ASU Law continues to raise the bar with incoming class

PHOENIX, Aug. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second year in a row, the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University welcomes a record-setting class of new students.

With a median grade-point average of 3.76 and a median LSAT score of 163, the 2018 fall JD class comes in even more highly credentialed than the 2017 class, which had set top marks for the law school. Hailing from more than 140 different undergraduate schools in more than 40 different states, the 291 new students admitted in fall 2018 and taking first-year JD classes are a testament to ASU Law's status as a destination law school. ASU Law received over 3,300 JD applications, a 64 percent increase over last year.

The rising talent level matches the upward trajectory of ASU Law, which in just a half-century of operation is a relatively young law school but has ascended to the top 8 U.S. public law schools by U.S. News & World Report, and is rated the 22^nd-best law school globally by the Academic Ranking of World Universities. That burgeoning reputation is built on the credentials of the school's instructors and the accomplishments of its alumni.

"Excellence breeds excellence," said ASU Law Dean Douglas Sylvester. "We have the faculty, resources and dedication to offer a world-class legal education, that's borne out by the incredible accomplishments of our graduates. Those results are attracting an increasingly talented pool of applicants from throughout the country, which allows us to keep aiming higher."

ASU Law is also ranked 19^th in the nation for percentage of graduates who land high-quality law jobs, at 89 percent, and it has placed in the top 20 for employment for the past five years. During that same five-year stretch, ASU Law's bar-passage rate for graduates within two years of law school has been 93.4 percent, far exceeding the overall rate for Arizona law schools, which is just under 64 percent.

ASU Law's home, the Beus Center for Law and Society, opened in 2016 in downtown Phoenix, a cross-section of federal, state, county and municipal government. That helps bring in top-level judges to teach as adjuncts and opens the door to nearby clerkships and externships. A total of 27 individuals from the graduating class of 2018 secured 29 clerkships, including the U.S. Court of Appeals, the U.S. District Court of Arizona, the Arizona Supreme Court and other state and tribal courts. The class of 2019 already has 13 clerkships.

ASU Law also saw an increase in Master of Legal Studies graduate program enrollment with 45 MLS on-ground students and over 140 MLS online students. With new initiatives that map to trending industry needs, such as the Entrepreneurship Law and Strategy and Health Care and Corporate Compliance programs, the program has seen an over 600 percent growth since its start a decade ago. The Master of Sports Law and Business program, which stemmed from the MLS, welcomed 71 new students including those who are part of ASU Law's new Veterans Sports Law and Business program.

ASU Law's incoming class total of over 600 students comes complete with 9 Master of Laws as well as 45 JD transfer students from more than 30 different schools.

The diverse group of incoming students include athletes, musicians, health and corporate professionals at the top of their field. They have captained swim teams, played lacrosse, hiked the Appalachian Trail and competed in medieval combat. They play the piano and saxophone and sing in the choir, and one student even appeared in the pilot episode of "Glee."

They are all part of the most decorated incoming class in the school's history, looking to continue ASU Law's tradition of success.

About the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law
The Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University is one of the country's preeminent law schools. Ranked a top 8 public law school nationally by U.S. News & World Report, ASU Law is a leading provider of comprehensive and personalized legal education. The law school ranks Top 20 in the nation for job placement and No. 1 in the state for student outcomes. Located in a new, state-of-the-art building in downtown Phoenix, ASU Law is steps away from the legal, political, and economic heart of Arizona. For more information, visit law.asu.edu.

Contact: Karen Sung, 480-727-9052, [email protected]

SOURCE Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University

Related Links

https://law.asu.edu