High Point University's Kenneth F. Kahn School of Law is a new, provisionally ABA-approved law school in High Point, North Carolina. Its developing strengths include appellate advocacy, veterans law, community legal services, and legal writing.
This guide walks you through how to get into High Point Law.
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1. High Point Law Admissions Numbers and Statistics
High Point Law Class of 2029:
- Entering class: 86 students in fall 2026.
High Point Law Class of 2027:
- Entering class: More than 70 students in fall 2024.
The fall 2026 class was High Point's largest incoming JD class. The inaugural fall 2024 students began the school's three-year program and are the Class of 2027. This growth reflects the expansion of a new law school, with each incoming class joining a community whose upper-level programs and student organizations are still developing.
High Point considers GPA, course rigor, standardized testing, professional experience, and commitment to service together.
For context on how medians affect your strategy, see How to Build a Smart Law School List.
2. High Point Law Application Essays
Personal Statement (required)
The school's instructions:
“Applicants must submit a personal statement on a topic of their choosing. The personal essay should be no longer than two pages, double-spaced, and 12-point font.”
“Appropriate topics include insights into the applicant’s passion/motivation for studying law, commitment to receiving a legal education that integrates character formation and ethics, and skills and insights developed through specific professional or extracurricular experiences.”
“The admissions committee attaches significant importance to the applicant’s personal statement.”
For more on how to write a personal statement, see my Personal Statement Examples and Personal Statement Guide.
For more on making your whole application work together, see my Cohesive Narrative Guide.
Addenda and Character & Fitness (if applicable)
High Point requires full and truthful disclosure of relevant conduct; failure to disclose may result in revocation of admission or dismissal.
I'll be publishing a guide to addenda and character and fitness.
3. High Point Law Resume Requirements
High Point considers your resume and professional experiences in its holistic review, including accomplishments, leadership, community service, and evidence of maturity.
For more on preparing your resume, see my Resume Examples and Resume Guide.
4. High Point Law Letters of Recommendation
High Point requires one recommendation and accepts up to four letters of recommendation.
For more on recommendations, see my LOR Guide (Applicants) and LOR Guide (Writers).
5. High Point Law Interview Process
The Admissions Committee may request an interview. Admissions staff coordinate the meeting, which may take place in person or through Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
6. High Point Law Deadlines and Decision Options
Testing Policy
High Point accepts the LSAT or GRE. When an applicant has both, admission and scholarship evaluation are based solely on the LSAT. A GRE applicant who later has a reportable LSAT score will have the admission decision and scholarship reevaluated using the LSAT alone. Qualifying HPU undergraduates may apply without either test under ABA Interpretation 503-3, identifying their eligibility in the application.
If you're considering the GRE, read my LSAT vs. GRE guide before deciding.
Application Dates and Fees
- Application opens: September 1, 2026, for fall 2027 entry.
- Priority consideration deadline: January 31, 2027.
- Application deadline: July 1, 2027.
- Decision deadline: July 15 for applications completed by July 1.
- Application fee: Waived for all applicants.
- Classes begin: August 2027.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, often within two weeks after completion. Some files receive an administrative hold before a final decision. All candidates may apply through LSAC. The admissions page limits the direct university application to current HPU undergraduates and alumni, but the law school's FAQ says all candidates may apply free through that route without LSAC or CAS fees.
7. High Point Law Scholarships and Financial Aid
Merit Scholarships
High Point offers merit scholarships and considers standardized-test performance in awarding them. When both tests are present, the LSAT controls scholarship evaluation. An award initially based on the GRE will be reevaluated if the applicant later has a reportable LSAT score.
Tuition and Cost of Attendance
The 2026-2027 JD off-campus budget lists $47,742 in fall-and-spring tuition and $5,946 in fees, for $53,688 in direct costs. Estimated indirect expenses total $33,336, producing an annual cost of attendance of $87,024. The indirect budget includes housing, food, books, transportation, personal expenses, and loan fees. These are the costs for the 2026-2027 academic year.
For more on scholarship strategy, see How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships.
8. High Point Law Joint Degree Programs
High Point's 3+3 program combines an HPU undergraduate degree with the JD, rather than pairing the JD with another graduate degree.
- 3+3 bachelor's/JD: Selected HPU undergraduates can complete both degrees in six years. Students apply during their junior year and must complete 96 undergraduate credits, including their general education and major requirements, before starting law school. First-year JD credits then count toward remaining undergraduate electives. Only qualifying majors can participate, and admission to the JD program is required.
9. High Point Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)
High Point's inaugural JD students entered in fall 2024 as the Class of 2027. There was therefore no High Point JD Class of 2025 for the standard ABA employment comparison. The four graduate-employment percentages are not applicable to that class year.
Career Development provides individual advising, employer engagement, recruiting opportunities, and a job bank. Students are building professional experience through internships and service projects, including work with Legal Aid of North Carolina. The school's early career activity centers on that pregraduation experience while its inaugural class progresses toward graduation.
10. High Point Law Areas of Study and Specializations
Appellate and Constitutional Law: The Appellate Litigation Clinic gives students experience researching constitutional questions and developing amicus briefs. Professor Scott Gaylord's work connects the program to issues involving free speech, religious liberty, due process, and the separation of powers.
Veterans Law: The Bergmann & Moore Veterans Law Clinic focuses on disability compensation appeals before the Department of Veterans Affairs. Director Ashley Castillo brings experience from the Board of Veterans' Appeals to students' work on records, client interviews, and benefit claims.
Community Legal Services: The Community Law Clinic addresses legal problems affecting people of modest means in the Piedmont Triad. Driver's license restoration and record expungement connect classroom preparation to counseling and courtroom work under Jennifer L. Martin's supervision.
Professional Identity and Ethics: Professional Pathways and Professional Formation begin this sequence in the first year. Professional Responsibility and the Leadership Practicum continue it later, making professional judgment and leadership part of the required JD curriculum rather than solely extracurricular interests.
Legal Research and Writing: Legal Research and Writing I and II establish first-year research and drafting skills, followed by an upper-level rigorous writing requirement. Associate Professor Shelly DeAdder brings extensive legal-writing teaching and appellate-defense experience to this part of the program.
11. High Point Law Clinics and Experiential Learning
Clinics
- Bergmann & Moore Veterans Law Clinic: Students assist veterans appealing VA disability compensation decisions. Under Ashley Castillo's supervision, they interview clients, develop case records, and manage appeals involving conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, hearing loss, and back injuries. The clinic began operating in fall 2025.
- Community Law Clinic: Students help people of modest means with driver's license restoration and record expungement. Faculty supervision combines classroom preparation with client counseling and case work from intake through resolution, including courtroom advocacy and collaboration with practicing attorneys.
- Appellate Litigation Clinic: Students research, draft, and file amicus briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court and appellate courts under Scott Gaylord. The clinic addresses constitutional and other significant legal questions through these briefs rather than representing individual clients.
Pro Bono and Experiential Learning
The 90-credit JD includes at least six experiential credits. The Advocacy Skills Practicum supplies one; approved simulations, clinics, or externships supply the remaining five. Experiential coursework cannot also satisfy the separate rigorous writing requirement.
High Point's voluntary pro bono program includes attorney-supervised, uncompensated legal service. Projects with Legal Aid of North Carolina include landlord-tenant assistance through Lawyer on the Line and a Virtual Wills Clinic. A High Point Courthouse eviction project, also involving UNC Greensboro, helps self-represented litigants with appeals. These service projects are distinct from the school's three academic clinics.
12. High Point Law Notable Faculty and Journals
Faculty
- Mark Martin: Founding Dean and Professor of Law, with a background in appellate judging and professional leadership. He served as Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court from 2014 to 2019.
- Ashley Castillo: Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of the Veterans Law Clinic. Her veterans-benefits practice draws on service as an attorney and Acting Veterans Law Judge at the Board of Veterans' Appeals.
- Scott Gaylord: Professor of Law whose fields include constitutional law and the First Amendment. A former Fifth Circuit clerk, he is a constitutional law casebook coauthor and directs the appellate clinic's amicus work.
- Jennifer L. Martin: Clinical Associate Professor, Associate Dean of Experiential Learning, and Director of Clinical Programs. She teaches criminal law and supervises community practice after serving as Chief Assistant District Attorney in Forsyth County.
- Shelly DeAdder: Associate Professor of Law focused on legal research and writing. She has taught the subject for more than a decade and represents indigent defendants through North Carolina's Appellate Defender Roster.
Journals
- High Point University Law Review: The student-managed and student-edited flagship journal expects its first volume in spring 2027. Membership includes a write-on route and invitations for students in the top 10 percent of their class. It plans to publish legal scholarship by professors, practitioners, and students.
13. High Point Law Culture and Student Life
High Point's small, developing JD community puts students in a school still establishing its traditions. The LEAD program connects first-year students with trained upper-level mentors for support, professional development, and community building. Professional formation and respectful debate are prominent parts of the school's identity.
The Piedmont Triad provides a setting for service with local attorneys, courts, and legal-aid organizations. Community Law Clinic matters and courthouse projects bring students into contact with people facing immediate legal problems, while veterans and appellate work extend the school's reach beyond the local market.
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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 High Point 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.
