Inside scoop
Like Michigan, the University of Virginia is an excellent law school housed within a prestigious public institution, set in a location that many people love, but which many others might pass over. That means, largely, there are two kinds of people who apply to UVA:
- People applying simply because it’s a T14 school whose ranking has been rising over the last few cycles, but who would just as gladly go elsewhere
- People applying because they specifically like UVA for its proximity to government, enthusiastic campus culture, and the college-town charm of Charlottesville.
Because UVA wants to maintain its position among private schools with larger endowments, you can understand the task of its admissions office as sorting out those two groups and strongly favoring the second.
Admissions stats
LSAT vs GPA
Based on 2025 data from ABA
Projected from 7Sage applicants
Based on 2025 data from ABA
Your chances
Trends
Based on data from ABA
Based on data from US News and World Report
Based on data from ABA
Based on data from ABA
Why UVA
Ethan Madore
UVA is the best law school within several hours of D.C. and one of the best in the country. UVA Law students are often considered among the happiest in the country and Charlottesville has a strong, college-town vibe some people love. Both clerkship outcomes and Big Law placement rates are strong. UVA may be cut out of the exclusive club of Harvard-Yale-Stanford-Columbia-NYU-Chicago for the best connections to go into the highest forms of legal work, but its ranking star is on the rise, its medians are increasing, and the general southward shift of American culture in the 2020s means that it’s well positioned to offer excellent connections and resources to its alum.
Employment
Based on 2024 data from ABA
Based on 2024 data from ABA
Tuition & costs
Demographics
Out of 915 students in 2024, 53% were women, and 39% were racial or ethnic minorities.
Based on 2024 data from ABA
Yes, admission to UVA is highly competitive. For the 2025 application cycle, the UVA acceptance rate was 10.17%.
To be a competitive applicant at UVA, you should aim for an LSAT score around the median of 173 and a GPA of 3.99. The middle 50% of accepted students scored between 168 and 175 on the LSAT.
For the 2025 academic year, UVA tuition is $77,926 for full-time students. When factoring in the cost of living and additional fees, the total estimated cost of attendance is $81,900 per year.
Yes, UVA is a highly regarded institution. It is currently ranked #4 in the U.S. News & World Report Best Law Schools rankings for 2026.