Memphis Law is based in a downtown courthouse building. Its clinics and certificates connect legal training with the surrounding community, including work on the city's housing, health, and justice problems.
This guide walks you through how to get into Memphis Law.
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1. Memphis Law Admissions Numbers and Statistics
Memphis Law Class of 2029:
- LSAT: 75th: 159 | Median: 156 | 25th: 152
- GPA: 75th: 3.80 | Median: 3.58 | 25th: 3.26
Memphis Law Class of 2028:
- LSAT: 75th: 159 | Median: 155 | 25th: 152
- GPA: 75th: 3.77 | Median: 3.53 | 25th: 3.22
The Class of 2029 figures describe 109 students entering in 2026, up from 96 in 2025. The LSAT median rose from 155 to 156 while both quartiles held steady. GPA increased at all three points: 3.77 to 3.80 at the upper quartile, 3.53 to 3.58 at the median, and 3.22 to 3.26 at the lower quartile.
The Tennessee Institute for Pre-Law (TIP) has separate requirements and does not provide automatic admission.
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. Memphis Law Application Essays
Personal Statement (required)
Submit no more than 1,000 words. Explain your background, experiences, reasons for law, readiness, and goals. Memphis encourages a school-specific connection.
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.
Supplemental Essay (optional)
Choose one of five prompts and put its number at the top: (1) life experiences that shaped your character and why; (2) experiences or perspectives that would make you a better law student and lawyer; (3) divergent perspectives and a conversation that changed your opinion; (4) circumstances affecting educational opportunities, character, or perspective; or (5) the voice, perspective, or experience you would contribute to the classroom. No separate word limit is published.
For more on how to write a diversity or perspective statement, see my Diversity Statement Examples and Diversity Statement Guide.
TIP Eligibility Statement (required for TIP applicants)
TIP applicants must select the program in the JD application and submit its eligibility statement. The personal statement remains a separate requirement.
For more on making all of these essays work together, see my Cohesive Narrative Guide.
Addenda and Character & Fitness (if applicable)
Character-and-fitness explanations need dates, locations, and circumstances.
I'll be publishing a guide to addenda and character and fitness.
3. Memphis Law Resume Requirements
A resume is not listed as a standalone required document in the current public application checklist. When the application permits one, use a concise account of education, employment, service, and responsibility.
For more on preparing your resume, see my Resume Examples and Resume Guide.
4. Memphis Law Letters of Recommendation
Memphis requires one CAS recommendation and accepts up to four. Academic letters work well; applicants out of school may use employers or supervisors. Avoid family and friends. Effective letters of recommendation explain how you think, work, and respond to difficult assignments.
For more on recommendations, see my LOR Guide (Applicants) and LOR Guide (Writers).
5. Memphis Law Interview Process
Memphis does not conduct formal admissions interviews as part of the standard application process.
6. Memphis Law Deadlines and Decision Options
Application Dates
- Application opens: September 15.
- Priority deadline: March 1.
- Final deadline: Official instructions give both July 15 and July 31; the closing date remains unresolved.
- Last accepted LSAT: June is the latest LSAT administration accepted for fall consideration.
Testing, Fees, and Program Formats
Memphis accepts the LSAT or GRE within five years and charges no application fee. An applicant with an LSAT score is evaluated as an LSAT applicant. GRE applicants must send all scores directly from ETS.
If you're considering the GRE, read my LSAT vs. GRE guide before deciding.
- TIP, summer 2027: The priority deadline is March 15. The six-week, in-person program runs May 26–July 1 and requires a full-time weekday commitment without outside employment. Eligible applicants must be first-generation college graduates or economically disadvantaged and meet the specified Tennessee or border-county residency rules. It is free, includes a $500 stipend, and leads to fall admission only after successful performance.
The standard JD is three years and 90 credits; reduced-load study extends the schedule. Follow the admission letter’s $250 seat-deposit deadline.
7. Memphis Law Scholarships and Financial Aid
Merit Scholarships
Entering students are considered for law-school scholarships through the admission application. Do not submit a separate Tiger Scholarship Manager application unless instructed. Awards vary, and most renewable scholarships carry the GPA requirement stated in the offer.
The 2025 ABA report shows that nine of 36 students entering with conditional scholarships in 2024–25 had them reduced or eliminated. Compare the guaranteed price with the price after losing the award.
2026–27 Costs
For a 30-credit year, tuition and fees are $22,658 for residents and $28,642 for nonresidents. Full attendance budgets are $47,505 and $53,489, respectively, including estimated living costs, books, transportation, and personal expenses.
Residents of Crittenden County, Arkansas, and DeSoto, Marshall, Tate, and Tunica Counties, Mississippi, may qualify for the border-county waiver. Do not assume every nearby county qualifies. Use the earlier March priority date for planning, complete financial-aid materials promptly, and compare renewal conditions alongside the initial award.
For more on scholarship strategy, see How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships.
8. Memphis Law Joint Degree Programs
- JD/MBA with the Fogelman College of Business and Economics requires admission to both programs and permits approved credit sharing. The first law year is law-only. MBA coursework must begin before the third law year, and law-school tuition applies to the coordinated program’s credits, including business-only semesters.
- JD/MA in Political Science also requires separate admission. The LSAT can substitute for the GRE, and up to 16 law credits can apply toward the MA. Plan the sequence individually rather than assuming a fixed accelerated finish.
- JD/MPH with the School of Public Health is a four-year full-time program, with separate admissions and up to nine approved law credits toward the 42-credit MPH. The MPH Fast Track is different: a 12-month, three-semester MPH for people who already hold a JD, not a shortcut through law school.
9. Memphis Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)
Memphis 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): 10.6%
- Federal clerkships: 2.1%
- Public service (including government): 22.3%
Tennessee accounts for most reported placements, so Memphis makes the clearest employment case for applicants interested in that market. Large-firm jobs and federal clerkships are possible but are not the typical result. Public service represents a meaningful share of the class. Choose a debt level that works for the practice you are likely to pursue, not only your most optimistic outcome.
10. Memphis Law Areas of Study and Specializations
Health law: The Health Law certificate combines substantive study, writing, and practical work. Memphis CHiLD, the medical-legal partnership involving Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, connects civil legal problems to children’s health. This gives applicants with health-care experience a specific way to explain their interest.
Business law: The Business Law certificate offers an advised course of study, with Danielle Copes serving as the faculty contact. Commercial coursework and the Fogelman JD/MBA can support a business-facing plan.
Advocacy: The Advocacy certificate and Moot Court activities complement supervised representation and courtroom placements. Applicants can connect an interest in litigation to the habits the work demands: investigation, preparation, clear writing, and judgment under pressure.
Technology and AI: The Institute for Data, AI & Law, or DIAL, focuses on emerging technology, data governance, and legal research. Its AI Week programming gives students a forum for examining concrete regulatory problems. Treat it as a research and programming opportunity, not an automatic technology credential.
Public interest: The Public Interest Law certificate fits students interested in sustained service. Neighborhood Preservation, disability-rights work, and public-interest placements make that interest practical.
11. Memphis Law Clinics and Experiential Learning
Memphis requires at least six experiential credits, including a clinic or externship. The James S. Gilliland Legal Clinic is the umbrella for five named in-house clinics:
- Disability Rights Law Clinic: Students work on disability discrimination, educational access, accommodations, and community-based services.
- Expungement and Restoration of Rights Clinic: Students assist with eligible criminal-record relief and related barriers to employment and opportunity.
- Mediation Clinic: Students receive Rule 31 training and observe or co-mediate Shelby County General Sessions disputes with qualified mediators.
- Medical-Legal Partnership Clinic: Through Memphis CHiLD, students address civil legal problems affecting low-income children and families connected to Le Bonheur.
- Neighborhood Preservation Clinic: Students investigate and litigate vacant-property and nuisance matters, including work in Shelby County Environmental Court.
Clinic students take responsibility for client work under supervision; initial training prepares them for the practice rules and case responsibilities. Not every clinic is a courtroom experience, so match the work to the skills you want to develop.
Pro Bono and Experiential Learning
Externship hosts include the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Shelby County Public Defender, U.S. Attorney’s Office, and Memphis Area Legal Services. Externship students perform supervised legal work while taking a faculty-led seminar.
12. Memphis Law Notable Faculty and Journals
Faculty
- Lynda Wray Black, Bredesen Professor of Law, teaches and writes in sports and commercial law. Her role as the university’s NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative connects those interests to the governance of college athletics.
- Daniel Kiel, FedEx Professor of Law and Director of Faculty Development, studies education and civil rights. He directed The Memphis 13, documenting the children who desegregated the city’s public schools.
- Katy Ramsey Mason, Associate Professor of Law and Director of Experiential Learning, directs the Medical-Legal Partnership Clinic. Her housing and public-benefits work connects legal representation to family stability and health.
- John Newman, Herbert Herff Chair of Excellence and Professor of Law, focuses on antitrust and digital markets. He previously served as deputy director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition and as a DOJ antitrust trial attorney.
Journals
- University of Memphis Law Review: The school’s student-edited scholarly journal. Its editing, research, and symposium work offer a different kind of professional training from clinics: careful engagement with legal arguments and their sources.
13. Memphis Law Culture and Student Life
Memphis Law occupies the historic downtown federal courthouse overlooking the Mississippi River. That setting places students near the legal institutions and neighborhoods involved in their coursework, rather than on the university’s main campus. For applicants, the useful question is how that proximity would shape their own routine.
First-generation programming, the Student Bar Association, advocacy activities, and public-service work provide ways to find a community. You can contribute through research, organization, or dependable client service, not only a formal leadership title. A credible application names the kind of participation that fits your actual interests.
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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 Memphis 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.