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

Duquesne University Thomas R. Kline School of Law is a Catholic Spiritan law school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It offers three-year day and four-year evening JD programs, with training in litigation, transactional practice, and law and computing.

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

Duquesne Law Class of 2029:

LSAT: 75th: 162 | Median: 159 | 25th: 157
GPA: 75th: 3.84 | Median: 3.61 | 25th: 3.40

Duquesne Law Class of 2028:

LSAT: 75th: 160 | Median: 157 | 25th: 155
GPA: 75th: 3.85 | Median: 3.62 | 25th: 3.35

The August 21, 2026 entering snapshot includes 194 day and 32 evening students, up from 184 total entrants in 2025. LSAT rose two points across the distribution. GPA was nearly flat at the median and upper quartile, with an increase at the lower quartile. The larger class did not come with a lower LSAT profile.

Aim to be at or above at least one median, a 159 LSAT or 3.61 GPA, 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. Duquesne Law Application Essays

Personal Statement (required)

One to two typed pages, with no required topic. Duquesne invites information beyond your transcript and test scores, including your background and motivation for law.

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

Optional Essays

Choose one or more of four topics. Each essay should be one to two double-spaced pages in 11-point font, with its title at the top.

Fit: Explain your connection to the academic programs, Spiritan mission, Pittsburgh, or another meaningful aspect of Duquesne.
Overcoming Obstacles: Explain challenges you have faced and how your experiences and perspectives would contribute to the educational and legal communities.
Leadership: Discuss leadership you have demonstrated or the leader you aspire to become, including leadership of yourself or others.
Volunteer/Service Experience: Reflect on service or community involvement and what it revealed about your values and goals.

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

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.

Character & Fitness (if applicable)

Disclose accurately and update required information. Misstatements, omissions, or failure to update may lead to denial, dismissal, degree revocation, or licensing consequences.

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

3. Duquesne Law Resume Requirements

A current resume or CV is required through LSAC. Focus on outcomes and impact.

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

4. Duquesne Law Letters of Recommendation

One letter of recommendation is required; up to three are accepted. A professor familiar with your academic work is preferred. Applicants out of school may use an employer; family and friend recommendations are discouraged.

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

5. Duquesne Law Interview Process

Interviews are not required for ordinary JD applicants, though the Admissions Committee may request one. Applicants through a 3/3 early-admission agreement must interview with the committee.

6. Duquesne Law Deadlines and Early Decision

Testing Policy

Duquesne accepts the LSAT or GRE; scores remain valid for five years. Applicants with both are considered LSAT applicants. An application is incomplete until a test score arrives.

If you're considering the GRE, read my LSAT vs. GRE guide before deciding.

Application Dates and Fees

Applications Open: September 1.
Binding Early Decision Deadline: December 31, including the completed CAS report; decisions by January 31.
Priority Deadline: April 1, including guaranteed merit-scholarship consideration for applications received by that date.
Last Eligible LSAT: November for ED; February for full-time regular admission and April for evening admission.
Application Fee: None.
Seat Deposit: Nonrefundable ED deposit due by the deadline specified in the admission letter.

Early Decision

ED requires a separate binding agreement. Admitted applicants must enroll, withdraw other applications, and stop submitting new ones. You cannot apply ED elsewhere simultaneously. Waitlisted applicants are released. Scholarship consideration is the same as regular admission, but you give up comparing offers. Regular review is rolling; later applications depend on space.

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

Program Formats

The part-time evening JD takes four years, with classes beginning at 6 p.m. Selected remote attendance is allowed, but the program is not fully online and exams require campus attendance.

7. Duquesne Law Scholarships and Financial Aid

Merit Scholarships

Admitted students receive automatic consideration. Awards renew for three full-time or four part-time years with academic good standing, without additional GPA or class-rank conditions.

Dean's Scholarships

Full-tuition awards for selected incoming students, considered through the admission process.

Susan Yohe PLDIC Scholarship

The Pittsburgh Legal Diversity & Inclusion Coalition partnership provides $10,000 toward annual tuition and professional connections for a student committed to diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.

Need-Based Aid and Cost

Returning students can apply for endowed scholarships requiring unmet need, good standing, and donor-specific qualifications. FAFSA priority is May 31, using code 003258. The William B. Billock LRAP assists qualifying graduates in public-service employment with law-school debt.

For 2026-27, tuition is $61,402 full-time or $47,188 part-time, plus $1,272 in law fees. Nine-month budgets total $93,138 and $78,924 before required health insurance unless waived and individualized adjustments.

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

8. Duquesne Law Joint Degree Programs

Duquesne combines the JD with business, philosophy, and healthcare ethics study.

JD/Flex MBA

With the John F. Donahue Graduate School of Business. The 99-108-credit combination varies in duration with the business certificate and pacing; the first law year must be completed before simultaneous coursework.

JD/MA in Philosophy

With the McAnulty Graduate School of Liberal Arts. Shared credits connect legal study with philosophy; the first law year remains devoted to law.

JD/MA in Healthcare Ethics

With the Center for Global Health Ethics. The combination requires 95 distinct credits, with shared law and ethics coursework.

Each requires separate admission and coordinated academic planning. The separate undergraduate 3/3 route shortens bachelor's-plus-JD study to six years through approved institutional agreements.

9. Duquesne Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)

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

Full-time, long-term bar-passage-required employment (ABA): 86.8%
BigLaw (firms with 101+ attorneys): 16.4%
Federal clerkships: 2.0%
Public service (including government): 23.7%

Pennsylvania dominates placement, with Washington, D.C., and Maryland well behind. Larger firms are a meaningful minority outcome, while government and public-interest employers account for a substantial share. Duquesne's clearest employment case is Pennsylvania practice across firm sizes and public service, rather than a predominantly national large-firm pipeline.

10. Duquesne Law Areas of Study and Specializations

Law and Computing: Wesley Oliver directs a concentration connecting law with coding, text analytics, and machine learning. Courses such as Coding for Lawyers and Natural Language Lawyering make technology a subject students work with, not simply a topic for discussion.

Civil Litigation: The Civil Litigation concentration connects procedural training with courses such as Deposition Skills and work in the Federal Litigation Clinic. Steven Baicker-McKee's civil-procedure scholarship and litigation experience complement opportunities to develop written and oral advocacy.

Criminal Law: The Criminal Law concentration includes pathways through prosecution, defense, and the Pennsylvania Innocence Project. Students can study wrongful convictions and criminal procedure while investigating cases or handling supervised work within Allegheny County's criminal justice system.

Transactional Practice: The Transactional Legal Practice concentration requires two experiential courses among its four qualifying electives. Contract Drafting, Start-ups and Entrepreneurial Law, and Mergers and Acquisitions connect business doctrine with the documents and decisions involved in practice.

11. Duquesne Law Clinics and Experiential Learning

The Tribone Center combines representation, legal services, and community-based practicums.

Community Legal Practicum: Conduct intake and assess legal needs at Catholic Charities' Compassion Corner.
Family Law Clinic: Interview clients, negotiate, and prepare pleadings in divorce, custody, support, and abuse matters.
Federal Litigation Clinic: Develop civil litigation and appellate advocacy for incarcerated clients in federal cases.
Landlord-Tenant Clinic: Advise and represent clients facing eviction, security-deposit disputes, and housing problems.
Re-Entry Legal Services Clinic: Investigate cases, prepare pardon applications, and conduct mock clemency hearings.
Urban Development Practicum: Work on title issues, development agreements, land use, and neighborhood revitalization.
Veterans Clinic: Represent participants in Allegheny County Veterans Court and follow their progress through treatment plans.
Wills and Healthcare Decisions Clinic: Draft wills, powers of attorney, and advance directives for low-income clients.
Youth Advocacy Clinic: Its Education and Juvenile Defense components address school discipline, special education, and delinquency representation.

Pro Bono and Experiential Learning

Six experiential credits are required. Pro bono recognition begins at 50 hours, rather than imposing a 50-hour graduation mandate. Yearlong clinical work often spans two semesters and 270 hours; requirements vary by course. Externship options include the Allegheny County District Attorney, Neighborhood Legal Services, and Pennsylvania Innocence Project. Placements connect classroom work to courts and organizations throughout the Pittsburgh region.

12. Duquesne Law Notable Faculty and Journals

Faculty

Steven Baicker-McKee: Associate Professor and Joseph A. Katarincic Chair of Legal Process and Civil Procedure. A former litigation partner and coauthor of the Federal Civil Rules Handbook.
Kara L. Dempsey: Assistant Professor of Clinical Legal Education and Youth Advocacy Clinic director. Combines legal and social-work training in education and juvenile representation.
Jacqueline Lipton: Associate Professor and Carol Los Mansmann Chair in Faculty Scholarship. Studies intellectual property and information law; author of Our Data, Ourselves.
Wesley M. Oliver: Professor and Marie-Clement Rodier, C.Sp. Endowed Chair. Directs Law and Computing and wrote The Prohibition Era and Policing.

Journals

Duquesne Law Review: Student-run, twice-yearly general legal scholarship by academics, practitioners, and students.
Joule: Duquesne Kline Energy & Environmental Law Journal: Longer scholarship and shorter commentary on energy and environmental law.
Juris: A student magazine and blog, rather than a conventional scholarly journal, covering legal developments through commentary, features, and interviews.

13. Duquesne Law Culture and Student Life

Hanley Hall sits on the Bluff, close to downtown Pittsburgh. The 2026 entering group spans ages 20 to 47, with substantial day and evening populations. Organizations including the Black Law Students Association and Asian Pacific Law Society provide smaller communities within the school. Its Catholic Spiritan identity emphasizes service.

Downtown courts, law firms, and corporate offices make local professional involvement practical. The Alumni-Student Mentoring Match connects students with practicing lawyers, while Tribone's community work gives the service mission a concrete setting.

Want Help Getting Into Duquesne Law?

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