University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento offers full-time and hybrid JD programs. Its strengths include capital lawyering, trial advocacy, water and environmental law, and international law, supported by client work and legislative clinics.
This guide walks you through how to get into McGeorge Law.
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1. McGeorge Law Admissions Numbers and Statistics
McGeorge Law Class of 2028:
- LSAT: 75th: 160 | Median: 156 | 25th: 153
- GPA: 75th: 3.73 | Median: 3.52 | 25th: 3.17
McGeorge Law Class of 2027:
- LSAT: 75th: 158 | Median: 155 | 25th: 152
- GPA: 75th: 3.77 | Median: 3.52 | 25th: 3.13
These figures combine full-time and part-time students entering in fall 2025 and fall 2024. The LSAT median rose one point, while the GPA median held steady. Class size barely changed, from 212 to 213. The newer full-time medians were 157 and 3.57; part-time medians were 154 and 3.21.
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. McGeorge Law Application Essays
Personal Statement (required)
McGeorge asks you to discuss a person or event that has influenced you. Submit one to three double-spaced pages, using 12-point type and one-inch margins, and place the prompt at the top.
For more on how to write a personal statement, see my Personal Statement Examples and Personal Statement Guide.
Why McGeorge Statement (optional)
The optional school-interest statement has a two-page maximum.
For more on how to write a Why X essay, see my Why X Essay Guide.
For more on making all of these essays work together, see my Cohesive Narrative Guide.
Addenda and Character & Fitness (if applicable)
A difference of five or more points between LSAT scores calls for an explanatory addendum.
I'll be publishing a guide to addenda and character and fitness.
3. McGeorge Law Resume Requirements
A resume is required; two pages are recommended, not a hard cap. Use reverse chronology and include employment, activities, accomplishments, dates, weekly hours, and summer work. Account for gaps so the chronology is clear.
For more on preparing your resume, see my Resume Examples and Resume Guide.
4. McGeorge Law Letters of Recommendation
Submit two letters of recommendation through CAS. McGeorge accepts a maximum of three letters in total.
For more on recommendations, see my LOR Guide (Applicants) and LOR Guide (Writers).
5. McGeorge Law Interview Process
McGeorge does not conduct formal interviews for ordinary JD admission; the separate Accelerated Honors process includes an interview.
6. McGeorge Law Deadlines and Decision Options
Testing Policy
McGeorge accepts the LSAT, GRE, or JD-Next. The GRE and JD-Next alternatives are available only without an active, valid LSAT score. If you're considering the GRE, read my LSAT vs. GRE guide before deciding.
Application Dates and Fees
- Fall 2027 application opens: September 1, 2026.
- Priority deadline: February 1, 2027.
- Final deadline: June 1, 2027.
- Last accepted LSAT or GRE: June 2027.
- Last accepted JD-Next administration: May 2027.
- Application fee: None.
- Early decision: No binding early-decision option.
A future test date keeps the file incomplete until the score arrives. Build your application schedule around the complete file, not just the submission date. The final application deadline and last accepted test administration are separate parts of that schedule.
Program Formats
The full-time JD takes three years; the hybrid JD takes four. Choose the format that fits your responsibilities and ability to participate in classes and practical training.
Eligible Pacific undergraduates have a separate Pacific Legal Advantage route with an LSAT waiver. Taking the LSAT before matriculation ends eligibility for that waiver and moves the applicant into the regular admissions process. That consequence matters before registering for the test.
7. McGeorge Law Scholarships and Financial Aid
Merit Scholarships
Scholarship terms deserve close attention at McGeorge. Its 2025 ABA report shows that 43 of 128 students who entered with conditional scholarships in 2024-2025 had those awards reduced or eliminated. The reported median grant for full-time recipients was $30,426, compared with $13,352 for part-time recipients.
Cost of Attendance
For 2026-2027, published fall-and-spring tuition is $64,558 for the full-time JD and $42,878 for the hybrid JD. Hybrid students also take two to five summer units with additional tuition. Living expenses and other charges sit on top of those amounts.
Compare the total degree cost, not simply the first-year award. Read the GPA or ranking condition, the number of covered terms, and the treatment of summer study before deciding how much of an award belongs in your budget.
For more on scholarship strategy, see How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships.
8. McGeorge Law Joint Degree Programs
McGeorge offers an established combined public-policy degree:
- JD/Master of Public Policy: Both degrees are through McGeorge, normally four years full time or five years in the evening sequence. The combined curriculum requires 112 units instead of 127 for the degrees separately.
Students must be admitted separately and spend the first year in law courses. The pairing connects legal analysis with policy design and implementation. Other master's combinations, including public administration, require an individually approved proposal rather than admission to the established JD/MPP pathway.
9. McGeorge Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)
McGeorge Class of 2025 employment outcomes (reported to the ABA, measured 10 months after graduation):
- Full-time, long-term bar-passage-required employment (ABA): 68.9%
- BigLaw (firms with 101+ attorneys): 10.1%
- Federal clerkships: 1.4%
- Public service (including government): 23.6%
California was overwhelmingly the largest employment destination, followed by Nevada and Washington. Government, public-interest organizations, and smaller firms are important parts of the placement picture. McGeorge makes the most sense when your application and financial plan connect to a realistic practice goal in that market. Sacramento access is useful when you turn it into relevant coursework, supervised experience, and professional relationships.
10. McGeorge Law Areas of Study and Specializations
Capital lawyering: The Capital Center for Law and Policy connects study of California lawmaking with the Legislative and Public Policy Clinic. Students can develop policy proposals, draft legislation, and learn how legal analysis operates within an actual legislative process.
Water and environmental law: The concentration combines Water Resources Law, Administrative Law, Environmental Law, electives, and a capstone. Jennifer Harder and Rachael Salcido co-direct the program, with offerings that connect resource allocation, regulation, land use, and environmental protection.
Trial and appellate advocacy: The concentration builds on Evidence and legal writing with Trial Advocacy, Evidence Skills, and clinic or externship work. Students develop courtroom and written-advocacy skills through courses and supervised practice rather than relying on a single competition experience.
International law: The Global Center for Business and Development supports international study, including international arbitration and negotiation. McGeorge's concentration and international-law faculty give students a way to connect cross-border interests with specific legal methods, institutions, and practice problems.
11. McGeorge Law Clinics and Experiential Learning
Clinics
McGeorge requires 11 experiential units, including two capstone experiences and a clinic or externship component.
- Legislative and Public Policy Clinic: Work with clients to identify legislative needs, draft proposals, prepare bill analyses, negotiate, and participate in public hearings.
- Federal Defender Clinic: Represent indigent clients in federal misdemeanor proceedings under attorney supervision, including plea negotiations, motions, hearings, and trials.
- Homeless Advocacy Clinic: Address civil barriers facing formerly incarcerated people experiencing homelessness, including benefits, record clearance, traffic obligations, and child support.
- Elder and Health Law Clinic: Interview clients, draft documents, and handle issues involving elder abuse, housing, benefits, consumer problems, and advance planning through medical-legal partnerships.
- Immigration Clinic: Prepare humanitarian immigration matters involving asylum, juvenile status, crime-victim protections, and removal defense, with substantial client interviewing and case preparation.
- Bankruptcy Clinic: Work with debtors and creditors in Eastern District of California bankruptcy matters, including case assessment, negotiation, and adversary proceedings.
- Prisoner Civil Rights Mediation Clinic: Participate in mediation of incarcerated plaintiffs' civil-rights cases, working through difficult disputes involving federal judges and counsel.
Pro Bono and Experiential Learning
Approved field placements provide another route into supervised practice. Match the placement, clinic prerequisites, and daytime responsibilities to your course schedule. The hybrid format does not remove the real-time demands of client work or court proceedings.
12. McGeorge Law Notable Faculty and Journals
Faculty
- Leslie Gielow Jacobs, the Justice Anthony M. Kennedy Professor of Law, directs the Capital Center for Law and Policy. Her constitutional-law work connects to McGeorge's focus on government and public decision-making.
- Jennifer Harder, Professor of Law, Legal Practice, co-directs the Water and Environmental Law Concentration. A former practicing water lawyer, she coauthored the Public Policy Institute of California report A Path Forward for California's Freshwater Ecosystems.
- Ederlina Co, Professor of Law, Legal Practice, works in legal writing and dispute resolution and leads the Prisoner Civil Rights Mediation Clinic. Her teaching brings students into federal civil-rights mediations.
- Stephen McCaffrey, the Carol Olson Endowed Professor of International Law, is a leading scholar of international water law and recipient of the Stockholm Water Prize.
Journals
- University of the Pacific Law Review: Student-edited scholarship, including California legislative review work.
- California Initiative Review: A Capital Center publication analyzing ballot initiatives.
13. McGeorge Law Culture and Student Life
McGeorge's Sacramento campus gives law-school life a different setting from Pacific's Stockton undergraduate campus. State government and the federal courts are part of the surrounding professional environment. Applicants interested in public service can connect that setting to concrete coursework and client work rather than treating the city as a generic location benefit.
Full-time and part-time students bring different schedules and experiences to the community. Clinics, advocacy courses, and publication work provide smaller settings for sustained collaboration. Choose activities that deepen your interests and fit the time you can realistically commit.
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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 McGeorge 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.
