How to Get Into ASU Law (2026-2027 Guide)

Arizona State University's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law is based in downtown Phoenix. Its strengths include Indian law, law and technology, intellectual property, and environmental law, supported by substantial clinical training.

This guide walks you through how to get into ASU Law.

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Admissions numbers
Application essays
Resume
Recommendations
Interviews
Deadlines and testing
Scholarships and cost
Programs and curriculum
Employment outcomes
Areas of study
Clinics and experience
Faculty and journals
Student life

1. ASU Law Admissions Numbers and Statistics

ASU Law Class of 2029:

LSAT: Median: 165
GPA: Median: 3.91

ASU Law Class of 2028:

LSAT: 75th: 167 | Median: 165 | 25th: 158
GPA: 75th: 3.98 | Median: 3.91 | 25th: 3.58

The fall 2026 class maintained the previous entering class's 165 LSAT and 3.91 GPA medians. The fall 2025 class enrolled 266 students, up from 251 in fall 2024, while its GPA median increased from 3.90 to 3.91. The academic profile has remained strong as the class expanded.

Aim to be at or above at least one median to be competitive. Above both puts you in a stronger position. Below both medians, this is a prayer, not a reach.

For context on how medians affect your strategy, see How to Build a Smart Law School List.

2. ASU Law Application Essays

Personal Statement (required)

Explain what the committee should know beyond your grades, scores, and resume, including why you want to study law. You may also address why ASU. The limit is three double-spaced pages, with at least 11-point font.

For more on how to write a personal statement, see my Personal Statement Examples and Personal Statement Guide.

Personal Experience Addendum (optional)

Describe the experiences and perspectives you would bring to ASU's community. The prompt connects those contributions to the university's commitment to inclusion.

For more on how to write a diversity or perspective statement, see my Diversity Statement Examples and Diversity Statement Guide.

Why ASU

School fit can appear in the personal statement rather than a separate required essay.

For more on how to write a Why X essay, see my Why X Essay Guide.

Elevator Pitch (optional)

Submit a video of no more than one minute responding to an offered topic, such as why ASU, why law now, or a recent experience. Supply the unlisted YouTube link in an uploaded document. This is separate from an admissions interview.

For more on making all of these essays work together, see my Cohesive Narrative Guide.

Addenda and Character & Fitness (if applicable)

General addenda are one to two double-spaced pages in at least 11-point font. Required disclosures include expunged or sealed matters and diversion. Explain the events, charges, dates, disposition, and any continuing supervision; identify the records custodian and provide supporting records.

Indian Law Leadership applicants also submit a separate statement, up to two double-spaced pages in at least 11-point font, addressing their ties, leadership, and goals in Indian Country.

I'll be publishing a guide to addenda and character and fitness.

3. ASU Law Resume Requirements

A resume is required, limited to two typed pages in at least 11-point font. Include education, employment, military service, leadership, honors, and community involvement. Employment entries should identify the organization, dates, and hours worked. Show responsibility and results rather than a list of duties.

For more on preparing your resume, see my Resume Examples and Resume Guide.

4. ASU Law Letters of Recommendation

Recommendations are optional, with a maximum of two submitted through LSAC. ASU does not hold your file while waiting for them. Choose people who can discuss your work and judgment with specifics.

For more on recommendations, see my LOR Guide (Applicants) and LOR Guide (Writers).

5. ASU Law Interview Process

ASU invites selected applicants to an optional virtual interview with members of its admissions committee and community. Invitation details arrive by email. This conversation is distinct from the optional one-minute elevator-pitch video.

6. ASU Law Deadlines and Early Decision

Tests: ASU accepts the LSAT and JD-Next. June 2027 is the last eligible LSAT; the last eligible JD-Next course begins in February 2027. LSAT scores from June 2022 through June 2027 are valid for this cycle. When both tests are submitted, ASU uses the LSAT in evaluation while considering both.

Test-optional admission: Full-time, on-campus applicants without a valid, reportable LSAT or JD-Next score may apply without testing. Existing valid scores must be submitted. Applicants admitted through this route must not take either test.

Priority deadline: February 28, 2027, for the fall 2027 full-time, on-campus class. Review is rolling, with a target of 15-20 business days after completion, sometimes longer near priority review.

Application fee: The $65 fee is waived for all applicants.

Binding programs: Each requires a signed binding admission contract. O'Connor Merit Scholars has no minimum numbers. O'Connor Honors requires at least a 166 LSAT and 3.92 LSAC GPA and provides full tuition and fees for three years, including increases. Honors recipients commit to 40 pro bono hours annually. Indian Law Leadership serves applicants with demonstrated ties and goals in Indian Country and has no minimum LSAT or GPA.

ASU Achievement: This separate route has specific eligibility requirements. Option A requires an ASU bachelor's degree awarded in winter 2026 or spring 2027, a 3.5 GPA through six semesters, and an ACT or SAT score at the 85th percentile. Option B requires a bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year institution, an ASU joint-degree plan, the same GPA minimum, and an 85th-percentile GRE or GMAT score. A valid LSAT or JD-Next score, or registration for the LSAT, results in withdrawal of the Achievement application and/or offer. Failure to gain admission to the other degree under Option B results in rescission of law admission. Submit the eligibility form before applying. If you're considering the GRE, read my LSAT vs. GRE guide before deciding.

For a full breakdown of early decision strategy, see Should You Apply Early Decision to Law School?.

Online option: ASU also offers a separate part-time online JD, generally completed in 3.5 to four years. Concurrent degrees are unavailable through that program.

7. ASU Law Scholarships and Financial Aid

Merit Scholarships

All applicants receive scholarship consideration. Regular on-campus admits without an award in their admission packet must complete the scholarship application. Review begins October 1, 2026, then occurs on the first and fifteenth of each month. Binding-program awards accompany admission. Renewal requires good academic standing and full-time enrollment.

Cost of Attendance

For 2026-27, full-time JD tuition and fees are $30,434 for Arizona residents and $55,610 for nonresidents. Including the $31,852 living-expense allowance, estimated annual attendance costs are $62,286 and $87,462. Student Opportunity Funding supports unpaid or low-paid legal work; it is distinct from a tuition scholarship.

For more on scholarship strategy, see How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships.

8. ASU Law Joint Degrees

The on-campus JD supports concurrent study with other ASU programs:

JD/MBA: Business training through the W. P. Carey School of Business.
JD/MSW: Social work through the School of Social Work; applicants submit both graduate and law school applications.
JD/MSLB: Sports Law and Business through the Allan "Bud" Selig program, completed in seven semesters. Admission to both programs is required; MSLB coursework can begin during the second JD year.
JD/PhD in Justice Studies: Combined legal and interdisciplinary study of justice.

A JD/MD pathway also serves Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine students. The standard on-campus JD is a three-year, 88-credit program.

9. ASU Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)

ASU Class of 2025 employment outcomes (reported to the ABA, measured 10 months after graduation):

Full-time, long-term bar-passage-required employment (ABA): 89.0%
BigLaw (firms with 101+ attorneys): 21.4%
Federal clerkships: 2.1%
Public service (including government): 17.9%

Arizona dominates placement, followed by California and Washington, D.C. ASU offers routes into large firms, government, and public interest work, but its strongest geographic base remains Arizona. State and local judicial clerkships are another meaningful part of its employment picture.

10. ASU Law Areas of Study and Specializations

Indian law: The Indian Legal Program combines an Indian Law certificate with the Indian Legal Clinic and study of tribal governance and Indigenous rights. It provides a direct connection between classroom questions and legal work for Native communities.

Law and technology: The Center for Law, Science and Innovation addresses emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and biotechnology. The Law, Science and Technology certificate gives students a structured way to connect technical interests with legal institutions and regulation.

Intellectual property: The McCarthy Institute and Lisa Foundation Patent Law Clinic complement the Intellectual Property certificate. Students can connect patent and trademark coursework to actual filings and the business decisions involved in protecting inventions and brands.

Environmental law: The Law and Sustainability Program connects energy, property, and environmental questions. Its certificate offers a defined course of study, with faculty work on renewable energy and land use giving those subjects particular depth.

Sports law: The Allan "Bud" Selig Sports Law and Business program links legal study with the operation of sports organizations. The concurrent JD/MSLB adds business coursework to a legal education for students pursuing that intersection.

11. ASU Law Clinics and Experiential Learning

ASU offers both in-house clinics and clinics operated with outside partners:

Civil Litigation Clinic: Represent low-income clients in consumer, employment, and housing disputes, from interviewing and discovery through hearings and settlement.
First Amendment Clinic: Research and brief speech, press, privacy, and access-to-records matters; students can draft motions and advise on publication issues.
Immigration Law Clinic: Interview and counsel clients seeking immigration relief, preparing cases involving asylum, residency, and work authorization.
Indian Legal Clinic: Represent Native clients in tribal, state, and federal matters, including litigation and community-focused legal projects.
Lisa Foundation Patent Law Clinic: Draft and prosecute patent and trademark applications before the USPTO. Students without the required technical background work on trademarks rather than patents.
Entrepreneurship and Small Business Clinic: Advise emerging businesses on entity formation, contracts, intellectual property, employment, and commercial leases.
Post-Conviction Clinic: Investigate wrongful-conviction and manifest-injustice claims with the Arizona Justice Project.
Lodestar Mediation Clinic: Mediate civil disputes and develop negotiation skills, including opportunities connected to employment-discrimination matters.

Pro Bono and Experiential Learning

Externship placements include the U.S. District Court for Arizona, Arizona Attorney General's Office, Maricopa County Public Defender, and Florence Immigrant & Refugee Children's Project. Eligible upper-level students can also pursue placements in Washington, D.C., or Los Angeles. The Pro Bono Board connects students with service opportunities and summer support.

12. ASU Law Notable Faculty and Journals

Faculty

Gary Marchant: Regents and Foundation Professor of Law and faculty director of the Center for Law, Science and Innovation; studies governance of emerging technologies.
Patty Ferguson-Bohnee: Charles M. Brewer Professor of Trial Advocacy and director of the Indian Legal Clinic; brings tribal advocacy into clinical teaching.
James Weinstein: Dan Cracchiolo Chair in Constitutional Law; a free-speech scholar and co-editor of Extreme Speech and Democracy.
Troy Rule: Joseph Feller Memorial Chair in Law and Sustainability; studies property and renewable energy and authored Solar, Wind and Land.

Journals

Arizona State Law Journal: Scholarship on timely legal issues.
ASU Corporate and Business Journal: Articles and comments on business and corporate law.
Jurimetrics: The Journal of Law, Science, and Technology: Scholarship linking law, science, and technology.
Law Journal for Social Justice: Legal scholarship on social justice issues.
Sports and Entertainment Law Journal: Articles on sports and entertainment law.

13. ASU Law Culture and Student Life

ASU's downtown Phoenix setting connects student life to a working legal community. Clinics, journals, and the Pro Bono Board give students several ways to take on responsibility outside class. The full-time first year is structured and demanding: students may not work during that year.

The broader community includes students with military experience, business backgrounds, Tribal connections, and public-service commitments. The school's Phoenix base is complemented by opportunities in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, allowing students to explore another market without treating the Arizona network as an afterthought.

Want Help Getting Into ASU Law?

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Note: While I try to keep this guide up to date, always verify deadlines, requirements, and policies at the ASU Law website before applying.

Think you spotted an outdated requirement or something that doesn't look right? Email moshe@sharperstatements.com with the school and a link to the current information.