School of Law
A Message from the Dean
Mason's School of Law offers an unparalleled opportunity to study law from an interdisciplinary perspective at the doorstep of Washington, D.C. Many dozens of our alumni work on Capitol Hill and elsewhere in government. Many hundreds more are in private practice in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and in law firms across the country. Our program is one of the most rigorous in the country, with Legal Research and Writing as a requirement both in first and second years and Economic Foundations of Legal Studies as a required first semester course. The law school was founded as the International School of Law in 1972 and became a part of George Mason University in 1979. Though it has been in existence for only a few decades, the School of Law is now recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top 40 law schools in the United States, with a faculty that is also ranked nationally in professional stature and productivity by the New Educational Quality Ranking of U.S. Law Schools.
A High Value Investment
George Mason School of Law is the only state university law school that is located inside the Capital Beltway. It offers the highest value proposition of any law school in the National Capital Region, especially for residents of Virginia, but also for non-residents. George Mason was named one of the "best value" public law schools in the nation by the National Jurist.
A Rigorous Program
We’re proud of having a tough program with no soft spots. We offer both full-time day and part-time evening study and unlike many other law school programs, the day and evening programs stand on equal footing, as the courses taught in the day and evening divisions are identical. We are looking for people who want the challenge of mastering new material from new points of view. With a total of more than 5,300 applications for fall 2003 admission to our law school and an acceptance rate of less than ten percent, we are one of the most selective law schools in America. The diversity and breadth of our student body make it one of the best in the country. Our students are prepared for success in a broad cross-section of careers in law. And because of our reasonable tuition rates, no matter where they go when they leave George Mason, our students will be free of the crushing debt that most law grads take with them into their post-graduate lives.
A Commitment to Each Other
Our law school community also is unique in that our students are truly committed to one another. Ours is a small law school with an atmosphere that feels more like a closely-knit family than a competitive professional institution. Our students help each other. We believe that the spirit of our law school community does not exist at any other educational institution.
This is one of the best law schools in the country, and it’s getting better all the time. For information about ways you can support its mission, please contact our Director of Development and Assistant Dean of the School of Law, Christopher Corish, at 703-993-9346.
Daniel D. Polsby, JD
Dean
George Mason University Foundation Professor of Law