The University of Miami School of Law is based on the university's Coral Gables campus. Its strengths include international arbitration, environmental law, business, and technology, supported by clinical representation.
This guide walks you through how to get into Miami Law.
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1. Miami Law Admissions Numbers and Statistics
Miami Law Class of 2029:
- LSAT: Median: 165
- GPA: Median: 3.82
Miami Law Class of 2028:
- LSAT: 75th: 165 | Median: 164 | 25th: 160
- GPA: 75th: 3.88 | Median: 3.79 | 25th: 3.58
The fall 2026 entering class has 306 students and medians of 165 and 3.82, up one LSAT point and 0.03 GPA from fall 2025. The fall 2025 entering class had 313 students. Miami's upward movement makes a strong written application particularly important when your numbers sit near the middle of the class.
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. Miami Law Application Essays
Personal Statement (required)
Miami requires a personal statement of at least 500 words and no more than two double-spaced pages. Address your accomplishments or life experiences and your interest in the legal profession.
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 Resources
I'll be publishing a guide to addenda and character and fitness.
3. Miami Law Resume Requirements
Miami requires a resume covering your education, work, activities, and service. Use a clear chronology and concrete descriptions of your responsibilities and accomplishments.
For more on preparing your resume, see my Resume Examples and Resume Guide.
4. Miami Law Letters of Recommendation
Miami requires two letters of recommendation and accepts up to four through LSAC. Two must arrive before the application is complete.
For more on recommendations, see my LOR Guide (Applicants) and LOR Guide (Writers).
5. Miami Law Application Review
Miami reviews the written application and required recommendations together.
6. Miami Law Deadlines and Early Decision
Testing Policy
Miami accepts the LSAT, GRE, or JD-Next. Scores must be from after June 2022, and all reportable assessments must be submitted.
If you're considering the GRE, read my LSAT vs. GRE guide before deciding.
Application Dates and Fees
- Applications Open: September 1, 2026, for fall 2027 entry.
- Binding Early Decision Deadline: November 2, 2026, including the signed agreement.
- Early Decision Notification: Admission and scholarship notification by November 23, 2026.
- Admission and Scholarship Priority Deadline: December 15, 2026.
- Final Application Deadline: July 15, 2027.
- Application Fee: $60.
Early Decision
Miami's Early Decision route is binding. It belongs on your list only when Miami is your first choice and you are prepared to give up comparison shopping. The school provides scholarship information with the early decision, an important distinction from programs that bind you before their ordinary award process. Regular applications receive rolling review, so the final July deadline is not the only date that matters.
For a full breakdown of early decision strategy, see Should You Apply Early Decision to Law School?
7. Miami Law Scholarships and Financial Aid
Tuition and Fees
For 2026-2027, tuition is $69,720 for two semesters at the standard 11–17-credit load. Mandatory JD fees total $2,534 for fall and spring. Health insurance, housing, food, transportation, and books are additional expenses, not part of that tuition-and-fee subtotal.
Merit Scholarships
Miami automatically considers applicants for merit awards. Most scholarship decisions are made from January through April, with consideration continuing until funds are exhausted. The 2025 ABA disclosure reports no academic scholarship conditions beyond good standing for the reported scholarship cohort. Distinguish an award's annual value from its total value across the degree when comparing Miami with another offer.
For more on scholarship strategy, see How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships.
8. Miami Law Joint Degree Programs
Miami offers joint study across the university, including:
- JD/MBA with Miami Herbert Business School, with a three-year sample plan beginning MBA study after 1L; JD/MS in Accountancy and JD/MHA also connect law with business training.
- JD/MA in Communication Studies, Journalism, or Public Relations with the School of Communication; Live Entertainment Management or Music Industry with the Frost School of Music.
- JD/MA in Latin American Studies and JD/MPA through Arts and Sciences; JD/MD and JD/MPH with medical and public-health study.
- JD/MPS in Marine Ecosystems and Society and JD/PhD in Environmental Science and Policy with the Rosenstiel School.
- JD/LLM options in International Arbitration; Entertainment, Arts and Sport Law; Estate Planning; International Law; Real Property Development; Taxation; and Maritime Law. MBA combinations also exist with the Estate Planning, Real Property Development, and Taxation LLMs.
JD/MBA applicants apply separately to both schools and must satisfy both schools' standards.
9. Miami Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)
Miami Class of 2025 employment outcomes (reported to the ABA, measured 10 months after graduation):
- Full-time, long-term bar-passage-required employment (ABA): 83.3%
- BigLaw (firms with 101+ attorneys): 32.9%
- Federal clerkships: 0.3%
- Public service (including government): 13.3%
Florida is Miami's dominant employment market. The large-firm share is meaningful, but the school also serves applicants pursuing the region's smaller firms and other legal employers. Build your school choice around the market and practice you actually want, rather than assuming the international curriculum means most graduates leave Florida.
10. Miami Law Areas of Study and Specializations
International Arbitration: The International Arbitration LLM and JD/LLM create a substantial route into cross-border dispute study. Miami's international curriculum is a concrete reason to consider the school when your interests involve commercial relationships across jurisdictions, rather than merely practicing in a city with international clients.
Business and Technology: The Business of Innovation, Law and Technology concentration combines business-law study with questions surrounding new ventures and technology. The Startup Clinic adds work for entrepreneurs, including company formation, financing, intellectual property, and the legal risks of developing a business.
Environmental Law: The Environmental Law concentration connects regulatory study with the Environmental Justice Clinic's community-based practice. Students can approach climate change, pollution, land use, and unequal environmental burdens through both legal doctrine and work involving affected communities.
Immigration and Human Rights: The Immigration Clinic represents noncitizens in removal and related litigation, while the Human Rights Clinic works across local, national, and international institutions. These are distinct approaches to advocacy, with different clients, forums, and forms of legal work.
Entertainment and Sports: The Entertainment, Arts and Sport Law LLM and JD/LLM provide a specialized route beyond scattered electives. Miami also offers joint degrees with the Frost School of Music, connecting legal study with the business and management of entertainment.
11. Miami Law Clinics and Experiential Learning
Miami's clinics put students into supervised work involving clients, organizations, and legal institutions.
- Environmental Justice Clinic: Students interview, investigate, counsel, and develop litigation or policy work for communities facing environmental and civil-rights harms.
- Human Rights Clinic: Students research and advocate through institutions including the United Nations and Inter-American human-rights system.
- Immigration Clinic: Students assist indigent noncitizens in removal proceedings and related federal litigation.
- Innocence Clinic: Students investigate wrongful-conviction claims and work on post-conviction representation.
- Bankruptcy Clinic: Students work with practitioner mentors on Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 matters, including debtors' discharge issues.
- Startup Clinic: Students counsel entrepreneurs on formation, financing, talent, intellectual property, and regulatory concerns.
Pro Bono and Experiential Learning
The HOPE Public Interest Resource Center supports public-interest engagement and summer fellowships. Miami recognizes students who complete 75 pro bono hours; that recognition is not a mandatory graduation requirement. The Human Rights Clinic's advocacy before international bodies and the Bankruptcy Clinic's work in federal bankruptcy practice illustrate how different the school's experiential routes can be. Choose the kind of lawyering that matches your interests, not simply the most recognizable clinic name.
12. Miami Law Notable Faculty and Journals
Faculty
- A. Michael Froomkin: Laurie Silvers and Mitchell Rubenstein Distinguished Professor of Law. His work addresses technology, privacy, and Internet governance; he founded Jotwell and co-founded the We Robot conference.
- Caroline Bradley: Professor of Law. She studies financial regulation and European law, with scholarship addressing systemic risk and the legal trajectory from the European single market to Brexit.
- Rebecca A. Sharpless: Professor of Law and founding director of the Immigration Clinic. She writes on immigration enforcement and authored Shackled: 92 Refugees Imprisoned on ICE Air.
- Jessica Owley: Professor of Law and faculty director of the Environmental Law Program. Her work concerns land conservation, property, and climate change; she received the Morrison Prize for environmental-law scholarship.
Journals
- University of Miami Law Review: Student-run scholarship across all areas of law.
- Inter-American Law Review: Scholarship on international and inter-American legal developments.
- International and Comparative Law Review: Articles by scholars and practitioners on private and public international law.
- Business Law Review: Articles and student notes on legal issues related to business.
- Race & Social Justice Law Review: Scholarship on legal, social, economic and psychological issues affecting communities of color.
13. Miami Law Culture and Student Life
Miami's 306-student fall 2026 entering class joins a law school on the main Coral Gables campus rather than an isolated downtown building. Journals, clinics, and the Human Rights Society provide smaller working communities within that larger university setting.
The surrounding legal market matters more than the scenery. South Florida is the center of gravity for Miami's graduate employment, and its businesses, immigration matters, and cross-border relationships connect to several of the school's strongest programs. Housing and transportation belong in the same decision as tuition and scholarship aid.
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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 Miami 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.
