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

The University of Houston Law Center is a public law school in Houston, with full-time and part-time evening JD programs. Its strengths include health law, intellectual property, energy law, and advocacy.

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

Both cohorts combine full-time and part-time entrants.

Houston Law Class of 2029:

LSAT: Median: 165
GPA: Median: 3.79

Houston Law Class of 2028:

LSAT: 75th: 165 | Median: 163 | 25th: 160
GPA: 75th: 3.90 | Median: 3.79 | 25th: 3.56

The fall 2026 entering class raised Houston's combined LSAT median from 163 to 165, while median GPA held at 3.79. The newest profile supplies medians rather than a complete quartile table. Within the preceding annual cohort, full-time medians were 163 and 3.78; part-time medians were 160 and 3.85.

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. Houston Law Application Essays

Personal Statement (required)

Houston requires a two- to three-page, double-spaced personal statement. The topic is open. Relevant subjects include significant experiences, special skills, work, advanced study, personal challenges, and professional or extracurricular involvement.

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

For more on discussing personal challenges within this personal statement, see my Diversity Statement Examples and Diversity Statement Guide.

Optional Statements and Other Attachments

Houston's checklist provides attachments for prior law school enrollment, residency, disability, and other optional statements. Their relevance depends on your circumstances. The residency questionnaire is a separate application component.

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

Addenda and Character & Fitness (if applicable)

Character-and-fitness disclosures use the corresponding application attachment.

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

3. Houston Law Resume Requirements

Houston's application checklist requires a resume. Include education, employment, extracurricular activities, service, and relevant accomplishments.

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

4. Houston Law Letters of Recommendation

Houston requires two and accepts up to three letters of recommendation through LSAC. Professors, employers, and clients who can evaluate your work are appropriate recommenders.

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

5. Houston Law Interview Process

Houston does not conduct formal admissions interviews as part of the standard application process.

6. Houston Law Deadlines and Early Decision

Testing Policy

Houston accepts the LSAT or GRE, with scores valid for five years. When an applicant has both, Houston uses the LSAT rather than considering both tests. GRE applicants still use LSAC's Credential Assembly Service. JD-Next is not accepted.

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

The restricted Houston Law Express route is for qualifying UH undergraduates without an LSAT or GRE. It requires an LSAC GPA of at least 3.6 after six semesters and an undergraduate-admission ACT or SAT result at the 85th percentile or higher. Taking either graduate admissions test makes an applicant ineligible.

Application Dates and Fees

Applications Open: September 1 for fall entry.
Nonbinding Early Decision: Apply by November 15 and complete the file by December 15. November is the latest LSAT for this option.
Full-Time Regular Deadline: March 15.
Part-Time Regular Deadline: May 15.
Application Fee: The stated $70 fee is currently waived for all applicants.
Seat Deposit: $200, generally due April 15, with later-admission instructions provided individually.

Houston reviews applications on a rolling basis and considers late files as space permits. Early decision is nonbinding, but a denial ends consideration for that admission cycle rather than moving the application into regular review. Full-time and part-time applicants both begin in the fall.

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

Program Formats

Part-Time Evening Program: The four-year JD begins with Monday-through-Thursday evening classes and required summer study. Students share faculty and academic resources with the full-time division.

7. Houston Law Scholarships and Financial Aid

Tuition and Fees

For students entering fall 2026, the detailed tuition schedule estimates full-time first-year tuition and fees at $36,721.68 for Texas residents and $52,159.68 for nonresidents. The part-time first-year schedule, including its required summer term, totals $32,632.56 and $46,078.56, respectively.

Merit Scholarships

All admitted applicants receive automatic consideration for Dean's Scholarships. Awards generally extend through three full-time or four part-time years, subject to continued enrollment, the required course load, and good academic standing. Payments are divided between fall and spring. Full-time awards end at graduation, 90 attempted JD credits, or the end of the third year, whichever comes first.

Dean's Teach for America Scholarships

Houston awards at least two scholarships annually to current or former Teach for America corps members. The general Dean's Scholarship renewal requirements apply.

Need-Based Aid and Public Interest Support

FAFSA filing supports financial-aid consideration, and the Law Center has a dedicated financial-aid counselor. Public-interest summer fellowships support qualifying work. Houston also directs eligible graduates toward the Texas Access to Justice Foundation's loan-repayment assistance for legal-aid lawyers.

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

8. Houston Law Joint Degree Programs

Houston lists nine joint-degree options, with separate admission to each participating program:

JD/MBA: With UH's C.T. Bauer College of Business, generally three-and-a-half to four years full-time or five to six years part-time.
JD/MS in Finance: With Bauer, generally three to four years.
JD/MSW: With UH's Graduate College of Social Work, four years.
JD/MPP: With UH's Hobby School of Public Affairs, generally three to four years.
JD/MPA: With the Hobby School, generally three to four years for law and public administration.
JD/MPH: With UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, following a four-year plan.
JD/MD: With Baylor College of Medicine, six years.
JD/LLM: Within the Law Center, generally three-and-a-half years. Students apply after completing at least 30 JD credits and meeting the specialty GPA requirement.
JD/JD International Energy Lawyers Program: With the University of Calgary, four years divided between the two schools. UH applicants must finish their first year in the top half of the class.

9. Houston Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)

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

Full-time, long-term bar-passage-required employment (ABA): 84.9%
BigLaw (firms with 101+ attorneys): 31.9%
Federal clerkships: 1.7%
Public service (including government): 13.9%

Texas was the leading employment destination, followed by New York and Massachusetts. Firms accounted for the largest employer group, including substantial placement in both small firms and firms with more than 500 attorneys. Houston's business, energy, and healthcare sectors provide a setting for several of the school's academic strengths. The Texas market is central to its employment story.

10. Houston Law Areas of Study and Specializations

Health Law: The Health Law & Policy Institute connects legal research with healthcare delivery, financing, and regulation. Courses and the health-law LLM draw on subjects including patient access, public health, and biomedical developments. Houston's medical institutions give students a substantial local professional community.

Intellectual Property: The Institute for Intellectual Property & Information Law covers patents, copyright, trademarks, trade secrets, and technology. Students can connect coursework with the Trademark Prosecution Clinic and programming involving Houston's intellectual property bar, including questions about software and artificial intelligence.

Energy and Environmental Law: The Environment, Energy & Natural Resources Center combines research and professional programming with the International Energy Lawyers Program. Students can study domestic and international energy questions, environmental regulation, and resource development while engaging with Houston's energy industry.

Advocacy: The Blakely Advocacy Institute supports mock trial, moot court, and alternative dispute resolution teams. Students develop litigation and negotiation skills through courses and competitions, while clinics add supervised client work. The institute hosts the National Mediator Competition and a national moot court championship.

11. Houston Law Clinics and Experiential Learning

Houston's clinical offerings include:

Civil Justice Clinic: Students handle family, guardianship, probate, housing, and consumer matters through client interviews, investigation, negotiation, motions, and supervised court work.
Criminal Justice Clinic: Students represent misdemeanor defendants, interview witnesses, prepare motions, negotiate pleas, and work on cases from arraignment through trial.
Entertainment Law Clinic: Students assist artists, creative businesses, and nonprofits with contracts, intellectual property, and other entertainment-related legal needs.
Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic: Students provide transactional counseling to low-income entrepreneurs, small businesses, and nonprofits in the Houston area.
Immigration Clinic: Students pursue asylum and protections for survivors of violence, preparing cases for immigration agencies and courts through interviewing, evidence development, and advocacy.
Alan F. and Diane R. Levin Mediation Clinic: After mediator training, students mediate landlord-tenant, consumer, and contract disputes through local justice courts and the Better Business Bureau.
Record Sealing and Expunction Clinic: Students handle juvenile sealing, adult expunction, and nondisclosure matters across different court systems.
Trademark Prosecution Clinic: Students counsel small businesses, conduct searches, assess trademark issues, and prepare applications under USPTO-authorized supervision.

Pro Bono and Experiential Learning

The JD requires six experiential credits, with no more than three supplied by field placements. Judicial externships involve research, writing, and court observation; a documented past placement includes Harris County's 113th District Court. Government and nonprofit placements also offer supervised legal work. Pro bono service is voluntary, with 50 qualifying hours in an academic year supporting State Bar Pro Bono College recognition.

12. Houston Law Notable Faculty and Journals

Faculty

Jessica Lind Mantel: Hunton Andrews Kurth Professor of Law and Health Law & Policy Institute co-director. Her work addresses healthcare delivery and resource allocation. She previously advised the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Medicare matters.
Greg Vetter: HIPLA College Professor of Law, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and IPIL co-director. His research covers software, patents, copyright, and open-source licensing. Before law, he spent nine years in software management.
Gina S. Warren: A.L. O'Quinn Chair in Environmental Studies and EENR Center co-director. She studies energy, environmental, and property law. Students selected her as Professor of the Year in both 2018-2019 and 2024-2025.
Bret Wells: John Mixon Chair and Tax Law Program director. His fields include international taxation and oil and gas law. He is lead author of International Taxation: U.S. Taxation of Foreign Persons and Foreign Income and previously held energy-industry executive roles.

Journals

Houston Law Review: The student-edited flagship publishes general legal scholarship.
Houston Business and Tax Law Journal: Covers business and taxation issues.
Houston Journal of Health Law and Policy: Focuses on healthcare law and policy.
Houston Journal of International Law: Publishes work on international legal questions.

13. Houston Law Culture and Student Life

Houston's day and evening divisions share faculty and access to journals, advocacy programs, and career resources. First-year evening classes generally meet Monday through Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m., followed by required summer study. The schedule creates a distinct community of students balancing law school with other responsibilities.

The city offers federal and state courts, major medical institutions, energy companies, and firms of many sizes. Those institutions shape opportunities beyond the classroom. For applicants planning to remain in Texas, the connection between Houston's specialized programs and its legal market is a substantial part of the school's appeal.

Want Help Getting Into Houston Law?

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