University of Virginia Library

Law School Tightens Admissions Policy

By Alan Featherstone
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Competition for admission to the
University's School of Law will be much
more strict beginning in the fall of 1970,
says Albert R. Turnbull, Assistant Dean
of the law school.

The reasons for this increased competitiveness
are many, Mr. Turnbull explains.
One of the most important reasons
is the rise in the number of applicants.
The Law school can only accommodate
so many students so an increase in the
number of applicants means that there
will be an increase in the number of
applicants turned down for admission to
the law school.

Another reason for this increased
competitiveness is the new rules set by
the Selective Service System. The Selective
Service now allows all graduate students to
finish their first year of graduate study without
fear of being drafted. This means that the law
school no longer loses as many students from its
first-year class as has been true in the past. The
result is over-crowding of the law school during
the second and third years.

Dean Turnbull was quick to emphasize that
no change in the requirements for admission to
the School of Law have been made. The law
school will just have to consider more carefully
those who do apply.

This will not affect in-state applicants, Mr.
Turnbull stated. This will only affect the
number of out-of-state applicants accepted. The
number of Virginia residents accepted to the
law school will remain relatively constant.

This year's entering class has 341 students
out of 2275 applicants. Virginia residents
accounted for 158 of those students accepted
while the remaining 183 came from 36
different states. Of the 2275 applicants, 421
were Virginia residents while the other 185
applicants were from out-of-state.

Dean Turnbull stated that the optimum
number of students accepted would be about
300 but that the law school would probably
drop its number of accepted to 250 this coming
year.

Not only will an applicant's past academic
record and score on the Law School Admission
Test be carefully considered, Mr. Turnbull
explained, but increased emphasis will be
placed on letters of recommendation, past
extracurricular activities, work experience, and
the military record of the applicant.

Mr. Turnbull noted that most of those who
are not accepted for admission to the School of
Law are well qualified. The law school has to
make many value judgments and admit only
those applicants who show the greatest
potential for performance in the law school for
a career in the legal profession.