William & Mary Law School in Williamsburg, Virginia, grounds legal education in its citizen-lawyer tradition. Its strengths include constitutional law, property rights, court technology, and public-service advocacy, supported by early lawyering skills instruction, clinics, and externships.
This guide walks you through how to get into William & Mary Law.
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1. William & Mary Law Admissions Numbers and Statistics
William & Mary Law Class of 2029:
- LSAT: 75th: 168 | Median: 167 | 25th: 163
- GPA: 75th: 3.91 | Median: 3.81 | 25th: 3.49
William & Mary Law Class of 2028:
- LSAT: 75th: 167 | Median: 166 | 25th: 161
- GPA: 75th: 3.94 | Median: 3.82 | 25th: 3.53
From fall 2025 to fall 2026, William & Mary's LSAT median rose from 166 to 167, while its GPA median moved from 3.82 to 3.81. Both LSAT quartiles rose, while both GPA quartiles fell. The entering class contracted from 184 to 176 students, selected from 3,178 applications.
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. William & Mary Law Application Essays
Personal Statement (required)
William & Mary requires a personal statement and a separate Why William & Mary Law essay. Its instructions specify 500 words each, double-spaced, in 12-point font.
The school's instructions:
“This personal statement is your opportunity to provide the Admissions Committee with information you believe to be relevant to your admission decision. Topics may include academic interests, significant accomplishments, and educational achievements, and/or any way in which your perspective and experience will enrich the William & Mary Law School community.”
For more on how to write a personal statement, see my Personal Statement Examples and Personal Statement Guide.
For more on discussing your perspective and experience within this personal statement, see my Diversity Statement Examples and Diversity Statement Guide.
Why William & Mary Law (required)
The school's instructions:
“As the nation’s first law school, William & Mary Law School seeks to enroll a class of talented and engaged students committed to advancing our long-standing tradition of achieving and celebrating academic and professional excellence in an inclusive environment. We recognize the challenges of our history and our responsibility to pursue the realization of justice through the rule of law. This statement is your opportunity to share how your experiences, perspectives, values, and future goals align with William & Mary Law School’s vision and mission.”
For more on how to write a Why X essay, see my Why X Essay Guide.
For more on making all of these essays work together, see my Cohesive Narrative Guide.
Optional Addenda
Submit necessary explanations of academic performance, test results, or character-and-fitness matters separately. W&M asks for an individual page for each topic as needed.
Addenda and Character & Fitness Resources
I'll be publishing a guide to addenda and character and fitness.
3. William & Mary Law Resume Requirements
Submit a resume of no more than two single-sided pages covering education, employment, activities, and service. Use concrete descriptions and readable formatting. Do not squeeze a third page into tiny text. My Resume Examples show how to make responsibilities and accomplishments easy to follow.
For more on preparing your resume, see my Resume Examples and Resume Guide.
4. William & Mary Law Letters of Recommendation
W&M requires two letters through CAS. At least one should come from a faculty member unless you have been out of college for more than two years. Read my guide to letters of recommendation.
For more on recommendations, see my LOR Guide (Applicants) and LOR Guide (Writers).
5. William & Mary Law Interview Process
William & Mary does not require an admissions interview. Student admissions assistants offer one-on-one Zoom conversations, but these are informational opportunities, not a required evaluative stage.
6. William & Mary Law Deadlines and Early Decision
The current first-year page identifies these dates for fall 2027 entry:
- On or around September 1, 2026: Application opens.
- February 15, 2027: Recommended FAFSA submission date.
- April 1, 2027: Priority application deadline.
- April 2027 LSAT: Accepted for priority applicants under the dated instructions.
- June 2027 LSAT: Accepted after the priority deadline on a space-available basis.
- August 1, 2027: Final application deadline.
Application fee: $85. Request and receive any fee waiver before submitting; fees are not refunded afterward.
W&M does not offer Early Decision.
For a full breakdown of early decision strategy, see Should You Apply Early Decision to Law School?
Testing Policy
A separate paragraph still says to take an initial LSAT by February. Plan a first attempt by February; confirm the April or June route before relying on a late first score.
Tests: The LSAT is required. JD-Next may supplement the file but does not replace it.
7. William & Mary Law Scholarships and Financial Aid
Merit Scholarships
For 2026-2027, W&M lists these nine-month first-year budgets:
- Virginia resident: $39,754 tuition, $7,591 fees, and $72,928 total cost of attendance.
- Nonresident: $66,046 tuition, $8,162 fees, and $99,791 total cost of attendance.
All applicants receive merit-scholarship consideration. Awards cover three consecutive years, subject to good academic standing. Need-based scholarship consideration requires the FAFSA.
Lemon Legal Scholars Program
The Lemon Legal Scholars Program automatically considers HBCU graduates admitted to the JD program. W&M advertises at least five full tuition-and-fee scholarships, with no separate application. Academic achievement and civic engagement are among its considerations.
Scholarships depend on residency at admission. A later change to resident tuition can also change the scholarship under the resident award model; the adjustment is not necessarily proportional. Compare the revised net cost, not just the tuition reduction.
Loan Repayment Assistance
The Loan Repayment Assistance Program, supported by funds including the John Levy Loan Repayment Fund, offers qualifying graduates forgivable loans of up to $7,500 annually for three years. Income, employment, and available funding affect awards; judicial clerkships are excluded.
For more on scholarship strategy, see How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships.
8. William & Mary Law Joint Degrees
W&M offers three joint-degree pathways, each ordinarily completed in four years with separate admission to both programs:
- JD/MBA: Raymond A. Mason School of Business.
- JD/Master of Public Policy: W&M's Public Policy program.
- JD/MA in American Studies: W&M's American Studies program.
The public-policy combination supports policy analysis; American Studies provides an interdisciplinary research route.
9. William & Mary Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)
William & Mary Class of 2025 employment outcomes (reported to the ABA, measured 10 months after graduation):
- Full-time, long-term bar-passage-required employment (ABA): 91.0%
- BigLaw (firms with 101+ attorneys): 28.1%
- Federal clerkships: 6.0%
- Public service (including government): 19.6%
Virginia was the leading destination, followed by Washington, DC and New York. Large-firm hiring and federal clerkships are meaningful options, but the class-wide outcomes cover a broader range of careers. Match the geography and likely debt to the work you intend to pursue.
10. William & Mary Law Areas of Study and Specializations
Constitutional Law: The Institute of Bill of Rights Law brings together scholars, practitioners, and students around constitutional questions. Allison Orr Larsen's work on judicial fact-finding connects institutional research with the practical question of how courts receive and evaluate information.
Election Law: The Election Law Program, a joint effort with the National Center for State Courts, supports research for judges. Student fellows work on resources such as the Election Law Manual and Election Law Navigator, linking legal research to court administration.
Law and Technology: The Center for Legal and Court Technology studies technology in adjudication and legal practice. Its courtroom laboratory and Technology Augmented Trial Advocacy connect technical tools with evidence presentation, courtroom procedure, and the work of lawyers and judges.
Property Rights: The Property Rights Project sponsors the Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference and related journal. Student research opportunities connect property theory with disputes over government power, eminent domain, and ownership, rather than treating property as only a first-year requirement.
Business Law: The Business Law concentration organizes foundational and advanced study, including business associations, federal income taxation, and securities subjects. Its experiential or research component gives students a structured way to develop an interest beyond assembling unrelated corporate electives.
11. William & Mary Law Clinics and Experiential Learning
Students complete six experiential credits, with three supplied by the required first-year Lawyering Skills I and II sequence. Clinics, externships, and simulations provide additional options.
- Lewis B. Puller, Jr. Veterans Benefits Clinic: Students assist veterans seeking disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs, including claims and appeals. The clinic's interdisciplinary approach also recognizes connected mental-health, housing, and employment concerns rather than treating a benefits dispute in isolation.
- Special Education Advocacy Clinic: Students help families and caregivers navigate eligibility, evaluations, placement, individualized education plans, accommodations, and discipline. The work combines legal analysis with practical advocacy and community education, translating a child's educational needs into specific requests and proposed solutions.
- Immigration Clinic: Students assist noncitizens with matters including asylum, naturalization, and protections for survivors of crime, domestic violence, or trafficking. Community education, policy research, and advocacy complement individual assistance.
- Innocence Project Clinic: Working with the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, students investigate claims of actual innocence. They examine police and forensic records, pleadings, and transcripts; interview relevant people; and prepare case assessments to inform decisions about further investigation or representation.
- Domestic Violence Clinic: Students interview survivors and witnesses, provide advice, and represent clients in court under supervision. The combination develops fact investigation, counseling, and advocacy skills. Third-year practice certification is required, so this is an opportunity to plan for rather than a first-year placement.
- Low Income Tax Clinic: Students assist low-income Virginia taxpayers with IRS matters and US Tax Court cases. A federal tax practice seminar supports interviewing, case evaluation, settlement, negotiation, and trial preparation, connecting procedural learning to supervised representation of actual clients.
Pro Bono and Experiential Learning
Externships include courts, government, nonprofits, and private practice. Published student examples include the US Department of Justice and Muscarelle Museum of Art. Clinics also provide a foundation for future pro bono service, distinct from credit-bearing externship work.
12. William & Mary Law Notable Faculty and Journals
Faculty
- Allison Orr Larsen, Alfred Wilson & Mary I.W. Lee Professor and Institute of Bill of Rights Law director, studies constitutional law and judicial fact-finding. Her distinctions include the McGlothlin Teaching Award and testimony before the Presidential Commission on Supreme Court Reform.
- Timothy Zick, John Marshall Professor of Government and Citizenship, researches the First Amendment and public protest. His book Managed Dissent: The Law of Public Protest examines the legal constraints shaping demonstrations.
- James J. Wheaton, Clinical Professor and Special Education Advocacy Clinic director, brings disability-advocacy and business-law experience. He served on the ABA Commission on Disability Rights and received the Martin I. Lubaroff Award for work in unincorporated business law.
- Jazzirelle Hill, Adjunct Professor and Immigration Clinic director, teaches from experience in litigation and immigration-related pro bono representation. She received the ACLU SoCal Humanitarian Pro Bono Award.
Journals
- William & Mary Law Review: General-interest scholarship across areas of law.
- William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal: Scholarship on constitutional law.
- William & Mary Business Law Review: Scholarship on business, corporate law and ethics.
- William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review: Analysis of environmental law and its policy implications.
- William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice: Scholarship on race and gender-related legal issues.
The Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Journal is a separate Property Rights Project publication.
13. William & Mary Law Culture and Student Life
W&M's citizen lawyer tradition links professional training with public responsibility. That idea has concrete expression in veterans' benefits work, special-education advocacy, and student research supporting courts. The entering class of 2026 includes students from 108 colleges, and 70% bring work or graduate-study experience after college.
Williamsburg supplies a campus setting rather than a metropolitan law-school environment. Journals, student organizations, and the shared first-year skills sequence offer ways to build relationships, while externships connect students with practice beyond campus. Consider that combination when assessing where you will work and live comfortably for three years.
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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 William & Mary 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.
