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

The University of Texas School of Law is one of the best values in legal education, combining a T14-caliber program with in-state tuition for Texas residents. Known for its dominant placement in the Texas legal market, its strength in energy and environmental law, constitutional law, and intellectual property, and a faculty that punches well above its weight in scholarship, Texas Law is a powerhouse. The class of 2028 is the school’s largest in years (373 students), reflecting surging demand.

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

1. UT Law Admissions Numbers and Statistics

Texas Law Class of 2028:

• LSAT: 75th percentile: 173 | Median: 172 | 25th percentile: 166
• GPA: 75th percentile: 3.96 | Median: 3.89 | 25th percentile: 3.75

Texas Law Class of 2027:

• LSAT: 75th: 172 | Median: 171 | 25th: 167
• GPA: 75th: 3.97 | Median: 3.89 | 25th: 3.74

The LSAT median rose from 171 to 172 this cycle. The class also grew by 32% (from 282 to 373 students), which is one of the largest expansions of any T14 school. Despite the growth, medians still went up, indicating the depth of the applicant pool.

If you are at or above both medians, you are competitive for admission and scholarship money. Splitters with a strong LSAT and lower GPA can find success at Texas Law, but note the 25th percentile LSAT dropped slightly to 166, suggesting the school may be casting a wider net on LSAT while being more selective elsewhere. Reverse splitters face a competitive path: a 3.89+ GPA alone will not carry you without a strong LSAT.

For context on how medians affect your strategy, see How to Build a Smart Law School List.

2. UT Law Application Essays

Texas Law requires a personal statement and offers several optional statements. The school also has a unique interview/video component.

Personal Statement (required)

Texas Law’s prompt is open-ended: share your background, interests, and experiences. The statement should address your decision to pursue a legal education at some point, but there is no specific question or required topic. The personal statement may not exceed two double-spaced pages with a minimum 11-point font size and 1-inch margins.

Best Practices:

• Lead with a real moment or experience
• At some point, connect your narrative to why law. The prompt asks for this directly
• Avoid listing resume items. Let the story reveal what matters
• Write with specificity and voice

Personal Statement Examples | Personal Statement Guide

Optional Statements (One Page Each, 11-Point Font Minimum)

Texas Law offers two optional statement prompts. Each is limited to one double-spaced page with minimum 11-point font and 1-inch margins. You may submit one or both:

• Diversity / Perspective / Identity Statement: Address any information you believe your application would be incomplete without, shedding more light on your unique potential to succeed in the J.D. program and contribute to the university community and the field or profession. This is broad: identity, background, professional experience, context your PS does not capture, or anything else that fills a gap in your application.
• Engaging with Contested Ideas: Texas Law asks about experiences engaging with ideas you disagreed with, and how those experiences impacted you. This reflects the school’s emphasis on civil dialogue and reasoned debate.

My recommendation: write the diversity/perspective statement if you have material that genuinely adds to your application. The “contested ideas” prompt is worth considering if you have a strong, specific example, but do not force it.

Diversity Statement Examples | Diversity Statement Guide

Addenda (Optional, One Page Each)

Texas Law provides separate addendum slots for specific explanations. Each is limited to one double-spaced page with minimum 11-point font and 1-inch margins:

• Academic Performance Addendum: If your academic performance for one or more terms was markedly different from the rest, explain the context.
• Standardized Test Performance Addendum: If you believe your academic potential is inaccurately reflected by standardized tests, or that one score is more representative than another, explain here.

Character and Fitness (if applicable)

Texas Law asks about arrests, citations, charges, convictions (within the last 10 years), deferred adjudication, pretrial diversion, and academic/disciplinary action. If you answer yes, provide a narrative description with cause and outcome.

3. UT Law Resume Requirements

Submit a resume detailing any significant vocational, avocational, extracurricular, or community activities; graduate work or degree; honors and awards; and employment history.

Tips:

• Focus on outcomes and impact, not just responsibilities
• Strong verb + result + concise structure
• Include professional, academic, leadership, and service experience
• Leave off high school unless genuinely exceptional

Resume Examples

4. UT Law Letters of Recommendation

Texas Law requires two letters of recommendation through LSAC. At least one academic letter is preferred if you are a recent graduate. Professional letters from supervisors are appropriate for applicants who have been out of school for several years.

Choose recommenders who know your work well enough to write with specifics and examples.

5. UT Law Interview Process

All applicants receive an email after their application has been initially processed with instructions to complete a virtual interview. Based on applicant reports from the 2025-2026 cycle, the interview uses the Kira Talent platform and typically includes timed video responses to behavioral questions plus a short timed written prompt about your reasons for applying to Texas Law. Because formats can change cycle to cycle, check the Texas Law admissions page and current applicant forums for the latest details before your interview.

The written component functions as a short Why Texas Law response. Be specific: name a program, clinic, or professor. Do not waste space on generic praise.

6. UT Law Deadlines and Early Decision

Note: The deadlines below are based on the 2025-2026 admissions cycle. Applicants should verify all dates on the school’s official admissions page, as deadlines may shift slightly from year to year.

Testing Policy

Texas Law accepts the LSAT or GRE. I strongly recommend taking the LSAT regardless of what else a school accepts. LSAT vs. GRE for Law School: Why the GRE Is a Bad Choice

Deadlines

• Binding Early Decision Deadline: November 1, 2026. Decision by January 31. ED applications submitted after November 1 or left incomplete after December 1 are moved to the Regular Decision pool.
• Application Deadline: March 1, 2027.
• Regular Decision: Rolling admissions. Apply early for best outcomes and strongest scholarship consideration.

Early Decision

Texas Law offers a binding Early Decision program. If admitted through ED, you must withdraw all other law school applications and commit to attend. ED is worth considering if Texas is your clear first choice and you do not need to compare financial aid offers.

For a full breakdown of early decision strategy, see Should You Apply Early Decision to Law School?

7. UT Law Scholarships and Financial Aid

Merit Scholarships

All admitted applicants are automatically considered for merit-based scholarships. Texas Law offers generous scholarship packages, particularly for in-state students, where the combination of lower tuition and scholarship funding can make attendance nearly free.

Public Interest Scholarships

Texas Law offers several major incoming-student public interest scholarships, each covering full tuition and fees for all three years with summer public-interest funding available:

• Equal Justice Scholarship: For students committed to public interest careers.
• G. Rollie White Public Service Scholarship: For students pursuing public service.
• Wayne Reaud Public Interest Scholarship: For students focused on public interest law.

In-State Tuition Advantage

Texas residents benefit from significantly lower tuition compared to private law schools. Even out-of-state students who establish Texas residency after their first year can qualify for reduced rates.

Need-Based Aid

Texas Law participates in federal financial aid programs. File FAFSA for loan eligibility.

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

8. UT Law Dual Degree Programs

Texas Law offers dual degree programs with other UT Law graduate schools:

• JD/MBA with the McCombs School of Business (four years)
• JD/Master of Public Affairs with the LBJ School of Public Affairs (four years)
• JD/MA in Latin American Studies (four years)
• JD/MA in Middle Eastern Studies (four years)
• JD/MA in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (four years)
• JD/MGPS (Master of Global Policy Studies) with the LBJ School
• JD/MS in Information Studies with the School of Information
• JD/MSSW (Master of Science in Social Work)
• JD/Master of National Security with the LBJ School
• JD/MS in Community and Regional Planning
• JD/PhD in Philosophy or Government

UT Law’s strength in energy, technology, and Latin American studies makes these joint degrees particularly distinctive.

9. Employment Outcomes (Class of 2024)

UT Law Class of 2024 employment outcomes (reported to the ABA, measured 10 months after graduation):

• Full-time, long-term bar-passage-required employment (ABA): 93.0%
• BigLaw (firms with 100+ attorneys): 49.8%
• Federal clerkships: 12.1%
• Public service (including government): 15.3%

UT Law places primarily into Texas, with Houston, Dallas, and Austin as the top markets. The 12.1% federal clerkship rate is notably strong and reflects the school’s appellate and constitutional law strength.

10. UT Law Areas of Study and Specializations

Energy and Natural Resources Law: Texas Law’s energy law program is among the strongest in the country, reflecting Texas’s dominant role in the oil, gas, and renewable energy sectors. The Kay Bailey Hutchison Center for Energy, Law and Business supports coursework and programming.

Constitutional Law and Supreme Court Advocacy: UT’s Supreme Court Clinic has argued cases before the Court, and the school’s 12.1% clerkship rate reflects strong placement into the federal judiciary.

Business and Corporate Law: Texas Law places well into Houston and Dallas BigLaw, particularly for energy transactions, capital markets, and corporate work.

Immigration Law: UT’s Immigration Clinic and related programming draw on Texas’s position as a frontline state for immigration law and policy.

Technology and IP Law: The school’s technology law offerings cover cybersecurity, data privacy, and intellectual property, supported by Austin’s growing tech sector.

11. UT Law Clinics and Experiential Learning

Texas Law has a robust clinical program. Key clinics include:

• Immigration Clinic: Students represent immigrants in removal proceedings, asylum cases, and humanitarian visa applications under faculty supervision.
• Criminal Defense Clinic: Students handle cases in Travis County courts, gaining courtroom experience in misdemeanor and felony defense.
• Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic (ECDC): Transactional work for small businesses, nonprofits, and social enterprises in the Austin community.
• Capital Punishment Clinic: One of the country’s leading clinics focused on death penalty defense and post-conviction representation.
• Actual Innocence Clinic: Students investigate claims of wrongful conviction and work on post-conviction relief.
• Children’s Rights Clinic: Representation of children in abuse, neglect, and custody proceedings.
• Domestic Violence Clinic: Students represent survivors seeking protective orders and related relief.
• Environmental Clinic: Engages in litigation and policy advocacy on environmental justice and natural resource issues.
• Human Rights Clinic: International and domestic human rights litigation and advocacy.

Pro Bono and Experiential Learning

Texas Law has a strong pro bono culture supported by its location in the state capital. Students have access to externships at the Texas Legislature, state agencies, federal courts, and Austin-based nonprofits. The Pro Bono Program connects students with legal service organizations throughout Texas.

12. UT Law Notable Faculty and Journals

Faculty

• Robert Chesney: Charles I. Francis Professor in Law. National security law, cybersecurity, and military detention. Co-founder of the Lawfare blog.
• William Forbath: Lloyd M. Bentsen Chair in Law. Constitutional law, legal history, and the intersection of constitutional law and political economy.
• Karen Engle: Minerva House Drysdale Regents Chair in Law. Founder and co-director of the Rapoport Center. International human rights, gender, and transitional justice.
• John Golden: Loomer Family Professor in Law. Intellectual property, patent law, and innovation policy.
• Richard Albert: William Stamps Farish Professor in Law. Comparative constitutional law, constitutional amendment, and democratic design.

Journals

• Texas Law Review: One of the most cited and prestigious law reviews in the country. Consistently ranked in the top 10.
• Texas International Law Journal: Among the top international law journals nationally.
• Texas Journal on Civil Liberties & Civil Rights: Focused on civil rights scholarship and advocacy.
• Texas Environmental Law Journal: Reflects the school’s strength in environmental and energy law.
• Texas Intellectual Property Law Journal: Dedicated IP scholarship.
• Texas Journal of Oil, Gas, and Energy Law: The only student-edited journal focused on oil, gas, and energy law.
• The Review of Litigation: Focused on litigation practice and procedure.

13. UT Law Culture and Student Life

Texas Law’s larger class (373 students) creates a different dynamic than smaller schools, but the school’s culture is collegial and community-oriented. The law school is located on the main UT Law campus, giving students access to the broader university’s resources, social life, and football culture.

Austin is one of the most desirable cities in the country for young professionals. The tech industry, live music scene, outdoor recreation (Barton Springs, Lady Bird Lake, the Greenbelt), and restaurant culture make it an exceptional place to spend three years. The cost of living is lower than peer-school cities on the coasts, though it has risen in recent years.

14. Tips for Your Why Texas Law Response

The written Why Texas Law prompt during the interview process is short but consequential. Here is how to make the most of it:

Be specific and concise. You have room for only a few strong sentences. Name a professor, clinic, or program. Connect it to your goals.

Connect your goals to what Texas Law specifically offers. If energy law is your path, reference the Hutchison Center. If you are interested in human rights, the Rapoport Center and Professor Engle’s work are natural fits. If IP or tech law drives you, reference the relevant faculty and Austin’s tech ecosystem.

It is fine to build on your personal statement. If your PS establishes a legal interest, the Why Texas response should show how that interest led you here specifically.

Avoid generic statements. “Texas Law has a great reputation and is in an amazing city” wastes your limited word count. Every word should demonstrate research and fit.

Want Help Getting Into UT Law?

Texas Law is one of the most competitive programs in the country, and the surging class size means the school is admitting more students but from a deeper pool. Your application needs to be sharp from top to bottom.

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For school-specific strategies, check out my deep dives on Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Chicago, Columbia, NYU, Penn, UVA, Michigan, Duke, Northwestern, Berkeley, Cornell, Georgetown, UCLA, Vanderbilt, and WashU.

Note: While this guide is kept up to date, always verify deadlines, requirements, and policies at the Texas Law website before applying.

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