Last updated: August 13, 2026

The University of Akron School of Law

The University of Akron School of Law was founded in 1921. The law school became part of The University of Akron in 1959 and received American Bar Association accreditation in 1961. The University of Akron School of Law is a public law school in Akron, Ohio. The school offers full-time and part-time J.D. programs, flexible enrollment options, experiential legal education, specialized programs, and multiple pathways into legal education. The school has particular strengths in intellectual property, constitutional law, trial advocacy, litigation, business law, and practical legal education. It also offers an LL.M. in Intellectual Property and a Master of Studies in Law (MSL).

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Akron Law at a Glance

Category	Latest Information
Location	Akron, Ohio
Type	Public
ABA Accredited	1961
Dean	Emily M. Janoski-Haehlen
J.D. Credit Requirement	88 credits
Latest ABA Entering Class	Fall 2025
Applications	762
Offers of Admission	446
Acceptance Rate	58.53%
First-Year Class	203
Median LSAT	154
Median GPA	3.51
2026–27 Full-Time Tuition & Fees	$29,000 resident / $29,130 non-resident
2026–27 Part-Time Tuition & Fees	$19,660 resident / $19,780 non-resident
Class of 2025 Employment	122 employed
Class of 2025 Bar-Required/Anticipated Positions	105
Latest Published First-Time Bar Passage	72.1%
Latest Published Ultimate Bar Passage	95%
Main Employment Market	Ohio, particularly Northeast Ohio

Data notes: Admissions figures are from the latest available ABA Standard 509 report for the Fall 2025 entering class. Employment figures are from Akron Law's Class of 2025 ABA Employment Report. Tuition figures reflect the University's published 2026–27 rates.

Introduction

The University of Akron School of Law provides a practical legal education in Northeast Ohio.

Akron Law offers students flexibility in how and when they pursue the J.D. Students can begin their studies in January, May, or August. The school offers both full-time and part-time programs, with the part-time program designed to accommodate students who want to continue working while earning a law degree.

The J.D. requires 88 credit hours. Full-time students typically complete the program in three years, while part-time students can generally complete the program in four years.

Akron Law also offers an LL.M. in Intellectual Property and a Master of Studies in Law (MSL), as well as joint-degree, accelerated, and 3+3 opportunities.

The school's academic identity includes intellectual property, constitutional law, trial advocacy, experiential education, and regional legal practice.

Rankings and Reputation

Akron Law is an ABA-approved public law school with a long-standing presence in Ohio legal education.

Rather than relying on a single numerical national ranking, Akron Law's current reputation is particularly associated with:

Intellectual property law
Constitutional law
Trial advocacy
Practical legal education
Regional value
Flexible J.D. programs

Akron Law has received recognition for its value and specialized programs, including intellectual property, business law, and trial advocacy.

Because national rankings are revised annually and methodologies can change, applicants should consider rankings alongside employment outcomes, bar passage, scholarship offers, debt, and geographic placement.

Admissions: What It Takes to Get In

Entering class (Fall 2025)

The latest ABA Standard 509 report provides the following official admissions data for the Fall 2025 entering class:

Admissions Metric	2025
Completed Applications	762
Offers of Admission	446
Acceptance Rate	58.53%
Enrollees from Applicant Pool	201
Enrollment Rate from Offers	44.62%
Enrollment Rate from Completed Applications	26.12%
Total First-Year Class	203
Full-Time First-Year Students	167
Part-Time First-Year Students	36
Application Fee	$0

Two students in the first-year class deferred admission from a previous year and were therefore not part of the current-year applicant pool.

LSAT and GPA

Percentile	LSAT	GPA
75th	157	3.76
Median	154	3.51
25th	151	3.22

Among the 2025 entering class, 196 students reported LSAT scores and seven students reported GRE scores.

Akron Law accepts both the LSAT and GRE for J.D. admission. Applicants should review the current admissions requirements before submitting an application.

Interpreting the numbers

A 154 LSAT and 3.51 GPA represent Akron Law's latest overall median entering-class profile.

Applicants with:

157+ LSAT: At or above the latest 75th percentile.
154–156 LSAT: Around or above the median.
151–153 LSAT: Within the school's reported 25th-to-median range.
Below 151: Below the latest 25th percentile.

A GPA of approximately 3.51 or higher is around the current median, while a GPA of 3.76 or higher is at or above the 75th percentile.

These numbers are not absolute admission cutoffs.

Akron Law evaluates applications holistically, and the school also offers multiple pathways and accelerated programs.

Application timing

For the 2026 admissions cycle, Akron Law's published deadlines include:

Fall priority deadline: March 31, 2026
Spring application deadline: November 30, 2026
Transfer application deadline: July 15, 2026

The March 31 deadline is the priority deadline for fall admission and scholarships. Akron Law may extend the fall deadline depending on available space.

The Spring Start program begins in January, while the Summer Start program begins in May.

Applicants should check the current admissions page for future-cycle deadlines once they are published.

Cost, Scholarships, and Debt

Tuition (2026–27)

Akron Law's published 2026–27 tuition and fee rates are calculated based on the number of credits taken. The University states that full-time enrollment generally averages 30 credit hours per year, while part-time enrollment averages 20 credit hours per year. Actual tuition and fee totals may vary depending on a student's course load.

Tuition and Fee	2026–27 Rate
Tuition	$840 per credit
Law Program Fee	$37.50 per credit
General Service Fee	$100 per credit, capped at $1,200 per semester
Nonresident Surcharge	$50 per semester during fall and spring

Akron Law estimates that annual tuition and fees are less than $30,000 for full-time students and less than $20,000 for part-time students. Full-time enrollment assumes an average of 30 credit hours per year, while part-time enrollment assumes an average of 20 credit hours per year.

The J.D. requires 88 credit hours for graduation. Summer courses are optional for full-time students but are required for part-time students who wish to complete the J.D. in four years.

Official Akron Law tuition and fee information

Estimated Living Expenses (2026–27)

Akron Law's published 2026–27 estimated living expenses are divided between the fall/spring academic year and the summer term. Actual expenses may vary depending on a student's housing, transportation, and personal spending.

Expense	Fall/Spring	Summer
Room and Board	$11,550	$4,000
Books and Supplies	$1,500	$800
Transportation	$2,400	$750
Personal Expenses	$1,600	$900
Total	$17,050	$6,450

The University of Akron notes that these are estimated living expenses and that actual costs may vary. Parking is not included in the estimated total because not every student purchases a parking permit.

Official Akron Law tuition and living expense information

Scholarships

Akron Law awards scholarships to a large majority of its students.

The latest ABA scholarship data reports that 94% of Akron Law students received grants or scholarships during the 2024–25 reporting year.

Scholarship Amount	Students
Less than half tuition	59%
Half to full tuition	33%
Full tuition	1%
More than full tuition	1%

Grant amounts:

25th percentile: $3,000
Median: $9,000
75th percentile: $18,300

Akron Law automatically considers admitted J.D. students for merit-based Board of Trustees scholarships.

Entering-student scholarships are guaranteed for three years of full-time study or four years of part-time study as long as the student remains in good standing.

The current good-academic-standing threshold for these scholarships is 2.6 GPA.

Debt perspective

Akron Law's relatively moderate tuition and scholarship opportunities can make it a potentially lower-cost option than many law schools.

Prospective students should evaluate their individual net cost rather than relying on published tuition alone.

Important factors include:

Scholarship amount
Scholarship renewal requirements
Tuition increases
Living expenses
Federal loan eligibility
Private borrowing
Bar-exam expenses
Expected employment
Expected salary
Geographic location after graduation

For students who intend to practice in Ohio and receive significant scholarship assistance, Akron can offer a comparatively attractive cost-to-outcome proposition.

Employment Outcomes and Bar Passage

Employment (Class of 2025, 10 months after graduation)

The Class of 2025 is the latest employment cohort available for a 2026 update.

The latest employment report counts 133 graduates.

Employment Outcome	Number
Employed – Bar Admission Required/Anticipated	105
Employed – J.D. Advantage	14
Employed – Professional Position	2
Employed – Other Position	1
Enrolled in Graduate Studies	1
Unemployed – Not Seeking	4
Unemployed – Seeking	5
Employment Status Unknown	1

A total of 122 graduates were employed.

Of the 133 graduates, 105 obtained positions requiring or anticipating bar admission.

Employment by employer type included law firms, government, business and industry, public interest organizations, education, and judicial clerkships.

What these numbers mean

The Class of 2025 results are the appropriate employment figures to use for a 2026 Akron Law profile.

The distinction between overall employment and bar-required employment matters.

Overall employment includes graduates working in legal, professional, and other employment categories.
Bar-required/anticipated employment measures positions requiring or anticipating bar admission.

Akron Law's Class of 2025 employment results show that the majority of graduates entered positions connected directly or indirectly to legal practice.

Students should not assume that the overall employment figure means every graduate entered traditional legal practice.

Bar passage

The latest published bar-passage information currently available for Akron Law reports a first-time bar passage rate of approximately 72.1%.

For the reported Ohio examination cycle:

Akron Law first-time pass rate: 72.1%
Ohio statewide first-time pass rate: approximately 80.5%

Akron's first-time rate was therefore approximately 8.4 percentage points below the Ohio statewide rate for that reporting period.

Akron Law also reported a 95% ultimate bar-admission rate for the 2022 graduating class within the ABA's two-year reporting period.

First-time bar passage and ultimate bar admission are different measures.

Regional employment

The Class of 2025 employment report shows that Ohio remains Akron Law's dominant employment market.

The largest employment locations include:

Ohio
Pennsylvania
Florida

Akron Law graduates work throughout Ohio, particularly in Northeast Ohio.

Common employment markets include Akron, Cleveland, Canton, Columbus, Summit County, Cuyahoga County, and other Ohio legal markets.

Graduates also enter government, public-interest organizations, business, private practice, judicial clerkships, and other legal positions outside Ohio.

Academics and Programs

Akron Law's J.D. program requires 88 credit hours.

The curriculum combines doctrinal legal education with experiential learning and practical skills development.

Students can begin the J.D. program in August, January, or May.

Intellectual Property

Intellectual property remains one of Akron Law's most distinctive academic areas.

Students can pursue coursework and experiential opportunities involving:

Patent law
Trademark law
Copyright
Technology law
Innovation policy
Intellectual property litigation
Intellectual property transactions
Cybersecurity and technology issues

Akron Law also offers an LL.M. in Intellectual Property.

The school's Intellectual Property and Policy Institute provides programming and opportunities for students interested in intellectual property policy and technology.

Constitutional Law

Akron Law's Center for Constitutional Law remains a major part of the school's academic identity.

The center supports research, programming, lectures, symposia, fellowships, and student opportunities involving constitutional law.

Akron Law also offers a Certificate of Study in Constitutional Law.

Current constitutional-law programming includes issues involving civil rights, government powers, free speech, constitutional structure, and contemporary Supreme Court developments.

Other areas

Akron Law offers coursework and programs in a broad range of areas, including:

Business law
Criminal law
Family law
Health law
Labor and employment law
Litigation
Tax law
Environmental law
International and comparative law
Trial advocacy
Public interest law
Intellectual property
Constitutional law

Students can tailor the upper-division curriculum through electives, certificates, clinics, externships, journals, advocacy teams, and other opportunities.

Practical training

Practical training is one of Akron Law's central educational priorities.

The latest ABA Standard 509 report reports:

120 law-clinic seats available
46 law-clinic seats filled
35 field-placement positions filled
922 simulation-course seats available
534 simulation-course seats filled
24 co-curricular offerings

Students can participate in:

Legal clinics
Externships
Field placements
Simulation courses
Moot court
Trial advocacy
Law Review
Public-interest projects
Judicial placements
Pro bono service

Student Life and Location

Akron Law is located in the C. Blake McDowell Law Center at The University of Akron.

Living in Akron

Akron provides access to a lower-cost regional legal market compared with many major U.S. metropolitan areas.

Students have access to:

Downtown Akron
Northeast Ohio courts
Government offices
Law firms
Corporate employers
Public-interest organizations
Restaurants and entertainment
Parks and outdoor recreation
Cleveland-area employment opportunities

The school is located within the broader Northeast Ohio legal market, giving students access to Akron, Cleveland, Canton, and other regional markets.

Student body

The latest ABA Standard 509 enrollment report lists 473 J.D. students.

Class	Students
JD1	236
JD2	118
JD3	94
JD4	25
Total	473

The 2025 entering class consisted of:

167 full-time students
36 part-time students

How Akron Law Compares

Akron Law is best compared with other regional law schools based on scholarship, employment, bar passage, and geographic placement rather than ranking alone.

School	Primary consideration
Akron Law	Regional Ohio practice, value, IP, practical training
Cleveland State University College of Law	Cleveland market and regional practice
University of Toledo College of Law	Northwest Ohio and regional practice
University of Dayton School of Law	Regional practice and flexible legal education
Case Western Reserve University School of Law	Greater national reach and Cleveland market

These are broad comparisons rather than formal rankings.

Choose Akron if

You want to practice in Ohio.
You are targeting Northeast Ohio.
You receive a strong scholarship.
You want relatively moderate law-school costs.
You are interested in intellectual property.
You want strong practical-learning opportunities.
You need a part-time J.D. option.
You value the ability to begin in January, May, or August.
You want access to clinics, externships, advocacy, and simulation courses.
You want a regional law school with established Ohio connections.

Consider alternatives if

You are primarily targeting national BigLaw.
You want the strongest possible national placement.
You plan to practice permanently outside Ohio.
Another school offers significantly stronger employment outcomes at a comparable net cost.
Another school provides a substantially better scholarship package.
Your career goals depend heavily on federal clerkships or elite national firms.

The TLS Verdict

Akron Law is best understood as a regional public law school offering strong value potential, flexible J.D. options, practical legal education, and distinctive strengths in intellectual property and constitutional law.

The latest admissions data shows a 154 median LSAT and 3.51 median GPA, with a 58.53% acceptance rate.

For 2026–27, Akron Law's published tuition and fees are approximately $29,000 for Ohio residents and $29,130 for nonresidents for full-time students. Part-time students pay approximately $19,660 for Ohio residents and $19,780 for nonresidents.

The latest employment data for the Class of 2025 shows 122 employed graduates, including 105 graduates in bar-admission-required or anticipated positions.

Akron's strongest employment market remains Ohio, especially Northeast Ohio.

The school's strongest academic and professional differentiators include:

Intellectual property
Constitutional law
Trial advocacy
Experiential education
Flexible J.D. scheduling
Part-time legal education
3+3 accelerated programs

Akron Law also offers a Blended Online J.D. option for eligible part-time students, providing additional flexibility for students balancing legal education with work or other commitments.

For students planning to practice in Ohio, particularly students receiving significant scholarship aid, Akron Law can offer a compelling combination of cost, flexibility, practical training, and regional employment access.

For students seeking national BigLaw or highly competitive national markets, the school's regional employment profile should be weighed against law schools with stronger national placement. ```

What Students Say

Public student and applicant discussions about Akron Law tend to focus on the school's affordability, scholarship offers, regional employment opportunities, faculty accessibility, and practical legal education.

Because online discussions are anecdotal and may represent only a small portion of the student body, they should be treated as supplementary rather than definitive.

Frequently mentioned positives

Relatively affordable tuition compared with many law schools
Significant scholarship opportunities
Practical and experiential learning
Accessible professors
Strong regional connections
Flexible full-time and part-time options
January, May, and August start options
Intellectual property opportunities
Trial advocacy opportunities
Strong fit for students planning to remain in Ohio

Frequently mentioned concerns

More limited national reach than higher-ranked law schools
BigLaw placement is more regional than national
First-time bar passage has been below the Ohio statewide rate in the latest reported cycle
Employment outcomes vary substantially by career path and geographic market
Students targeting national legal markets may need to pursue networking and geographic mobility more aggressively

Individual experiences can differ significantly depending on class, professors, career goals, academic performance, and scholarship package.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Akron Law a good law school?

Akron Law can be a strong choice for students seeking an affordable, practical legal education with an emphasis on Ohio and Northeast Ohio employment.

Its strongest advantages are its public-school tuition structure, scholarship opportunities, flexible enrollment, practical training, intellectual property program, constitutional-law resources, and regional network.

Students seeking national BigLaw or highly competitive national placement should compare Akron with schools offering stronger national employment outcomes.

What LSAT score is competitive for Akron Law?

The latest ABA entering-class median LSAT is 154.

The 25th percentile is 151, and the 75th percentile is 157.

A score of 154 or higher places an applicant around or above the current median, while 157 or higher is at or above the 75th percentile.

Applicants with scores below 151 are below the latest reported 25th percentile.

What is Akron Law’s acceptance rate?

Akron Law's latest ABA Standard 509 acceptance rate is 58.53%.

For the Fall 2025 entering class, Akron Law received 762 completed applications and made 446 offers of admission.

How much is tuition?

For 2026–27, Akron Law's published tuition and fee rates are based on the number of credits taken. The University estimates full-time enrollment at 30 credit hours per year and part-time enrollment at 20 credit hours per year.

Ohio resident full-time: approximately $28,725 per year
Nonresident full-time: approximately $28,825 per year
Ohio resident part-time: approximately $19,550 per year
Nonresident part-time: approximately $19,650 per year

The 2026–27 rates are $840 per credit for tuition, plus a $37.50 per-credit Law Program Fee and a $100 per-credit General Service Fee, with the General Service Fee capped at $1,200 per semester. Nonresident students pay an additional $50 surcharge per semester.

The annual totals above are estimates based on Akron Law's typical 30-credit full-time and 20-credit part-time enrollment assumptions. Actual costs may vary depending on the number of credits and courses taken. The J.D. requires 88 credit hours for graduation.

Official Akron Law tuition and fees

What is the bar passage rate?

The latest published first-time bar passage rate for Akron Law is approximately 72.1%.

The corresponding Ohio statewide first-time pass rate was approximately 80.5%.

Akron Law's reported ultimate bar-admission rate for the 2022 graduating class was 95%.

These are different measures and should not be treated as interchangeable.

What is Akron Law known for?

Akron Law is particularly known for:

Intellectual property law
Intellectual Property and Policy Institute
Constitutional law
Center for Constitutional Law
Trial advocacy
Practical and experiential education
Legal clinics
Flexible J.D. programs
Part-time legal education
3+3 accelerated programs
Regional Ohio legal practice

Contact and Key Links

University of Akron School of Law

150 University Avenue Akron, OH 44325-2901

Phone: 330-972-7331

Admissions: 1-800-425-7668

Official links

Sources