奥丑别苍听Nicholas Monck聽(鈥�19), a first-year law student originally from Michigan, was considering schools, three things stuck out to him about the University of Colorado Law School: its commitment to quality job placements, a supportive alumni and student community, and an emphasis on affordability and financial assistance. 聽
鈥淐ollege affordability is incredibly important to me,鈥� Monck said. 鈥淪cholarship opportunities were a major reason why I selected Colorado Law over other schools. They understand students鈥� financial needs and want to work with people.鈥�
Providing a top-tier legal education while supporting students financially is a critical piece of the Colorado Law experience鈥攁nd it has the numbers to prove it. While tuition has been held constant for the last five years, scholarship funding increased 101 percent. Seventy-five percent of Colorado Law students receive scholarships, with the median scholarship amount per recipient around $11,000 each year.
Students have also taken on less debt鈥攖he average level of indebtedness for 2015 Colorado Law graduates who borrowed to finance their education聽decreased eight percent from the level of the classes of 2014 and 2013.
Even small things like working with students to make sure they know how to apply for in-state tuition after one year demonstrates Colorado Law鈥檚 concern for its students, Monck said.
鈥淐olorado Law is a tremendous value for a superb education. There are so many emerging programs, engaged faculty members, alumni, and community members, and the cost to access all of this is really amazing," said聽Jacob Durling聽(鈥�12). 鈥淚 liked the value proposition, which allowed me to figure out if I wanted to go into public interest work instead of feeling like I had to go into corporate work support myself financially.鈥�
More and more prospective students are recognizing the value of a Colorado Law degree. The school saw its聽largest applicant pool聽ever this year, with 3,299 applications. The class of 2019 boasts the highest median GPA of an incoming class (3.69), and a higher median LSAT score (162) than that of previous classes.
鈥淎t Colorado Law, we strive to provide students with an excellent return on their investment by educating and training them to be outstanding and sought-after legal professionals while keeping costs down,鈥� said Dean聽S. James Anaya. 鈥淚 am delighted that the excitement is catching on and even more qualified students are choosing Colorado Law for their legal education.鈥�
On the employment front, more Colorado Law graduates are finding employment and securing jobs for which bar passage is required or a JD degree is an advantage. Ninety-six percent of Colorado Law鈥檚 2015 graduates were employed 10 months after graduation, and 84 percent of those graduates were employed in full-time, long-term jobs for which bar passage was required or a JD degree was an advantage.聽Graduates are employed聽across the world in careers ranging from the private sector to nonprofits to public interest and government work.
Amy Moore聽(鈥�15), relationship manager in the index and data solutions team at BlackRock in New York City, said she credits Colorado Law for providing a foundation of core legal skills as well as invaluable practical skills like public speaking, framing ideas persuasively, and managing competing interests.聽
鈥淒uring my time at Colorado Law, due to the incredible professors, staff, and peers I was fortunate enough to work with for three years, I truly developed the belief that I can tackle any challenge that comes up in my professional career.聽As a result, whether I am facing a difficult negotiation or compiling a memo for senior leaders, I am confident that I have the necessary skills to navigate the situation,鈥� she said.聽聽
鈥淭he Career Development Office at Colorado Law does not want students to graduate with extensive debts and unable to find jobs. They understand the kinds of quality jobs we are seeking, and go out of their way to assist with networking, making connections, and job placement services,鈥� Monck said. 鈥淔rom day one, Colorado Law demonstrates that job placement is something they emphasize and want to help you with.鈥�
To that end,聽The National Jurist聽recently named Colorado Law a聽聽for 2016.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a fantastic place to go to law school. The University of Colorado Law School community is absolutely amazing,鈥� Monck said.
JD applications to Colorado Law opened October 1, 2016. Learn more at聽colorado.edu/law/admissions.