ABA & US Dept. of Ed. Required Disclosures

The following information is provided to ensure accessibility and transparency of information about the law school. The College’s accreditors, the American Bar Association (ABA) and WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), require that certain information be made easily available on a public website. It is always the school’s goal to make data accessible to our constituencies, so we maintain this page as a landing page for many pieces of key information that may be available on other pages of the website. If you have any questions about ABA or WASC matters, please contact the Director of Accreditation & Assessment, Andrea Bing, at wellesan@uclawsf.edu or (415) 565-4733.

ABA Standard 509 Information Reports

• 2024 Standard 509 Information Report
• 2023 Standard 509 Information Report
• 2022 Standard 509 Information Report
• 2021 Standard 509 Information Report
• 2020 Standard 509 Information Report
• 2019 Standard 509 Information Report
• 2018 Standard 509 Information Report
• 2017 Standard 509 Information Report

The ABA makes public Standard 509 Information Reports for all laws schools and compilations of All School Data for 2011-2023 on this website.

Bar Passage Rates

• 2024 ABA Bar Passage Report (includes 2023 First Time and 2021 Ultimate Bar Passage)
• 2023 ABA Bar Passage Report (includes 2022 First Time and 2020 Ultimate Bar Passage)
• 2022 ABA Bar Passage Report (includes 2021 First Time and 2019 Ultimate Bar Passage)
• 2021 ABA Bar Passage Report (includes 2020 First Time and 2018 Ultimate Bar Passage)
• 2020 ABA Bar Passage Report (includes 2019 First Time and 2017 Ultimate Bar Passage)
• 2019 ABA Bar Passage Report (includes 2018 First Time and 2016 Ultimate Bar Passage)
• 2018 ABA Bar Passage Report (includes 2016 and 2017 First Time Passage)
• Please refer to the UC Law SF /  UC Law SF ABA Standard 509 Information Report (above) for bar passage rates prior to the 2018 Report.

For more information on Bar Requirements and Resources, UC Law SF students should consult the Bar Passage Support Page on the Intranet.

General Information

• Academic Regulations
• Student Handbook
• Course Catalog

History

Founded in 1878 by Serranus Clinton Hastings, the first Chief Justice of California, the University of California, Hastings College of the Law was California’s first law school and has been at the center of the legal community in the West for more than 120 years. On January 1, 2023 the College changed its name to the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (“UC Law SF”).

Mission

UC Law SF serves society as a center of higher learning committed to exceptional teaching, influential scholarship, and exemplary public service. We provide a rigorous, innovative, and inclusive legal education that prepares diverse students to excel as professionals, advance the rule of law, and further justice.

J.D. Program Learning Outcomes

1. Doctrinal and Substantive Knowledge
: Students will be able to identify, explain, and employ basic concepts, theories, procedures, and rules of law in both core legal areas and in their own chosen area(s) of specialization.
2. Problem Solving and Critical Thinking: Students will be able to analyze, assess, and form independent judgments on a variety of legal issues, and will use these skills to solve client legal problems.
3. Practical and Communication Skills: Students will be able to gather and analyze evidence, communicate effectively in appropriate written and oral formats with a multiplicity of audiences, and demonstrate other professional skills.
4. Research Skills: Students will be able to independently retrieve, organize, analyze and evaluate paper and electronic legal and interdisciplinary sources, and differentiate between the types and relevance of authorities.
5. Professionalism: Students will demonstrate the professional skills necessary for effective and ethical participation in the legal profession.
6. Public Service: Students will be able to describe the roles and responsibilities of lawyers in overcoming obstacles to legal access and in promoting social justice.

Admissions FAQ

How we evaluate applications

Admissions Policy Statement

Annual Fees

(2018-19 through 2023-24)

Academic Year

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23

2023-24

Resident Tuition/Fees*

$44,326

$44,480

$44,628

$44,728

$46,034

$48,273

Non-Resident Tuition/Fees

$50,326

$50,480

$50,628

$50,628

$52,454

$55,207

Estimated Living Expenses (9 months)

$26,508

$26,508

$29,662

$29,662

$29,662

$31,570

*Includes Enrollment Fee, Activity Fee, and Health Services Fee. Does not include UCSHIP Insurance Premium, which can be waived.

For more detailed and current information visit our Tuition and Fees page and Refund Policy and Schedule.

Information on our Board of Directors and Faculty

UC Law SF Board of Directors       |        UC Law SF Faculty

Employment Outcomes

Find employment statistics 

Credit Hour Policy:

• UC Law SF follows the ABA policy on credit hours (see Standard 310).
• Elaboration of the Credit Hour Policy can be found here.
• The relevant Standard and Interpretations are below:

Standard 310. DETERMINATION OF CREDIT HOURS FOR COURSEWORK

(a) A law school shall adopt, publish, and adhere to written policies and procedures for determining the credit hours that it awards for coursework.

(b) A “credit hour” is an amount of work that reasonably approximates:

(1) not less than one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and two hours of out-of-class student work per week for fifteen weeks, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or

(2) at least an equivalent amount of work as required in subparagraph (1) of this definition for other academic activities as established by the institution, including simulation, field placement, clinical, co-curricular, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.

Interpretation 310-1

Based on the fifty minutes of classroom or direct faculty instruction and two hours of out-of-class student work per week over the fifteen-week (or its equivalent) period required by the Standard, at least 42.5 hours of total in-class instruction and out-of-class student work is required per credit [15 x 50 minutes + 15 x 2 hours]. Time devoted to taking a required final examination may count toward the in-class time required, and time devoted to studying for a required final examination may count toward the out-of-class time required. However, merely scheduling a general “exam week” or “exam weeks” does not permit allocating “exam time” to every class. In order to count time spent studying for and taking a final examination, an exam of appropriate length must be required for the particular class.

Interpretation 310-2

A school may award credit hours for coursework that extends over any period of time, if the coursework entails no less than the minimum total amounts of classroom or direct faculty instruction and of out-of-class student work (42.5 hours) specified in Standard 310(b).

Transfer of Credit Policy:

Policies on the acceptance of transfer credits are outlined in the Academic Regulations and can be found on the following page on Visiting Another Law School.

Application requirements can be found on the Transfer Student page.

UC Law SF has articulation, exchange, 3+3, or concurrent degree agreements with different institutions for the following programs:

Concurrent degrees with:

• UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business (Concurrent JD/MBA)
• Presidio Graduate School (Concurrent JD/MBA)
• UC Davis Graduate School of Management (Concurrent JD/MBA in the process of being formalized/approved)

Exchange Programs with:

• Vermont Law School
• Austral University
• University of New South Wales
• Peking University Law School
• Shanghai Jiao Tong University, KoGuan Law School
• University of Copenhagen
• Bucerius Law School
• Freie University
• Central European University
• Tel Aviv University
• Bocconi University
• The International University College of Turin
• Waseda University
• Hitotsubashi University
• Leiden University
• Instituto de Empresa Law School
• The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)

Concurrent JD/LLM Programs

• University Paris II
• The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)

Library Resources:

• UC Law SF Library

Accreditation

Complaint Processes

The University of California College of the Law, San Francisco takes very seriously complaints and concerns regarding the institution. Most complaints should be resolved at the campus level.

The Student Complaints and Grievances Procedures outlines the process for a student to file a grievance against a specific person or department at UC Law SF. The nature of the complaint determines to whom the complaint should be made.

Consult our Harassment and Discrimination Reporting Procedures page for more information with regards to harassment prevention and the applicable complaint processes.

Additional complaint resolution processes are described below.

I. If your complaint is associated with the institution’s compliance with academic program quality and accrediting standards established by the College’s accreditors, you may file a complaint with WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), the regional agency that accredits UC Law SF’s academic programs, or with the American Bar Association.

A. To file a complaint with WSCUC, go to https://www.wascsenior.org/comments.

B. To file a complaint that the Law School is not in Compliance with American Bar Association (ABA) Standards, please use the following process:

1. A Student who wishes to assert that the College is not in compliance with one or more ABA Standards should file a written complaint with the Academic Dean, specifying the College’s alleged failure to comply and citing to the specific ABA Standard or Standards at issue.

• • The complaint may be submitted by mail, US Mail, or personal delivery.
  • The complaint should include the Student’s contact information to facilitate further communication.
  • The absence of contact information may prevent a thorough investigation and/or resolution of the matter. When contact information is available, the Academic Dean shall acknowledge receipt of the complaint within 5 business days.

2. The Academic Dean shall investigate the alleged failure to comply with the ABA Standard and provide the Student with a written response within 30 calendar days of receipt of the assertion. The written response shall provide a substantive response to the complaint, describing the steps taken to investigate.

3. If the complaint is found to be valid, the written response shall include steps to be taken or already taken to address a failure to comply.

4. If the Student is dissatisfied with the Academic Dean’s response to or resolution of the complaint, the Student may file a written appeal with the Dean. The appeal must be filed within 30 calendar days of the Academic Dean’s response.

5. The Dean shall either affirm or reverse, in whole or in part, the Academic Dean’s determination. The Dean’s response will be communicated to the Student within 30 calendar days of receipt of the appeal. The Dean’s decision shall be final.

6. The College shall maintain a record of each complaint and its resolution in the Academic Dean’s office for a period of 10 years from the date of final resolution of the complaint.

A student may also file a complaint alleging failure by UC Law SF to meet ABA Standards with the ABA by going to Law School Accreditation Complaints Alleging Non-Compliance with the Standards (americanbar.org).

II.  A student or an applicant (that is, someone who has submitted an application to UC Law SF but is not a student) who believes that complaints in the following categories have not been satisfactorily resolved at UC Law SF may elevate their complaints to the UC Davis Office of Compliance (UC Davis) by clicking HERE. UC Davis is the California state agency independent of UC Law SF that will consider such complaints, as required under Federal regulations.

Complaints must fall into one or more of the following categories:

• Complaints that allege a violation of state consumer protection laws that include but are not limited to fraud and false advertising;
• Complaints that allege a violation of state law or rule relating to the licensure of postsecondary universities;
• Complaints relating to the quality of education or other standards, as established by State requirements; and/or.
• Non-compliance by UC Law SF with its own policies.

Please note that the following types of complaints are not eligible for review under this process:

1. 1. Complaints related to matters that are the subject of pending or threatened litigation, or that have already been adjudicated by the courts;
   2. Complaints that allege wrongful acts by a person or entity other than UC Law SF or a person acting in their capacity as a UC Law SF employee or contractor;
   3. Complaints concerning an employment relationship between a student and UC Law SF;
   4. Complaints concerning rights enforced by the U.S. Department of Education, including rights against discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity or national origin; sex; or disability.
   5. Complaints regarding matters arising under or covered by the Code of Student Conduct and Discipline or the processes described on the Harassment and Discrimination Reporting Procedures page.
   6. Complaints on matters where the complainant has not exhausted available on-campus resolution options.

A complaint must be filed within six months of any final decision by UC Law SF in a formal resolution process, or, where there is no formal resolution process provided by UC Law SF, within six months of the incident giving rise to the complaint. If a complainant has not utilized an available formal UC Law SF resolution process within the time limit set for that process, the complaint is also time-barred from the process described here. Where on-campus resolution options have not been exhausted, the complainant will be directed to the appropriate UC Law SF office or process. Otherwise, complaints that fall within the above categories will be resolved by the University of California, Davis, Office of Compliance & Policy.

If you have questions regarding the process, you may put them at the end of the online complaint form.

III. Complaints may be made to the State Attorney General by contacting the Public Inquiry Unit of the California State Department of Justice

• using on‐line forms available at https://oag.ca.gov/contact/consumer-complaint-against-business-or-company
• or by telephone or fax: Public Inquiry Unit    Voice: (916) 322‐3360   or (Toll‐free in California) (800) 952‐5225   Fax: (916) 323‐5341.

IV. Complaints may be made to the State Auditor using any of the means described at California State Auditor.

UC Law SF has provided this disclosure to you in compliance with the requirements of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, and its regulation at 34 CFR  Sections 600.9(a)(1) and 668.43(b).

Academic Freedom Policy

Adopted by the Faculty Executive Committee in 2011;
Updated and Approved by the Faculty on April 26, 2023