Prospective Law Student Consumer Information (ABA Standard 509)

The following consumer information is provided to prospective law students in accordance with American Bar Assocation (ABA) Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar Standard 509 (73 KB PDF) to assist students in making an informed choice about law school.

Note: Unless otherwise indicated, data on this page was submitted to the American Bar Association in October 2012 for the 2012 reporting period.

About Washburn Law

Washburn University School of Law was founded in 1903, became a member of the AALS in 1905, and has appeared on the list of ABA-approved schools since the initial list in 1923. The address and telephone number of the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admission to the Bar of the American Bar Association is: Office of the Consultant on Legal Education/Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar American Bar Association, 321 N. Clark Street, 21st Floor, Chicago, IL 60654; phone: (312) 988-6738; fax: (312) 988-5681.

The essence of Washburn Law is the commitment of the law school community at every level – from the dean's office to facilities staff – to the success of our students. In addition, the law school emphasizes the ethics and values that are paramount to the profession of law. Its network of more than 7,000 alumni located in all 50 states and internationally includes nationally recognized lawyers, state and federal judges, politicians, journalists, and senior executives of Fortune 500 companies.

  • Type of school: Public
  • Term: Semester
  • Application deadline: 4/1, 11/1 (apply now)
  • Application fee: $40
  • Financial aid deadline: 7/1
  • Can first year start other than fall? Yes (January)
  • Student to faculty ratio: 10.4 to 1
  • Part-Time Program: No
  • Additional information:
    • Number of housing spaces available restricted to law students: N/A
    • Graduate housing for which law students are eligible: 192

Please note that Washburn Law does not offer a part-time program, an evening program of study, or online courses. References to "part-time" data in the following tables have been removed.

Admissions

While an applicant's LSAT score and GPA are significant factors, there is no bright-line cutoff. The Admissions Committee uses the highest LSAT score for multiple-test takers. It carefully considers other factors, including a determination of whether the individual would be an asset for the class as a whole based on characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, geographic diversity, international experience, and undergraduate institution.

The following table provides information about applicants. See also student body and entering class profiles.

Total
# of applicants 604
# of offers 354
# of matrics 130
75% GPA 3.51
Median GPA 3.18
25% GPA 2.93
75% LSAT 156
Median LSAT 153
25% LSAT 150

Number of matrics, above, excludes transfer students and returning students counted in a previous year.

Tuition, Fees, Living Costs

See tuition and other costs. Current Kansas and Missouri residents can attend Washburn Law at resident tuition rates. Residents of all other states can qualify for in-state tuition after only six months. (Washburn Law does not have a tuition guarantee program.)

Financial Aid (Grants and Scholarships)

Scholarships are awarded based on academic performance. Contribution to diversity is also considered in making scholarship awards. Topeka is one of the most affordable housing markets in the country. Most students live in the residential areas surrounding the campus.

The following table provides information about various forms of financial aid. See also scholarships and financial aid.

  Total
# %
Total # of students 413 100
Total # receiving grants 215 56.9
Less than 1/2 tuition 83 20.1
Half to full tuition 83 20.1
Full tuition 0 0.0
More than full tuition 69 16.7
Median grant amount: $13,125

Conditional Scholarships

The American Bar Association defines a conditional scholarship as "any financial aid award, the retention of which is dependent upon the student maintaining a minimum grade point average or class standing, other than that ordinarily required to remain in good academic standing." At Washburn Law students must maintain a 2.80 GPA to retain their scholarships. Students who lose their scholarship for academic reasons automatically regain the scholarship when their cumulative GPA is raised to 2.80 or higher.

Students Matriculating In Number Entering
with Conditional
Scholarships		 Number Whose
Conditional
Scholarships Have
Since Been
Reduced
or Eliminated		 Number Whose
Conditional
Scholarships Have
Since Been
Reinstated
2012
(Current Academic Year)		 57 N/A N/A
2011
(Previous Academic Year)		 63 25 2
2010
(Previous Academic Year -1)		 80 24 6
2009
(Previous Academic Year -2)		 47 11 5

Refunds

See financial policies.

Enrollment Data

  Men Women Total 1st-year JD
Degrees
Awdarded
# % # % # % # %
Hispanics
(any race)		 9 3.8 8 5.4 17 4.4 8 5.9 6
American Indian/
Alaska Native		 5 2.1 6 4 11 2.9 3 2.2 3
Asian 7 3.0 5 3.4 12 3.1 3 2.2 0
Black/African
American		 9 3.8 7 4.7 16 4.2 6 4.4 7
Native Hawaiian/
Pacific Islander		 1 0.4 0 0 1 0.3 0 0 0
2 or more races 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0
Subtotal (Minority) 31 13.1 26 17.4 57 14.8 20 14.8 16
White/Caucasian 195 82.6 116 77.9 311 80.8 109 80.7 132
Nonresident Alien 2 0.8 5 3.4 7 1.8 3 2.2 4
Unknown 8 3.4 2 1.3 10 2.6 3 2.2 4
Total 236 61.3 149 38.7 385 100 135 35.1 156
Transfers in 5
Transfers out 1

Attrition/Graduation Rates

Academic # Other # Total # Total %
1st year 1 7 8 6.6
2nd year 0 1 1 0.8
3rd year 2 3 5 3.1
4th year 0 0 0 0.0

Faculty and Administrators

The following table provides information about faculty and administrators. See also full-time faculty and adjunct faculty.

  Total Men Women Minorities
  Spring Fall Spring Fall Spring Fall Spring Fall
Full-time 32 32 20 19 12 13 6 4
Other Full-time 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
Deans, librarians,
& others who teach		 7 7 5 5 2 2 1 1
Part-time 23 28 14 18 9 10 0 0
Total 63 68 40 43 23 25 7 5

Curricular Offerings

The following table provides information about curriculum and course offerings. See also list of courses and descriptions.

Typical first-year section size 52
# of classroom course titles beyond first-year curriculum 106
# of upper division classroom course sections  
Under 25 84
25-49 32
50-74 11
75-99 1
100+ 0
# of positions available in simulation courses 563
# of simulation positions filled 445
# of positions available in faculty supervised clinical courses 76
# of faculty supervised clinical positions filled 72
# involved in field placement positions filled 109
# of students enrolled in independent study 24
# of students who participated in law journals 59
# of students who participated in interschool skills competitions 50
# of credit hours required to graduate 90
Additional information:
  • Is there typically a "small section" of the first-year class,
       other than Legal Writing, taught by full-time faculty		 Yes
  • If yes, typical size offered last year 28
  • # of seminars 29
  • # of seminar positions available 479
  • # of seminar positions filled 390

Academic Calendar

See academic calendars.

Academic Requirements

All entering students participate in the law school's Ex-L program, which begins during an elaborate and rigorous "first week" program designed to teach students the learning strategies they need to succeed in law school. Ex-L includes a structured study-group program in which groups of four to six students meet twice per week to apply cooperative learning strategies to their law school experience under the supervision of carefully trained and supervised upper-division students. Second- and third-year students satisfy advanced writing and oral presentation requirements and take one or more classes from a group of Perspectives on Law courses, and one or more classes from a group of Skills courses.

See:

Library Resources

For 25 years, the Washburn Law Library has been at the top of all law school libraries for new titles added, its extensive collection, and its innovative use of technology. WashLaw has been a premier legal research portal since its creation in the early 1990s, and it is nationally acclaimed as a comprehensive source for legal information on the Internet.

Total amount spent on library materials $1,354,421
Study seating capacity inside the library 397
# of full-time equivalent professional librarians 9
Hours per week library is open 101
Require computer? No
Additional information:
  • # of open, wired connections available to students 15
  • Has wireless network? Yes

Facilities

Students have wireless access throughout the building. Classrooms include enhanced audio, video, and computer technologies. The state-of-the-art Robinson Courtroom and Bianchino Technology Center offers students the opportunity to practice their skills in a high-tech environment.

Class and seminar rooms 11,979
Clinical courses and programs 2,970
Faculty offices 6,170
Co-curricular and student activities 3,518
Administrative and staff 4,151
Library 37,301
Other (interview rooms, restrooms, halls, storage,
  janitorial space, mechanical rooms)		 20,967
Total 87,056

Employment Outcomes

The Professional Development Office offers programs that emphasize assessment of career goals, exploration of varied applications of a legal education, and support for the transition into the professional marketplace. The office makes available extensive resources regarding local, regional, national, and international legal employment in the public and private sectors, graduate and foreign study, and judicial clerkships. Washburn Law graduates enjoy success in seeking employment. Washburn Law alumni can be found in every state and in many other countries.

Employment Status
    Full Time Part Time
  Number Long
Term		 Short
Term		 Long
Term		 Short
Term
Employed
Bar Passage Required 82 71 5 3 3
JD Advantage 14 8 3 0 3
Professional Position 8 3 4 1 0
Non-Professional Position 8 0 1 2 5
Undeterminable 1 0 1 0 0
Pursuing Graduate Degree Full Time 5  
Unemployed  
Start Date Deferred 0  
Not Seeking 8  
Seeking 10  
Employment Status Unknown 6  
Total Graduates 142  
Law School/University Funded Position
    Full Time Part Time
  Number Long
Term		 Short
Term		 Long
Term		 Short
Term
Of Employed - Law School/University Funded 0 0 0 0 0
Employment Type
    Full Time Part Time
  Number Long
Term		 Short
Term		 Long
Term		 Short
Term
Law Firms
Solo 14 7 1 1 5
2-10 31 29 0 1 1
11-25 7 7 0 0 0
26-50 4 3 0 1 0
51-100 0 0 0 0 0
101-250 1 1 0 0 0
251-500 1 1 0 0 0
501+ 0 0 0 0 0
Unknown 0 0 0 0 0
Business & Industry 22 8 9 1 4
Government 24 19 3 2 0
Public Interest
(including public defenders)		 2 2 0 0 0
Judicial Clerkships
Federal 0 0 0 0 0
State & Local 4 4 0 0 0
Other 0 0 0 0 0
Academia 1 1 0 0 0
Employer Type Unknown 2 0 1 0 1
Total 113 82 14 6 11
Employment Location
  Number
State with largest employment - Kansas 70
State with 2nd largest employment - Missouri 13
State with 3rd largest employment - Colorado 6
Number employed in foreign countries 0

See also profiles and statistics.

Bar Passage

See bar exam pass rates and learn more about bar exam preparation and the Washburn Law bar pass program.

Transfer of Credit Policy

See how to apply: transfer.

On This Page

Scroll down to learn about:

Washburn LawAdmissionsTuition, Fees, Living CostsFinancial Aid (Grants and Scholarships)Conditional ScholarshipsRefundsEnrollment DataAttrition/Graduation RatesFaculty and AdministratorsCurricular OfferingsAcademic CalendarAcademic RequirementsLirbary ResourcesFacilitiesEmployment OutcomesBar PassageTransfer of Credit Policy