University of Denver Sturm College of Law tuition is $63,390 for a full-time J.D. student taking 15 credits per semester in 2026–27. University fees add $1,226, and the standard DU health-insurance budget is $4,400. Denver’s published full-year cost of attendance is $90,821 after estimated housing, food, books, transportation, personal expenses, and loan fees are included.
That is the sticker budget—not necessarily what an admitted student will pay. Denver Law reports that 72% of its Fall 2026 entering class received scholarships, ranging from $19,500 to full tuition plus stipend. For applicants, the useful question is therefore not just “How much is Denver Law?” but what is my scholarship-adjusted three-year cost?
| Expense | Annual amount |
|---|---|
| Full-time J.D. tuition | $63,390 |
| Fees | $1,226 |
| Health insurance budget | $4,400 |
| Direct/billable subtotal | $69,016 |
| Books/supplies | $1,000 |
| Housing | $12,807 |
| Food | $4,635 |
| Transportation | $1,383 |
| Personal expenses | $1,782 |
| Loan fees | $198 |
| Total cost of attendance | $90,821 |
These are University of Denver’s standard financial-aid budget figures for a full-time law student enrolled in 15 credits each semester. Your actual housing, food, insurance, and borrowing costs can differ.
Official source: University of Denver graduate cost of attendance.
The current full-time tuition figure works out to $2,113 per law credit. Denver’s own summer financial-aid page also lists law tuition at $2,113 per credit.
The J.D. requires 90 credits, but multiplying 90 × the current per-credit rate is only a rough three-year illustration because tuition can change in future academic years.
If 2026–27 tuition stayed completely flat, three years of tuition alone would be roughly $190,170. That is not a forecast because Denver can change tuition each year.
Likewise, multiplying the current $90,821 cost-of-attendance budget by three gives roughly $272,463—but that should be treated as a simple current-dollar illustration, not a promised three-year cost.
The better calculation is:
future tuition + actual living costs − scholarship each year + financing costs.
Denver’s Fall 2026 entering-class page reports that 72% of incoming students received scholarships. Published awards ranged from $19,500 to full tuition plus stipend.
That makes scholarship-adjusted cost central to the enrollment decision. Two students in the same class can face dramatically different net prices.
Denver also offers specialized scholarship opportunities, including full-tuition Chancellor’s Scholarships for selected students with substantial public-interest commitments.
Official source: Denver Law prospective-student profile.
| Illustrative annual scholarship | Tuition remaining at current rate |
|---|---|
| $0 | $63,390 |
| $20,000 | $43,390 |
| $30,000 | $33,390 |
| $40,000 | $23,390 |
| Full tuition | $0 tuition; fees/living costs still remain |
These examples isolate tuition only. Fees, insurance, living costs, books, transportation, and borrowing costs remain unless the award explicitly covers them.
At sticker, yes: the current standard cost of attendance is above $90,000 for one academic year. But Denver is also scholarship-heavy, so sticker price alone is a poor measure of what an admitted student will actually pay.
The right benchmark is your net cost versus your alternatives, especially Colorado Law. Colorado Law currently has lower public-school sticker tuition, while Denver offers direct metro-market access, a part-time JD, extensive externships, and substantial merit aid.
See our Colorado Law vs. Denver Law comparison.
Denver offers a part-time J.D. program, which changes the annual credit load and therefore the annual tuition bill. Do not use the full-time $63,390 figure as the part-time annual price.
Part-time students should compare:
A part-time program can cost more years of tuition while still being financially superior if it lets you maintain meaningful employment.
There is no universal yes/no answer. The decision becomes much clearer once you know your scholarship.
Denver can be particularly rational when:
It becomes harder to justify when you are paying near sticker for a career whose expected earnings and geographic reach do not support the resulting debt.
For 2026–27, full-time J.D. tuition is $63,390 for a student taking 15 credits per semester.
The University of Denver publishes a 2026–27 standard law-student cost of attendance of $90,821, including tuition, fees, health insurance and estimated living expenses.
The current law tuition rate is $2,113 per credit.
Yes. Denver reports that 72% of the Fall 2026 entering class received scholarships, ranging from $19,500 to full tuition plus stipend.
At the current tuition rate held flat, tuition alone would be about $190,170. Actual three-year cost will differ because tuition, living costs, scholarships and financing can change each year.
Not at current sticker price. Colorado Law has lower public-school tuition, especially for Colorado residents. A substantial Denver scholarship can narrow or reverse the net-price difference.
Current cost figures come from the University of Denver’s 2026–27 graduate cost-of-attendance page. Scholarship participation and the Fall 2026 entering-class information come from Sturm College of Law’s current admissions profile.
We distinguish tuition from total cost of attendance and current-dollar illustrations from future forecasts so the page answers cost searches without presenting a three-year multiplication as a guaranteed future bill.
Written by Ali Unar, Founder, Lovare Institut. Verified September 19, 2026.