Santa Barbara and Ventura Colleges of Law

Program Information

Degree Offered

Juris Doctor

Format: Campus

Program Description:

The College of Law has a carefully planned curriculum, offering students both required and elective courses. Our required courses emphasize traditional core subjects—including all subjects tested on the California Bar Examination—and skills essential to the effective practice of law, such as legal research and writing. During Summer sessions, students may choose from a wide range of elective courses focused primarily on areas of legal practice.

Successful completion of 84 semester units is required to receive the Juris Doctor degree.

Certificates of Concentration. Students may earn a Certificate of Concentration in one of four areas: Business Law, Criminal Law, Family Law, and Estate Planning.

To earn a certificate, a student must, in addition to completing the law program:

• Complete, with a grade of "Pass" or higher, 8 units of elective courses qualified for credit toward that concentration
• Submit a Petition for Certificate of Concentration form

A student who elects to earn a certificate can demonstrate a higher level of interest and competence in a specific practice area, in preparation for entering an employment market that favors law graduates who are well grounded in both fundamental skills and emerging legal trends.

Read more about the unique advantages of attending Santa Barbara and Ventura Colleges of Law

* QUALITY - Our faculty members are accomplished judges and attorneys in the Tri-Counties. Our students benefit from the breadth of our faculty’s professional experiences.
* CONVENIENCE - Our programs—offered in both Santa Barbara and Ventura—are scheduled three nights a week and can be completed in three-and-a-half to four years.
* AFFORDABILITY - Our program costs less than half of those typically offered at traditional private law schools, allowing many students to graduate without debt.
* PRACTICALITY - Our students graduate as practice-ready attorneys poised to make an immediate contribution in their new professional setting.

The Santa Barbara & Ventura Colleges of Law is a nonprofit educational institution with campuses in two of Southern California’s most desirable coastal communities. Each campus is part of a close-knit legal community in which an atmosphere of professionalism and civility prevails.

Our Ventura campus was founded in 1969 by a group of local attorneys and judges who sought to provide an opportunity for local residents to obtain law degrees without leaving their homes and jobs. Six years later, a legal educator and attorney founded the Santa Barbara campus. In 1978 the two schools merged and today we’re known as one of California’s premier regional law schools.

Our reputation has grown as our graduates have proven themselves to be well-trained legal professionals able to serve the needs of individual clients, businesses, nonprofit organizations and governmental entities throughout the state.

Accreditation:

Both campuses have been accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California for over 25 years. In keeping with our mission to offer high quality, yet affordable, legal education, neither campus has sought nor presently expects to obtain accreditation from the American Bar Association. Graduates of the College are educationally qualified to sit for the Bar Examination in California. Admission to the practice of law within the State of California is governed by the Office of Admissions of the State Bar.

Eligibility Requirements:

Applications are reviewed individually by our Admissions Committee, and members of each entering class are selected based on a number of factors.

The Committee does evaluate the traditional criteria for law school admission—academic grade point averages and, in some cases, LSAT scores—but other considerations are also very important. For example, the applicant’s life experience, maturity, moral character, employment or volunteer experience, and ability to communicate may weigh heavily in the admissions decision. All admissions decisions, including the award of transfer credit, are within the sole discretion of the College.

Acceptance to the College is not guaranteed merely because an applicant meets the minimum requirements for admission. However, we encourage you to apply if you are motivated to study law and are otherwise qualified.

# of Credits Required:

84

Tuition & Financial Aid

Cost Per Credit Hour:

450 USD

Tuition In-State Full Time:

37800 USD

Financial Aid Offered: No