Washburn University School of Law is a public law school in Topeka. Its strengths include agricultural law, government, family law, and transactional practice, with the Third Year Anywhere program combining an externship with online coursework.
This guide walks you through how to get into Washburn Law.
Jump to a section
1. Washburn Law Admissions Numbers and Statistics
Washburn Law Class of 2028:
- LSAT: 75th: 159 | Median: 155 | 25th: 151
- GPA: 75th: 3.88 | Median: 3.68 | 25th: 3.37
Washburn Law Class of 2027:
- LSAT: 75th: 154 | Median: 151 | 25th: 148
- GPA: 75th: 3.83 | Median: 3.61 | 25th: 3.26
These blocks cover the 2025 and 2024 entering classes, including Washburn's spring and fall starts. The LSAT median rose four points, while the GPA median rose 0.07. The entering class grew from 122 to 137 students. Completed applications increased from 372 to 549, while offers declined from 272 to 255. This was a meaningful tightening of admissions, not just a larger class.
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. Washburn Law Application Essays
Personal Statement (required)
Washburn's personal statement gives you room to explain your background, education, community involvement, accomplishments, and goals. The school is interested in the person behind the application, including your growth, reasons for pursuing law, and potential contribution to Washburn.
If you discuss your potential contribution to Washburn in this personal statement, see my Why X Essay Guide.
For more on how to write a personal statement, see my Personal Statement Examples and Personal Statement Guide.
Life Experience Statement (optional)
This statement can explain experiences and perspectives you would bring to the law-school community.
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)
Washburn requires an explanation for affirmative character-and-fitness answers, including the incident and disposition. Update the school when relevant information changes.
I'll be publishing a guide to addenda and character and fitness.
3. Washburn Law Resume Requirements
A resume is required. Include your education, employment, honors, activities, and leadership. Washburn asks applicants to include summer and permanent work, so do not leave out a job simply because it was not legal work. References do not belong on the resume.
For more on preparing your resume, see my Resume Examples and Resume Guide.
4. Washburn Law Letters of Recommendation
LSAT applicants must submit two letters of recommendation; GRE applicants must submit one. Washburn accepts up to three. Academic letters are preferred, with professional recommendations appropriate for applicants who have been out of school.
For more on recommendations, see my LOR Guide (Applicants) and LOR Guide (Writers).
5. Washburn Law Interview Process
Washburn does not conduct interviews as part of the standard JD admissions process.
6. Washburn Law Deadlines and Decision Options
Testing Policy
Washburn accepts the LSAT or GRE and requires a CAS report. If you're considering the GRE, read my LSAT vs. GRE guide before deciding.
Application Dates and Fees
- Fall Priority Application Deadline: February 1.
- Spring Priority Application Deadline: October 15 for a January start.
- Fall Final Application Deadline: August 1.
- Spring Final Application Deadline: December 1.
- Application Fee: None.
- Financial Aid Processing Priority: April 1 for fall entrants; November 1 for spring entrants.
- Fall Seat Deposits: $125 on April 15 and $125 on June 15, unless the admission offer specifies otherwise.
- Spring Seat Deposit: $250 on November 1, unless the admission offer specifies otherwise.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and Washburn continues accepting applications after the priority dates. The priority deadline is not a reason to wait. Submit a complete application when your test score and written materials are ready, particularly when scholarship consideration matters to your decision.
Spring entry is a genuine alternative to starting in August. Choose the start that fits your testing, work, and relocation timeline. It also has a different scholarship and deposit calendar, so keep the two application plans separate.
The Koch and Wooley scholarship programs use a February 1 deadline for fall entrants. Shamberg uses February 1 for fall and October 15 for spring entrants. Those named awards involve a separate selection process; Koch and Wooley finalists are interviewed.
7. Washburn Law Scholarships and Financial Aid
Merit Scholarships
Washburn automatically considers applicants for most institutional scholarships. Some awards are conditional: among students entering with conditional scholarships in 2024-2025, 16 of 86 had their awards reduced or eliminated. Compare the renewal terms, not just the first-year dollar amount.
Koch, Shamberg, and Wooley Scholarships
Selected applicants are invited to compete for these awards. Koch covers first-year tuition, resident tuition in later years, and a partial living stipend. Shamberg provides resident tuition and a partial living stipend. Wooley adds a book stipend to resident tuition and partial living support.
Tuition and Residency
For 2026-2027, tuition is $965 per credit for residents and $1,426 for nonresidents, before fees and living expenses. The Interstate Tuition Waiver Program extends resident rates to qualifying residents of Colorado, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska. Eligible military students and family members can also qualify. Other nonresidents may establish Kansas residency after six months under university rules.
The 2025-2026 full-time cost-of-attendance budgets, based on 28 credits, were $44,508 for residents and $56,664 for nonresidents. Those are full budgets, not tuition quotes. Federal aid requires the FAFSA.
For more on scholarship strategy, see How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships.
8. Washburn Law Dual Degree Programs
Washburn offers four dual-degree paths within the university:
- JD/MBA: With the Brenneman School of Business; 108 combined credits.
- JD/M.Acc: With the Brenneman School of Business; 108 combined credits, connecting legal and accounting study.
- JD/MCJ: With the School of Applied Studies' criminal justice program; 108 combined credits.
- JD/MSW: With the social work program; 111 credits for advanced-standing students or 144 for regular-standing students.
Applicants must be admitted to both programs. Complete the first-year law curriculum before integrating courses toward the dual degree. The JD/MSW's length depends substantially on your prior social-work education, while the business combinations are particularly relevant to transactional, tax, and closely held business practice.
9. Washburn Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)
Washburn's Class of 2025 employment outcomes (reported to the ABA, measured 10 months after graduation):
- Full-time, long-term bar-passage-required employment (ABA): 86.9%
- BigLaw (firms with 101+ attorneys): 3.0%
- Federal clerkships: 1.0%
- Public service (including government): 27.3%
Kansas was the largest employment destination, followed by Missouri and Colorado. Small-firm practice and government are much more prominent than large-firm hiring. That distinction matters when comparing Washburn with schools whose recruiting is built around national firms. For a Kansas practice, the school's local training and placement relationships are central to its value; a national BigLaw goal requires a different school-list calculation.
10. Washburn Law Areas of Study and Specializations
Agricultural and Rural Practice: The Agricultural Law curriculum connects farm and ranch taxation, estate planning, water rights, and business problems. The Washburn Agricultural Law & Tax Report and Rural Externship Program give that work a practical setting beyond a general survey of agricultural regulation.
Law and Government: The Robert J. Dole Center for Law & Government anchors a certificate combining coursework, writing, and professional development. Administrative Law is required, with options including Legislation, Local Government Law, and Federal Indian Law. Topeka supplies the nearby institutions those subjects address.
Children and Family Law: The Children & Family Law Center supports a certificate requiring focused courses, writing, lawyering experience, and service. Family Law and Domestic Violence are central courses. The program connects classroom study with the practical problems of children, parents, and survivors.
Business and Transactional Law: The Business & Transactional Law Center connects a certificate, specialized electives, and transactional clinic work. Courses such as Business Associations, Drafting Contracts and Conveyances, and Evolution of a Business Transaction develop skills relevant to advising businesses before a dispute reaches court.
Natural Resources and Water Law: Burke Griggs's water-law scholarship and practice experience complement the Center for Resources, Energy and Environmental Law. Water rights, agricultural land use, and energy development are concrete regional issues, making this a useful direction for applicants interested in Kansas and the wider West.
11. Washburn Law Clinics and Experiential Learning
The Washburn Law Clinic organizes client representation into four practice areas:
- Civil Practice: Students handle matters involving housing, benefits, consumer disputes, expungement, and estate planning, including representation in courts and administrative proceedings.
- Criminal Justice: Students defend clients who cannot afford counsel against misdemeanor and felony charges, working from initial appearances through trial.
- Family Justice & Immigration: Students assist parents, children, and survivors of gender-based violence with immigration relief and selected family matters, including guardianship and adoption.
- Small Business & Nonprofit Transactional Law: Students help Kansas organizations with formation and transactions. This practice does not litigate business disputes.
Pro Bono and Experiential Learning
Pro Bono Honors recognizes 50 service hours; Distinguished Pro Bono Honors recognizes 100. These are honors thresholds. The Family Law Certificate separately requires 12 hours of relevant service.
Past externship placements include the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas, Kansas Attorney General's Office, Midwest Innocence Project, and Kansas Legal Services. The Rural Externship Program supports summer work in northwest Kansas with tuition for six credits and a $5,000 living stipend.
Third Year Anywhere combines a 20-hour-per-week, 12-credit externship with online courses. Admission is competitive, with planning beginning during the second year. The program lets students build supervised experience in their intended practice market.
12. Washburn Law Notable Faculty and Journals
Faculty
- Burke Griggs: Professor of law working in property, water, and natural resources. He represented Kansas in interstate water litigation and was a Fulbright Scholar in Law and Sustainability at NOVA School of Law.
- Michelle Ewert: Professor and director of the Law Clinic. Her work addresses housing and access to justice; she previously supervised housing litigation at the Homeless Persons Representation Project.
- Gillian Chadwick: Professor and director of the Children and Family Law Center. Her fields include family law and gender-based violence; she previously directed survivor services at Ayuda.
- Craig Martin: Professor and co-director of the International and Comparative Law Center. He studies public international law, armed conflict, and comparative constitutional law, following a career in Canadian civil litigation.
Journals
- Washburn Law Journal: The student-edited journal publishes three issues annually and maintains an online publication. Its Foulston Siefkin Lecture Series brings legal scholarship into the school's academic life.
13. Washburn Law Culture and Student Life
Robert J. Dole Hall gives Washburn students dedicated trial and appellate courtrooms, group-study rooms, and a reading room. Student organizations include the Agricultural Law Society, Rural Practice Organization, Black Law Students Association, and Non-traditional Law Student Association. That range fits a school drawing students with different ages, work histories, and practice interests.
Topeka puts state government, courts, and legal-service organizations within reach during the academic year. The setting is especially relevant for students who want to build relationships in Kansas rather than spend three years preparing to enter an entirely different market after graduation.
Want Help Getting Into Washburn Law?
I work with applicants one-on-one on the whole application process, from strategy through essays and submission.
Explore my services | Request a consultation
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 Washburn 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.
