Facts About American University Law School

The American University Law School, formally known as the Washington College of Law, is located in Washington, D.C. The American University Law School was founded in 1896 by two women, Ellen Spencer Mussey and Emma Gillett. The purpose for them founding the university was to compensate for the lack of educational opportunities that existed for women in the area in the realm of law studies. The first graduating class of the American University Law School was the first law school to ever have an all-female class graduating. Furthermore, Washington College of Law was also the first law school to be founded by women. The Washington College of Law would not be integrated into the American University until 1949.

The American University Law School currently enrolls over 1,600 students, and is not an all-female institution. Only 58% percent of enrolled students are women, though still occupying the majority of the student population. The American University Law School will prove to be quite competitive, accepting only about 20% of all admissions. In 2008, the institution received nearly 9,000 applications for a total of 474 available seats in the Juris Doctor program at the time. The average LSAT scores of applicants is 163, and the average GPA is of about 3.4.

The American University Law School is currently ranked second in the nation for its Clinical Law program, and is in the top twenty of all law schools in the nation overall.

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