How to Get Into Tulane Law (2026-2027 Guide)

Tulane University Law School is a private law school in New Orleans with a curriculum shaped by Louisiana's civil-law tradition. Its strengths include maritime, sports, environmental, and international and comparative law, alongside clinical representation and pro bono service.

This guide walks you through how to get into Tulane Law.

Jump to a section

Admissions numbers
Application essays
Resume
Recommendations
Interviews
Deadlines and testing
Scholarships and cost
Programs and curriculum
Employment outcomes
Areas of study
Clinics and experience
Faculty and journals
Student life

1. Tulane Law Admissions Numbers and Statistics

Tulane Law Class of 2029:

LSAT: 75th: 165 | Median: 164 | 25th: 159
GPA: 75th: 3.83 | Median: 3.75 | 25th: 3.53

Tulane Law Class of 2028:

LSAT: 75th: 164 | Median: 161 | 25th: 159
GPA: 75th: 3.81 | Median: 3.67 | 25th: 3.47

Between fall 2025 and fall 2026, Tulane's LSAT median rose from 161 to 164, while the GPA median increased from 3.67 to 3.75. The entering class became smaller, from 241 to 234 students. The LSAT lower quartile stayed at 159 even as the median and upper quartile moved upward.

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. Tulane Law Application Essays

Personal Statement (required)

Tulane reads application essays for insight into what matters to you and how you think.

For more on how to write a personal statement, see my Personal Statement Examples and Personal Statement Guide.

Background and Perspective (Admissions Review Factors)

Tulane's admissions FAQ emphasizes the value of work, family responsibilities, community involvement, and other experiences.

For more on how to write a diversity or perspective statement, see my Diversity Statement Examples and Diversity 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. Tulane Law Resume Requirements

Include a clear resume presenting education, employment, activities, and sustained responsibilities. Tulane considers meaningful work and depth of involvement, not just extracurricular titles. Describe accomplishments and commitments concretely, including work outside the legal field.

For more on preparing your resume, see my Resume Examples and Resume Guide.

4. Tulane Law Letters of Recommendation

Tulane encourages, but does not require, letters of recommendation; applicants may submit up to three. The school welcomes recommendations from professors, employers, and others familiar with your work.

For more on recommendations, see my LOR Guide (Applicants) and LOR Guide (Writers).

5. Tulane Law Interview Process

Tulane does not offer evaluative admissions interviews.

6. Tulane Law Deadlines and Decision Options

Testing Policy

The LSAT is required for first-year JD applicants. Tulane considers the highest reportable score. Applicants taking a later test can submit the application before the new score arrives.

Application Dates and Fees

Recommended Application Window: September 15 through March 1.
Processing Begins: October 15.
Review Begins: November 15.
Initial Decisions Begin: December 15.
Application Fee: $60, waived through Mardi Gras Day and automatically waived for applicants holding an LSAC need-based waiver.
Deferral Requests: Before June 1.

Tulane uses rolling review without a strict general application deadline. Later applications remain eligible while space is available. Send updated fall grades through CAS when available; Tulane identifies January updates as timely for consideration.

Individual one-year deferrals may be available for compelling circumstances. Limited two-year deferrals may be available for established service programs or military service. Those arrangements differ from simply postponing enrollment to continue comparing schools.

7. Tulane Law Scholarships and Financial Aid

Merit Scholarships

Tulane considers applicants for merit scholarships during admissions review and begins announcing awards with admission decisions in December. Available places and scholarship opportunities can become more limited later in the cycle. Its 2025 ABA disclosure reported grants for 87% of J.D. students in the preceding academic year and no academic-performance renewal conditions beyond good standing.

Cost of Attendance

For 2026-2027, annual tuition is $72,362 and tuition plus fees is $77,648. The full published student budget is $108,032, including the living and books allowance. Third-year students have an additional bar-related budget allowance.

A scholarship should be measured against that full budget, not tuition alone. Compare the annual award, renewal terms, living costs, and expected borrowing across your offers. Tulane's geographic reach makes it useful to compare both regional alternatives and schools in the market where you hope to work.

For more on scholarship strategy, see How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships.

8. Tulane Law Joint Degree Programs

Tulane offers five established joint-degree combinations:

JD/MBA, with the A.B. Freeman School of Business, in four years.
JD/Master of Accounting, also with Freeman, requiring specified accounting prerequisites rather than necessarily an undergraduate accounting degree.
JD/MHA, with the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, in four years.
JD/MSW, with the School of Social Work, in four years, beginning with social-work study.
JD/MA in Latin American Studies, with the Stone Center for Latin American Studies.

Applicants must satisfy both participating programs' admission requirements. Other combinations may be considered by petition.

9. Tulane Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)

Tulane Class of 2025 employment outcomes (reported to the ABA, measured 10 months after graduation):

Full-time, long-term bar-passage-required employment (ABA): 84.1%
BigLaw (firms with 101+ attorneys): 24.8%
Federal clerkships: 7.0%
Public service (including government): 23.4%

Louisiana was the largest employment destination, with New York and Texas tied next. Tulane's reach therefore extends beyond its home state, and its federal-clerkship placement is a distinct part of the picture. Large firms employ a meaningful share of graduates, while government and public-interest organizations form another substantial route. Match those patterns to your target market and practice setting. The value of the degree depends partly on whether you would be happy pursuing the opportunities that make up its broader placement, not just its most selective outcomes.

10. Tulane Law Areas of Study and Specializations

Admiralty and Maritime Law: The Tulane Maritime Law Center anchors a specialized curriculum shaped by shipping and international commerce. The maritime certificate and Tulane Maritime Law Journal offer ways to develop a sustained interest in the legal issues facing vessels, ports, and trade.

Energy and Environmental Law: Tulane connects environmental study with Louisiana's wetlands, industrial activity, and coastal communities. The Environmental Law Clinic and environmental journal complement courses on regulation and resource use, giving students opportunities to connect legal doctrine with contested local problems.

Sports Law: The Sports Law Program and J.D. certificate examine the industry's legal and business relationships. Gabriel Feldman's program leadership, the Sports Lawyers Journal, and sports-related externships provide concrete opportunities to explore a field that reaches beyond being a sports fan.

International and Comparative Law: Tulane's civil- and common-law teaching supports comparison across legal systems. International programming and the Tulane Journal of International & Comparative Law create additional opportunities to examine cross-border legal problems alongside the school's traditional J.D. curriculum.

Civil Law: Tulane gives first-year students a choice between civil-law and common-law coursework in specified subjects. Its civil-law study and Tulane European & Civil Law Forum are relevant to Louisiana practice and comparative legal analysis; the entire J.D. is not limited to Louisiana law.

11. Tulane Law Clinics and Experiential Learning

Tulane's clinics provide direct faculty supervision and opportunities for authorized student practice.

Civil Rights & Federal Practice Clinic: Represent clients in federal litigation involving housing or employment discrimination, official misconduct, and constitutional claims.
Criminal Justice Clinic: Investigate cases and prepare motions, trials, appeals, post-conviction proceedings, and federal habeas work for criminal defendants.
Domestic Violence Clinic: Represent survivors in contested trials and appeals. Its Women's Prison Project works with survivors charged with or convicted of abuse-related crimes.
Environmental Law Clinic: Represent community organizations in court and agency proceedings involving pollution, wetlands, and land use.
Immigrants' Rights Law Clinic: Interview clients, investigate facts, develop case theories, and prepare advocacy for immigrants, including detained people and migrant workers.
First Amendment Clinic: Represent citizens and journalists in speech, press, public-records, and government-access disputes.

Pro Bono and Experiential Learning

The school also offers Juvenile Law and Legislative & Administrative Advocacy clinics. Externship placements include the U.S. Coast Guard, Port of New Orleans, Orleans Public Defender, and Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, combining supervised fieldwork with academic work.

Students must complete 50 hours of pro bono service to graduate. Qualifying work is law-related, supervised, unpaid, and not for academic credit. The Ella Project offers a distinctive route to assist artists and musicians with intellectual property, licensing, and contracts.

12. Tulane Law Notable Faculty and Journals

Faculty

Martin J. Davies, Niels F. Johnsen Chair in Maritime Law, directs the Tulane Maritime Law Center. His role connects the school's maritime teaching with its specialized research and professional programming.
Gabriel Feldman, Sher Garner Professor of Sports Law and Paul and Abram B. Barron Professor of Law, directs the Sports Law Program and serves as Associate Provost for NCAA Compliance.
Jörg Fedtke, A.N. Yiannopoulos Professor in Comparative Law, brings a comparative-law focus to Tulane's study of different legal systems.
Rebecca Bratspies: Professor of Law and Oliver Houck Chair in Environmental Law, adds environmental-law scholarship to the school's work on regulation, communities, and natural resources.

Journals

Tulane Law Review: Student-edited legal scholarship.
Tulane Maritime Law Journal: Scholarship on admiralty and maritime law by academics, practitioners and students.
Tulane Journal of International & Comparative Law: International and comparative legal scholarship, including human rights and transnational commerce.
Tulane Environmental Law Journal: Scholarship on legal issues affecting the environment, energy production and the natural world.
Tulane Journal of Law & Sexuality: Scholarship on legal issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community.
Tulane Journal of Technology & Intellectual Property: Scholarship on technology and intellectual property law, including patents, copyright and privacy.
Sports Lawyers Journal: Student-authored articles on sports legal issues, published by the Sports Lawyers Association.

The Tulane European & Civil Law Forum is faculty-run, separate from the student-edited journals.

13. Tulane Law Culture and Student Life

Tulane's law school sits on the university's Uptown campus in a residential New Orleans neighborhood. Its fall 2026 entering class includes 234 students. The Maritime Law Society, Civil Law Society, Entertainment & Art Law Society, and Human Rights Law Society give students communities organized around several of the school's distinctive interests.

New Orleans gives those interests a working legal setting. The port and Coast Guard connect to maritime practice, while the Ella Project links legal services with the city's artists and cultural institutions. Required pro bono work brings a common service commitment into student life.

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Note: While I try to keep this guide up to date, always verify deadlines, requirements, and policies at the Tulane 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.