Commitment to Inclusive Excellence
At UC Irvine School of Law, inclusive excellence is central to our mission. Since our founding, we have been committed to expanding opportunity and access to legal education and ensuring that students from all backgrounds are supported and positioned to succeed.
Fall 2025 entering J.D. class
- 29% first-generation college students
- 31% Pell Grant eligible
- 31% identify as members of the LGBTQIA+ community
- 62% students of color
- 20–46 age range
- 85% entered law school with at least one year of work experience
Expanding Access to Legal Education
UC Irvine Law offers a variety of programs designed to expand pathways to law school and the legal profession for students from diverse backgrounds.
Saturday Academy of Law
UC Irvine Law created the Saturday Academy as an opportunity to expose high school students from diverse backgrounds to the practice of law and help them understand that a career as an attorney is a viable option.
- Six-week program for ninth-grade students
- Serves students from Anaheim Union High School District and Santa Ana Unified School District
- Approximately 75–150 students participate each semester
- More than 2,000 students have participated since 2009
Pre-Law Outreach Program
Designed for first-generation college students, POP provides law school preparation, mentorship and admissions guidance.
- More than 600 students have participated since 2010
- Three POP alumni entered UC Irvine Law in 2025
- Thirteen POP alumni have matriculated to UC Irvine Law during the past five years
Community College Pathway to Law School
UC Irvine Law is a partner in California LAW Pathways, a statewide initiative creating pathways from high school and community college to law school and legal careers.
Thrive Scholars Scholarship Initiative
UC Irvine Law and Thrive Scholars established a $90,000 scholarship for qualified recipients admitted to UC Irvine Law.
Founded in 2001 in South Central Los Angeles with a mission rooted in equity, Thrive Scholars is dedicated to helping high-achieving, underrepresented students from economically disadvantaged communities get into and graduate from top colleges equipped to achieve their full career potential.
Point Foundation Scholarship Initiative
UC Irvine Law and Point Foundation established a scholarship initiative for Point alumni and graduating Point Scholars.
The initiative guarantees a minimum scholarship for Point Scholars or alumni of Point's Flagship, Community College and BIPOC programs who have graduated from an undergraduate or graduate program and are later admitted into UC Irvine Law's J.D. program. Successful applicants admitted to UC Irvine Law who are part of this scholarship initiative will receive a $90,000 tuition scholarship over three years.
Point is the nation’s largest nonprofit organization supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer
(LGBTQ) students studying on campuses across the United States.
Supporting Student Success
UC Irvine Law provides a range of academic, professional and financial resources to help students thrive throughout law school.
Programs and resources include:
- Free online introduction-to-law-school course
- Comprehensive Orientation program
- Required first-semester Legal Profession course
- Extensive mentoring programs
- Academic Skills Program
- Career counseling
- Health and wellness resources
- Financial literacy workshops
- Need-based financial aid
- Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP)
Civil Discourse and Belonging
UC Irvine Law supports ideological diversity and civil discourse through its curriculum, programming and student life.
Students have opportunities to engage with a broad range of viewpoints through:
- Student organizations representing diverse perspectives and experiences
- Hundreds of guest speakers each year
- More than a dozen research centers and institutes
- Professionalism and civility programming
- Legal Profession course
- Faculty leadership in free speech, conflict resolution and press freedom
- Policies supporting academic freedom and freedom of expression
- Academic Skills Program
- Legal Professional Pathways Program (LPP)
- Race and Indigeneity curriculum requirement
- Programs and discussions on contemporary legal issues
Community Engagement
Community engagement is a core part of the UC Irvine Law experience.
Through clinical programs, externships and one of the nation's most robust pro bono programs, students work alongside community partners to address legal challenges and expand access to justice. Students gain hands-on experience serving clients and communities locally, nationally and globally, including through alternative break projects and the work of centers and initiatives such as the Korea Law Center, Initiative for Inclusive Civil Justice, Pay Equity Project, Student Loan Law Initiative, Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality and Center on Law, Equality, and Race.
Admissions and Retention Strategies
UC Irvine Law has a diverse Admissions and Aid office that implements broad recruiting strategies that follow best practices in engaging students from all over the United States from all backgrounds and perspectives. .
Examples include:
- Nationwide J.D. recruitment efforts
- Pipeline initiatives and outreach programs
- Peer recruiting and Admissions Ambassadors
- 3+3 pathway programs and scholarship partnerships
- Concurrent degree opportunities
- Admitted Students Weekend programming
- Dean's Pre-Law Support Grant Program for Student Organizations
- Native American Opportunity Plan
Recognition
UC Irvine Law has received national recognition for its commitment to opportunity, access and student success. In preLaw Magazine's Winter 2024 rankings, the Law School was recognized as the No. 1 school for support of Asian students, No. 9 for support of Hispanic students and No. 25 for support of Black students. In 2025, Princeton Review ranked UC Irvine Law No. 6 for greatest resources for minority students and No. 10 for most diverse faculty. The Law School also received an "A" grade for racial justice from preLaw Magazine in 2024 and was ranked No. 18 among the nation's most diverse law schools in 2023.
Leadership
Jennah Jones
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and Inclusive Excellence
jjones@law.uci.edu
(949) 824-1304