The city council of Jacksonville, Fla. voted to provide $2.5 million in funding to help Jacksonville University establish its new College of Law. The establishment of the law school was announced in February 2022, along with a $5 million commitment from the mayor’s office. This bill includes half of that commitment, along with another $5.5 million earmarked for other private businesses in Jacksonville.
The school will use the money to cover initial startup costs but is continuing to pursue aggressive fundraising efforts. The rest of the mayoral commitment has yet to be determined, but the city is poised to release its budget for the next fiscal year in July, which will determine where the rest of the money will come from.
JU president Tim Cost noted that regardless of the number of students attending during a given year, the ABA requires that all costs must be met up front. He also said that the law school is planning on having 20 students (chosen from a pool of more than 275 applicants) during its inaugural year, but that they expect that number to grow to 400-450 students once the school is fully established.
Jacksonville University School of Law will be the first new law school in the state of Florida in more than 20 years. Tuition is listed as $36,000 annually, but the entire inaugural class will receive merit scholarships ranging from $7,200 to $14,400. The law school will initially operate out of VyStar Tower, located in downtown Jacksonville, for two years. JU is already in talks with the city to determine the law school’s final location.
