The University of Richmond School of Law in Richmond, Virginia, offers a small, full-time JD program. Its offerings include intellectual property, business law, family law, environmental law, and criminal advocacy, with clinics and externships providing client work.
This guide walks you through how to get into Richmond Law.
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1. Richmond Law Admissions Numbers and Statistics
Richmond Law Class of 2029:
- LSAT: 75th: 166 | Median: 165 | 25th: 160
- GPA: 75th: 3.88 | Median: 3.81 | 25th: 3.52
Richmond Law Class of 2028:
- LSAT: 75th: 167 | Median: 164 | 25th: 159
- GPA: 75th: 3.92 | Median: 3.81 | 25th: 3.66
From fall 2025 to fall 2026, Richmond's LSAT median rose one point while its GPA median held at 3.81. The entering class decreased from 146 to 138 students. The LSAT's lower quartile increased, but both outer GPA quartiles declined. That combination leaves room for different academic profiles around a stable GPA midpoint.
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. Richmond Law Application Essays
Personal Statement (required)
The school's instructions:
“The personal statement must not exceed a maximum of three (3) typed pages, double-spaced. A strong personal statement will discuss why the applicant is interested in pursuing a legal career or what your anticipated career goals & interests are at this time. We encourage you to provide information about yourself not otherwise found in your application and distinct from any other written statements or addenda to be submitted as part of this application (see below).”
Use a title or header on each written submission.
For more on how to write a personal statement, see my Personal Statement Examples and Personal Statement Guide.
Supplemental Statement (optional)
The school's instructions:
“We encourage applicants to submit an optional statement discussing how the significant life experiences, challenges, or perspectives that have shaped you as a person have influenced your alignment with the mission and values of Richmond Law. This statement is not required, and no applicant will be penalized for choosing not to submit one.”
For more on how to write a Why X essay, see my Why X Essay Guide.
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)
Richmond requires an individual addendum for each affirmative character-and-fitness response and an explanation for LSAT scores differing by more than eight points. GRE-only applicants must briefly explain that test choice.
I'll be publishing a guide to addenda and character and fitness.
3. Richmond Law Resume Requirements
A chronological resume is required and need not be limited to one page. Include education, employment, achievements, publications, leadership, community service, and activities. Give substantial work its space instead of shrinking the text to force everything onto one page.
For more on preparing your resume, see my Resume Examples and Resume Guide.
4. Richmond Law Letters of Recommendation
Richmond requires two letters of recommendation and accepts up to three. Academic recommendations are encouraged unless you completed your undergraduate degree at least two years before applying; professional recommendations are acceptable.
For more on recommendations, see my LOR Guide (Applicants) and LOR Guide (Writers).
5. Richmond Law Interview Process
Applicants can request a one-on-one admissions conversation on campus or over Zoom. Richmond also offers registered campus visits and a three-part Strategy Bootcamp. Use the conversation for specific questions about the program and your interests.
6. Richmond Law Deadlines and Early Decision
Testing Policy
Richmond accepts the LSAT or the GRE, but GRE-only review requires no reportable LSAT score. A later LSAT score will cause a GRE-based admission file to be reevaluated, potentially affecting admission or aid.
If you're considering the GRE, read my LSAT vs. GRE guide before deciding.
Application Dates and Fees
For fall 2027 entry:
- Applications Open for Submission: September 1, 2026.
- Binding Early Decision Deadline: December 1, 2026, with a complete file; decisions by year-end.
- Full Scholarship Consideration: February 1, 2027, recommended completion.
- Priority Application Deadline: March 1, 2027. Later review depends on space and funds; applications after July 1 may not be considered.
- Last Recommended First LSAT: February 2027.
- Decisions Begin: First week of November 2026, then rolling.
- Application Fee: None.
Early Decision
Early Decision commits you to Richmond regardless of the scholarship amount. Admitted applicants must withdraw other applications and submit no new ones. Merit consideration continues, but the decision means giving up competing offers. The JD is full-time, three years, with fall entry only.
For a full breakdown of early decision strategy, see Should You Apply Early Decision to Law School?
7. Richmond Law Scholarships and Financial Aid
Merit Scholarships
All applicants receive scholarship consideration, with awards up to full tuition. Scholarships renew for up to six semesters of full-time enrollment with satisfactory academic progress. They are not conditional on maintaining a separate competitive scholarship GPA or class rank; the awarded amount continues in the second and third years.
Need-Based Aid
Admissions contacts applicants eligible to apply for need-based scholarships. The FAFSA is required; Richmond's school code is 003744.
Cost of Attendance
For 2026-27, annual tuition is $59,900 and the estimated total cost of attendance is $85,100. Compare the remaining cost after grants, including living expenses.
Summer Public Service Fellowships
Richmond guarantees one fellowship during law school for qualifying unpaid legal work with a government agency, nonprofit, or the judiciary. The advertised award is $5,000, with pre- and post-employment requirements. That support makes a service-oriented summer more financially workable.
Bridge to Practice Fellowships
Selected graduates taking unpaid government or public-interest positions can receive $2,500 per month for up to four months.
For more on scholarship strategy, see How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships.
8. Richmond Law Joint Degree Programs
Richmond offers five dual degrees, with separate admission to each program:
- JD/MBA: University of Richmond's Robins School of Business; begin with the full first year of law. The MBA's two-year work-experience requirement is waived.
- JD/MHA: Virginia Commonwealth University's College of Health Professions, Department of Health Administration; minimum four years.
- JD/MPA: VCU's L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs; minimum four years.
- JD/MSW: VCU's School of Social Work; minimum four years.
- JD/MURP: VCU's L. Douglas Wilder School, in urban and regional planning; minimum four years.
Richmond can count 12 approved graduate credits toward the JD. VCU coursework completed before matriculating at Richmond does not count toward the law degree. The MHA and MURP combinations connect particularly directly to regulated industries and land-use practice.
9. Richmond Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)
Richmond Law Class of 2025 employment outcomes (reported to the ABA, measured 10 months after graduation):
- Full-time, long-term bar-passage-required employment (ABA): 88.0%
- BigLaw (firms with 101+ attorneys): 13.7%
- Federal clerkships: 2.6%
- Public service (including government): 18.8%
Virginia dominates Richmond's placement, with New York and Texas the next reported destinations. The large-firm percentage captures only one part of the school's employment picture: smaller firms, state judicial clerkships, and public-service work are substantial routes. Richmond makes the most sense when that Virginia-centered range of outcomes matches the practice you want to build.
10. Richmond Law Areas of Study and Specializations
Intellectual Property: The Intellectual Property Institute anchors coursework and a certificate of concentration. The Intellectual Property and Transactional Law Clinic adds work for creators and businesses, connecting legal protection to the practical decisions clients make about their ideas and organizations.
Business Law: The Richmond Law & Business Forum brings practitioners into career discussions, small-group dinners, and mentoring. Pair those conversations with corporate coursework or the International Business Practice course, where law and MBA students develop strategies for Virginia businesses entering foreign markets.
Family Law: The Family Law certificate and Jeanette Lipman Children's Defense Clinic connect family relationships with court practice. Students can explore custody, child welfare, and the legal needs of young people rather than treating family law as a single elective.
Environmental Law: The Robert R. Merhige, Jr. Center for Environmental Studies connects scholarship, events, and professional relationships. Environmental summer placements have included the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, giving students concrete ways to investigate public-sector and nonprofit work.
Criminal Advocacy: The Institute for Actual Innocence and Children's Defense Clinic approach criminal practice from different stages of a case. Students can develop evidence, sentencing, and client-representation skills through wrongful-conviction investigations or direct advocacy for young people facing delinquency proceedings.
11. Richmond Law Clinics and Experiential Learning
Richmond operates four in-house clinics for upper-level students:
- Institute for Actual Innocence: Students investigate felony convictions, interview clients and experts, analyze court records, and develop post-conviction litigation. Work can include DNA-testing motions, briefs, and federal clemency petitions under Mary Kelly Tate's supervision.
- Jeanette Lipman Children's Defense Clinic: Students represent young clients in delinquency, custody, education, and related matters, prepare motions and sentencing materials, and participate in hearings. Court appearances require a third-year practice certificate; second-year students have other advocacy roles.
- Intellectual Property and Transactional Law Clinic: Students advise startups, small businesses, nonprofits, and creators on entity formation, contracts, trademarks, and copyrights. Client interviewing, negotiation, and drafting are central to the work.
- Access to Justice Clinic: Students represent clients with limited incomes in housing, benefits, family, and education matters. Cases can involve eviction defense, benefit-denial appeals, and custody, before courts and administrative agencies.
Pro Bono and Experiential Learning
The Harry L. Carrico Center for Pro Bono & Public Service connects students with community service and legal-service projects. The Housing Law Practicum includes at least 30 hours with Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia or the Virginia Poverty Law Center.
The fall D.C. Externship Program combines 500 hours of supervised legal work with a weekly seminar. Past placements include the Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Energy, and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Richmond's 87-credit JD normally counts up to 12 clinic and placement credits, or 19 for D.C. Externship participants.
12. Richmond Law Notable Faculty and Journals
Faculty
- Jessica M. Erickson: George E. Allen Chair in Law and director of the Richmond Law & Business Forum. Her work addresses corporate governance and securities litigation; two of her 2024 articles received recognition among leading corporate and securities scholarship.
- James Gibson: Sesquicentennial Professor of Law and director of the Intellectual Property Institute. His fields include copyright, trademarks, technology, and professional responsibility; he also co-directs the University of Cambridge Summer Program.
- Mary Kelly Tate: Professor of Law, Legal Practice, and founding director of the Institute for Actual Innocence. Her work focuses on wrongful convictions, post-conviction remedies, and the investigation and litigation of innocence claims.
- Danielle Stokes: Associate Professor of Law and director of the Merhige Center. Her teaching and scholarship connect property, environmental law, and land use and zoning.
Journals
- University of Richmond Law Review: The flagship, including an Annual Survey issue. It publishes articles on current legal questions.
- Richmond Journal of Law and Technology: An exclusively online journal founded in 1995. It publishes scholarship at the intersection of law and technology.
- Richmond Public Interest Law Review: Scholarship on public policy, social welfare, and public-interest law.
13. Richmond Law Culture and Student Life
Richmond's Class of 2029 has 138 students, and the school offers more than 35 student organizations. The Law & Business Forum's mentoring and practitioner dinners create smaller settings for professional relationships, while the Carrico Center organizes service connections. Students also have access to the university's Well-Being Center and counseling resources.
Virginia's capital gives that campus community a wider legal setting. The Housing Law Practicum connects students with organizations serving local residents; clinical cases bring them into courts and administrative agencies. The D.C. Externship Program offers a semester in a different market, while Virginia remains the center of Richmond's graduate employment.
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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 Richmond 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.
