American University Washington College of Law: A Specialty Powerhouse Behind Its Overall Rank
American University Washington College of Law has a 33.3% acceptance rate for the 2025 cycle (1,981 offers from 5,952 applications), with a median LSAT of 162 and a median GPA of 3.63. Its overall U.S. News rank is #108, but that number hides the real story: WCL’s specialty programs rank among the best in the country, including #5 in international law, top-3 in clinical training, and #7 in intellectual property. This is a school you choose for what it is elite at, not for its overall number.
Is American University Washington College of Law a good law school?
Yes, if you have a defined specialty goal. WCL is genuinely elite in international law, clinical training, trial advocacy, intellectual property, and human rights, with several programs ranked in the national top 10. If your target is one of those fields, the school punches far above its #108 overall rank.
The honest counterweight is that the overall rank, the cost, and the bar and employment numbers are mid-pack. WCL is large and expensive, and its outcomes sit below the District’s elite schools, so a generalist applicant chasing prestige will not find it here.
Read WCL as a set of excellent specialty schools sharing one building. Matched to the right applicant, it is one of the best choices in D.C.; treated as a generalist credential, it underwhelms.
What is American (WCL)’s acceptance rate?
WCL’s acceptance rate is 33.3% for the 2025 cycle, with 1,981 offers from 5,952 applications. The enrolled class posted a median LSAT score of 162 and a median GPA of 3.63, placing it in the same accessible tier as Catholic among D.C. schools.
Applicants in the high-150s to low-160s LSAT range with a GPA near 3.6 are realistic candidates. Run your profile through our law school admission predictor to see where you stand.
How does WCL compare to other Washington, D.C. law schools?
WCL sits in the District’s accessible tier on admissions numbers, near Catholic and well below Georgetown and GW. The table uses each school’s 2025 ABA 509 data; see our full guide to law schools in Washington, D.C.
| D.C. Law School | Acceptance Rate | Median LSAT | Median GPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgetown Law | 15.75% | 171 | 3.93 |
| George Washington (GW) | 27.2% | 168 | 3.86 |
| Catholic (Columbus) | 32.4% | 161 | 3.68 |
| American University (WCL) | 33.3% | 162 | 3.63 |
| UDC (David A. Clarke) | ~37% | 151 | 3.28 |
What is WCL known for?
WCL is known for specialty depth, and its national specialty rankings are the reason to attend. While the school ranks #108 overall, its individual programs rank far higher.
| WCL specialty program | U.S. News national rank |
|---|---|
| Clinical training | Top 3 (recent ties for #1–#2) |
| International law | #5 |
| Intellectual property | #7 |
| Trial advocacy | Top 15 |
| Health care law | #20 |
International law and human rights
International law is WCL’s flagship, ranked #5 in the nation and supported by the city’s dense network of embassies, international organizations, and NGOs. The program pairs naturally with our overviews of international law and the work of an international lawyer, and it feeds the school’s deep human rights and human rights practice offerings.
That orientation is rooted in the school’s history. WCL was founded in 1896 by Ellen Spencer Mussey and Emma Gillett as the first law school in the world founded by women, and its early mission of widening access still shapes its human-rights and public-interest identity under the motto “Champion What Matters.”
Clinics, advocacy, and IP
WCL runs one of the top clinical-training programs in the country, recently ranked in the national top 3, alongside a top-15 trial advocacy program. Its intellectual property program ranks #7 nationally and routes students toward careers as an intellectual property lawyer, helped by proximity to federal agencies and the courts. For the specialty landscape across schools, compare our trial advocacy and international law program guides.
How much does WCL cost?
Full-time tuition at WCL is $66,990 for 2025-26, with a total estimated cost of attendance near $98,700 a year once living expenses are added. It is one of the larger law schools in the country, which means a big class competing for the same regional jobs, so cost and debt deserve hard scrutiny here.
WCL does not offer conditional scholarships, which removes the renewal-cliff risk that catches students elsewhere, and its Equal Justice Foundation funds students taking unpaid public-interest summer work. Model your real number with our guides to law school cost and law school scholarships, and weigh it against the specialty career you are targeting.
What are WCL’s bar passage and employment outcomes?
WCL’s outcomes are solid but not elite, which is the honest trade for its accessibility and size. The first-time bar passage rate is about 80%, roughly in line with the regional average, and about 81% of the Class of 2024 was employed within the reporting window.
Placement leans toward government, international organizations, NGOs, and public-interest work rather than the big-firm pipeline that drives the elite D.C. schools’ numbers. That mix is consistent with WCL’s specialty identity, and it rewards students who use the international, clinical, and advocacy programs to build a focused record.
Who should choose American WCL?
Choose WCL if your goal is international law, human rights, clinical or trial advocacy, intellectual property, or public-interest work, and you will use its top-ranked programs in those fields. For that applicant, WCL is one of the strongest options in Washington, D.C., regardless of its overall rank.
If you want a high overall rank, a big-firm salary, or the District’s strongest blanket outcomes, GW or Georgetown fit better; compare across the field with our best law schools on the East Coast and current law school rankings. WCL awards the standard Juris Doctor (JD) over three years, with a part-time option and a broad slate of LL.M. degrees, several in international and comparative law.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is American University Washington College of Law a good law school?
Yes, for applicants with a specialty goal. WCL ranks elite in international law (#5), clinical training (top 3), intellectual property (#7), and trial advocacy (top 15), even though its overall U.S. News rank is #108. For a generalist chasing prestige or top blanket outcomes, it is less compelling.
What is American (WCL)’s acceptance rate?
WCL’s acceptance rate is 33.3% for the 2025 cycle, with 1,981 offers from 5,952 applications. The enrolled class posted a median LSAT of 162 and a median GPA of 3.63.
What is WCL known for?
WCL is known for international law (#5 nationally), clinical training (top 3), trial advocacy (top 15), and intellectual property (#7). Founded in 1896 as the first law school in the world founded by women, it also has a deep human-rights and public-interest tradition.
How much does WCL cost?
Full-time tuition is $66,990 for 2025-26, with a total estimated cost of attendance near $98,700 a year. WCL does not offer conditional scholarships, so awards are not subject to a GPA-based renewal cliff.
What is WCL’s bar passage rate?
WCL’s first-time bar passage rate is about 80%, roughly in line with the regional average, and about 81% of the Class of 2024 was employed within the reporting window.
Is American University WCL hard to get into?
It is moderately competitive. With a 33.3% acceptance rate and a 162 median LSAT, applicants in the high-150s to low-160s LSAT range with a GPA near 3.6 are realistic candidates.
Sources: American University Washington College of Law 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure (released December 2025; Fall 2025 entering class): 5,952 applications, 1,981 offers, 33.3% acceptance, median LSAT 162, median GPA 3.63, full-time tuition $66,990, total estimated cost of attendance approximately $98,700. First-time bar passage about 80% and Class of 2024 employment about 81% from ABA disclosures and the school’s official employment summaries. Specialty-program ranks (international law #5, clinical training top 3, intellectual property #7, trial advocacy top 15, health care law #20) and the #108 overall rank reference 2026 U.S. News Best Law Schools. Founded 1896 by Ellen Spencer Mussey and Emma Gillett. Reviewed by Lexinter Law Directory. Report a correction.
