University of Arkansas School of Law
Fayetteville, Arkansas · Public · ABA-approved since 1926 · Data updated November 2, 2026
University of Arkansas School of Law is a public law school in Fayetteville, Arkansas, approved by the American Bar Association since 1926. It admitted a fall 2025 class with a median LSAT of 158, higher than 45% of ABA-approved schools, saw 80% of its first-time bar takers pass in 2025 and placed 73.1% of its 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs.
What stands out
- Tuition and fees of about $18,773, less than 93% of schools charge.
Admissions: LSAT, GPA and acceptance rate
For the class that entered in fall 2025, the University of Arkansas received 950 completed applications and made 253 offers, an acceptance rate of 26.6%. 135 students enrolled in the first-year class. The typical ABA school accepted 35.8%.
| Entering class, fall 2025 | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT | 155 | 158 | 161 |
| Undergraduate GPA | 3.54 | 3.71 | 3.87 |
A quarter of the class scored 155 or lower on the LSAT and a quarter scored 161 or higher. An applicant at or above the median, 158, is in the stronger half of this class; one below the 25th percentile is a long shot unless something else in the file stands out.
Where would your numbers fall in this class?
Enter an LSAT score and undergraduate GPA. We compare them with the class that entered in fall 2025. This shows where your numbers sit, not your chances: admissions offices read the whole file.
Tuition, living costs and scholarships
The University of Arkansas charges tuition by the credit hour: $541 a credit for Arkansas residents and $1,304 for everyone else, plus $2,543 in annual fees. The degree takes 90 credits, so a full-time year of about 30 credits comes to roughly $18,773 ($41,663 out of state). That is less than 93% of ABA schools charge. The school estimates living costs of $22,194 a year off campus.
| Annual cost, 2025-26 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition per credit hour, full-time, resident | $541 |
| Annual fees, resident | $2,543 |
| Tuition per credit hour, full-time, nonresident | $1,304 |
| Annual fees, nonresident | $2,543 |
| Living costs, on campus | $22,194 |
| Living costs, off campus | $22,194 |
| Living costs, at home | $22,194 |
In 2024-25, 87% of full-time students received a grant or scholarship from the school. The median award was $9,000, and the middle half of awards ran from $5,500 to $11,000. Subtract the median award from the full-time tuition and fees above and a typical recipient pays about $9,773 a year in tuition and fees, before living costs. That is a rough guide, since awards vary and some students get nothing.
| Size of grant, all students | Share of students |
|---|---|
| Less than half tuition | 48% |
| Half to full tuition | 37% |
| Full tuition | 0% |
| More than full tuition | 2% |
Scholarships that can be cut. The school reports that it does not award scholarships that are reduced or ended because of grades, other than for failing to stay in good academic standing.
Three years, roughly. At 2025-26 prices, three years of full-time tuition and fees at the in-state rate plus off-campus living costs come to about $122,901. With the median scholarship every year, about $95,901. Tuition usually rises each year, so treat this as a floor.
Bar passage
Of 115 graduates who took a bar exam for the first time in 2025, 92 passed: 80%. The average for the same exams, weighted by where its graduates sat, was 78.1%, so the school finished within a few points of that average (+1.9 pts).
| Where they sat, 2025 | Takers | Passed | School | State average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 other jurisdictions | 22 | 18 | 81.8% | 79.6% |
| Arkansas | 93 | 74 | 79.6% | 77.2% |
The ABA also follows each class for two years. Of the 114 members of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam, 108 had passed one within two years: 94.7%.
Jobs after graduation
The ABA counts where each class is working ten months after graduation. Of 119 2025 graduates, 87 (73.1%) had full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage, and 14 more (11.8%) had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. At the typical ABA school, 83.4% were in lawyer jobs. 3 (2.5%) were unemployed and looking for work.
Law firm jobs by firm size
Shares are of all 119 graduates. Firms of more than 250 lawyers, the usual sense of “Big Law,” hired 9 (7.6%).
Where graduates work
Most employed graduates stayed in Arkansas (80), followed by Missouri (7) and Oklahoma (5).
Students who leave
In 2024-25, 9 first-year students left the University of Arkansas: 2 for academic reasons (2%) and 7 for other reasons, such as transferring to another school (6%).
Transfers run both ways: 0 first-year students transferred out and 0 transferred in from other law schools.
Classes, clinics and faculty
The University of Arkansas offered 88 upper-level course titles beyond the first-year curriculum in 2024-25. Of its upper-level class sections, 69% had fewer than 25 students and 0% had 75 or more.
| Hands-on learning, 2024-25 | Number |
|---|---|
| Law clinic seats available | 60 |
| Law clinic seats filled | 51 |
| Field placement (externship) positions filled | 111 |
| Simulation course seats filled | 177 |
| Co-curricular offerings (journals, moot court, etc.) | 7 |
The school reports 34 full-time faculty and 42 more who teach part-time or in other roles. With 375 J.D. students, that is about 11 students per full-time faculty member.
How the University of Arkansas compares in Arkansas
Arkansas has 2 ABA-approved law schools. Among them, the University of Arkansas ranks first in median LSAT, first in first-time bar passage, 2nd in share of graduates in lawyer jobs and 2nd-lowest tuition.
| School | Median LSAT | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Arkansas | 158 | $18,773 | 80% | 73.1% |
| University of Arkansas at Little Rock | 153 | $17,474 | 78.9% | 75% |
More on each, and on the Arkansas bar exam: law schools in Arkansas.
Schools with similar admissions numbers
These five schools admitted fall 2025 classes with the median LSAT and GPA closest to the University of Arkansas's, so an applicant who fits here is likely to be a similar fit there. Compare what each costs and how its graduates fare.
| School | Median LSAT | Median GPA | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Arkansas | 158 | 3.71 | $18,773 | 80% | 73.1% |
| Marquette University Milwaukee, WI | 158 | 3.70 | $51,970 | — | 88.6% |
| University of Maine Portland, ME | 158 | 3.70 | $30,160 | 85.1% | 71.6% |
| Penn State Dickinson Law Carlisle, PA | 159 | 3.71 | $60,479 | 87.6% | 83.4% |
| University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY | 157 | 3.71 | $29,750 | 88.5% | 91.2% |
| Regent University Virginia Beach, VA | 158 | 3.68 | $44,854 | 91.3% | 93.2% |
Frequently asked questions
What LSAT score do you need to get into University of Arkansas School of Law?
There is no cutoff, but the class that entered in fall 2025 had a median LSAT of 158, with the middle half scoring 155 to 161. The median undergraduate GPA was 3.71. The school accepted 26.6% of applicants.
What is the bar passage rate at University of Arkansas School of Law?
80% of University of Arkansas graduates taking a bar exam for the first time in 2025 passed, against a weighted state average of 78.1%. Within two years of graduating, 94.7% of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam had passed.
How much does University of Arkansas School of Law cost?
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are about $18,773 a year for Arkansas residents and $41,663 for nonresidents. The school charges by the credit hour, so that figure assumes a full-time load of 30 credits a year. Most students pay less: 87% of full-time students received a grant, with a median award of $9,000.
Do University of Arkansas School of Law graduates get jobs?
Ten months after graduation, 73.1% of the class of 2025 had full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar passage, and 11.8% more had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. 2.5% were unemployed and seeking work.
Is University of Arkansas School of Law ABA-accredited?
Yes. University of Arkansas School of Law has been approved by the American Bar Association since 1926, so its graduates can sit for the bar exam in every state.