Aug 24, 2009 7:36 am US/Pacific
UCI's Tuition-Free Law School Opens
IRVINE, Calif. (CBS) ―
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The inaugural class of 61 students will all receive free tuition.
CBS
UC Irvine's law school is opening its doors Monday with an inaugural class of 61 students who are all receiving a tuition-free education.
"It's gone better than I could have ever hoped for and dreamed of," said Law School Dean Erwin Chemerinsky.
Thanks in part to full scholarships made possible by a $20 million donation from Irvine Co. Chairman Donald Bren, the school was able to select the top students in the field for its first class.
The students' median GPA and LSAT scores put UC Irvine's law school on the level with UCLA as a top 15 school in the nation, Chemerinsky said.
The inaugural class will also enjoy the 3-1 student-faculty ratio. However, the school's goal is to grow to 600 students.
Chemerinsky, a constitutional attorney, was hired then fired and then re-hired by Chancellor Michael Drake in September 2007.
Conservative alumni and students had questioned the liberal professor's hiring and Chancellor Drake decided to rescind his offer.
The decision prompted such a national outcry that Drake offered the job to Chemerinsky again and he accepted.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
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