Start Your Legal Career  

We are located in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh. Steps away from legal, business, and tech communities, as a student, you can easily take full advantage of externships, clerkships, and other opportunities as you develop your legal career. 

At Duquesne Kline School of Law, our mission is to enable students to make an immediate impact as successful lawyers, responsible leaders, and world citizens. This is inspired by the Spiritan Congregation that founded Â鶹ֱ²¥ and its School of Law with a dedication to ensuring dignity, justice, and respect for all and supporting diversity and inclusion.

Prepare to Apply

As you prepare to apply to law school, you may ask yourself: "How do I create the most competitive application and ensure that I'm a great fit for Duquesne Kline Law?" We've got the answer: Read, Research, Reach out.

Check out our Frequently Asked Questions and Visit, Tour, and Engage with Us!

Empowered to Lead. Prepared for What's Next.

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Read. Research. Reach Out.

As you prepare to apply to law school, you may ask yourself: "How do I create the most competitive application and ensure that I'm a great fit for the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Â鶹ֱ²¥?" We've got the answer: Read, Research, Reach out.

  • Our Degrees: We offer JD programs and numerous joint and dual degree programs.
  • Our Students' Success: We help you achieve your career goals through our top-ranked Legal Research & Writing program, extensive career programs and networking, and emphasis on bar preparation from the first year of law school. 
  • Our Location: Pittsburgh appears at the top of every 'Best of" list in the country.  
  • Our Faculty: Noted for their teaching excellence, scholarly research, and practical experience, our faculty will get to know you personally through our small classes and seminars.
  • Our Alumni: Want proof of the value of a Duquesne Kline School of Law degree? Check out the success of our more than 8,500 alumni working all across the U.S. and internationally.

We've compiled all the information you need to navigate the application process. Review the application and be prepared to submit your best application!

Ask yourself:

  • Have I registered for the LSAT or GRE in time for the scores to reach Duquesne Kline School of Law by the priority deadline of April 1st? This gives you the best chance to receive scholarship awards. We recommend taking the exam twice!
  • Is my personal statement ready for submission (proofed and edited)?
  • What else do I need to know about Duquesne Kline School of Law's application process? Check out our frequently asked questions. 

We offer a variety of opportunities for you to conveniently engage with the Duquesne Kline School of Law community. Please check out "Visit, Tour, and Engage with Us" to learn more.

Please feel free to contact the admissions staff if you have any questions. 

Those three R's are the framework for a strong application to Duquesne Kline School of Law. We are looking forward to working with you!

 

Contact Us

Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Â鶹ֱ²¥

Admissions

Required Disclosures

The American Bar Association law school data for the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Â鶹ֱ²¥ is available to view or download.

In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

The Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Â鶹ֱ²¥ is motivated by its Catholic identity and values equality of opportunity, human dignity, racial, cultural, and ethnic diversity, both as an educational institution and as an employer. Accordingly, the School of Law prohibits and does not engage in discrimination or harassment on the basis of a person's race, color, gender, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, national origin, marital status, genetic history, Veteran status, or disability. The School of Law will continue to take affirmative steps to support and advance these values consistent with the University's mission statement.

Harassment is defined as unwelcome verbal or physical conduct, that is based on one or more of the categories described above, and that creates an intimidating, hostile, or abusive employment or educational environment or that has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's employment or academic performance. Such conduct may include epithets, slurs or negative stereotyping; threatening, intimidating or hostile acts; denigrating jokes; and written or graphic material that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual or group.

As a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS), Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University complies with ABA Standard 205 and AALS Bylaw 6-3. The School of Law is committed to providing equality of opportunity in legal education for all persons, including faculty and employees, with respect to hiring, continuation, promotion, and tenure, applicants for admission, enrolled students, and graduates, without discrimination or segregation on the ground of race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sex, gender (including identity and expression), sexual orientation, age, military status, or disability.

If you have questions about these policies or would like to report a violation of a policy, please contact:

Sean F. Weaver
Director, Anti-Discrimination Compliance
Assistant Director, Risk Management
(412) 396-2073
weavers2@duq.edu

Alicia M. Simpson
Title IX Coordinator And Director of Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response
(412) 396-2560
simpsona8@duq.edu

Anne Mullarkey Sawa
Director of Student Conduct
(412) 396-6642
mullarke@duq.edu

Within the Duquesne Kline School of Law

Ella Kwisnek
Associate Dean for Students
(412) 396-1474
kwisnek@duq.edu

Tara Willke
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
(412) 396-4637
willket@duq.edu

Admissions Policy

The Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Â鶹ֱ²¥ seeks to admit students who will become excellent lawyers with a high degree of professional skill and a special sensitivity to ethical and moral concerns. Our mission of service leads us to build an incoming class and student body that will apply the law for the good of individual clients, for the betterment of society, and in furtherance of justice. In the Spiritan tradition, Duquesne Kline School of Law is Catholic in mission and ecumenical in spirit. The School of Law was a pioneer in making quality legal education available to working-class students, to minorities, and to women.

In evaluating candidates for admission, we place substantial weight on quantitative academic measures such as the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) scores and undergraduate grades. However, we consider each candidate holistically, taking into account qualitative factors such as letters of recommendation, work experience, graduate study, leadership potential, maturity, the rigor of the program of study and institution attended, as well as service to others. As we seek to assemble a class with diverse experiences and perspectives that serves our academic mission and enriches our campus community, we also consider hardships overcome, socioeconomic disadvantage, and varied backgrounds. The Duquesne Kline School of Law especially encourages applications from racial minorities and other under-represented groups who would enrich the diversity of our academic community.

Applicants from a variety of academic backgrounds are offered admission each year. No specific undergraduate academic curriculum is required, but it is highly recommended that the course of study emphasizes skill in critical thinking and logical analysis and that students strive to develop strong writing skills.

All admissions decisions are final. Applicants who are denied admission in one division are not eligible to be subsequently considered for other divisions. We do not provide feedback on admission decisions.  Applicants who wish to ask questions about the application must seek an appointment in writing. This does not assume that the appointment will be granted.  Applicants who have received a final decision may not walk-in to the admissions office to request time with the admissions staff. Any appointments granted will be completed via Zoom.