Provisional Accreditation for UNT-Dallas

June 6th, 2017 / By Deborah J. Merritt

The Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has granted provisional accreditation to the University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law. As I wrote last fall, this innovative law school well deserved a chance to try its wings.

Here are some distinctive features of the school:

• 51.4% of its students are minority students. National Jurist recently named the school the third most diverse law school in America.
• The student body is notable for its diversity in age and prior work experience, in addition to race and gender.
• Tuition for 2016-17 was $15,768 for full-time residents and $11,653 for part-time residents.
• During 2016-17, more than half (51.8%) of students received scholarships, with a median grant of $1,250 (for both full-time and part-time students).
• Entering scholarships depend upon academic record, socioeconomic background, first-generation status, and community service. There are no conditional scholarships.
• The school requires completion of courses in accounting and finance for lawyers; interviewing and counseling; negotiation and conflict resolution; effective oral communication; and the business of law.
• The school also requires students to complete two fully experiential courses (drawn from clinics, externships, or practicums)
• Many upper-level courses incorporate writing, research, and/or skills segments. Students must complete multiple segments in each of these three categories (in addition to required writing, research, and skills courses)
• Students must demonstrate proficiency in several practice-related technologies.

The first group of 74 graduates will receive their degrees this month–and those degrees are now from an ABA-accredited law school. Godspeed UNT-Dallas and grads!

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