How to Get Into Maryland Carey Law (2026-2027 Guide)

The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law is based in downtown Baltimore, with Day and Evening divisions. Its strengths include health law, environmental law, dispute resolution, and immigration, supported by clinical training.

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

Maryland Carey Law Class of 2028:

LSAT: 75th: 166 | Median: 164 | 25th: 157
GPA: 75th: 3.90 | Median: 3.73 | 25th: 3.45

Maryland Carey Law Class of 2027:

LSAT: 75th: 165 | Median: 163 | 25th: 154
GPA: 75th: 3.86 | Median: 3.73 | 25th: 3.35

These figures describe the full-time Day Division entering in fall 2025 and fall 2024. The LSAT median rose one point, while the GPA median held steady. Both lower quartiles increased, and Day enrollment grew from 184 to 208. Evening students have a separate admissions profile.

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. Maryland Carey Law Application Essays

Personal Statement (required)

Submit a typed, double-spaced statement of no more than 750 words. Explain why you want to study law and why Maryland Carey Law interests you. The prompt invites your background and experiences, including leadership, resilience, adaptability, analytical ability, and working across differences.

For more on addressing school interest within this personal statement, see my Why X Essay Guide.

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

Optional Essay

Choose only one of four subjects: an accomplishment involving leadership, innovation, or change; a significant challenge or setback and your response; an experience that changed your mind; or a meaningful community and what you contributed and gained. Identify the selected option and stay within 250 double-spaced words.

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)

Answer all disclosure questions fully, including dates, locations, and resolutions. The duty to update continues through admission and enrollment.

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

3. Maryland Carey Law Resume Requirements

A resume or CV is required. Include education, employment, skills, awards, and relevant activities. Show your responsibilities and accomplishments clearly rather than stretching routine tasks into inflated descriptions. Keep dates consistent with the application.

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

4. Maryland Carey Law Letters of Recommendation

Two letters are required; up to four are accepted. Academic recommendations are preferred, with employer letters appropriate for applicants who have been out of school. Choose writers who can evaluate your work closely.

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

5. Maryland Carey Law Interview Process

The admissions committee invites selected applicants to interview. Applicants cannot request an evaluative interview. Prepare to discuss your application, your decision to pursue law, and your specific interest in Maryland.

6. Maryland Carey Law Deadlines and Early Decision

Testing Policy

Maryland accepts the LSAT, GRE, and JD-Next. GRE and JD-Next applicants contact admissions to arrange review. Scores must remain valid through October of the entering year.

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

Application Dates and Fees

The application fee is $70; fee waivers are available by request.

Regular application calendar: Opens September 1; March 1 priority deadline; July 31 final deadline.
Binding programs: Complete by February 5, 2027.
Carey Law Scholars: Binding admission with a scholarship equal to 50% of first-year tuition, renewable at the same dollar amount with good standing.
Standard Binding Early Decision: Binding admission without merit-scholarship consideration.

Early Decision

Do not maintain another binding application while pursuing either route. Standard Early Decision admits must submit their binding intent within two weeks, immediately withdraw other applications, provide withdrawal evidence, and stop submitting new applications. Deferral is unavailable through that route.

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

Program Formats

The Day JD takes three years. Evening students normally finish in four, with the first two years scheduled across four weeknights, including one virtual night. Later coursework offers more scheduling choices. Choose the division that fits your actual obligations.

7. Maryland Carey Law Scholarships and Financial Aid

Merit Scholarships

Applicants receive automatic consideration for Maryland Law Scholars awards; merit scholarships are not available to students admitted through Standard Binding Early Decision. Renewal requires academic and character good standing, not a specified class rank. Scholarship notices arrive separately from admission decisions.

Named Programs

Leadership Scholars awards recognize academic, professional, and service accomplishments. LEAP Scholars combines financial support with attorney mentoring, networking, and skills development; no separate application is required. The binding Carey Law Scholars award is a separate program with the terms described above.

Need-Based Aid and Cost

File the FAFSA using code 002104 even when seeking only merit aid. Need-based grants depend on financial need and available funding. Maryland Carey Law also operates a Public Interest Loan Repayment Assistance Program for qualifying graduates.

For 2026-27, first-year Day tuition is $38,965 for residents and $57,519 for nonresidents. Total estimated attendance costs are $76,611 and $95,165. Evening first-year tuition is $25,576 or $37,652, with total budgets of $62,171 or $74,247. These budgets include university charges and living allowances. Apply separately for resident-tuition classification.

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

8. Maryland Carey Law Dual Degree Programs

Maryland's partnerships extend beyond its Baltimore campus:

JD/MBA: University of Maryland's Smith School, University of Baltimore's Merrick School, or Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.
JD/MPH: University of Maryland School of Medicine or Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
JD/MBE: Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics.
JD/MSW and JD/PharmD: University of Maryland's social work and pharmacy schools.
JD/MA in Criminal Justice, JD/MCP, and JD/MPP: University of Maryland, College Park.
JD/MALA: St. John's College in Annapolis.
JD/PhD in Public Policy: University of Maryland, Baltimore County, which also has a cybersecurity partnership.

The law school can accept up to nine approved graduate credits toward the JD. Admission and sequencing are program-specific. The Johns Hopkins MBA agreement provides automatic admission after a successful first law-school year, subject to its application process.

9. Maryland Carey Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)

Maryland Carey Law's Class of 2025 employment outcomes (reported to the ABA, measured 10 months after graduation):

Full-time, long-term bar-passage-required employment (ABA): 79.8%
BigLaw (firms with 101+ attorneys): 15.4%
Federal clerkships: 1.9%
Public service (including government): 15.4%

Maryland is the dominant employment destination, followed by Washington, DC, and New York. State and local clerkships form a substantial part of the school's placement pattern. The strongest fit is a student who wants to build regional relationships across courts, government, firms, and public-interest practice.

10. Maryland Carey Law Areas of Study and Specializations

Health law: The Law & Health Care Program combines a certificate, interdisciplinary study, research, and practical experience. The surrounding medical and professional schools give students a concrete setting for studying how law affects treatment, institutions, and public health.

Environmental law: The Environmental Law Program connects regulatory study with the Environmental Law Clinic and a certificate. Coursework and research address environmental protection, land use, and administrative law, with the Chesapeake Bay region providing recurring practical context.

Dispute resolution: The Center for Dispute Resolution, known as C-DRUM, supports mediation, negotiation, and community initiatives. Students can follow the Dispute Resolution Track, participate in the ADR Team, and apply those skills through clinical work.

Immigration: The Chacón Center for Immigrant Justice connects immigration representation with litigation and scholarship. The Immigration Clinic and Federal Appellate Immigration Clinic offer different settings for learning client advocacy and the administrative and judicial review process.

Intellectual property and technology: The Intellectual Property and Technology Law Program connects transactional study with clinic work for entrepreneurs. Students can explore trademark, copyright, licensing, and patent issues while learning how legal advice affects a developing business.

11. Maryland Carey Law Clinics and Experiential Learning

The Cardin Requirement gives students who enter in the full-time Day Division a required clinical experience serving people who lack access to legal representation.

Medical-Legal Partnership Clinic: Work with patients referred by an HIV clinic, addressing benefits, housing, family, and planning problems through interviewing, counseling, and representation.
Federal Appellate Immigration Clinic: Represent noncitizens in federal courts and before the Board of Immigration Appeals; research records and prepare legal arguments and briefs.
Environmental Law Clinic: Assist communities and organizations with environmental problems through regulatory comments, legal research, client advice, and litigation work.
Intellectual Property and Technology Law Clinic: Advise entrepreneurs on trademarks, copyrights, and agreements. Patent representation requires the relevant technical eligibility.
Low Income Taxpayer Clinic: Represent clients in disputes with the IRS and Maryland Comptroller, including audits, collections, appeals, and Tax Court matters.
Mediation Clinic: Mediate civil disputes through court and agency partnerships, progressing from observation to supervised co-mediation.

Pro Bono and Experiential Learning

Externships combine supervised work with a seminar. Judicial, legislative, government, and nonprofit placements expand the options beyond clinics; students have worked with the SEC and Federal Aviation Administration. Eligibility begins after the first Day year or second Evening year. Evening applicants should account for daytime client and court obligations when planning experiential courses.

12. Maryland Carey Law Notable Faculty and Journals

Faculty

Diane E. Hoffmann: Jacob A. France Professor of Health Care Law and director of the Law & Health Care Program, connecting health-law scholarship with interdisciplinary education.
Leigh Goodmark: Marjorie Cook Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development. Studies domestic violence and directs the Gender, Prison, and Trauma Clinic; author of A Troubled Marriage.
Mark Graber: Regents Professor and Distinguished Professor whose work examines constitutional law and development. Author of A New Introduction to American Constitutionalism and a 2025 Guggenheim constitutional-studies fellow.
Ana Corina “Cori” Alonso-Yoder: Assistant Professor of Law and director of the Immigration Clinic, with teaching and practice focused on immigration representation.

Journals

Maryland Law Review: Scholarship on Maryland case law and federal law.
Journal of Business & Technology Law: Analysis of issues at the intersection of business and technology.
Journal of Health Care Law & Policy: Interdisciplinary scholarship on health law and policy.
Maryland Journal of International Law: Scholarship on international and comparative law.
University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class: Scholarship on legal issues involving race, religion, gender, and class.

13. Maryland Carey Law Culture and Student Life

Maryland's Day and Evening divisions bring together students entering directly from college and students balancing law school with established careers. Peer advisers, student organizations, advocacy teams, and five student-edited journals provide different ways to participate. The shared professional-school campus also makes interdisciplinary interests part of the school's daily setting.

Downtown Baltimore places students near courts, agencies, hospitals, and legal-services organizations. That setting matters most when it connects to a real interest in Maryland practice, health institutions, public service, or regional business work.

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