Make
a meaningful
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We're motivated by MORE
At UMass Law, you will do more than study the law. You will learn to pursue justice in any legal field.
UMass Law teaches you the principles and rules of law, as well as the theoretical frameworks that shape the structure and vocabulary of legal arguments. As a law student, you will apply that knowledge in the realworld practice of law, either through one of our many private or public sector field placements or in our AG’s office, Business, Criminal, Housing, Human Rights, Immigration, and Tribal law clinics. Through these diverse experiences, every student at UMass Law learns to solve client problems and advance client rights effectively, creatively, and persuasively. Your classroom and practical experience will prepare you to practice in any field of law.
As Massachusetts’s only public law school, it is our mission to provide an excellent, affordable legal education to those with the desire and potential to become lawyers.
The UMass Law community
Building a community of learners who will contribute to the legal profession is a core value and a lived reality at UMass Law. You’ll form strong and lasting relationships with your classmates, your professors, our alumni, and members of the bench and bar. You will be challenged to develop your professional identity and supported as you pursue your career goals.
Our student body is small, collegial, and highly collaborative. It is broadly diverse by age, gender, race, sexual orientation, background, and life/work experience. Approximately half our students are from Massachusetts, with the other half coming from states around the country, and internationally.
My favorite part about UMass Law is the small school size and camaraderie amongst students. I feel like I am part of a wonderful community. We all want everyone else to succeed.”
Matthew Gruneberg ‘24 Pawtucket, RI
Faculty scholars and mentors
UMass Law faculty members are experienced lawyers, gifted teachers, supportive mentors, and respected scholars. They joined the UMass Law faculty because they love to teach and want to help shape the next generation of lawyers.
Each student is assigned a faculty advisor to assist with academic and career planning throughout law school. You’ll receive guidance each semester from your advisor on registration, course selection, and curricular planning with a focus on career goals and experiential education. In addition, our faculty mentoring program offers coaching support as you prepare to take the bar examination.
I’m especially grateful for the time and investment of faculty who make all this possible. It is the conversations in office hours that have helped me improve both as a student and a future attorney.”
Grace St. Urbain ‘24 Marietta, GA
Academic schedule options
UMass Law offers traditional full-time study and the flexibility of a part-time option.
• Full-time day program
• Part-time evening/weekend program
Joint degree options
You can complement your law degree by taking coursework on the main UMass Dartmouth campus to earn a joint degree. Coursework for both the MBA and MPP is offered throughout the year. For the MSW, you will enroll simultaneously in Bridgewater State University’s Master of Social Work Program.
• Law/Master of Business Administration (JD/MBA)
• Law/Master of Public Policy (JD/MPP)
• Law/Master of Social of Work (JD/MSW)
Theoretical learning & experiential preparation
You’ll learn the fundamentals of statutory and case law through our core curriculum, while elective courses will expose you to specialized and emerging areas of law. Handson experiences in our clinics and field placements immerse you in the practice of law with role models and mentors to learn from and observe. We are committed to fostering competent, ethical, and creative professionals who can thrive in a changing profession.
Legal Skills Program
UMass Law’s three-semester Legal Skills Program focuses on essential legal skills such as fact gathering, interviewing witnesses, legal research and writing, counseling, oral advocacy, and negotiation. Your work on pending legal matters and simulation exercises will enhance those skills.
If our law school’s student body is representative of what the legal community is like outside the school, I believe that clients are in really good hands.”
- Natalia Vargas ‘24 Naples, Fl
UMass Law clinics
• Community Development (Business Law)
• Criminal Prosecution
• Housing and Eviction Defense
• Human Rights at Home
• Immigration Law
• Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal
Legal Services
• State Attorney General’s Office
A selection of UMass Law internships
Beauregard, Burke & Franco (New Bedford, MA)
City of Chicago Law Department
Cohen Cleary (Plymouth, Quincy, and Taunton, MA)
Committee for Public Counsel Services-Children and Family Law Division
Greater Boston Legal Services
Irish International Immigrant Center
Keches Law Group (MA and RI)
Legal Aid Society of San Diego
Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators
Massachusetts Department of RevenueLitigation Bureau
Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General
Pfizer-IP Policy and Corporate Affairs Legal Divisions
Rhode Island Public Defender’s Office
U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Tennessee-Criminal Division
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
U.S. Department of the Navy-Office of the Judge Advocate General Corps
U.S. Social Security Administration-Office of the General Counsel
University of Massachusetts-Office of the General Counsel
UMass Law’s path to practice
At UMass Law, developing your professional identity and finding your career path begin the moment you enter our doors. You are introduced to a variety of practice options in your classes, where professors speak from personal experience about their work and the legal profession.
I came here knowing that I wanted to be a prosecutor, and UMass Law has set me up perfectly to achieve that goal.”
- Jonathan Matsler ‘24 Blooming Grove, NY
Our rich and diverse co-curricular programs include practice panels that expose you to lawyers from an array of specialties and give you the opportunity to network. The Career Services Office helps with résumé and cover letter writing, interviewing, and identifying job opportunities. Our experienced counselors will mentor you as you pursue your career goals.
Legal practice incubator
The innovative Justice Bridge Legal Center is UMass Law’s legal practice incubator with offices in Boston and New Bedford. Justice Bridge provides legal advice for those with modest incomes while, at the same time, UMass Law graduates learn how to develop and run their own law practices. Recent graduates share office space at a reduced rate and receive mentorship from highly experienced and committed lawyers and judges.
Bar preparation
We understand the importance of bar preparation, and the bar success team meets with students in their 1L, 2L, and 3L years to discuss course selection and devise an individualized bar study plan.
In your 3L year, UMass Law offers a graded, forcredit class focused on the doctrine and skills needed for bar exam success. In addition, we partner with commercial bar providers and subsidize bar review courses for students, including individual tutoring and essay workshops.
An affordable law school for all students
Access to law school means access to knowledge and expertise—the knowledge to understand and interpret the law and the expertise to pursue a fair and just outcome for your clients. At UMass Law, we're committed to providing access to law school to individuals from diverse backgrounds and situations. We create a welcoming and supportive learning community and embrace, respect, and celebrate the rich diversity of people and ideas.
UMass Law offers the lowest tuition of any ABAaccredited law school in the Commonwealth and has among the lowest non-resident tuition levels of any law school in New England. In fact, our tuition is half of what many private law schools charge.
Everyone knows law school is expensive, so it seemed impossible for someone like me.
The Public Interest Law Fellowship (PILF) gives UMass Law students a 50% scholarship, and I earned merit scholarships to cover most of the rest of my education. UMass Law makes a legal education very affordable for someone like me.”
- Rebecca Wood ‘26 Roanoke, VA
Financial aid & scholarships
In addition to state and federal financial aid, UMass Law offers a variety of generous scholarships and fellowships. The financial aid staff are focused on helping you make law school financially feasible.
Public Interest Law Fellowship Program
UMass Law demonstrates its commitment to “pursuing justice” by awarding up to 25 first-year students with a Public Interest Law Fellowship. As a fellow, you commit to serving under-represented populations and addressing social issues in exchange for a 50 percent reduction in tuition and mandatory fees.
Throughout law school, you’ll perform pro bono service and have the opportunity to attend special programs focused on public interest issues. After graduation, you commit to serving the public through a government or public interest position for at least four years.
UMass Law is conveniently located 30 miles from Providence, RI and Cape Cod, MA, and 60 miles from Boston, with easy highway access. Logan International Airport in Boston and T.F. Green Airport in RI offer you a variety of flight options.
UMass Dartmouth offers graduate housing on the main campus, and there are numerous apartment options in nearby New Bedford and the surrounding area. Free shuttle service is available from downtown New Bedford and the main campus.
Within a mile of campus, you'll find everything you need— shopping, restaurants, and entertainment. The area offers a variety of beaches, running trails, cafés, art exhibits, and live music.
