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

The University of Colorado Law School in Boulder combines a small JD community with a major research university. Its strengths include environmental law, American Indian law, technology policy, and entrepreneurship.

This guide walks you through how to get into Colorado 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. Colorado Law Admissions Numbers and Statistics

Colorado Law Class of 2029:

LSAT: 75th: 168 | Median: 166 | 25th: 163
GPA: 75th: 3.93 | Median: 3.83 | 25th: 3.66

Colorado Law Class of 2028:

LSAT: 75th: 167 | Median: 164 | 25th: 161
GPA: 75th: 3.91 | Median: 3.81 | 25th: 3.62

The fall 2026 entering class raised the LSAT median from 164 to 166 and the GPA median from 3.81 to 3.83. Enrollment decreased from 199 in fall 2025 to 186 in fall 2026, while both lower quartiles increased.

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. Colorado Law Application Essays

Personal Statement (required)

The fall 2027 statement is limited to 1,000 words, double-spaced. Address one or more of three themes: an experience or relationship shaping your understanding of justice, service, or responsibility; a cause or community motivating your legal ambitions; or a changed perspective or difficult values-based decision. Connect the experience to your development and legal goals.

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

Optional Statement

In up to 500 double-spaced words, discuss important background, identity, experiences, responsibilities, or interests not fully addressed elsewhere. Explain how this context shaped your path and what you would contribute.

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

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

Addenda and Character & Fitness (if applicable)

Upload additional explanations after the personal statement and label them “Additional Information.” Complete the required residency-classification appendix even if you already consider yourself a Colorado resident.

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

3. Colorado Law Resume Requirements

A resume is required, with no prescribed format. Present your education, employment, leadership, service, and significant accomplishments clearly. Use specific responsibilities and results to show what you did, rather than relying on titles to carry the application.

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

4. Colorado Law Letters of Recommendation

Two letters are required, and Colorado accepts up to three. At least one academic letter is strongly encouraged.

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

5. Colorado Law Interview Process

Colorado invites a small number of applicants to interview. These conversations are initiated by the admissions committee, not scheduled at an applicant's request. An invitation gives you another opportunity to explain your experience and interest in the school.

6. Colorado Law Deadlines and Early Decision

Tests: The LSAT is required; Colorado does not accept the GRE. All application components, including LSAT writing and at least one LSAT score, must arrive by April 1. Registering for another LSAT does not automatically hold an otherwise complete application. A later higher score can support a request for reconsideration.

Fall 2027 application: Opens October 1, 2026, and closes April 1, 2027. Review begins in mid-October and proceeds on a rolling basis. Colorado offers neither early decision nor early action.

Application fee: $65.

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

7. Colorado Law Scholarships and Financial Aid

Merit Scholarships

Incoming applicants receive scholarship consideration without a separate application for individual awards. Some scholarships cover only the first year; distinguish those offers from multiyear funding when comparing costs.

Multiyear scholarship renewal requires continued eligibility and good academic standing. Colorado does not impose academic-conditional scholarship requirements beyond that standing. Continuing students can apply for additional scholarships.

Leaders in Law and Community Scholarship

A limited number of recipients receive three-year, full-tuition awards.

Cost of Attendance

For new students in 2026-27, tuition and mandatory fees are $38,680 for residents and $47,014 for nonresidents. The corresponding annual attendance budgets are $63,230 and $72,362. A $62 new-student fee is additional, as is a $145 fee for new international students.

Nonresidents may seek resident classification after a year, but the change requires meeting the university's residency rules.

Loan Repayment Assistance

The Loan Repayment Assistance Program offers qualifying alumni up to $6,500 annually, subject to funding and eligibility, for as many as five years. Recipients reapply each year, and judicial clerkships are excluded from qualifying employment.

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

8. Colorado Law Dual Degrees

Colorado's coordinated degrees require separate admission to both programs. Students complete the first JD year as a unit before integrating the two curricula.

JD/MBA: Four years with the Leeds School of Business, combining legal training with business administration.
JD/master's in Environmental Studies: Four years with CU Boulder's Environmental Studies program; a JD/PhD route generally takes five years.
JD/MD: Six years with the University of Colorado School of Medicine, combining law with medical education.
JD/MPA: Four years with CU Denver's School of Public Affairs, connecting law with public administration.
JD/MURP: Four years with CU Denver's College of Architecture and Planning, focused on urban and regional planning.

The standard full-time JD takes three years. Choose a dual degree because the second discipline advances a particular professional goal, and account for the additional tuition and time in your comparison.

9. Colorado Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)

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

Full-time, long-term bar-passage-required employment (ABA): 93.0%
BigLaw (firms with 101+ attorneys): 27.4%
Federal clerkships: 0.6%
Public service (including government): 24.8%

Colorado accounts for the large majority of reported jobs, followed by California and New York. The class entered a mix of firms, government, public-interest organizations, and courts.

10. Colorado Law Areas of Study and Specializations

Environmental and natural resources law: The Getches-Wilkinson Center connects research and legal practice involving western lands, water, energy, climate, and Native communities. The Getches-Green Clinic adds litigation and administrative advocacy, giving students a way to work through these issues for actual clients.

American Indian law: The American Indian Law Certificate and clinic support study of tribal sovereignty, federal Indian law, and Indigenous rights. Clinic projects involve Native nations, tribal institutions, and Indigenous organizations, connecting doctrinal study with research, writing, and representation.

Technology law and policy: Silicon Flatirons brings together law, technology, policy, and entrepreneurship. The Samuelson-Glushko Clinic adds regulatory and appellate advocacy involving communications, privacy, accessibility, and intellectual property, including practice before agencies such as the FCC and Copyright Office.

Entrepreneurial law: The Entrepreneurial Law Certificate and clinic focus on the legal needs of businesses and founders. Students can pair transactional coursework with entity formation, contracts, and intellectual-property work; the Leeds JD/MBA offers a separate interdisciplinary path for deeper business study.

Juvenile and family law: The certificate program and yearlong Juvenile and Family Law Clinic connect child welfare, juvenile justice, and domestic relations. Students can follow client matters through investigation, filings, negotiation, mediation, and hearings rather than encountering those tasks only through simulations.

11. Colorado Law Clinics and Experiential Learning

Colorado's clinical offerings include:

American Indian Law Clinic: Research and draft for Native nations, tribal courts, individuals, and Indigenous organizations on litigation, transactional, and international Indigenous-rights projects.
Civil Practice Clinic: Employment and Housing Law: Assist workers and tenants with administrative complaints and court matters, including negotiation and mediation.
Criminal Defense Clinic: Represent clients facing misdemeanor and municipal charges, developing cases from interviews and bond hearings through motions, negotiations, and trial. Alternating years also include wrongful-incarceration work.
Immigration Defense Clinic: Represent noncitizens in criminal and immigration matters, including asylum and other applications for immigration relief; examine the interaction between the two legal systems.
Entrepreneurial Law Clinic: Counsel startups and other businesses on entity formation, operating agreements, contracts, and intellectual-property issues, generally working in student teams.
Getches-Green Natural Resources, Energy, and Environmental Law Clinic: Develop case strategies, draft pleadings and briefs, counsel environmental clients, and participate in litigation and settlement work.
Juvenile and Family Law Clinic: Represent children, young people, and low-income parents; investigate facts, prepare filings, attend mediation, and advocate in hearings.
Samuelson-Glushko Technology Law & Policy Clinic: Develop public-interest advocacy before agencies and courts on telecommunications, intellectual property, privacy, and accessibility matters.

Pro Bono and Experiential Learning

Students must complete six experiential credits, with at least two in a qualifying classroom course or clinic. Externships place students in government and nonprofit settings, not private firms or for-profit companies. Past hosts include the Colorado Attorney General's Office, Colorado Legal Services, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, and the SEC.

The voluntary Public Service Pledge recognizes 50 hours of uncompensated, noncredit, law-related service. Opportunities include the Acequia Assistance Project and Korey Wise Innocence Project.

12. Colorado Law Notable Faculty and Journals

Faculty

Sarah Krakoff: Moses Lasky Professor of Law; studies American Indian law and natural resources, and founded the Acequia Assistance Project.
Blake E. Reid: Associate Professor of Law and faculty director of Silicon Flatirons' Telecom & Platforms Initiative; studies telecommunications, internet law, copyright, and disability access.
Helen Norton: University Distinguished Professor and Rothgerber Chair in Constitutional Law; studies constitutional and antidiscrimination law and is a CU President's Teaching Scholar.
Ann Lipton: Professor of Law and Laurence W. DeMuth Chair; studies corporate governance and securities regulation and coauthors a securities-regulation casebook.

Journals

University of Colorado Law Review: Scholarship across legal subjects.
Colorado Environmental Law Journal: Scholarship on natural resources and environmental law and policy.
Colorado Technology Law Journal: Scholarship on technology and telecommunications law.

13. Colorado Law Culture and Student Life

Colorado's fall 2026 entering class came from 117 undergraduate institutions, with 59% arriving from outside the state. That mix gives a small law school a community extending beyond applicants who already know Boulder or the Colorado legal market.

Boulder and the wider Colorado legal market connect those interests to practice. Externships with courts, agencies, and public-interest organizations complement work in the school's clinics. The Environmental Law Society adds speakers, networking, and service, while the Student Parents Group provides community for parents and allies. Colorado's dominant share of graduate employment makes those local professional connections especially relevant.

Want Help Getting Into Colorado Law?

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Note: While I try to keep this guide up to date, always verify deadlines, requirements, and policies at the Colorado 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.