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Reviewed by:
Former Head of Pre-Law Office, Northeastern University, & Admissions Officer, Brown University
Reviewed: 03/03/23
If you see law as a powerful tool to challenge the status quo, you’ll want to learn more about Vermont Law School. Read on to learn more about how you can join this forward-thinking school!
Vermont Law School specializes in its environmental law programs and is dedicated to addressing the complex and unprecedented environmental challenges the world currently faces.
With the goal to create a new generation of leaders to meet these needs, Vermont offers the most comprehensive environmental law program in the country—it includes five legal clinics, six centers and institutes, 67 courses, and 76 faculty.
If environmental law isn’t your area of interest, Vermont also offers rigorous curriculums and clinics in various other specialties, including animal law, business law, criminal law, food and agricultural law, and international and comparative law.
If you’re intrigued to learn more about this school, its admission requirements, rankings, and more, this guide has got you covered!
The Vermont Law School acceptance rate of nearly 61% suggests this school is not highly selective!
As a less competitive school, Vermont is an excellent option for students with lower GPAs and LSAT scores.
Vermont uses the LSAT as a valuable factor in the holistic evaluation of applicants. Considering LSAT scores have been correlated with academic success in law school, scoring within Vermont’s competitive range is crucial to gain acceptance to this school.
Fortunately, Vermont’s median LSAT score is relatively low compared to other schools. Their median LSAT score of a recent entering class was only 154. The average LSAT score falls between 151 and 152, so Vermont’s median is only slightly higher than this!
Vermont’s median GPA is 3.36; however, around 25% of its recent applicants had GPAs as low as 3.09.
Vermont clearly states that the two most important admission factors they consider are LSAT scores and GPAs. However, they are not the only factors that play into their decisions. In an attempt to evaluate each applicant as a whole person and not simply as a number, Vermont requires the following application materials:
All students are required to complete a bachelor’s degree prior to applying to Vermont Law School. Since there are different ways to acquire a valuable foundation for the study of law, Vermont does not require or expect its students to pursue particular majors.
While many students choose popular pre-law majors such as political science or economics, Vermont only asks that its applicants pursue programs that give them the opportunity to develop their critical thinking and creativity.
Students are only given the option of writing the LSAT to apply to Vermont Law.
You’re required to submit a resume with your application. This resume should highlight your academic achievements, professional experiences, volunteer service, skills, and extracurricular activities.
The majority of Vermont students have some work experience, as these positions indicate ambition and persistence to the admissions committee.
They also look favorably upon students who demonstrate a commitment to the greater community through participation in volunteer work, so ensure you have a few of these experiences on your resume.
Vermont requires two letters of recommendation from each of its applicants. At least one of these letters should be written by a professor. It should speak specifically about your academic potential and relevant personal qualities.
If you’ve been out of school for a few years and are unable to get a recommendation from a professor, you may ask an employer. Regardless of who writes your recommendations, they should be thoughtful and substantive!
Students are asked to respond to the following essay prompt as part of their application:
Describe the goals that are motivating you to pursue a JD degree. How do you think the skills and experience you will gain at Vermont Law School will help you achieve these goals?
To write this essay well, it’s essential you do your research! Try to go deeper than the superficial facts you can find on their school homepage and reflect on your specific reasons for joining Vermont over the other schools you’re applying to.
Along with the mentioned required essay, students are given the opportunity to further demonstrate their writing skills and help the committee know them better through the following optional essays:
Writing these essays can further differentiate and strengthen your application.
Tuition to attend Vermont Law School is $51,700 a year, which falls in line with the majority of private law schools. Since these high costs can make attending law school seem impossible, Vermont offers various merit-based, need-based, and opportunity-based scholarships to all of its students.
In fact, 98% of the most recent entering class received some form of merit-based scholarship, and the average overall scholarship amount awarded to students was $29,000, which covers more than half of Vermont’s tuition costs!
In case you require more financial aid, there are also several external scholarships you can apply to that can cover the full or partial costs of your tuition!
If you feel you have what it takes to apply to Vermont Law School, it’s essential you submit a timely application to allow for proper consideration and review by the admissions committee. Vermont allows students to apply for two different start dates, a summer semester and fall. Here are the corresponding deadlines:
Source: Vermont Law School
While the priority deadline for regular decision applications is April 15, Vermont will continue to admit students until August 1. However, if you wait to submit your application past the priority deadline, you will be competing for even fewer spots, which will decrease your chances of admission.
Vermont School of Law has a bar passage rate of 59%. While a higher bar passage rate is desirable, Vermont makes every effort to offer support and prepare its students for the legal profession.
The Vermont Law School ranking itself may discourage you from applying, considering this school ranks 164th in the nation. However, its environmental law program ranks significantly higher as the fourth best in the country.
For environmental enthusiasts, this law school can certainly provide you with the experiences and education to succeed in this field!
For any remaining questions about Vermont Law School, read on to find your answers.
No, Vermont Law is not considered to be a hard school to get into. It has a high acceptance rate and relatively low score requirements.
Despite its lower ranking, Vermont is considered to be a good school, especially for its environmental law and advocacy program. Vermont’s extensive clinical and experiential programs also offer practical learning opportunities that help students develop essential legal skills to ensure they’re career ready.
The bar passage rate for Vermont Law is 59%.
Yes, all Vermont applicants must write the LSAT. However, considering the median LSAT score of previous applicants is only 154, students can feel some ease knowing they do not have to score extremely high to be considered competitive applicants.
Students should aim for a GPA of around 3.36 to maximize their chances of acceptance to Vermont Law.
Aside from meeting the LSAT and GPA medians, students should engage in meaningful extracurricular, work, and volunteer experiences to increase their chances of admission. Vermont appreciates when students can juggle multiple opportunities at once, are dedicated to their passions, and give back to the community.
Whether you’re applying to Vermont Law as a safety school or for its outstanding environmental law program, it’s essential you focus on your scores and submit a standout application. Despite this school being only slightly selective, you’ll still want to put your best effort forward to start your legal journey on the right foot!
