Jacksonville University College of Law is a provisionally ABA-approved law school in downtown Jacksonville, Florida, offering a three-year, full-time JD. Its developing strengths include courtroom advocacy, legal writing, constitutional law, and commercial law.
This guide walks you through how to get into Jacksonville University Law.
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1. Jacksonville University Law Admissions Numbers and Statistics
Jacksonville University Law Class of 2028:
- LSAT: 75th: 159 | Median: 156 | 25th: 154
- GPA: 75th: 3.68 | Median: 3.48 | 25th: 3.28
Jacksonville University Law Class of 2027:
- LSAT: 75th: 156 | Median: 154 | 25th: 151
- GPA: 75th: 3.67 | Median: 3.53 | 25th: 3.19
These full-time cohorts entered in fall 2025 and fall 2024. The median LSAT rose from 154 to 156, while the median GPA decreased from 3.53 to 3.48. Both LSAT quartiles increased by three points. The entering class grew from 43 to 70 students, with a higher lower-quartile GPA despite the expansion.
Jacksonville gives substantial weight to academic indicators alongside its holistic review.
Aim to be at or above at least one median, a 156 LSAT or 3.48 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. Jacksonville University Law Application Essays
Personal Statement (required)
The school's instructions:
“The personal statement provides an opportunity to allow us to get to know each applicant in more detail. Applicants can discuss a variety of topics in the personal statement, including why the applicant is interested in law school, overcoming a personal challenge, or the person who has most impacted the applicant.”
For more on how to write a personal statement, see my Personal Statement Examples and Personal Statement Guide.
For more on discussing a personal challenge within this personal statement, see my Diversity Statement Examples and Diversity Statement Guide.
For more on making your whole application work together, see my Cohesive Narrative Guide.
Addenda and Character & Fitness (if applicable)
Jacksonville accepts nonduplicative addenda addressing academic variations, personal obstacles, or other relevant circumstances. Incomplete or inaccurate character-and-fitness disclosures may result in denial, withdrawal of admission or scholarship, or disciplinary consequences after enrollment.
I'll be publishing a guide to addenda and character and fitness.
3. Jacksonville University Law Resume Requirements
A current professional resume or CV is required. It should cover education, achievements, employment, legal experience, military service, and relevant volunteer or extracurricular activities.
For more on preparing your resume, see my Resume Examples and Resume Guide.
4. Jacksonville University Law Letters of Recommendation
Two letters of recommendation are required, and up to four are accepted. Academic, professional, and personal recommenders may address your qualifications, academic performance, civic involvement, and work experience.
For more on recommendations, see my LOR Guide (Applicants) and LOR Guide (Writers).
5. Jacksonville University Law Interview Process
Admissions counselors offer individual meetings, tours, and virtual information sessions about the JD program and application process. These are opportunities to discuss the school with its admissions staff.
6. Jacksonville University Law Deadlines and Decision Options
Testing Policy
Jacksonville requires the LSAT from all JD applicants. Scores remain valid for five years, and the committee reviews all reported scores, including the highest. GRE scores may be submitted as additional information, but they do not replace the LSAT requirement.
Application Dates
- Application opens: September 1, 2026, for fall 2027 entry.
- Application review begins: October 2026.
- Priority deadline: April 1, 2027.
- Final deadline: July 1, 2027, including accompanying application materials.
Decisions are made on a rolling basis. Applications submitted after the priority deadline are reviewed while space remains in the entering class. The JD is a full-time, in-person program designed for completion in three years.
7. Jacksonville University Law Scholarships and Financial Aid
Merit Scholarships
Every JD applicant receives automatic consideration for competitive merit scholarships; no separate scholarship application is required. In 2024-2025, all enrolled students received grants, with a median annual grant of $18,000. Jacksonville's scholarship disclosure excludes academic conditions beyond maintaining good academic standing.
Tuition and Cost of Attendance
The university's dated 2026-2027 schedule charges $1,200 per JD credit and a $1,500 annual comprehensive fee. Thirty credits plus that fee therefore cost $37,500 before living expenses and other charges. The law admissions page's undated financial information lists $1,300 per credit and a $65,411 annual budget, including $39,000 tuition, the comprehensive fee, and estimated living, transportation, personal, and book expenses. The published tuition rates differ.
Financial Aid
Federal loan applicants complete the FAFSA through Jacksonville's financial-aid process. Health insurance is required unless a student has equivalent coverage, and parking costs are additional. The 2026-2027 tuition schedule is for that academic year, not a quoted fall 2027 entering rate.
For more on scholarship strategy, see How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships.
8. Jacksonville University Law Joint Degree Programs
Jacksonville University's MPP/JD pathway is administered by the Haskell Public Policy Institute. Its scope differs from a dedicated College of Law joint-degree offering: the law school's FAQ says it does not currently offer dual degrees.
- University MPP/JD pathway: The university pairs its Master of Public Policy with study at an ABA-accredited law school and requires admission to both programs. The MPP begins before the JD, with the capstone completed during the final law-school year. Twelve qualifying law credits may count toward the 36-credit MPP.
9. Jacksonville University Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)
Jacksonville University Class of 2025 employment outcomes (reported to the ABA, measured 10 months after graduation):
- Full-time, long-term bar-passage-required employment (ABA): 92.3%
- BigLaw (firms with 101+ attorneys): 23.1%
- Federal clerkships: 0.0%
- Public service (including government): 46.2%
Florida was the principal employment state, followed by New York. Government and public-interest jobs represented a substantial share of the inaugural graduating class. The larger-firm placements were in firms with 101 to 500 attorneys, rather than firms with 501 or more. The inaugural graduating cohort was small.
10. Jacksonville University Law Areas of Study and Specializations
Trial and Appellate Advocacy: The Trial Advocacy course and Moot Court organization connect litigation study to oral and written advocacy. The Morgan & Morgan-sponsored Trial Team practices case strategy, witness examination, and courtroom presentation with faculty and local practitioners, while Moot Court develops appellate briefs and arguments.
Constitutional Law: The required constitutional-law sequence is complemented by faculty work in state constitutional history and civil rights. Visiting Professor Mary Adkins is a Florida constitutional-law author, and the Jacksonville University Law Review's 2026 symposium focused on substantive due process under state constitutions.
Commercial and Transactional Law: Business Organizations and Commercial Law form part of the required curriculum, while Transactional Drafting is an upper-level writing option. Assistant Professor Theophilus Coleman contributes scholarship in international commercial law, conflict of laws, and labor law, connecting business study to cross-border legal questions.
Legal Writing and Research: Legal Reasoning, Research & Writing begins in the first year and continues through upper-level writing work. Mary Adkins brings experience in legal-writing pedagogy, while the curriculum offers advanced writing, Appellate Advocacy, and Transactional Drafting as distinct ways to develop professional written analysis.
11. Jacksonville University Law Clinics and Experiential Learning
Clinics
Jacksonville's 2024-2025 program had no law-clinic seats. Its practical training includes supervised field placements and simulation courses, which are distinct from an in-house client clinic.
Pro Bono and Experiential Learning
- Externships: Students perform legal work under a licensed attorney or judge at an approved placement, alongside a required course with faculty oversight. Eligible settings include courts, government agencies, public-interest organizations, and corporate legal departments. Private law firms are not approved externship placements. Each credit requires 45 hours of fieldwork.
- Simulation courses: Alternative Dispute Resolution, Trial Advocacy, and Electronic Discovery are among the designated experiential courses. The JD requires at least six experiential credits, which can include approved externship work.
- Moot Court and Trial Team: Students prepare briefs and oral arguments or practice opening statements, witness examinations, and closing arguments. These advocacy organizations provide competition-based experience rather than direct client representation.
The degree-requirements page calls for 60 pro bono hours, up to 30 of which may be nonlegal public service. The student handbook linked there instead requires 30 hours of pro bono legal service and gives commencement recognition for 60 or more total hours. Legal work can serve indigent clients, public agencies, or qualifying faculty and private-practice pro bono matters. Work must be approved in advance. Hours required for externship credit do not also satisfy the pro bono requirement; additional service at the same office requires permission.
12. Jacksonville University Law Notable Faculty and Journals
Faculty
- Nicholas W. Allard: Founding Randall C. Berg Jr. Dean, with experience in telecommunications, privacy, and technology law. He previously led Brooklyn Law School and was a Rhodes Scholar.
- Courtney A. Barclay: Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs and Professor of Communication and Law. Her scholarship concerns media, the First Amendment, and digital communication; she has written on commercial speech in social media.
- Mary Adkins: Visiting Professor of Law and an emeritus legal-skills professor at the University of Florida. Her fields include legal writing and Florida constitutional history; she previously chaired the AALS legal-writing section.
- Theophilus Coleman: Assistant Professor of Law working in international commercial law, conflict of laws, and labor law. He is a coauthor of the LexisNexis treatise Labour Law in Ghana.
Journals
- Jacksonville University Law Review: Founded in 2023, the student-managed and student-edited journal publishes legal scholarship and hosts a symposium. Its first volume is available, and its 2026 symposium addressed state constitutional protections.
13. Jacksonville University Law Culture and Student Life
Jacksonville's law students study at 121 West Forsyth Street in the downtown legal district. The setting puts courts, government offices, legal-aid organizations, and practicing attorneys close to daily classes. Student connections include the Jacksonville Bar Association, Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association, and Chester Bedell American Inn of Court.
The entering Class of 2029 grew to 110 students in fall 2026. That expansion comes within a school still building its traditions, student organizations, and graduate network. The Student Bar Association, Law Review, Moot Court, and Trial Team provide ways to participate in that development, alongside the program's required community service.
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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 Jacksonville University 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.