The University of Oregon School of Law in Eugene offers programs in environmental law, dispute resolution, business law, and public service. Clinical work includes business representation, domestic violence matters, criminal cases, and nonprofit governance.
This guide walks you through how to get into Oregon Law.
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1. Oregon Law Admissions Numbers and Statistics
Oregon Law Class of 2028:
- LSAT: 75th: 162 | Median: 160 | 25th: 157
- GPA: 75th: 3.79 | Median: 3.62 | 25th: 3.32
Oregon Law Class of 2027:
- LSAT: 75th: 161 | Median: 159 | 25th: 155
- GPA: 75th: 3.76 | Median: 3.56 | 25th: 3.35
From fall 2024 to fall 2025, enrollment rose from 174 to 186. The LSAT median rose from 159 to 160, and the quartile range shifted from 155-161 to 157-162. The GPA median rose from 3.56 to 3.62, with its quartile range shifting from 3.35-3.76 to 3.32-3.79.
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. Oregon Law Application Essays
Personal Statement (required)
The school's instructions:
“You must submit a sample of your writing in the form of a personal statement which shares something about yourself and your goals for pursuing a law degree. You could describe an event, achievement, adversity you have overcome, personal circumstance, experience, or any part of your story that offers insight into your aspirations for the future.”
For more on how to write a personal statement, see my Personal Statement Examples and Personal Statement Guide.
Why Oregon Law Statement (required)
The school's instructions:
“You must submit a short essay explaining why, specifically, you would like to pursue your legal education at the University of Oregon.”
For more on how to write a Why X essay, see my Why X Essay Guide.
Equity and Inclusion Statement (optional)
The school's instructions:
“You may choose to submit a statement describing how you can contribute to a learning community that works towards addressing systemic inequities thoughtfully, works with differing perspectives, and holds firm to a shared belief that we can learn from each other.”
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 Resources
I'll be publishing a guide to addenda and character and fitness.
3. Oregon Law Resume Requirements
A resume is required. Include education, work, service, leadership, and sustained commitments with clear dates. Describe your responsibilities and the scope of your work, not just the organization or job title. Let the resume establish the record behind your essays.
For more on preparing your resume, see my Resume Examples and Resume Guide.
4. Oregon Law Letters of Recommendation
Oregon requires at least two letters of recommendation. Choose writers who can give specific examples of your analysis, writing, reliability, and judgment. An academic recommender who knows your work is more useful than a prominent person who barely knows you.
For more on recommendations, see my LOR Guide (Applicants) and LOR Guide (Writers).
5. Oregon Law Interview Process
Make your written application stand on its own. For admissions conversations, prepare a clear explanation of why law and why Oregon, and ask focused questions about the opportunities relevant to your goals. Do not turn an information session into a recitation of your resume.
6. Oregon Law Deadlines and Decision Options
Testing Policy
- LSAT validity: Scores from the past five years
Application Dates and Fees
- Applications open: September 1 in the annual admissions schedule
- Priority application deadline: March 1
- Later applications: Rolling review while space remains
- Application fee: None
Apply early with a complete file rather than treating remaining summer space as your plan.
Double Duck Scholars
Oregon's Double Duck Scholars route is limited to qualifying University of Oregon graduates: the bachelor's degree must fall within twelve months before law enrollment, the undergraduate GPA must be at least 3.50, and the applicant must have an SAT or ACT score at or above the 85th percentile earned before starting at Oregon. A valid LSAT score on file with LSAC makes an applicant ineligible for the program; Oregon may withdraw the application or admission offer. Applicants must contact admissions before applying or registering with LSAC.
7. Oregon Law Scholarships and Financial Aid
All JD applicants receive automatic consideration for merit-based tuition scholarships. An award's amount and conditions appear in the acceptance letter. Read those conditions alongside the total cost, and distinguish ordinary academic standing from any additional obligations attached to an award.
The Oregon Law 1L Scholars Program pairs selected entering students with professors or program directors for research, events, and related work. It provides a modest tuition stipend, with a March 1 priority application deadline. Rising second- and third-year students can also apply for donor-funded scholarships. Oregon encourages FAFSA submission by March 1 each year for financial-aid consideration.
For 2026-2027, estimated tuition and fees are $50,076 for residents and $62,330 for nonresidents. The corresponding annual attendance budgets are $71,916 and $85,200 before the additional entering-student computer, matriculation, and event allowances. Budget beyond tuition. Oregon's Loan Repayment Assistance Program provides qualifying public-interest graduates with forgivable loans for up to three years.
For more on scholarship strategy, see How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships.
8. Oregon Law Joint and Dual Degree Programs
Oregon's concurrent degree programs combine the JD with a master's degree in four years rather than five:
- JD/MBA in Business.
- JD/MCRP in Community and Regional Planning.
- JD/MA or MS in Environmental Studies.
- JD/MA in International Studies.
- JD/MA or MS in Media Studies.
- JD/MNM in Nonprofit Management.
- JD/MPA in Public Administration.
- JD/MS in Water Resources Policy and Management.
The planning, environmental, and water-resources combinations complement Oregon's Environmental and Natural Resources Law Center. The nonprofit and public-administration combinations connect with the Public Service and Policy Program.
9. Oregon Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)
Oregon 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): 82.4%
- BigLaw (firms with 101+ attorneys): 7.0%
- Federal clerkships: 2.1%
- Public service (including government): 21.1%
Oregon was the largest employment destination, followed by California and Washington. These results support treating Oregon Law primarily as a regional option rather than assuming that every geographic market will be equally accessible. The federal-clerkship and large-firm figures also call for a realistic plan if either is your central goal. Build relevant experience and compare the cost of attendance with the range of jobs you would be willing to pursue.
10. Oregon Law Areas of Study and Specializations
Environmental and Natural Resources Law: The Environmental and Natural Resources Law Center combines coursework, research, and practical opportunities. Concentrations include environmental and natural resources law and ocean and coastal law. Students can connect questions about land, water, and regulation with a particular research or practice interest.
Appropriate Dispute Resolution: The Appropriate Dispute Resolution Center connects the concentration with negotiation and practical problem-solving across practice areas. Use it to develop a concrete interest in how lawyers resolve conflicts or structure agreements, whether your focus is business, family matters, criminal justice, or environmental disputes.
Business Law: Business offerings include transactional business law, tax, intellectual property, estate planning, green business, and startups. The Business Law Clinic provides a practical connection through entity formation and contracts.
Family, Child Advocacy, and Elder Law: Family and child-advocacy concentrations connect classroom study with clinics and field placements. Subjects include custody, adoption, domestic violence, and estate planning. The Civil Justice Clinic provides one way to connect these interests with the needs of people seeking civil legal assistance.
11. Oregon Law Clinics and Experiential Learning
Clinics
- Business Law Clinic: Students work with business clients on formation, contracts, and applicable legal requirements. They handle client meetings and explain their completed work under supervision, building transactional skills rather than observing a lawyer from the sidelines.
- Civil Justice Clinic: Also identified as the Domestic Violence Clinic, it provides civil legal services to low-income survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Students develop client-service and lawyering skills; an advanced clinic provides further clinical study.
- Criminal Defense Clinic: Students work with public-defense offices in Eugene, interviewing clients and witnesses, investigating facts, and assisting with misdemeanor cases in circuit court. An advanced version offers continued work in criminal defense.
- Criminal Prosecution Clinic: Based at the Lane County District Attorney's Office, students prepare and try minor criminal cases under attorney supervision and assist senior prosecutors with felony matters. The work connects preparation with courtroom responsibility.
- Nonprofit Community Legal Clinic: Students represent existing nonprofit organizations on transactional matters. Work includes bylaws, board policies, contracts, leases, and operational policies. Students manage communications and meetings, research questions, and draft documents under the clinic director's supervision.
- Nonprofit Governance Clinic: Interdisciplinary teams assess nonprofit boards, review governance systems, interview board members and executive directors, and prepare assessment reports. This is distinct from the separate clinic's transactional representation and focuses on organizational governance and recommendations.
Pro Bono and Experiential Learning
Students who complete fifty pro bono hours receive an honors certificate at graduation. Opportunities include Legal Aid Services of Oregon, Oregon Law Center, Eugene Community Court, and Wills for the Underserved. Externships offer credit-bearing work in judicial, environmental, criminal-justice, in-house-counsel, government, and public-interest settings, with both field and faculty supervision.
12. Oregon Law Notable Faculty and Journals
Faculty
- Adell Amos, Clayton R. Hess Professor of Law, works on water and natural-resources law. Her interdisciplinary research has appeared in publications including Nature Sustainability and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, connecting legal questions with water-management research.
- Kristen Bell, Associate Professor and Faculty Director of the Public Service and Policy Program, studies sentencing and parole using legal, philosophical, and empirical methods. She is a Hollis Teaching Award recipient and teaches in the university's prison-education setting.
- Rebekah Hanley, Bernard B. Kliks Professor of Law, teaches legal research and writing and works on artificial intelligence in legal education. Her 2026-2027 endowed appointment recognizes work that includes teaching, scholarship, and legal-education policy development.
- Eric Priest, James L. and Ilene R. Hershner Professor of Jurisprudence, studies copyright, intellectual property, and creative industries in the United States and China. He participates in the US-China IP Cooperation Dialogue and teaches within the business-law program.
Journals
- Oregon Law Review: Articles on theoretical and practical legal issues of state, national and international significance.
- Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation: Scholarship on environmental and natural resources law, including renewable energy and environmental justice.
- Oregon Review of International Law: Articles by academics and practitioners on current international law and policy issues.
13. Oregon Law Culture and Student Life
At the Eugene campus, Oregon's student organizations connect professional interests with shared activities. The Child and Family Law Association hosts panels and networking events, while the Criminal Defense Association connects students with practitioners. Disc-trict Court brings classmates together for ultimate frisbee, alongside affinity organizations, journals, and service projects.
Eugene also supplies settings for practical legal work. The Lane County District Attorney's Office and local public-defense offices participate in clinical training, while Eugene Community Court is among the pro bono opportunities. These relationships connect the campus with the Oregon legal market that employs the largest share of the school's graduates.
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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 Oregon 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.