The American
University Law School, formally known as the Washington College of Law, is
located in Washington, D.C. The American University Law School was founded in
1896 by two women, Ellen Spencer Mussey and Emma Gillett. The purpose for them
founding the university was to compensate for the lack of educational
opportunities that existed for women in the area in the realm of law studies.
The first graduating class of the American University Law School was the first
law school to ever have an all-female class graduating. Furthermore, Washington
College of Law was also the first law school to be founded by women. The Washington
College of Law would not be integrated into the American University until 1949.
The American University Law School currently enrolls over 1,600 students, and
is not an all-female institution. Only 58% percent of enrolled students are
women, though still occupying the majority of the student population. The
American University Law School will prove to be quite competitive, accepting
only about 20% of all admissions. In 2008, the institution received nearly
9,000 applications for a total of 474 available seats in the Juris Doctor
program at the time. The average LSAT scores of applicants is 163, and the
average GPA is of about 3.4.
The American University Law School is currently ranked second in the nation for
its Clinical Law program, and is in the top twenty of all law schools in the
nation overall.
