UCLA School of Law has as one of its central purposes the training of attorneys who attain high levels of professional excellence and integrity, and who exercise civic responsibility in myriad ways over long careers.
By the time of enrollment, UCLA Law applicants must have a bachelor’s degree that has been awarded by an institution that is accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For students educated outside of the U.S., the undergraduate degree must be from an institution that is equivalent in quality to that of institutions accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. UCLA requires students take a standardized test for admission—either the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). For questions about UCLA Law’s admissions requirements, see information for first-year applicants or send e-mail the school admissions office.
UCLA Law seeks to admit students of outstanding intellectual ability who will bring a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to the classroom and the legal profession. Through long experience, the faculty has concluded that the quality of the education of each student is affected in significant ways by the presence of vital diverse viewpoints. Students of all backgrounds choose to come to UCLA in significant part because of UCLA Law’s outstanding achievements in creating a highly diverse educational environment.
In evaluating each applicant, the school places substantial weight on traditional measures of academic ability, namely grades and standardized test scores—specifically LSAT and GRE scores. It also recognizes that other factors and attributes contribute greatly to a person’s ability to succeed as a law student and lawyer including economic, physical, or other challenges that have been overcome; scholarly achievements such as graduate study, awards, and publications; the rigor of the undergraduate educational program undertaken; and letters of recommendation.
The school places special emphasis on socioeconomic disadvantage in the evaluation. The school also considers work experience and career achievement, community or public service, career goals, the ability to contribute to law school programs and specializations, evidence of and potential for leadership, language ability, unusual life experiences, and any other factors (except those deemed inadmissible by the Regents or by other applicable law) that indicate the applicant may make a distinctive contribution to UCLA Law or the legal profession.
Candidates for the Juris Doctor degree must pursue resident law school study for six semesters and successfully complete 87 units, at least 64 of which must be earned in regularly scheduled law class sessions. The residence requirements may be satisfied as follows: six semesters in regular session in this school; or two semesters in regular session (or equivalent) in a school that is accredited by the American Bar Association, coupled with four semesters in regular session (or equivalent) in this school.
Every first-year student must take the full schedule of required courses; second- and third-year students are required to take a minimum of 12 units and may not take more than 16 units each semester. Students complete a mandatory course in professional responsibility, a substantial analytical writing requirement, and six units of experiential coursework. In addition to the courses in the regular law school curriculum, students may take two courses for credit in other UCLA disciplines. Graduate students may enroll in upper-division law courses on a limited basis. Law courses are not open to non-UCLA students. Auditing of law courses is not permitted.
The right to take examinations and the privilege of continuing as a student in the school are conditioned on regular classroom attendance. Information on the grading system, which is based on a letter-grade scale of A+ to F, and standards for satisfactory performance and for graduation may be obtained from the assistant dean for academic affairs.
Courses of instruction are offered within the school and supervised educational experiences outside it in an effort to enable students to think in new and clarifying ways and to prepare them for careers of practice and public service. To this end, the school employs several instructional techniques in a variety of subject areas.
In the first year of their legal education, students undertake intensive study of legal reasoning in fields that have historically dominated legal thought. Students begin with a pioneering week-long orientation program that immerses them in the fundamentals of the law school learning process. From there they embark on a formative first year of courses that historically have laid the foundation for law of all kinds: civil procedure, constitutional law, contracts, and torts. In addition, an elective on law through scholarship in the second semester serves as a gateway to the upper-division curriculum.
In the second and third years, students have an opportunity to engage in a number of different fields of law and law-related study. All of the courses in the second- and third-year curricula are elective, with the exception of a mandatory course in criminal law, professional responsibility, property; a substantial analytical writing requirement; and six units of experiential coursework.
