The Georgia State University College of Law building located at 85 Park Place in downtown Atlanta.
In addition to the Juris Doctor degree, the college offers joint degree programs with other colleges at Georgia State University and the Georgia Tech School of City and Regional Planning.
The college offers a full-time and a part-time program. The cost of tuition at Georgia State Law for the 2024–25 academic year is $17,596 for full time in-state students, $38,578 for out-of-state students and $38,850 for out-of-country students.[3]
History
As far back as the early 1970s, Georgia legislators and academic leaders debated establishing a new law school. The Georgia State University College of Law finally was sanctioned by the state's Board of Regents in 1981 and Ben F. Johnson became its first dean.[4]
The college enrolled 200 students in its inaugural year, taught by six professors. Most students were part-time, and many took classes at night, because they had full-time jobs during the day. The college's first seven graduates were hooded in December 1984.
By the end of its first decade, full-time faculty had grown to 31, nearly half of whom were women.
Rankings
In 2025, Georgia State University College of Law was ranked the 79th best law school by U.S. News & World Report. Its Health Care Law program was ranked 3rd out of 191 programs and its part-time program was ranked 21st out of 67 part-time programs.[3] The law school was ranked 2nd out of the five law schools in the state of Georgia by the Fulton County Daily Report in 2024.[5] Additionally, Georgia State University College of Law was named by Princeton Review in its 2024 edition as one of The Best 168 Law Schools.[6]
Tuition
The cost of tuition and fees at Georgia State University College of Law for the 2024–2025 academic year for full time in-state students is $17,596 and $38,578 for out-of-state students and $38,850 for out-of-country students.[3]
Admissions
For the Georgia State Law class entering in 2024, the school accepted 31.03% of applicants, with 34.02% of those accepted enrolling. Enrolled students had a median GPA of 3.56 and a median LSAT score of 159.[7][8]
Clinical programs
The school has a number of legal clinics, such as the Phillip C. Cook Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic, which serves low-income taxpayers.[9]
Study abroad
The school operates the Summer Academy in International Commercial Arbitration, a five-week, six-credit hour study abroad program based in Linz, Austria.[10] the Buenos Aires Summer Program in Argentina (jointly sponsored with the Florida International University College of Law); and the Summer Legal and Policy Study in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[11]
Employment
According to Georgia State's official 2023 ABA-required disclosures, 93.3% of the Class of 2023 obtained some form of employment 10 months after graduation, with 83.33% obtaining Bar Passage Required employment (i.e. as attorneys). Most employment was with firms of one to ten attorneys although 25 graduates obtained employment with firms of over 500 attorneys. Most employment was in the State of Georgia.[12] Georgia State's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 10%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2023 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job 10 months after graduation.[13]
Bill Hamrick, J.D. 1991 - Superior Court Judge, Coweta Judicial Circuit; former member of the Georgia State Senate (D-30); incoming Georgia State-wide Business Court judge[17]
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