University of Colorado Law School
The information on this page was provided by the law school.
Official Guide to ABA-Approved JD Programs
The JD Program
Colorado Law, established in 1892, is located on the Boulder campus of the University of Colorado and lies at the foot of the inspiring Rocky Mountains. High admission standards, a relatively small student body, and a favorable student-to-faculty ratio of 6.1 to 1 assure a stimulating and challenging academic environment that encourages interaction with faculty and facilitates a strong sense of community. The school is a charter member of the AALS and is ABA approved.
Our JD program is a full-time, day program, requiring 89 credit hours for the degree.
Faculty
Faculty members have a demonstrated record of excellence in teaching, research, and public service. They include some of the nation's leading scholars; particular strength evidenced by faculty publications are international human rights law, constitutional law, natural resources and environmental law, American Indian law, energy, business, entrepreneurial, dispute resolution, and technology law.
Physical Facilities and Library
The law school is housed in the 180,000-square-foot Wolf Law Building. The Wolf Law Building features state-of-the-art classrooms, two high-tech courtrooms, and the largest resource collection and most technologically advanced law library in the 12-state Rocky Mountain region.
The William A. Wise Law Library serves the students, staff, and faculty of Colorado Law, as well as the bench and bar. Students can connect laptops to the school's wireless network or use one of the many computers available in the library to perform online legal research. The Wolf Law Building is the first LEED Gold-certified public law school building in the country under the standards of the US Green Building Council's certification program.
Curriculum
The first-year curriculum is required for all students, and students have the option of taking a one-credit elective in the winter session and in the spring semester. During the second and third years, students may choose classes based on their interests and emphasize such areas of law as natural resources, environmental law, criminal law, business, constitutional law, tax, public interest, international law and human rights, American Indian law, litigation, intellectual property law, and jurisprudence. Established joint-degree programs are the JD/MBA, JD/MD, JD/MPA, JD/MST, JD/MURP, and a JD/MS or PhD in Environmental Science.
In addition to strong and varied course offerings, students can earn a certificate in one of the following areas: Juvenile and Family Law, American Indian Law, Entrepreneurial Law, or Natural Resources Law and Policy. An interdisciplinary graduate certificate is offered in Environment, Policy, and Society. A graduate certificate in Energy is also offered. Students may complete the Tax Emphasis Program.
Colorado Law offers the Master of Laws (LLM) degree program with six different concentrations that highlight our specializations. The LLM program is global in scope and provides a means for Colorado Law students to both engage with international students and professionals inside and outside the classroom and to build a global, professional network.
Colorado Law's Master of Studies in Law (MSL) degree is a one-year, 28-credit, no-LSAT-required program that enables students who hold at least a bachelor's degree to obtain legal training short of a full JD. The MSL program focuses on Ethics and Compliance.
Korey Wise Innocence Project
The Korey Wise Innocence Project receives requests for help from people who believe they have been convicted despite being innocent of any offense, and evaluates these claims to see if there are factual and legal grounds to get back into court with the claims.
Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative
The Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative supports innovative ways of incorporating ethics and professionalism throughout the Colorado Law experience, including both curricular and extracurricular innovations.
Clinics Program
Since 1948, Colorado Law has provided legal clinics to students and the community. By handling actual cases, students make the transition from legal theory to legal practice. We take pride in the fact that our clinics provide free legal services to many community members who could not otherwise hire an attorney. Clinics play a large role in achieving our values of civic engagement and social responsibility.
Our Criminal Defense Clinic provides students a chance to learn basic criminal practice skills and to represent clients in actual cases from beginning to end. For students interested in Immigration law, our Criminal Defense-Immigration Clinic offers the opportunity to defend clients who have civil immigration detainers issued by the Department of Homeland Security's ICE agency and are charged with misdemeanor criminal offenses in Boulder County. The Civil Practice Clinic offers students experience representing low-income clients in a variety of civil law settings, including family court and in front of administrative law judges. Students can be involved with handling a range of legal matters related to youth and families, such as child welfare cases, juvenile justice cases, or custody matters through the Juvenile and Family Law Clinic.
We also offer the American Indian Law Clinic, which provides students with faculty-supervised experience giving legal assistance in matters involving tribal sovereignty, child welfare, preservation of tribal identity, preservation of Native lands, and much more. For students more interested in environmental cases, our Natural Resources and Environmental Law Clinic is a good option. It provides students the opportunity to represent public interest clients in environmental cases related to federal public lands, wildlife, and other issues.
In the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic, students work with local entrepreneurs, providing transactional legal services for the formation and development of small businesses. The Technology Law and Policy Clinic gives students the opportunity to advocate in the public interest concerning technology issues before regulatory entities, courts, legislatures, and standard-setting bodies.
Finally, the Sustainable Community Development Clinic allows students to engage in economic development projects, both on behalf of clients and on behalf of the public interest, with a goal of increasing social justice and social enterprise in a range of substantive areas including land use, housing, local food, and healthy communities.
Research Centers
The Byron R. White Center for the Study of American Constitutional Law; the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship; and the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment provide opportunities for students to assist in conducting specialized research, promoting publication, and hosting conferences.
Student Life
Student Activities
Our 35+ student organizations invite students to shape their law school experience through various projects, programs, and social activities. These organizations enable students to build new skills, take leadership roles in the law school, and connect with Colorado's legal community. The University of Colorado Law Review, Colorado Technology Law Journal, and Environmental Law Review are scholarly journals edited entirely by students. Students also participate in a number of moot court, mock trial, and transactional competitions and have won regional, national, and international recognition in these events.
Housing
Most students live off campus in rental properties in the Boulder area, though some students commute from the Denver Metro area or live in the university's family housing. Every spring, the Admissions Office compiles a list of off campus housing options and provides it to incoming first year students.
Career Placement and Bar Passage
Tuition and Aid
| Expense | Cost |
|---|---|
| Tuition |
$29,718.00
|
| Fees |
$2,089.00
|
| Expected Cost of Attendance |
$31,807.00
|
Admission Decisions: Beyond the Numbers
Admission to Colorado Law's JD program is competitive. At a minimum, a bachelor's degree from an institution that is accredited by an agency recognized by the US Department of Education is required. The LSAT and registration with LSAC's Credential Assembly Service are required. Offers of admission are influenced heavily by GPA and LSAT score, but they are considered in the context of the entire application. Substantial weight is accorded to special qualities such as leadership, character, diversity, commitment to service, work experience, and military service. The school seeks to increase ethnic, cultural, and other diversity of its student body. The JD application deadline is April 1. Admission letters start going out in November, and the class is filled on a rolling basis. Admission is sometimes possible from a waiting list. In some years, Colorado Law may accept a small number of transfer students for the fall semester. Law students may seek visiting status in the fall or spring semester. Transfer and visitor admission criteria include law school performance.
Financial Aid
Scholarships for incoming students are based on merit. Nonresident students qualify for lower resident tuition rates by maintaining domicile in Colorado for 12 consecutive months. Current students may apply for additional scholarships and awards for their second and third years. Students applying for financial aid should file their FAFSA as soon as possible after admission.
Admitted Applicant Profile
