with the director to create an experience tailored to the student’s individual preferences.
Career Placement and Bar Passage
Tuition and Aid
| Expense | Cost |
|---|---|
| Tuition |
$29,370.00
|
| Fees |
$1,391.00
|
| Expected Cost of Attendance |
$61,091.00
|
UTulsa Law awards merit-based scholarships. 98% of the last incoming class received some amount of merit based scholarship.
Admission Decisions: Beyond the Numbers
Rolling Admissions
Admitted Applicant Profile
