Willamette University School of Law in Salem, Oregon, sits near the State Capitol, courts, and public agencies. Its offerings include immigration representation, dispute resolution, environmental law, and business study, with three clinics and a JD/MBA.
This guide walks you through how to get into Willamette Law.
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1. Willamette Law Admissions Numbers and Statistics
Willamette Law Class of 2028:
- LSAT: 75th: 157 | Median: 154 | 25th: 151
- GPA: 75th: 3.70 | Median: 3.48 | 25th: 3.22
Willamette Law Class of 2027:
- LSAT: 75th: 155 | Median: 152 | 25th: 149
- GPA: 75th: 3.71 | Median: 3.40 | 25th: 3.06
These full-time cohorts entered in fall 2025 and fall 2024. The entering class grew from 121 to 139 students as every LSAT quartile rose two points. Median GPA increased from 3.40 to 3.48, with a larger increase at the lower quartile. The upper GPA quartile was nearly unchanged.
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. Willamette Law Application Essays
Personal Statement (required)
The school's instructions:
“A personal statement is required as part of your application. This is your opportunity to tell your story, highlight your motivations for pursuing a legal career, and how Willamette aligns with your aspirations.”
For more on addressing school interest within 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.
Reduced-Credit Addendum (required for that route)
Applicants seeking the reduced-credit JD must explain why they want that program. The route uses daytime classes rather than a separate evening curriculum.
For more on making all of these essays 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. Willamette Law Resume Requirements
A resume is required. Include your employment, education, honors, leadership, and activities, including legal experience where applicable. Describe what you did and the responsibility you held rather than repeating the personal statement.
For more on preparing your resume, see my Resume Examples and Resume Guide.
4. Willamette Law Letters of Recommendation
Willamette requires two letters of recommendation through CAS. Choose former professors or professional mentors who can address your academic abilities and intellectual capacity through specific examples.
For more on recommendations, see my LOR Guide (Applicants) and LOR Guide (Writers).
5. Willamette Law Interview Process
Finalists for the Immigrant Justice Scholars award participate in a remote interview as part of that scholarship's selection process.
6. Willamette Law Deadlines and Early Decision
Testing Policy
The general JD policy accepts the LSAT or GRE. When an applicant has taken both within five years, Willamette considers the LSAT. The international-applicant instructions separately require the LSAT.
If you're considering the GRE, read my LSAT vs. GRE guide before deciding.
Application Dates and Fees
- Applications Open: September 1.
- Binding Early Decision Deadline: December 1, including the signed agreement.
- Early Decision Notification: January; admitted applicants owe a $600 deposit by January 18.
- International Application Deadline: March 1.
- Application Deadline: August 15.
- Application Fee: No school application fee; CAS charges are separate.
Early Decision
Early Decision requires admitted applicants to withdraw their other applications. Willamette advertises a $10,000 Early Decision scholarship, with eligibility for additional merit consideration. That award does not remove the cost of surrendering other offers. Use the binding route only when the school and financial commitment already fit.
For a full breakdown of early decision strategy, see Should You Apply Early Decision to Law School?.
Program Formats
The reduced-credit JD takes four to seven years. Students take up to nine credits per semester in the same daytime, Monday-through-Friday classes as full-time students. At least five credits are necessary for financial-aid eligibility. A lighter load still requires weekday availability.
7. Willamette Law Scholarships and Financial Aid
Merit Scholarships
Applicants receive automatic merit consideration. Willamette evaluates academic achievement, leadership, and other contributions; awards are available regardless of citizenship.
The scholarship policy for students entering from fall 2022 requires a 2.30 cumulative GPA, academic good standing, and compliance with the honor code. Scholarship loss for academic ineligibility is permanent, without appeal or reinstatement. Awards cover fall and spring, not summer or intersession; reduced-credit awards are prorated. Compare those terms alongside the award amount.
Public-Interest and Other Support
Immigrant Justice Scholars receive partial-tuition support for a public-interest immigration-law pathway. The program expects Spanish proficiency by graduation and asks applicants to explain their interest in the personal statement. It can lead to a paid postgraduate attorney fellowship in Portland.
The Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program supports returned Peace Corps volunteers. It includes scholarship assistance and an internship serving an underserved American community; fellows may also qualify for other merit aid.
FAFSA applications support consideration for federal loans and work-study. The school's priority filing window runs from October 1 through March 15. For 2026-2027, standard full-time JD tuition is $29,400 per semester plus a $40 student activity fee, totaling $58,880 across fall and spring. Housing, books, transportation, personal expenses, and applicable health insurance add to that figure.
For more on scholarship strategy, see How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships.
8. Willamette Law Joint Degrees
Willamette offers a joint route connecting legal education with graduate management study:
- JD/MBA: With the Atkinson Graduate School of Management. The four-year program comprises 120 credits. Students spend the first year in law, the second in the MBA, and the final two combining coursework from both schools.
Applicants must apply to each program separately, either concurrently or after beginning one degree. Scholarships are issued by the individual schools and apply while the student is enrolled at the awarding school. The combination is especially relevant to applicants interested in business organizations, management, or transactions.
9. Willamette Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)
Willamette Class of 2025 employment outcomes (reported to the ABA, measured 10 months after graduation):
- Full-time, long-term bar-passage-required employment (ABA): 73.3%
- BigLaw (firms with 101+ attorneys): 2.9%
- Federal clerkships: 0.0%
- Public service (including government): 24.8%
Oregon was the dominant employment market, followed by Washington and Nevada. Small firms, government, and public-interest employers were more prominent than large firms. The results support a regional strategy centered on Oregon practice and public-service opportunities, rather than relying on a national large-firm recruiting pipeline to justify the cost.
10. Willamette Law Areas of Study and Specializations
Law and Government: The certificate combines public-law study with practical work such as externships and simulations. The Center for Constitutional Government and proximity to Oregon's courts and legislature connect the subject to institutions in Salem.
Business Law: The Law and Business certificate includes business associations, commercial law, tax, negotiation, and related subjects. The Atkinson JD/MBA provides a separate degree pathway for students combining legal training with sustained graduate-level management study.
Environmental Law: The Environmental Law, Justice, and Sustainability certificate covers environmental, natural-resources, and energy law, with a writing component. It places regulatory questions alongside the institutional and community interests involved in land, resources, and environmental decision-making.
Immigration Law: The Immigration Clinic and Immigrant Justice Scholars Program connect classroom preparation with public-interest practice. Client work includes asylum and other humanitarian immigration matters, while the scholars pathway adds language preparation and a potential postgraduate fellowship.
Estate Planning and Elder Law: The Elder and Estate Planning Law certificate complements the Trusts and Estates Clinic. Together they address planning instruments, property, family circumstances, and client counseling, including supervised work for elders of the Confederated Grand Ronde Tribe.
11. Willamette Law Clinics and Experiential Learning
Willamette's three clinics place second- and third-year students in supervised client work:
- Immigration Clinic: Students interview clients, research legal questions, prepare filings and briefs, and participate in administrative proceedings. Matters include asylum and protections for survivors of domestic violence or trafficking.
- Trusts and Estates Clinic: Students gather family and property information, counsel clients, and draft documents such as wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and advance directives. The clinic's clients include elders of the Confederated Grand Ronde Tribe.
- Criminal Defense Clinic: Students represent people facing misdemeanor charges under faculty supervision. Responsibilities include reviewing discovery, interviewing clients, developing defenses, drafting motions, and preparing for courtroom proceedings.
Pro Bono and Experiential Learning
Externship opportunities span courts, government, legal services, businesses, and private firms. Past placements include the Oregon Supreme Court, federal public defenders in Oregon and Alaska, innocence projects, and Dutch Bros. Legislative placements connect students with lawmaking institutions; other assignments can involve litigation, transactions, or administrative advocacy.
The Pro Bono Honors Program recognizes qualifying volunteer service. First-year students also have access to mentoring, while later practice opportunities build on the research, writing, and client-facing skills needed for supervised work.
12. Willamette Law Notable Faculty and Journals
Faculty
- Laura Appleman: Van Winkle Melton Professor of Law, focused on criminal law and procedure; author of Defending the Jury and a former New York public appellate defender.
- Steven K. Green: Fred H. Paulus Professor of Law, teaching constitutional law, the First Amendment, and legal history; author of Separating Church and State: A History.
- Paul Diller: Professor of Law and Roscoe C. and Debra H. Nelson Distinguished Faculty Scholar, working in state and local government; previously a trial attorney in the Justice Department's Civil Division.
- Stephanie Davidson: Associate professor and director of the law library, studying legal information and research; her earlier work at Yale included grant-supported digitization of Supreme Court records and briefs.
Journals
- Willamette Law Review: The flagship student-edited journal of legal scholarship.
- Willamette Journal of International Law and Dispute Resolution: Scholarship on international law and dispute resolution.
- Willamette Law Online: Student-produced summaries of court decisions.
- Willamette Journal of Social Justice and Equity: Scholarship addressing social justice and equity.
13. Willamette Law Culture and Student Life
First-year students are paired with upper-level Academic Excellence Fellows, creating an early connection to someone who has already navigated the curriculum. Student organizations, journal work, and the fall organization fair provide additional ways to become involved. The law school's mentoring and career-development resources connect academic preparation with professional relationships.
Salem gives student life a different center of gravity from a large metropolitan campus. The Capitol, state courts, and agencies are nearby, and those institutions recur in the school's courses and placements. For applicants who want to build an Oregon professional network, that setting is a practical part of the educational experience.
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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 Willamette 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.
