The University of Washington School of Law in Seattle combines a public-service mission with a major research university. Its strengths include technology law, Indigenous law, entrepreneurship, and health law, supported by specialized centers, clinics, and concurrent degrees.
This guide walks you through how to get into Washington Law.
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1. Washington Law Admissions Numbers and Statistics
Washington Law Class of 2028:
- LSAT: 75th: 167 | Median: 165 | 25th: 162
- GPA: 75th: 3.86 | Median: 3.76 | 25th: 3.60
Washington Law Class of 2027:
- LSAT: 75th: 166 | Median: 163 | 25th: 160
- GPA: 75th: 3.83 | Median: 3.67 | 25th: 3.47
The fall 2025 class raised the LSAT median from 163 to 165 and the GPA median from 3.67 to 3.76. First-year enrollment increased from 178 in fall 2024 to 207 in fall 2025, alongside increases at both lower quartiles.
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. Washington Law Application Essays
Personal Statement (required)
The personal statement is limited to 750 words.
The school's instructions:
“The primary goal of the admissions process is to enroll students who strive to be leaders; demonstrate outstanding academic, professional and leadership promise; are committed to generous public service and ethical advocacy; and who have background and experiences that will enhance the diversity of the student body, thereby enriching the law school educational environment. As such, applicants are invited to write a personal statement that describes their potential contributions to our vibrant community. Many applicants use the Personal Statement to provide a fuller picture of their academic, professional, or personal journey. This can include, but is not limited to: meaningful leadership experiences or potential; involvement in advocacy, public service, or community-based work; a personal or family history of educational or socioeconomic disadvantage; unusual or challenging circumstances that may have impacted your academic path; experiences that reflect resilience, perseverance, or growth; disability; prejudice or discrimination; studying or living abroad; foreign language skills; special talents; unique life experiences; or geographic diversity. This is not an exhaustive list. Please feel free to share anything you believe is important to your story or may help the Admissions Committee reach a thoughtful and informed decision. We value your voice and welcome the opportunity to learn more about you.”
For more on how to write a personal statement, see my Personal Statement Examples and Personal Statement Guide.
For more on discussing your background and potential contributions within this personal statement, see my Diversity Statement Examples and Diversity Statement Guide.
Optional Supplemental Statement
The optional supplemental statement is limited to 500 words.
The school's instructions:
“Applicants may supplement their personal statement by including a response to one (1) of the following optional questions: What life events or experiences have had the greatest influence in shaping your character and why? Describe a time when you demonstrated leadership, whether in a classroom, workplace, organization, or personal context. What did you learn from that experience, and how will your leadership skills contribute to our law school community and the legal profession? What is a strength, trait, or experience you possess that might not be immediately visible in your application but is essential to understanding who you are?”
Why Washington (optional)
The school's instructions:
“Please note: The option to write a "Why UW" statement can be found in the actual application and should not be submitted as a supplemental statement. Though optional, applicants are encouraged to include a brief statement explaining why they are interested in attending UW Law. We encourage applicants to make this statement specific and genuine, focused on the particular experiences, interests, goals, personal connections, or opportunities that draw them to UW Law. Rather than restating general characteristics of the law school, or converting a version prepared for another law school, use this opportunity to tell us what makes UW Law a meaningful fit for you.”
For more on how to write a Why X essay, see my Why X Essay Guide.
For JurisPath, Washington's separate binding, no-test route, the personal statement, supplemental statement, and Why UW response are all required. That route also permits a 250-word addendum explaining your choice of JurisPath or other relevant context.
For more on making all of these essays work together, see my Cohesive Narrative Guide.
Addenda and Character & Fitness (if applicable)
Keep required disclosures accurate and notify admissions promptly of material changes through enrollment.
I'll be publishing a guide to addenda and character and fitness.
3. Washington Law Resume Requirements
The required resume may be up to three typed pages. Include education, employment, service, leadership, and significant activities, with months and years, hours per week, and responsibilities. Describe language proficiency specifically rather than listing a language without context.
For more on preparing your resume, see my Resume Examples and Resume Guide.
4. Washington Law Letters of Recommendation
Two letters are required, with three accepted. Academic recommendations are encouraged for current undergraduates. Review can begin after two letters unless you request a hold for the third. JurisPath requires three letters, including an academic recommendation for current undergraduates.
For more on recommendations, see my LOR Guide (Applicants) and LOR Guide (Writers).
5. Washington Law Interview Process
Washington may request an interview before making a final admission decision, including through JurisPath. An invitation gives you another opportunity to discuss your experience and interest in the school. Be ready to explain your choices and develop points from your application in conversation.
6. Washington Law Deadlines and Early Decision
Fall 2027: Applications opened September 1, 2026. The priority deadline is March 1, 2027, and the final complete-application deadline is July 15, 2027. June 2027 is the final accepted LSAT. Regular and ordinary ED applicants need the LSAT. The fee is $60. The regular nonrefundable $500 seat deposit is due April 15, 2027.
Early decision: Complete the application by December 1, 2026. Admission is binding: withdraw other applications and submit no new ones. Do not apply simultaneously through another binding ED program. You may have to commit before learning your scholarship award.
JurisPath: This separate binding, no-test route serves eligible UW bachelor's applicants and qualifying current undergraduates elsewhere. Its initial August 15-September 15, 2026 window has closed. Non-UW applicants must earn their first bachelor's between September 22, 2026 and September 22, 2027. Admits must return the enrollment agreement within 14 days, pay $500 within 21 days, withdraw other applications and make no new applications, and cannot defer.
For a full breakdown of early decision strategy, see Should You Apply Early Decision to Law School?.
7. Washington Law Scholarships and Financial Aid
Merit Scholarships
Regular applicants receive automatic merit-scholarship consideration. Entering awards are renewable for three years, or nine quarters, subject to good academic standing. Submit the FAFSA for need-based consideration; Washington also describes limited resident grants and assistance through the WASFA for eligible applicants.
Cost of Attendance
For 2026-27, first-year tuition and fees are $48,513 for residents and $60,174 for nonresidents. Adding the school's $28,659 books and living budget brings the three-quarter total to $77,172 or $88,833, before separately required international-student insurance.
Gates Public Service Law Scholarship
The Gates Public Service Law Scholarship covers the published attendance budget for five recipients and requires a separate application after admission. It carries a five-year public-service commitment. That is a substantial professional obligation, not simply an award to collect alongside other offers.
Loan Repayment Assistance
Washington's LRAP offers qualifying graduates up to $5,000 annually for three years. It requires eligible public-service legal employment in Washington state and a three-year commitment, with income, loan, and employer restrictions. Judicial clerkships do not qualify.
For more on scholarship strategy, see How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships.
8. Washington Law Dual Degrees
Washington offers concurrent degrees across the university, including:
- JD/MBA: A four-year program with the Foster School of Business, combining legal and management training.
- JD/MPA: With the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, connecting law with public administration and policy analysis.
- JD/MHA: With the School of Public Health, pairing legal study with health administration.
- JD/MLIS: With the Information School, combining law with library and information science.
Apply separately to both programs and complete the first JD year as a unit. The standard JD takes three years; a concurrent degree requires a coordinated course plan. Choose the second degree for the expertise it adds to your intended work, not just another credential.
9. Washington Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)
Washington Class of 2025 employment outcomes (reported to the ABA, measured 10 months after graduation):
- Full-time, long-term bar-passage-required employment (ABA): 83.1%
- BigLaw (firms with 101+ attorneys): 22.0%
- Federal clerkships: 1.7%
- Public service (including government): 31.1%
Washington state accounts for most reported jobs, followed by California and the District of Columbia. Graduates enter firms, government, public-interest organizations, and other settings. A genuine interest in the Pacific Northwest gives you a concrete basis for explaining how the school's training connects to your career.
10. Washington Law Areas of Study and Specializations
Technology and intellectual property: The Tech Policy Lab connects legal scholarship with technical expertise. Students can combine the intellectual-property concentration with the Technology Law & Public Policy Clinic, studying privacy, artificial intelligence, and the practical consequences of technology governance.
Indigenous and American Indian law: The Native American Law Center works on tribal governance, institutions, and legal development. The concentration and Tribal Court Clinic connect classroom study with supervised representation and the distinct responsibilities of practicing in tribal legal systems.
Business and entrepreneurship: The law, business, and entrepreneurship concentration complements the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic. Its connections with the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship and CoMotion bring students into contact with founders, nonprofits, and university innovators who need practical legal analysis.
Health law: Washington's health-law concentration supports focused coursework in the legal dimensions of health care. The concurrent MHA adds health-administration training through the School of Public Health, creating a separate interdisciplinary route for applicants interested in health systems and organizational work.
Public service: The William H. Gates Public Service Law Program combines advising, scholarships, pro bono support, and loan-repayment assistance. Students can connect that infrastructure to the public-service concentration and clinical work in housing, immigration, workers' rights, and tribal courts.
11. Washington Law Clinics and Experiential Learning
Washington's clinical offerings include:
- Tribal Court Clinic: Develop supervised criminal-defense and related advocacy in tribal courts, including work with Tulalip and other tribal communities.
- Technology Law & Public Policy Clinic: Research legal and technical questions, develop reports, and work with stakeholders on privacy, artificial intelligence, and technology-policy projects.
- Entrepreneurial Law Clinic: Conduct legal audits for businesses, nonprofits, and university innovators. Additional transactional representation requires an agreed scope beyond the initial audit.
- Housing Justice Clinic: Interview tenants, negotiate, and prepare for eviction hearings through work with the King County Bar Association's Housing Justice Project.
- Immigration Law Clinic: Represent low-income clients in asylum, detention, and other immigration matters, including administrative and federal appellate work.
- Mediation Clinic: Serve as neutral mediators in disputes such as small claims and employment matters, helping participants develop voluntary resolutions rather than advocating for one side.
- Workers' Rights Clinic: Interview and advise workers and pursue employment matters through a partnership involving Seattle University and the Fair Work Center.
Pro Bono and Experiential Learning
Washington requires 50 hours of qualifying public service. Approved pro bono work, qualifying clinics, and certain externships can satisfy that requirement; additional voluntary service can earn Pro Bono Honors Society recognition.
Externships combine supervised fieldwork with a required two-credit seminar for first-time externs. Placements need approval, and students cannot participate in a clinic and externship simultaneously. Plan the sequence around the work you want to learn rather than assuming every opportunity fits into the same quarter.
12. Washington Law Notable Faculty and Journals
Faculty
- Ryan Calo: Virginia and Prentice Bloedel Professor and Professor of Law; studies emerging technology and privacy, and co-founded the Tech Policy Lab.
- Christine Cimini: Professor of Law and Mediation Clinic director; studies dispute resolution and access to justice, and received a CLEA public-interest project award with her Denver clinic students.
- Jevan Hutson: Assistant Professor of Law and Shidler Scholar-in-Residence; studies privacy and artificial intelligence and directs the Technology Law & Public Policy Clinic.
- Brenda Williams: Teaching Professor and Tribal Court Clinic co-director; focuses on criminal justice and tribal courts through scholarship, policy work, and supervised representation.
Journals
- Washington Law Review: Legal scholarship for the legal academy and profession.
- Washington International Law Journal: Articles and student comments on international, foreign, and comparative law.
- Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts: Concise analysis of business law and technology issues.
- Washington Journal of Social & Environmental Justice: Scholarship on communities, the environment, and injustice.
13. Washington Law Culture and Student Life
Washington's law-school community sits within a larger Seattle research university. The Academic Success Program, student ambassadors, and student-life staff provide distinct forms of support, while journals and clinics connect students across classes through shared work.
The Public Interest Law Association and Law & Business Association give students different ways to explore professional interests. The Student Bar Association supports organizations and school-wide events, and groups such as the First Generation Law Student Association create additional communities. Seattle is part of the academic setting, but the strongest reason to choose Washington is the work and relationships you would build there.
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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 Washington 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.
