Tuesday, August 19, 2003
 
               
WRITER: Heidi Murphy, 706/542-5172, hmurphy@uga.edu               
CONTACT: Rebecca White, 706/542-7140, rhwhite@uga.edu
              Giles Kennedy, 706/542-7060, gkennedy@uga.edu

UGA SCHOOL OF LAW ENROLLS ITS LARGEST EVER FEMALE AND MINORITY CLASSES

ATHENS, Ga. - Today, Aug. 19, the largest female and minority classes ever will begin their three-year pursuit of a Juris Doctor at the University of Georgia School of Law.  Out of an entering class of 257 students, 128 (49.8%) are women and 62 (24.1%) are minorities, with 38 African Americans.  The class of 2006 has a median grade point average of 3.60 and a median Law School Admissions Test score of 162.  In addition, the top quarter of the entering class scored a 164 or higher on the LSAT and achieved a 3.82 or better undergraduate GPA. 

School of Law Dean Rebecca H. White says she is pleased with the composition of the entering class.  “Each year the institution strives to enroll a talented and diverse student body.  With this year’s application pool being the largest on record at 2,701 applications, the school’s admissions team had their work cut out for them.”
                       
“The law school experienced a 16 percent increase in applications,” White continued, “and we are delighted there were so many talented individuals wanting to attend the School of Law.  However, in order to maintain a quality educational atmosphere, we were only able to enroll fewer than one out of every 10 applicants.” 

In keeping with the law school's commitment to provide the finest legal education to state residents, 77 percent of the students are from Georgia.  The average age of the entering students is 24.

The class of 2006 includes graduates from 96 institutions in 26 states. The schools supplying the largest number of students include the University of Georgia (76), the Georgia Institute of Technology (13),  Emory University (8), Spelman College (6), Agnes Scott College (5), the University of Florida (5) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (5).

The UGA School of Law is currently ranked as one of the top four public law schools in the Southeast and one of the top 11 public law schools in the nation by U.S.News & World Report.

##