UND LAW BY THE NUMBERS
UND LAW BY THE NUMBERS
BRIAN PAPPAS Dean, University of North Dakota School of Law
It has been an honor to serve as the law school dean at the University of North Dakota( UND). As the only law school in the state, we are an important part of the legal community and enjoy a close relationship with the bench and bar. Our talented faculty and staff put students first, and we pride ourselves on our impactful research, high-quality teaching, and dedication to serving the state. Our commitment to providing a high-quality legal education while keeping that education affordable is a vital aspect of our mission here at the UND School of Law, and our tuition rates are in the top 10 % for affordability at the national level. North Dakota is an outstanding place to practice law, with unparalleled opportunities to gain meaningful experience quickly and to enjoy a great quality of life. Across all our key performance areas we have worked hard to improve, and we have made significant progress. We will remain focused on the key metrics of bar examination pass rates, students employed and working in North Dakota, and the percentage of our entering class hailing from North Dakota.
Admissions
One of our primary goals is to assist with our state’ s lawyer shortage by delivering more lawyers to North Dakota. That starts with admissions, which has undergone significant changes in the past three years. Under Director Pam Shea we are continuing to improve our efforts. We no longer are processing applications on paper, and we actively track data to make better-informed admissions decisions. We hired a new recruiter under a renewed focus on North Dakota. The results are impressive, with applications increasing 19 % from 2023 to 2024, while the enrollment percentage from those admitted remained constant. For 2025, we are increasing our 1L class to 100 students, an increase of more than 20 %. Our application deadline is July 15, and with 69 seat deposits, we are on track to meet our goals. Based on our current seat deposits, from 2022 to 2025, we have increased our number of North Dakota students by 31 %.
Bar Exam Results
We continue to work hard to improve our bar exam performance with the goal always being a 100 % pass rate. As indicated below, we outperform all other law schools on the North Dakota bar exam. I am confident that hiring Director of Academic Success and Bar Passage Elizabeth Behrens will make a great impact. Our ultimate
Admissions
1L CLASS
LSAT 50 %
GPA 50 % APPLIED %
% FROM ACCEPTED ENROLLED NORTH
DAKOTA
% ENROLLED FROM APPLICATIONS
2025 * 152 3.59 336 55 % Est. ~ 100 55 % 18 % 34 % 2024 150 3.46 450 52 % 81 48 % 18 % 34 % 2023 150 3.37 379 62 % 81 43 % 21 % 34 % 2022 150 3.37 377 72 % 85 42 % 23 % 31 % * As of April 14, 2025.
% ADMITTED WHO ENROLLED
18 THE GAVEL