University of Alabama

AL · Public · East South Central

Acceptance rate: 26% (1,748 applicants)
Median LSAT: 167 (middle 50%: 161–168)
Median GPA: 3.97 (middle 50%: 3.76–4.05)
Tuition: $48,100 (per year, nonresident)
Bar passage: 95.2% (+13.9 pts vs. state average)

Deadlines

Application online until: Aug. 1, 2026

Essays

Personal statement (2 to 3 pages, double-spaced, at least 11-point font)

The subject matter of the essay is entirely up to you. For inspiration, some of the topics that you could address include the following: challenges that you have faced or overcome (including personal, professional, social, economic, or educational obstacles); special talents that you possess; formative or inspirational experiences that you have had (including positions of leadership, work experience, individual interactions or relationships, community service, or travel experiences); lessons that you have learned based on your unique life experiences; or reasons that you have chosen to pursue a legal career.

Addendum

If there were circumstances that impacted your UGPA, you may explain the circumstances in an application addendum or in your essay.

Editor's notes

Apply early in the fall. Alabama reads files roughly in the order they're completed and fills seats as the season goes on, even though the application stays open until Aug. 1. A file completed in spring is competing for fewer seats.
If you're not from Alabama, say why Alabama. The FAQ calls residency one of many factors and tells nonresidents to describe their ties to the state or their interest in the school. Do it in a sentence or two of the personal statement or a short addendum, with something concrete.
Your one letter carries a lot of weight. Alabama needs only one, and says professors' letters are often the most useful, especially if your GPA is below the median. Pick the recommender who can describe your work in detail, not the one with the best title.
Scholarship offers are made at admission with no separate application, and returning students generally can't get new awards or increases. Negotiate, compare and decide before you enroll, not after 1L grades.