Why University of Pittsburgh?

University of Pittsburgh School of Law offers a rigorous legal education with extensive experiential learning opportunities through its in-house clinics and interdisciplinary programs, deeply integrated with the vibrant Pittsburgh community.

University of Pittsburgh is a selective JD program with an acceptance rate of approximately 33.2%. The median entering 1L profile is a 3.54 GPA and 161 LSAT, with the 25th–75th percentile bands at 3.26–3.74 GPA and 159–163 LSAT. The full-time first-year class is approximately 121 students. Recent graduates have placed most heavily in Pennsylvania, Washington, DC, and New York — useful context if your geographic preference shapes your school list. In the 2025 ABA reporting cycle, University of Pittsburgh admitted 1 transfer student into the 2L class. 9 1Ls transferred out.

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Specialty strengths

Health LawEnvironmental and Energy LawIntellectual Property, Technology, and Innovation LawInternational and Comparative LawTax LawCivil Litigation

Class profile

US News rank: #77
Median GPA: 3.54; 25th–75th: 3.26–3.74
Median LSAT: 161; 25th–75th: 159–163
Acceptance rate: 33.2%
Class size (FT 1L): 121
Transfers admitted (2025): 1; ABA 2025 reporting cycle

2025 transfer admit profile

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

25th percentile: —; Suppressed (small cohort)
Median: —; 50th percentile
75th percentile: —; Suppressed (small cohort)

9 1Ls transferred out of University of Pittsburgh in the same cycle — context for how portable University of Pittsburgh's 1L credit is among admissions committees elsewhere.

Top employment markets

1Pennsylvania
2Washington, DC
3New York

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 Pittsburgh's practical training. Mention specific clinic names in your "Why University of Pittsburgh" essay where they align with your interests.

Elder Law Clinic
Provides legal assistance to older adults in various civil matters.
Environmental Law and Policy Clinic
Focuses on local climate change mitigation, environmental justice, and green economic opportunities.
Family Empowerment and Legal Access Clinic
Helps students develop client representation skills while advocating for access to the legal system.
Immigration Law Clinic
Represents noncitizens in a range of immigration matters, including asylum and removal defense.
Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic
Offers free legal services to qualifying low-income individuals with tax disputes.
Securities Arbitration Clinic
Provides students with practical experience in securities law and client representation.
Health Law Clinic
Offers experiential learning in health law, often in collaboration with medical and nursing students.

Notable journals

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

University of Pittsburgh Law Review— General legal scholarship, publishing articles by faculty, lawyers, and public officials.
Journal of Law and Commerce— Commercial, business, tax, and corporate law.
Pittsburgh Tax Review— Taxation, publishing articles by professors and practitioners.
Pittsburgh Journal of Technology Law & Policy— Technology law and policy.

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.

Jessie Allen
Law and Humanities
Kevin D. Ashley
Law and Artificial Intelligence
Deborah L. Brake
Gender and Discrimination Law
Ronald A. Brand
International Commercial Law, Arbitration
Tomar Pierson-Brown
Health Law, Clinical Education
William M. Carter, Jr.
Constitutional Law, Civil Rights
Pat K. Chew
Business Law, Torts
Mary Crossley
Health Law
Vivian Curran
Comparative Law, French Law
Gerald S. Dickinson
Constitutional Law, Property Law
Greer Donley
Health Law, Bioethics
Philip Hackney
Tax Law, Nonprofit Organizations

What makes University of Pittsburgh distinctive

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

·The Hickton Center for Community Legal Services houses the school's in-house legal clinics, providing extensive hands-on experience.
·The Innovation Practice Institute (IPI) trains students to work with innovators and think entrepreneurially, fostering regional economic development.
·Offers various joint degree programs with other graduate schools at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, including JD/MBA and JD/MPA.
·The Semester in D.C. Program allows students to serve as full-time externs on Capitol Hill or throughout Washington, D.C.
·Strong emphasis on integrating legal education with the Pittsburgh community, offering numerous opportunities for students to engage with local needs and innovators.

Using this for your "Why University of Pittsburgh" essay

Strong "Why X Law School" essays are concrete and specific to the school — not interchangeable templates. Use these facts to anchor your essay, then layer on what you've found from the school's own faculty pages, clinical program descriptions, and journal listings.

Important note: admissions committees actively reject AI-written personal statements and "Why X" essays. Use this page as research material to write your own essay — never as a template to copy. Authentic, specific, personally-grounded reasoning is the only thing that wins these essays.

Frequently asked about University of Pittsburgh

What is the median GPA and LSAT at University of Pittsburgh?▾

University of Pittsburgh's most recent entering 1L class had a median GPA of 3.54 and a median LSAT of 161. The 25th–75th percentile range was 3.26–3.74 GPA and 159–163 LSAT. Per ABA 509 disclosures.

What is University of Pittsburgh's acceptance rate?▾

University of Pittsburgh's most recent reported acceptance rate was approximately 33.2%, per ABA 509 disclosures.

What clinics does University of Pittsburgh offer?▾

University of Pittsburgh's notable clinical programs include: Elder Law Clinic, Environmental Law and Policy Clinic, Family Empowerment and Legal Access Clinic, Immigration Law Clinic, Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic. Visit the school's official clinical programs page for the full list.

What journals does University of Pittsburgh publish?▾

University of Pittsburgh's notable student-edited journals include: University of Pittsburgh Law Review, Journal of Law and Commerce, Pittsburgh Tax Review, Pittsburgh Journal of Technology Law & Policy.

Where do University of Pittsburgh graduates work?▾

University of Pittsburgh graduates concentrate employment in Pennsylvania, Washington, DC, New York, per the school's most recent ABA 509 employment summary.

How many transfer students does University of Pittsburgh admit?▾

University of Pittsburgh admitted 1 transfer student into the 2L class in the 2025 ABA reporting cycle.

Schools similar to University of Pittsburgh

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

#77

Florida International University

GPA 3.80 · LSAT 160

#77

Georgia State University

GPA 3.64 · LSAT 160

#77

Loyola University-chicago

GPA 3.70 · LSAT 159

#77

Northeastern University School of Law

University at Buffalo-suny

GPA 3.71 · LSAT 156

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Sources (6) — verify any fact above

Generated from public sources via search-grounded AI on 4/27/2026. If any fact looks wrong, click through to verify and let us know.