Barry University's Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law is based in Orlando, with full-time and part-time JD options. Its Catholic Dominican mission informs work in environmental law, immigration, juvenile defense, and family law.
This guide walks you through how to get into Barry Law.
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1. Barry Law Admissions Numbers and Statistics
Barry Law Class of 2028:
- LSAT: 75th: 152 | Median: 150 | 25th: 148
- GPA: 75th: 3.46 | Median: 3.20 | 25th: 2.90
Barry Law Class of 2027:
- LSAT: 75th: 152 | Median: 150 | 25th: 148
- GPA: 75th: 3.53 | Median: 3.23 | 25th: 2.91
These are the full-time first-year figures in Barry's 2025 ABA report. The annual entering population included 232 full-time and 26 part-time students. Barry offers spring as well as fall entry, so this reporting population is broader than a single fall intake. The part-time GPA median was 3.40; combining the divisions would produce a different GPA profile.
From the 2024 to the 2025 annual cohorts, full-time LSAT quartiles stayed unchanged. The GPA median fell from 3.23 to 3.20; the 25th fell 0.01 and the 75th fell 0.07. Full-time entrants grew from 201 to 232, and the combined class from 240 to 258.
For the full-time program, 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. Barry Law Application Essays
Personal Statement (Required)
Barry requires a personal statement of 600-1,200 words. The prompt permits discussion of your motivation for law school, personal goals, obstacles overcome, commitment to public service, and the diversity of experience you would bring. Those are possible subjects, not separate required essays.
For more on how to write a personal statement, see my Personal Statement Examples and Personal Statement Guide.
Barry permits diversity and background within the personal statement.
For more on discussing your background and perspective within this personal statement, see my Diversity Statement Examples and Diversity Statement Guide.
Barry instructs applicants not to submit additional writing samples or similar materials.
For more on making your whole application work together, see my Cohesive Narrative Guide.
Addenda and Character & Fitness (if applicable)
Required character-and-fitness disclosures and supporting documents remain part of a complete application.
I'll be publishing a guide to addenda and character and fitness.
3. Barry Law Resume Requirements
A resume is encouraged but optional. Include education, employment, service, and activities with clear dates and responsibilities.
For more on preparing your resume, see my Resume Examples and Resume Guide.
4. Barry Law Letters of Recommendation
Barry requires one letter of recommendation through LSAC's Credential Assembly Service. Suitable writers include a professor, advisor, employer, or military commander who can assess your aptitude for legal study.
For more on recommendations, see my LOR Guide (Applicants) and LOR Guide (Writers).
5. Barry Law Interview Process
The Admissions Committee reviews the completed application, including academic credentials and the required written materials. Prospective students can arrange a campus visit through Admissions.
6. Barry Law Deadlines and Decision Options
Testing Policy
Barry requires the LSAT and LSAC's Credential Assembly Service. It considers the highest LSAT score earned within five years before the application date.
Application Dates and Fees
- Fall Application Opening: September 15, under the recurring calendar in the 2026-2027 catalog.
- Fall Priority Deadline: May 1.
- Spring Application Opening: March 1.
- Spring Priority Deadline: November 15.
- Application Fee: None in the latest ABA disclosure.
- Seat Deposit: $200, nonrefundable and credited toward tuition.
- Financial Aid Priority: April 15 for the FAFSA under the law school's published aid directions.
Admission is rolling, and applications may continue to receive consideration after the priority dates while seats remain. These are priority dates rather than a single final closing date.
Program Formats
The full-time JD normally takes three years; the part-time program normally takes four. Part-time entry is available in fall. Full-time students are subject to the school's 20-hour weekly employment limit. A final transcript showing the bachelor's degree must arrive before classes begin.
7. Barry Law Scholarships and Financial Aid
Merit Scholarships
Admitted applicants receive automatic consideration for merit scholarships and need-based grants. Some grants are one-time awards. Renewal conditions belong in the cost comparison: the scholarship page identifies required law-school GPAs ranging from 2.8 to 3.2, depending on the award.
Among 2024-2025 entrants, 253 received conditional scholarships and 148 had them reduced or eliminated. Barry also offers a scholarship bonus for students reaching the top 10% after the first or second year; the resulting 75% tuition award replaces rather than stacks with the original award. Separate stipends support trial advocacy, children and family law, environmental law, and immigration.
Cost of Attendance
For 2026-2027, annual full-time tuition is $42,000, with $1,150 in regular fees. The total budget is $76,720 before the $100 first-year bar-application charge, or $76,820 including it. Part-time tuition and regular fees total $32,826; the corresponding first-year budget is $65,896 including that charge. These budgets include housing, food, books, transportation, health insurance, and other living expenses. Summer study is additional.
For more on scholarship strategy, see How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships.
8. Barry Law Joint Degree Programs
- JD/MBA: Barry offers this pairing with the D. Inez Andreas School of Business and Public Administration, combining legal and business study.
Barry separately offers an LLM in American Legal Studies for foreign-trained lawyers. That 24-credit program is designed for one academic year, and qualifying students may receive limited credit toward a later JD. It is not an automatic combined JD/LLM program. Barry's honors certificates likewise add focused coursework within the JD rather than a second graduate degree.
9. Barry Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)
Barry Class of 2025 employment outcomes (reported to the ABA, measured 10 months after graduation):
- Full-time, long-term bar-passage-required employment (ABA): 63.8%
- BigLaw (firms with 101+ attorneys): 12.8%
- Federal clerkships: 0.0%
- Public service (including government): 26.0%
Florida was the largest employment destination, followed by New York and California. Small-firm, government, and public-interest work were substantial parts of the class's placement pattern. Large-firm employment was a minority outcome, not the ordinary result. Evaluate the degree against the Florida work you actually want and the debt remaining after realistic scholarship renewal assumptions.
10. Barry Law Areas of Study and Specializations
Environmental and Earth Law: The Center for Advanced Study of Environmental and Earth Law connects an honors certificate, a clinic, a journal, and the Center for Earth Jurisprudence. Courses include Water Pollution Law, Land Use Planning, and Ocean and Coastal Law and Policy.
Children and Family Law: The honors certificate combines Family Law, courses on children's rights and protection, writing, and supervised practice. Juvenile defense and collaborative family law address different aspects of that concentration.
Litigation and Advocacy: The honors certificate includes Motions and Depositions, advocacy training, and a litigation placement. Trial Team and Moot Court provide additional settings for case preparation and oral argument.
Immigration: The Immigration Clinic links client representation with administrative practice. Students work on benefits applications and removal matters, developing interviewing, case-planning, research, and advocacy skills.
Constitutional Law and Speech: Wes Henricksen's teaching and scholarship connect constitutional law, the First Amendment, and securities regulation. This provides a distinct faculty connection for students interested in the relationship between speech, regulation, and civil liability.
11. Barry Law Clinics and Experiential Learning
Clinics
- Juvenile Defense Clinic: Students represent children in delinquency proceedings under supervision. Work includes factual investigation, detention advocacy, legal research, depositions, and drafting and arguing motions.
- Immigration Clinic: Students interview and counsel noncitizen clients, plan cases, prepare submissions, and develop written and oral advocacy for immigration-benefits and removal matters.
- Environmental and Earth Law Clinic: Students investigate environmental conditions affecting communities, identify potential clients, and assess legal options involving regulations and permits with the clinic director.
- Collaborative Family Law Clinic: Students work with attorneys, mental-health professionals, and financial specialists to help clients resolve marital disputes outside adversarial litigation.
Clinics generally follow prerequisite coursework in the second or third year. Some require Florida Certified Legal Intern approval, permitting supervised representation rather than independent practice. Newer entrants must complete nine experiential credits.
Pro Bono and Experiential Learning
Children and Families externships include the Department of Children and Families, Regional Counsel, public-defender juvenile divisions, and Guardian Ad Litem offices. Other placements cover prosecution, judicial work, civil poverty, mediation, and nonprofit organizations.
Students complete 50 community-service hours, including at least 25 hours of qualifying legal pro bono work. Barry's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program develops tax-preparation and client-relations skills while serving lower-income Central Florida residents. Paid work or academic-credit work does not also count toward the pro bono requirement.
12. Barry Law Notable Faculty and Journals
Faculty
- Charles H. Rose III: Dean and Professor of Law. His background includes more than two decades as an Army judge advocate and leadership of Stetson's Center for Excellence in Advocacy.
- Wes Henricksen: A constitutional-law scholar whose teaching includes the First Amendment, Torts, and Securities Regulation. He authored In Fraud We Trust and has received multiple Barry Professor of the Year awards.
- Margaret Stewart: Assistant Professor and Director of the Environmental and Earth Law Clinic. Her training combines a Barry JD, an MBA, and an LLM.
- Nadia Ahmad: Professor of Law and a faculty contact for the Environmental and Earth Law honors certificate. Her legal education includes a Florida JD and a Denver LLM.
Journals
- Barry Law Review: Student-edited general legal scholarship.
- Child and Family Law Journal: Scholarship addressing children, families, and related legal questions.
- Environmental and Earth Law Journal: Scholarship connected to environmental regulation and earth-law issues.
Journal membership follows the first-year program. Student writing and editorial work operate under faculty supervision.
13. Barry Law Culture and Student Life
Barry's Orlando campus brings together full-time and part-time students around a service-oriented mission. The Student Bar Association, Black Law Students Association, Hispanic American Law Students Association, and environmental and immigration organizations provide settings for leadership and professional connections.
Central Florida's legal market includes local firms, public agencies, courts, and businesses in hospitality, healthcare, and other industries. Those settings complement the school's clinical and externship work. Housing is off campus, so commuting and living costs are part of the practical decision. The Miami Shores university address should not be confused with where the JD is taught.
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Related Reading
→ How to Build a Smart Law School List
→ Should You Apply Early Decision to Law School?
→ How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships
→ 6 Proven Steps to Get Off a Law School Waitlist
→ How to Get Into Law School Below Both Medians
→ What Holistic Law School Admissions Really Means
→ Blog Directory
Note: While I try to keep this guide up to date, always verify deadlines, requirements, and policies at the Barry 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.
