University of Kansas School of Law
A law school
WHERE VALUE MATTERS At KU Law, we don’t define value in traditional terms. Instead, we ask what we can give our students that will help them succeed anywhere they imagine. We’ll equip you with the deep knowledge and practice-ready skills to achieve your goals. Specializing in areas as diverse as corporate law, international law, public interest law and others, Jayhawk lawyers have been exploring new horizons near and far for more than 145 years. You’ll build connections with nationally recognized legal scholars. You’ll form lasting bonds with your classmates. And you’ll find a home in one of America’s favorite college towns. Ready to discover the value of a degree from KU Law?
On the cover: Ashley MacDonald, 3L, participates in KU Law’s In-House Moot Court Competition.
IMAGINE
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Student Support First-Year Experience Academic Areas
EXPLORE
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Hands-On Learning Clinics Field Placements
CONNECT
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Expert Faculty Community Student Involvement
DISCOVER
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Career Services Law and Technology Alumni Network International Law Free Bar Prep Program Application Timeline
We support our students like no other law school
Law school is an adventure, but at times it can be a long road. Here at KU Law, we believe you can be successful, but only if we do our part by supporting you the best we can. That is why we have a series of programs designed to help you overcome the emergencies, the financial barriers and the health and wellness challenges many law students face. We do this in a number of ways, but always with the intention of putting you in the best position possible.
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Every student assigned a faculty advisor
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Dean’s Fellows program
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Alumni mentoring program
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3-to-1 student mentoring program
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Academic skills and support
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Emergency funds for students
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Need-based scholarship fund
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Mental health counseling
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Professional clothes closet
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Public interest stipend
EXPLORE IMAGINE
GETTING STARTED
First-year Lawyering class size is 18 to 22 students.
The first-year experience The KU Law program starts with a five-day Lawyering Boot Camp. Our faculty will provide you with the essential tools to excel in law school, then take you on a deep dive into the case law that forms the basis of a legal education. As you learn how to read a case, how to properly outline a class and more, you will be ready for success.
CURRICULUM
The first year of law school sets the foundation for your legal career. KU Law faculty with extensive practice experience prepare you for intellectual and practical challenges in law school and beyond. The program begins with a core curriculum of doctrinal classes. You’ll learn Contracts, Constitutional Law, Property and other key subjects. Adding to that base, our first-year Lawyering Skills and Foundations in Law classes provide a full spectrum of preparation, from writing to training in negotiation, mediation, professionalism and other skills.
SMALL CLASS SIZES
What makes it all work? Small class sizes. Nearly half of your first-year classes meet in small sections. These small working groups allow for personal interaction with professors and an informal learning environment that encourages in-depth discussion and critical analysis. The trend continues for second- and third-year classes, with a median class size of 17.
FIRST-YEAR CLASSES Civil Procedure • Contracts • Criminal Law • Property • Introduction to Constitutional Law • Lawyering Skills I and II • Torts • Foundations in Law 3
SPECIALIZE WITH PURPOSE Upper-level courses and concentrations You’ve conquered your first-year requirements. Now you have access to more than 100 upper-level courses in a variety of practice areas. You have learned legal analysis and legal writing; now we want to provide you with the knowledge base and advanced skill sets you will need to excel in a career in law. At KU Law we have tracks for students to go into just about every area of law. Here are just a few we are known for.
CORPORATE & COMMERCIAL
The school’s faculty in business and commercial law includes internationally known scholars. Our professors have special expertise in areas such as entrepreneurship, corporate governance, securities regulation and commercial finance, as well as international trade, investment and dispute resolution.
PUBLIC INTEREST & GOVERNMENT
To prepare students to practice public law, KU Law offers a curriculum of gateway and substantive courses in several major public law areas. Skills simulation courses in this area include First Amendment Advocacy and the Public Policy Practicum. Students in the 6th Semester in D.C. program can explore government and policy externships in our nation’s capital.
law.ku.edu/academics 4
10 JOINT DEGREES Including Social Work, Business, Public Administration and Journalism
4 LAW DEGREE PROGRAMS J.D. | 2-Year J.D. for Foreign-Trained Lawyers | L.L.M. in American Legal Studies | Doctor of Juridical Science
7 CERTIFICATES Including International Trade & Finance, Business & Commercial Law, Advocacy Skills and Social Justice
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Environmental Law
#19
Dispute Resolution
IMAGINE
#9
Legal Writing
Public Law School Programs, U.S. News & World Report 2026
GENERAL PRACTICE
Many KU Law students seek to serve the needs of their communities by entering into general practice. Students will study a broad range of classes including advocacy, trusts and estates, commercial law and other related coursework.
ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL RESOURCES
The law school offers an array of courses in environmental, energy and natural resources law. Students can enroll in introductory survey courses and advanced seminars. KU Law also offers the Environment, Energy & Natural Resources Law Certificate.
CRIMINAL
Second- and third-year students can expand their knowledge through classes on constitutional criminal procedure and live-client opportunities. Specialized courses cover topics including capital punishment, juvenile law and mass incarceration.
SOCIAL JUSTICE
Social justice lawyers work to challenge the systems that create unequal status hierarchies and thus give tangible meaning to democratic ideals in the everyday lives of marginalized individuals and communities. At KU Law, students immerse themselves in related coursework and internships and externships at public interest and legal aid organizations locally and nationally.
INTERNATIONAL
KU Law offers a first-class program in international and comparative law. At its core is a menu of courses in the areas most relevant to practice around the world, including international business and commercial law, intellectual property law, environmental law and dispute resolution.
LITIGATION
KU Law prepares its students for the courtroom with simulation classes taught by both faculty and practitioners. Once grounded in the fundamentals, students can get live courtroom experience with our many clinics and externships.
75% of upper-level classes have 25 or fewer students. 5
LEARN FROM EXPERENCE Hands-on learning opportunities Sixty years ago, KU Law started its first clinic: the Paul E. Wilson Project for Innocence. Today, students have access to an experiential learning program that includes live-client clinics, field placements and skills simulations. You can take and defend depositions, represent juvenile defendants in local courts, represent state and federal inmates in post-conviction appeals, and more — all under the direction of clinical faculty, practicing attorneys and judges.
For the eleventh consecutive year, KU Law’s Moot Court Program is ranked among the top 30 most successful programs in the country.
ADVOCACY COMPETITIONS
Competition is fun and challenging and helps build your skills. At KU Law, you can participate in moot court, mock trial and transactional law competitions. In your second year, you can enter the in-house moot court competition, drafting an appellate brief and arguing before a mock “U.S. Supreme Court.” Top teams form the Moot Court Council and represent KU Law at national and international competitions.
6TH SEMESTER IN D.C. PROGRAM
Interested in policy and change? Students who participate in the 6th Semester in Washington, D.C., program spend their 3L spring semester living, working and connecting in our nation’s capital. Through externships at many of D.C.’s leading institutions, the program opens doors for students in Washington and beyond. Students have secured placements at organizations such as the EPA, NAACP, Department of Homeland Security, PBS, Senate Judiciary Committee and Department of Justice.
law.ku.edu/6th-semester 6
IMAGINE Undergrad at San Diego State University with a degree in political science
IMAGINE EXPLORE
In the 6th Semester in D.C. program, you can earn up to 12 credit hours through courses and field placements at approved organizations.
BRETT HALLAGAN, L’23
TECH & TELECOM ATTORNEY
EXPLORE 6th Semester in D.C. field placement with the Federal Communications Commission
CONNECT Executive president of the KU Student Bar Association and Mindfulness in Law Society
DISCOVER Congressional Tech and Telecom Fellow and Rural Telecom and Broadband Advocate in the D.C. area
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100% of eligible students can take a clinical or field placement spot, with more than 500 seats available in hands-on learning courses for students in 2025-2026.
Tanya Singh, L’26
Logan Quackenbush, L’25
“Because the MLP is embedded within a hospital, I got the opportunity to work directly with patients on addressing social determinants of health, eliminating barriers to healthcare and preserving patient autonomy in decision-making. I developed important legal writing skills and improved at being more concise in my writing.”
“Having the opportunity to work with such wonderful people who cared about not only their jobs but their community and the next generation of attorneys really was phenomenal to me. It reinforced that I want to be a criminal prosecutor and that I wanted to be like these people who care about their community.”
Medical-Legal Partnership Field Placement | LMH Health
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Criminal Prosecution Field Placement | Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office
IMAGINE EXPLORE
Real-world practice Translate classroom theory into real-world practice in one of our clinical and field placement programs. We’re talking real clients, real cases and real opportunities to make a difference for individuals and communities. Not only will you be testing your knowledge and gaining confidence — you’ll be showing employers you’re ready to hit the ground running.
CLINICS • • • •
Legal Aid Clinic Project for Innocence Veterans Legal Support Clinic Tribal Judicial Support Clinic
FIELD PLACEMENTS • • • • • •
Criminal Prosecution Elder Law 6th Semester in D.C. Judicial Medical-Legal Partnership Public Defense
SKILLS SIMULATIONS
Sam Mousa, L’27
Field Placement Program | 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office in Colorado Springs “The District Attorney’s Office has given me an invaluable experience, characterized by autonomy, responsibility and mentorship. I was able to do meaningful work that contributed to high-profile trials. I have been given countless tools to help prepare for a career in litigation, including an offer to return during my 2L summer.”
KU Law skills simulations provide training in advanced litigation, contract drafting, First Amendment advocacy, legal research, trial advocacy and more. Veteran attorneys teach Deposition Skills, Due Diligence in Business Transactions and Jury Selection workshops, providing guidance and feedback as you practice with your peers. Taught in the same way top firms train new associates, these courses offer hands-on experience developing litigation and business law skills.
law.ku.edu/hands-on 9
EXPERT FACULTY Internationally recognized scholars, lawyers Your professors at KU Law are scholars and lawyers recognized nationally and abroad as leaders in their fields. Many have written the casebooks used in their classrooms and, frequently, at law schools across the country. With decades of experience in practice and in the classroom, they will constantly challenge and engage you.
They will also offer advice and guidance as you navigate the challenges of becoming a lawyer. Faculty offices surround and open into the heart of Green Hall: the Wheat Law Library. You’re never more than a few steps away from your teachers and mentors, and their doors are always open to students.
law.ku.edu/faculty
Jean Phillips
Distinguished Clinical Professor Director, Project for Innocence
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Years teaching law and supervising clinical students
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Direct appeals, constitutional challenges and actual innocence cases won with assistance of students in the Project for Innocence
7.8-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio. Know your professors. 10
IMAGINE CONNECT
KU Law faculty members rank among the top 25% of all U.S. law schools for scholarly impact.
Raj Bhala
University Distinguished Professor Former Federal Reserve (New York) Attorney Former “On Point” Columnist, BloombergQuint (India) International Bar Association Officer Council on Foreign Relations Member Fulbright Specialist
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Textbooks, treatises, monographs
100+
Articles on international trade law, Islamic law, and law and literature
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Media appearances worldwide
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Years teaching law
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Countries visited
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Marathons completed
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KANSAS
TOPEKA STATE CAPITAL POP: 125,000+
Lawrence is ranked the #9 best town to visit in America according to CNN (2026).
GREEN HALL
Topeka Lawrence 20 miles
Unmistakably Lawrence When you come to KU Law, you don’t just get an outstanding legal education — you get to live in one of America’s favorite college towns with hundreds of things to do. It’s large enough to give a big-city vibe but small enough to make you feel right at home. A stunning hilltop campus overlooks the Kansas River and a vibrant downtown, where you can discover concert venues and street-corner musicians, browse locally owned art galleries and boutiques, and satisfy your craving for just about any food imaginable. 12
Ideally located between the state capital and Kansas City, Lawrence gives you quick access to shopping, entertainment and an international airport. This geographic advantage also equates to outstanding employment opportunities, 20 minutes west in Topeka (the seat of state government) and 40 minutes east in Kansas City (home to major corporations, law firms and a tech-fueled startup culture).
IMAGINE CONNECT
Lawrence Kansas City 40 miles
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS KU STUDENTS: 30,000+
KANSAS CITY KANSAS + MISSOURI POP: 2.2 MILLION
Mass. St.
LAWRENCE HOME TO KU POP: 95,000+
Founded by abolitionists in 1854, Lawrence carries on the values of its founders: tolerance, optimism and community.
VISIT KU LAW As our guest, you can take a student-led tour, sit in on a first-year class and meet with an admissions staff member. We also regularly host events online and in person.
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FIND YOUR TEAMMATES Friends, traditions, organizations You and your classmates are on this journey together, becoming fast friends and forming relationships that will last long after you leave Green Hall.
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS KU Law students take full advantage of opportunities outside of the classroom. You can get involved in student government, intramural sports and student organizations. There are dozens of student interest groups at the law school alone and more than 600 across campus. More than social clubs, many of these groups contribute dollars and hours of service to the KU and Lawrence communities.
TRADITIONS A history more than 145 years in the making has produced a legacy of traditions and pastimes at KU Law: camping out for prime student seats at Allen Fieldhouse, where the Kansas Jayhawks dominate in basketball; inspiring your classmates and professors to donate thousands of dollars to area families in need; and testing your legal citation prowess in a fast-paced relay that pits small sections against one another in friendly competition. KU Law traditions bond students together across classes and generations: Thanksgiving Food Drive; Pub Night fundraiser for women’s charities; Diversity in Law Banquet; Barber Emerson Bluebook Relays; and the Walk to “Old” Green Hall.
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SO MANY CHOICES KU Law student groups cover a wide range of interests and affinities. A few options: Black Law Students Association l Energy & Environmental Law Society l First-Generation Professionals l Hispanic American Law Student Association l International Law Society l Military & Veterans Society l OUTLaws & Accomplices l Sports Law Society l Women in Law
IMAGINE CONNECT
KU Law students access Big 12 sports, top-notch recreation facilities and miles of running and bike trails.
law.ku.edu/student-life 15
TAKE THE NEXT STEP One-to-one career planning Your path to success starts the day you enter Green Hall. The Career Services Office takes an intensive one-to-one approach, developing a career strategy that is unique to you and your aspirations. While most graduates enter legal practice with law firms, government agencies and corporations, others seek out nontraditional careers with consultancies, nonprofits and startups. Through individual and group programming, the Career Services
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Office will help you discover the breadth of amazing opportunities available to you and develop a detailed plan for launching the career you want. Our office will connect you with the powerful network of KU Law graduates practicing throughout the region, across the country and around the world — opening doors that will assist you in securing your first job and throughout your career.
IMAGINE DISCOVER DISCOVER President/CEO of UnidosUS, nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization
CONNECT Jobs on Capitol Hill, in the White House and at the University of Kansas
JANET MURGUIA, L’85
CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST EXPLORE Earns three KU degrees, building Jayhawk network that opens doors
KU Law grads have enjoyed successful legal careers with public interest organizations, such as the ACLU, Amara Legal, Kansas Appleseed, Kansas Holistic Defenders, Kansas Legal Services and Legal Aid of Western Missouri.
IMAGINE Daughter of Mexican immigrants, raised in Kansas City, KS
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EXPAND YOUR HORIZONS 96% of KU Law graduates in the Class of 2025 had full-time, long-term legal jobs within 10 months of graduation.
Career Services helps you make connections Career Exploration
Public Interest Support
Support for Out-of-State Job Searches
A J.D. opens doors to a diverse array of career paths, and we help you learn about them. The Career Exploration Series invites panelists from a variety of practice areas to discuss their jobs in sessions specifically for 1Ls. Additionally, nearly 100 representatives — from large and small firms to state and federal agencies, nonprofits, corporations and more — converge at KU Law for the fall career and recruitment fair. They provide insights into the many legal careers available to you, and the connections you make can lead to summer and post-graduate employment.
Students gain practical experience with summer internships, but sometimes great internships, particularly those in public service, are unpaid or low-paid. For that reason, KU Law has enlisted the help of donors to provide stipends for students pursuing these opportunities. In summer 2026, KU Law distributed nealry $100,000 to support students interning at public interest organizations including prosecutors’ offices, public defense agencies, government agencies, courts and nonprofits across the country.
A Travel Stipend Program supports students wanting to attend job fairs or interviews across the country. Stipends can cover expenses including travel, lodging and mileage reimbursement.
law.ku.edu/careers 18
Speed Mock Interviewing During interactive networking events, KU Law brings together dozens of successful alumni to work with students and help them hone their interviewing skills for their summer job search. You will connect with potential mentors in a wide range of practice areas during the CSO’s Speed Mock Interview sessions and other career development programs with KU Law alumni.
KU Law prepares students for a legal world changed by technology. From the first fall semester, students are taught the principles and tools of both generative and research AI, best practices and how to ethically incorporate AI and other technology to advance their lawyering skills. In the second and third years, students dive deeper through classes that specifically cover AI topics, incorporate AI research or provide related practical training opportunities.
The law school continually engages with industry and academic leaders, including through a speakers’ lunch series at Green Hall focused on the latest changes and developments.
“Our goal is not just to make our students proficient in new technologies, but for them to step into a new job and add value to that organization from day one. All while building on the ethics and values that are at the core of our program.” — Blake Wilson Director Wheat Law Library
IMAGINE DISCOVER
Preparing for the future of Law and Technology
Key stats 97% Overall employment for Class of 2025 within 10 months of graduation
$0.00 FREE: that’s the cost of KU Law’s Bar Prep Program for all students, offered in partnership with Themis and thanks to the generostiy of donors
#21 Ranked in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 top 50 public law schools
#46 Ranked in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 top law schools
90% or better Overall employment + full-time grad school for KU Law graduates 12 years in a row
$29,000 Amount of donor-funded stipends given to support students pursuing internships in rural and smaller markets in Kansas in summer 2026 19
JAYHAWK FLIGHT P Go anywhere
106 11 51 29 8 48 46
Josh DeMoss, L’17
Foreign Service Officer U.S. Department of Agriculture U.S. Embassy | Beijing, China “KU Law launched my career across continents. The world-class education prepared me for international service, and I’ve found supportive KU Law alumni everywhere — from America’s heartland to major international cities. Whether you’re practicing law at home or serving abroad, KU Law’s network has your back.”
The KU Law Career Services Office helps students and alumni develop and execute career strategy.
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DISCOVER
PATTERNS Wherever you end up, the Jayhawk lawyer network will be there to welcome and support you. More than 8,000 KU Law alumni live in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, four U.S. territories and numerous foreign countries.
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4,435
108
764
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4 404
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3 RI
171
8 DE 53 DC 74 MD13
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28 NJ
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36 MA
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More than 250 KU Law alumni live and work in the D.C. metro area.
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GLOBAL REACH
100+ alumni
25-49 alumni
50-99 alumni
1-24 alumni
Australia Bangladesh Belgium Brazil Canada China
Ethiopia Germany Hong Kong Japan Korea Mexico
Qatar Saudi Arabia Singapore Switzerland Taiwan Thailand
Turkey UAE United Kingdom
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International & Comparative Law Program KU Law offers a first-class program in international and comparative law. At its core is an extensive menu of courses in the areas most relevant to practice around the world, including international business and commercial law, intellectual property law, environmental law and international dispute resolution. Our professors are scholars and lawyers recognized nationally and abroad as leaders in their fields. With decades of experience in practice and in the classroom, faculty challenge and engage students in small class settings. Conferences and guest lectures, study abroad opportunities, international moot court programs, active student organizations and a friendly, cosmopolitan environment round out the experience. In addition to the three-year Juris Doctor (J.D.) program, KU Law offers a Two-Year J.D. for Foreign-Trained Lawyers, a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in American Legal Studies and a Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.).
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DISCOVER
FREE BAR PREPARATION Bar prep is expensive; KU Law has you covered At graduation, most law students borrow and spend several thousand dollars to enroll in a private bar prep course to prepare for the bar exam. At KU Law, we’ve taken care of that by partnering with Themis Bar Review to offer KU Law’s Bar Prep Program, which is funded by KU Law alumni.
#5 BEST VALUE
KU Law is ranked as the #5 Best Value Law School in the country by National Jurist Magazine, a rating that considers affordability, employment and bar exam success.
At no additional cost to them, all KU Law students receive: •
Post-graduation Themis Bar Review course
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Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam preparation course
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Themis first-year and upper-level Law School Essentials materials
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First-year diagnostic exam
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Option to enroll in Extended Bar Exam Prep course for J.D. credit
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Assistance from KU’s bar preparation director
Your KU Law degree empowers you to succeed in your career and on the bar exam. KU Law’s Free Bar Prep Program will help you clear that final hurdle without additional financial pressure.
#25 RANK FOR FIRSTTIME BAR PASS
94.2% of the KU Law Class of 2025 passed the bar exam on the first attempt — the 25th best first-time bar pass rate in the country.
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September
Fall 2026
Sept. 1 | Application available law.ku.edu/apply
Ongoing | Virtual Info Sessions
Ongoing | Check Admissions events to find out if a KU Law rep will be visiting your area. KU Law also attends virtual recruiting events in the fall. law.ku.edu/admissions-events
October Oct. 1 | Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) available fafsa.gov
Meet with the Office of Admissions online. Join us for regularly scheduled information sessions this fall. law.ku.edu/connect
February Feb. 20 | Priority deadline for admission and scholarship consideration
GETTING HERE Important dates & deadlines 24
TIMELINE
March
June
March 1 | Priority date to file the FAFSA. File earlier if you can.
June 15 | Second seat deposit due
June/July April April 2-3 | Admitted Students Weekend If you’ve been admitted, register for Admitted Students Weekend. April 7 | First seat deposit due
Find a place to live. law.ku.edu/housing
August August 19 | Attend orientation and start classes
law.ku.edu/apply
facebook.com/kulawschool x.com/kulawschool instagram.com/kulawschool youtube.com/kulawschool bloglaw.ku.edu
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Green Hall 1535 W. 15th St. Lawrence, KS 66045
OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS 866-220-3654 admitlaw@ku.edu law.ku.edu/admissions
Produced by the Office of Communications at the University of Kansas School of Law, 2026. Photos: KU Marketing, Casey Bacot, Julie Francisco, Margaret Hair, Emma Herrman, Bill Petros, Earl Richardson. Emily Sharp The University of Kansas School of Law is approved by the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association, 321 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60654, 312-988-6738. The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university’s programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and procedures and is the Title IX Coordinator for all KU and KUMC campuses: Associate Vice Chancellor for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY. Reports can be submitted to the Title IX Coordinator by visiting the following website: civilrights.ku.edu/how-report.