Location
Western New England University School of Law is located in Springfield, Massachusetts, in the heart of the Pioneer Valley. With a population of 153,000, Springfield is the third largest city in the Commonwealth, and is only 20 minutes from Hartford, Connecticut.
History
Founded in 1919, the School of Law was originally part of Northeastern University and was incorporated with Western New England University when it received an autonomous charter in 1951.
Professional Affiliations
Western New England University School of Law is approved by the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association. For more information, please contact:
Office of the Consultant on Legal Education/Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar
American Bar Association
321 N. Clark Street, 21st Floor
Chicago, IL 60654
Phone: 312-988-6738
Fax: 312-988-5681
legaled@americanbar.org
The School of Law is a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS). For more information, please contact:
Association of American Law Schools
1201 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Suite 800
Washington, D.C. 20036-2717
Phone: 202-296-8851
Fax: 202-296-8869
aals@aals.org
ABA Required Disclosures
Standard 504. Qualifications for Admission to the Bar
In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.
Learn more:
- Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements
- Character and Fitness
- Licensure and Certification Disclosures
- Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar
Standard 509 Information
ABA Standard 509(a & b) requires schools that are accredited by the American Bar Association to disclose information on a range of topics, including admissions data, class sizes and bar passage. The ABA has a standardized reporting format for this information, which can be found in our Standard 509 Information Report.
ABA Standard 509(c) further requires ABA accredited schools to disclose current information on the following topics:
- bar passage
- refund policies
- curricular offerings
- academic calendar
- academic requirements
- policies regarding transfer of credit earned at another institution
Programming
Western New England University School of Law offers many ways to earn a law degree. In addition to our three-year full-time program, the School of Law also offers four-year part-time evening and part-time day programs. Students may earn advanced law degrees (LL.M.) in Estate Planning and Elder Law.
Combined Degree Programs
Western New England University School of Law offers seven specific dual degree programs and additional 3+3 programs that allow undergraduates at approved Colleges and Universities to accelerate the completion of both their bachelor and law degrees.
Practical Lawyering
Western New England University School of Law affords students the opportunity to merge theory with practice. Students take advantage of clinical coursework, varied externship placements, a wide variety of simulation courses, and participation on a number of moot court teams in order to hone their lawyering skills. Our moot court teams have gained national prominence for excellence for their national titles in the American Bar Association Law Student Tax Challenge, August A. Rendigs Jr. National Products Liability Moot Court Competition, and the Transactional Lawyer Meet.
Faculty
Our 23 full-time faculty members have been educated at the nation’s most prestigious law schools. All have practiced law before joining our faculty and several hold additional graduate degrees in other disciplines. The School of Law also has 51 adjunct faculty members who bring their current legal practices into the classroom setting.
School of Law Facilities
The Blake Law Center is a three-story building that houses our extensive law library, faculty offices, administrative and student support service offices, and classrooms wired for laptop use. The entire Law Center has wireless Internet capabilities. It also houses our attractive and camera-equipped moot-courtroom. An adjacent building serves as a base for our clinical programs. All our facilities are surrounded by ample parking. The Law Library contains 400,000 volumes and offers students access to Lexis-Nexis, and Westlaw legal database systems.
Publications
- Western New England Law Review–the University’s scholarly legal journal.
- Lex Brevis–a student newspaper which provides timely news and a forum for student opinions.
- Lytae–the School of Law's yearbook and journal of record for graduating seniors.
2022 Entering Class
LSAT median 150
(25th percentile: 146; 75th percentile: 154)
GPA median 3.43
Average age 26
Age range 20-59
Students of color 28%
States and provinces represented 14
Tuition/Financial Aid
In 2022-2023, tuition for full-time students is $46,050; part-time students pay $34,538 which includes both the academic year and five credits of summer study. The School of Law has a vigorous merit scholarship program consisting of both partial and full-tuition scholarships. All scholarships awarded at the time of acceptance are non-conditional and automatically renewable.
Scholarship Retention Data
Western New England University School of Law applicants are automatically considered for merit scholarships including the full-tuition Oliver Wendell Holmes Scholarship. All scholarships awarded at the time of acceptance are non-conditional and automatically renewable.
Additional scholarships are available to upper-level students based on law school performance. For more detailed information on scholarships please see Standard 509 Information Report.
The American Bar Association (ABA) defines a conditional scholarship as any financial aid award, the retention of which is dependent upon the student maintaining a minimum grade point average or class standing, other than that ordinarily required to remain in good academic standing.
Employment Survey
Last year, the average for students being employed or enrolled in a graduate program ten months following graduation was 82.1 percent. For additional placement data, please see the data posted in ABA Standard 509(b) Employment Summary Report, which is posted in the Career Services area of the website by clicking here.
Transfer and Visiting Students
Information regarding Transfer and Visiting student applications can be found on our Apply Now page.
Alumni
Our more than 8,200 alumni live and practice in 49 states including the District of Columbia and several U.S. territories, with some residing in Europe, Canada, and Asia. Most importantly our alumni serve as career advisors, assist in recruiting new students, and participate as legal career panelists and moot court judges.
For more information, please contact:
Western New England University School of Law
Office of Admissions
1215 Wilbraham Rd.
Springfield, MA 01119
800-782-6665 or 413-782-1406
Email: admissions@law.wne.edu
Complaint Procedure
Please download our Procedure for Student Complaints Concerning the Program of Legal Education.