New Academic Year Brings Growth at the Sturm College of Law
An incoming group of 271 new students began classes at the Sturm College of Law this week.
In its Back-to-School 2024 Issue, the Sturm College of Law was recognized as a Top School for Women in Leadership by preLaw Magazine – a distinction reflected in this year's incoming class, of which 62% were female. That is the highest percentage to date of female students, and the new class also represents the highest percentage of diverse students ever admitted, at 29%. Our Part-Time JD Program also grew with 45 matriculating students, the largest cohort yet since its inception seven years ago, when it was reconfigured from the long-standing Evening Division.
In total, 271 new students joined the Sturm College of Law this year: 13.9% of the 1,953 applications received. The incoming class represents individuals from 32 states and 130 different undergraduate institutions, with 74% of new students receiving scholarships. These individuals demonstrate a wealth of academic merit, with a median undergraduate GPA of 3.65 and median LSAT score of 159. More statistics about this year’s incoming class can be viewed here.
While the semester officially began on August 17, new students had been in the building since the second week of August, when the largest-to-date cohort of Denver Law Ascent students participated in a week of pre-orientation activities. Ascent is a program designed to welcome and support incoming students from communities that have been historically underrepresented in the legal profession. This year’s 33 Ascent students included 26 who were new to the Denver area.
Orientation for all first-year students began on August 12, and the week-long introduction to law school included annual Day of Service activities in which students engaged with participating community organizations to promote the public good. The Day of Service at Denver Law is a tradition that goes back more than 10 years, and this year’s incoming students engaged with more than a dozen organizations on community service activities.
The week leading up to the start of classes concluded with the Clinical Programs Swearing-in Ceremony on Friday, August 16. More than 40 upper-level students from five of Denver Law’s clinics were sworn in as Student Attorneys in a ceremony presided over by Judge Nancy Salomone. In 1904, the University of Denver became the first school in the nation to offer clinical legal aid. Now in its 120th year, Clinical Training at the Sturm College of Law is ranked fifth in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.
Through their service engagement from before classes began to their ongoing dedication to public service, new and continuing students at the Sturm College of Law represent the core of the University of Denver’s vision: to be a great private university dedicated to the public good.
