Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School, Provo, UT
by Mary Waldron
Students planning to apply to BYU Law School should be aware of a few important qualifications. Each applicant must have completed a bachelor's degree at an accredited college or university, in any field of study (not necessarily one that is law-related). Upon entering the law school, students should be prepared "to analyze, reason, read carefully, think in abstract terms, and express thoughts clearly and precisely," according to the admission requirements. Applicants also must have taken the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), which determines their preparedness to learn at the law school, as well as their proficiency in the English language. Candidates who have not received scores of at least 145 on the LSAT may be required to take the TOEFL test, as well. It is also expected that each applicant be prepared to follow the university's Honor Code, which entails "honesty, morality, and abstinence from tobacco, tea, coffee, alcohol, and harmful drugs by students, faculty, and staff, either on or off campus." The university requires that each potential student obtain a recommendation from a religious leader or a judge of a court of general jurisdiction who can certify that the individual's behavior adheres to the standards of the Code.
Once BYU receives an application, the law school admissions committee, which consists of five law faculty members, evaluates the potential student based on his or her "college grades, scores on the LSAT, and other evidence of probable success as a law student and as a lawyer." As a member of The Association of American Law Schools (AALS), BYU Law School provides equal opportunity for all people, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, handicap, or disability. Although there is no official minimum GPA requirement, over the past two years, accepted students' median undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) has been 3.72, and the median LSAT score for accepted students has been 164. The law school admissions committee bases acceptance decisions on students' UGPA and LSAT scores, as well as any non-academic factors that may have affected the candidates' previous performances.
Typically, between 860 and 1,000 students apply to BYU Law School per year, and only 220 students are admitted. Of those 220, it is expected that 150 students will enroll. Also, first-year law students are only accepted for the fall semester. Once acceptance letters are sent out, usually a month and a half after the deadline date, each admitted law student who decides to enroll must mail a $200 deposit to the law school, which will later be credited toward his or her tuition fees.
BYU Law School limits its population to only a select, concentrated group—450 students, to be precise—opening the door for students to benefit from one-on-one relationships with its internationally recognized faculty. With extensive credits in the areas of environmental law, tax law, and alternative dispute resolution, these top-notch law professors find time to work collectively with students on significant research, publishing, and advocacy.
Though the student body is small, it is still quite diverse and maximizes opportunities for students to gain social experience and exposure. Many students at the school have studied abroad, and 80 percent of the school's population is fluent in languages other than English; two-thirds of bilingual and multilingual students come from outside of Utah.
BYU Law School offers a wide variety of resources to encourage the success of its students. For instance, over 450,000 volumes or volume equivalents can be found throughout its 175,000-square-foot library, along with state-of-the-art technology, numerous study rooms, and computer training facilities. Each student has a spacious computer cubicle, complete with a 100MB connection to the law school, university, and national legal databases, as well as the Internet. A series of year-long, international externships are also made available to law students, in order to enrich their understanding and broaden their knowledge of the worlds of national and international law. These programs provide training in the areas of legal analysis, writing, and research, incorporated with simulated courtroom experience.
One of the most appealing advantages of attending BYU Law School is its affordable tuition, which makes the school one of the best values in its league. BYU Law School's tuition is only a fraction of that of other distinguished law schools, such as the University of Notre Dame Law School, the William & Mary Marshall-Wythe School of Law, and the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law. Since BYU is a private, religious university, the annual tuition fee for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is $8,200; non-members pay $16,400 in annual tuition.
BYU Law School prides itself on having a "quality student body." With its policies requiring that students achieve and maintain exceptional scholastic and personal standards, this rigorous law program is designed to amplify the student body's "diversity, vigor, and academic ability."
On The Net
Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School www.law.byu.edu
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints www.lds.org
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