Why University of Alabama?

Class profile

US News rank

#40

Median GPA

3.97

25th–75th: 3.76–4.05

Median LSAT

166

25th–75th: 159–168

Acceptance rate

25.8%

Class size (FT 1L)

149

Transfers admitted (2025)

4

ABA 2025 reporting cycle

2025 transfer admit profile

Actual GPAs of students University of Alabama admitted as transfers in the 2025 ABA cycle.

25th percentile

—

Suppressed (small cohort)

Median

—

50th percentile

75th percentile

—

Suppressed (small cohort)

1 1L transferred out of University of Alabama in the same cycle — context for how portable University of Alabama's 1L credit is among admissions committees elsewhere.

Top employment markets

1. 1Alabama
2. 2Georgia
3. 3California

Where the most recent graduating class concentrated employment, per the school's ABA 509 employment summary. Use this as a signal of where the alumni network and OCI recruiting pipeline are strongest.

Signature clinics

Clinical programs that define University of Alabama's practical training. Mention specific clinic names in your "Why University of Alabama" essay where they align with your interests.

• Civil Law Clinic
  Provides free legal advice and representation to university students and community members in civil matters like consumer law and housing disputes.
• Criminal Defense Clinic
  Represents indigent defendants in misdemeanor and felony criminal matters for both bench and jury trials.
• Domestic Violence Clinic
  Offers comprehensive legal services and outreach to survivors of domestic abuse in Tuscaloosa County.
• Elder Law Clinic
  Assists elderly, disabled individuals with legal issues, including preventing eviction from long-term care facilities.
• Entrepreneur & Nonprofit Clinic
  Provides free transactional legal services to small businesses, start-ups, and nonprofit organizations.
• Mediation Law Clinic
  Offers students the opportunity to mediate ongoing legal disputes.

Notable journals

Student-edited publications you could write for or cite as a research interest.

• Alabama Law Review— A nationally recognized flagship journal publishing articles on national and local legal issues.
• The Journal of the Legal Profession— The nation's first periodical exploring legal ethics and problems confronting the profession.
• Law & Psychology Review— Addresses the interplay between the disciplines of law and psychology, initially focused on the rights of the mentally disabled.
• Alabama Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Law Review— Examines civil rights and civil liberties issues through scholarly thought and writing.

Faculty highlights

Well-known faculty grouped by primary specialty. If a professor's scholarship aligns with your interests, name them in your essay and reference a specific paper or course.

• Cassandra Adams
  Public Interest Law
• William Andreen
  Environmental Law
• Yonathan Arbel
  Artificial Intelligence, AI Legal Studies Initiative
• Grant Christensen
  Federal Indian Law, Civil Procedure
• Russell Gold
  Criminal Law, Philosophy of Law
• Daniel Joyner
  International Trade and Investment Law, Nuclear Law
• Ronald Krotoszynski
  Constitutional Law, Comparative Constitutional Law
• Yuri R. Linetsky
  Civil Law, Clinical Legal Education
• Shalini Bhargava Ray
  Administrative Law, Federal Bureaucracy
• Clare Ryan
  Family Law, Health Care Law
• Tomer Stein
  Corporate Law and Governance, Mergers and Acquisitions, Securities Regulation
• Sean Tu
  Patent Law, Drug Law, Intellectual Property

What makes University of Alabama distinctive

Programs, history, or institutional features that set this school apart beyond rank.

• ·Guarantees every interested student the opportunity to participate in at least one law clinic before graduating.
• ·Offers a Public Interest Institute that empowers future public interest lawyers and expands access to justice.
• ·Provides a range of joint degree programs including JD/MBA, JD/MSCE, JD/MA, JD/PhD (Political Science, Economics), and JD/MSW.
• ·Offers specialized certificate programs in Governmental Affairs, International & Comparative Law, and Public Interest Law.
• ·Features a Federal Externship Program in Washington, D.C., allowing students to work in legislative, executive, or non-profit placements.
• ·Maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio of 5.8 to 1, fostering close working relationships between students and professors.

Frequently asked about University of Alabama

Schools similar to University of Alabama

Other schools at a comparable rank tier — useful for building a transfer list, balanced 0L application list, or essay-research shortlist.