Residential J.D. Program
Be a champion for justice or make your mark in any number of fields and professions with an innovative, interdisciplinary legal education with unique opportunities to specialize your law degree in one of our institutes, with a certificate of advanced study or through our curricular programs.
Get Started Today. Now Enrolling for Fall 2024.
Purposeful Legal Education
Syracuse University College of Law provides aspiring lawyers with an in-depth understanding of the law as well as practical skills and training to grow your career—and make an impact—in a broad spectrum of fields.
Innovative, Profession-Ready Curriculum
Experiential learning is key to our student’s success. Learn from renowned faculty who are experts in their fields, leading the way in disability, innovation, and national security law.
Powerful Alumni Network
Join a highly-accomplished network of more than 11,300+ influential alumni located in all 50 United States and over 60 countries.
Expansive Campus Experience
Access to the entire Syracuse University campus community, including unparalleled wellness facilities, entertainment and cultural experiences, and a D1 athletics program right outside our front door.
Learn more about innovations in legal education at Syracuse University College of Law.
Why Syracuse Law?
- Learn from renowned faculty who share a passion for teaching and mentoring our students
- 12 joint degree options to earn master’s degrees from Syracuse University’s top-ranked graduate schools, many within 3 years
- Participatory approach with an emphasis on practical training and experiential learning, within and beyond the classroom
- Pioneering Orange Flex program allowing students to do their last year of study remotely through externships and online courses
- A dynamic student experience, including 30+ student organizations, student-edited journals, and integrated with our international LL.M. students
- A highly engaged alumni network, more than 11,300+ strong, practicing in all 50 states and in over 60 countries
- Study in state-of-the-art Dineen Hall, recognized as one of the most impressive law school buildings in the country
“I’m empowered to use my voice in defense of the voiceless.”
Mazaher Kaila ’19, L’22
J.D. and Political Science Joint Degree student
speaking up for change and equity
The College of Law announces our partnership with Kaplan to provide holistic programming and support for all College of Law beginning in their 1L year, culminating with a comprehensive Kaplan bar review course for all graduates.
Customize Your Law Degree
Begin your path to an extraordinary career with unparalleled opportunities to customize your legal education.
- Advocacy Program
- Disability Law and Policy
- Innovation Law Center
- Institute for Security Policy and Law
- Experiential Learning
- Curricular Programs
Advocacy Program
This innovative program from the Syracuse University College of Law empowers students to earn both their J.D. and LL.M. in just three years without any additional cost beyond that of the J.D. Whether you’re an incoming student or a current 1L, you can seize this opportunity to gain a distinct advantage in the world of litigation and advocacy with credentials that previously have been available only after completing the J.D. With a specialized focus on Trial, Appellate, or Alternative Dispute Resolution, you’ll master 25 advocacy-focused credits, including required courses like Evidence and Trial Practice and elective options like Selecting Your Jury. Plus, participation in intercollegiate competition teams can count toward your LL.M. degree.
Disability Law and Policy
Prepare to make an impact in disability law with the Syracuse Law’s Disability Law and Policy Program (DLPP), the most extensive disability-related law program in the country. This international award-winning program houses the nation’s first joint-degree program in Law and Disability Studies and a curricular concentration for J.D. students who wish to focus on disability law and policy.
DLPP students work in the College of Law’s Disability Rights Clinic, take disability-related courses, and work as interns and externs in disability-related placements in New York City, Washington, DC, and other cities throughout the US and the world. You also have opportunities to work with the interdisciplinary Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University College of Law, which reaches across the globe to help advance the civic, economic, and social participation of people with disabilities.
Graduates often go on to jobs in the areas of disability, education, special education, children’s rights, civil rights, labor, employment, trusts and estates, and international human rights law.
Innovation Law Center
Interested in the commercialization of cutting-edge technology? Build in-demand skills and experience in the technical, legal, and business aspects involved in bringing new technologies to market with specialization in Syracuse University College of Law’s Innovation Law Center.
Through a combination of a course concentration and experiential learning opportunities with real clients (with real breakthrough technology), the Innovation Law Center will help you understand the business goals of technology commercialization transactions; facilitate innovation; and discover how intellectual property, corporate, and contract law can be used in creative ways to advance a client’s objective.
The College of Law and Syracuse University Whitman School of Management now offer a Certificate of Advanced Study in Technology Law and Entrepreneurism (CASTLE). This program leverages areas of strength at each of the schools that equip students with an advanced, marketable designation as they seek careers at the intersection of law, business management, and technology. The CASTLE curriculum consists of a minimum of 12 credits, including a foundational course in entrepreneurship offered at Whitman and an applied capstone course offered at the College of Law through its Innovation Law Center.
The center has an extremely high job-placement rate and alumni often go on to successful careers in settings such as law firms, corporations, government agencies, tech transfer offices, and consulting and investing firms.
Institute for Security Policy and Law
Prepare to join the next generation of practitioners and policymakers in national security, homeland security, intelligence, military law, and related fields as you earn your law degree with the Syracuse University Institute for Security Policy and Law.
Combining the expertise of the College of Law with other schools within Syracuse University, including the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, the Institute offers unique opportunities to specialize your J.D. with interdisciplinary certificates of advanced study in national security and counterterrorism law, security studies, and post-conflict reconstruction.
Institute alumni have secured positions in the U.S. government agencies such as the CIA, NSA, FBI, and ODNI; international organizations such as the International Criminal Court and the World Bank; U.S. military JAG Corps; think tanks and consulting firms including Booz Allen and Deloitte; and nonprofit organizations.
Experiential Learning
We understand the power of practical experience. Our focus is a curriculum with hands-on experiential learning, skills-building, and professional development through innovative coursework as well as opportunities in clinics, externship programs, and trial advocacy.
Throughout your J.D. program you’ll have plenty of opportunities to build your resume and prepare for the job market through customized experiential learning, both in and out of the classroom, including:
- Our experiential skills-building program consisting of 40+ courses that satisfy both the ABA graduation requirement and the New York State bar admission requirement for experiential learning.
- 6 in-house clinics where you’ll gain experience applying doctrinal law while representing clients under the supervision of faculty-mentors.
- Externship opportunities where you’ll earn credit and develop professional relationships while working in premier placements including Syracuse, Washington D.C., New York City, Philadelphia and London.
- The Pro-Bono Program, which connects students with volunteer placements and pro bono clinics, where they support attorneys in providing free legal services to people in need.
Curricular Programs
Build expertise in the law by having the option to choose one or more specialized course tracks:
- Advanced Property Studies
- Advocacy & Litigation
- Communications Law
- Corporate Counsel
- Disability Law and Policy
- Entertainment and Sports Law
- Estate Planning
- Family Law and Social Policy
- Global Law and Practice
- Law, Politics, and the Media
- Technology Commercialization Law Studies
Certificates of Advanced Study
You’ll also have the opportunity to build skills and expertise in a particular field with a certificate of advanced study:
- Certificate of Advanced Study in National Security & Counterterrorism Law
- Certificate of Advanced Study in Postconflict Reconstruction
- Certificate of Advanced Study in Security Studies
- Certificate of Advanced Study in Technology Law and Entrepreneurism
Program Details
Important Dates for Fall 2024 Applicants
- Application Opens – September 1, 2023
- Early Decision Deadline – January 15, 2024
- Priority Deadline – March 15, 2024
- Application Deadline – June 30, 2024
Academics
The residential J.D. offers a rigorous academic curriculum focused on preparing you to become a better lawyer and a better leader. Our innovative approach combines expert instruction from distinguished faculty with plenty of opportunities for experiential learning.
Graduates of the J.D. program will achieve the following learning outcomes:
- Develop knowledge of a broad cross-section of constitutional, statutory, regulatory, and common law
- Competently comprehend, interpret, and analyze constitutions, statutes, regulations, and judicial decisions
- Speak and write effectively about the law in a manner appropriate to the audience
- Research law and investigate facts proficiently
- Approach legal problems practically
- Appreciate the important roles lawyers play in society, and recognize the impact of law on people and institutions
Admissions
The residential J.D. program has rigorous admissions requirements. In addition to considering the LSAT or GRE score and academic records, the Admissions Committee reviews each personal statement, resume, recommendation, and indications of motivation and potential.
Paying for Law School
Tuition
$59,880 for the 2023-2024 academic year
Scholarships
The College of Law awards merit-based scholarships to select incoming first-year J.D. students during the admission application process. All prospective law students are considered for merit-based scholarships. Merit scholarship renewal is available throughout a J.D. student’s required enrollment. The College of Law also awards need-based grants to enrolling students.
Financial Aid
Law students may be eligible for federal student loans. To apply for federal aid, you must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at fafsa.gov and include Syracuse University’s Federal School Code (002882).
Federal Loan/Aid Resources Available to Law Students:
- Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan
- Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan
- Federal Work Study
The William D. Ford Direct Loan program allows eligible students to borrow fixed interest rate student loans and defer both interest and principal payments while in school. A variety of repayment options are available once students leave school, allowing everyone to develop a successful repayment strategy.
The College of Law operates its own Financial Aid Office, which is separate from the University’s Financial Aid Office. This allows us to provide personal, individualized service to our students.
The Financial Aid Office will be in contact throughout the application process to the College of Law. Communications will be sent to students providing instructions to take if the student is applying for financial aid.
Student Support
Our Office of Academic and Bar Success offers a variety of student support resources–from technical assistance to academic counseling, tutors, study groups, and bar exam preparation–over the phone, email, and video conference. Our students also have access to the Office of Career Services, where they can get personalized professional development help.