3400 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104

The University of Pennsylvania Law School's roots date back to the founding of the United States. The first lectures on law at this Ivy League university were given by James Wilson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a justice of the first Supreme Court. Since then, Penn Law has earned a reputation as a top-notch school that prepares students for careers in the legal field - as lawyers, judges, professors and more.

The University of Pennsylvania Law School's particular strength lies in its cross-disciplinary approach to legal education. Realizing the lawyers should be well-versed in a variety of subjects beyond the law, the school has established relationships with a number of other programs at the University of Pennsylvania. Penn Law students can earn joint degrees and certificates or enroll in classes at the Wharton School of business, Annenberg School for Communication, Center for Bioethics and other schools, departments and programs. Penn Law itself has a rigorous and demanding curriculum that covers all major legal subjects, including civil procedure, constitutional law, corporations, contracts, tax, trusts and estates, criminal law, secured transaction, legal writing, property and torts. Specialized courses and electives are also offered. The depth of the program and its flexibility allows Penn Law students to create a program that meets their individual needs and interests.

Students who enroll at the University of Pennsylvania Law School are a diverse and accomplished group. J.D. students have undergraduate (and often graduate) degrees in a wide variety of disciplines. Admission is highly selective, with more than 5,500 individuals applying for just over 250 seats in the class of 2010. Nearly half of students who did enroll were women, more than 30 percent were people of color and 12 percent had already earned graduate degrees. The age range at Penn Law is broad, and more than 200 institutions are represented among the student body. Numerous international students enroll at Penn Law from countries such as Great Britain, China and Pakistan. After graduation, the majority of students enter private practice, but many others pursue judicial clerkships, government and public interest jobs or careers in the corporate sector and academia. Recent Penn Law graduates who entered the private sector have a median salary of $135,000.

Quick Facts:

The first law lectures at the University of Pennsylvania were given by a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

University of Pennsylvania Law School was the first law school to require students to complete 70 hours of community service in order to earn their degrees.

The University of Pennsylvania has been offering a full-time law program since 1850.

The first woman was admitted to Penn Law in 1881, and in 1927 the first African-American woman graduated from the school.

This school profile has been compiled and updated by The CollegeBound Network. The school is not affiliated with The CollegeBound Network and shall not be considered a sponsor of this program.