Villanova University School of Law

What Villanova University School of Law does

Villanova University School of Law, formally the Charles Widger School of Law, is a private nonprofit legal education institution operating within Villanova University, the only Augustinian Catholic university in the United States. Founded as part of the Villanova academic portfolio and located on a 260-acre campus 12 miles west of Philadelphia, the law school delivers the Juris Doctor degree and joint degrees coordinated with the College of Engineering, Villanova School of Business, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, and other university departments. Programming is offered through on-campus, online, and hybrid modalities to accommodate varied learner needs.

The school's core offering is accredited legal education rather than a technology product. Its competitive position rests on brand differentiation tied to the Augustinian Catholic identity (reinforced by the 2025 election of Villanova alumnus Pope Leo XIV), a 140,000+ global alumni network, and strong student outcomes including a 95.3% placement rate and 153 Fulbright Student Award recipients since 2018. The school has demonstrated specialized capability in intellectual property law, advancing as one of five finalists to the national round of the USPTO-hosted National Patent Application Drafting Competition in 2026 alongside Harvard, Wisconsin, and Berkeley law schools.

Revenue is generated primarily through tuition and educational services on a recurring academic subscription basis, supplemented by endowment income and charitable contributions. Two disclosed gifts of $5M (2015) and $15M (2020) indicate endowment-building activity. Specific revenue, headcount within the law school, and pricing figures are not publicly disclosed in source material. The institution operates regionally within the Northeast U.S. corridor (Philadelphia, New York, Washington, D.C.) and serves JD-seeking students and joint-degree candidates as its primary customer persona.

Name

Villanova University School of Law

Legal name

Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law

Website

https://www1.villanova.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Villanova University School of Law (Charles Widger School of Law) is a private Catholic law school within Villanova University offering JD and joint degree programs on-campus and online to aspiring legal professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Education / Graduate Law Programs

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

ABA-Accredited JD-Granting Law Schools (EDAHAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Law & Legal Studies Research Universities (EDAHABAF)

Keywords

• Legal education
• JD programs
• Joint degrees
• Law school
• Postgraduate degrees

Headquarters

HQ city

Villanova

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Educational Services: Villanova University School of Law generates revenue primarily through tuition for JD and joint degree programs offered in coordination with other schools and departments. Revenue model is based on traditional academic tuition structure.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law provides graduate legal education through its JD and joint degree programs coordinated with other Villanova schools and departments. Programs are delivered on campus and via online/hybrid formats, supported by a dedicated law library, experiential learning, and participation in national legal competitions such as the USPTO National Patent Application Drafting Competition.

Product overview

Villanova University School of Law (Charles Widger School of Law) is a law school within Villanova University's academic portfolio. It offers JD and joint degrees in coordination with other schools and departments. The institution participates in academic competitions such as the National Patent Application Drafting Competition hosted by the USPTO. As a higher education institution, it provides legal education services rather than technology products or software platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Juris Doctor (JD) Program Three-year graduate professional degree in law offered to students pursuing legal careers, delivered through a combination of doctrinal coursework, experiential learning, and access to the law library.
• Joint Degree Programs Interdisciplinary graduate degrees coordinated between the law school and other Villanova schools and departments, allowing students to combine legal studies with another field of study.
• Online and Hybrid Degree and Certificate Programs Law-related degree and certificate programs delivered online, in person, or in hybrid format to accommodate varied learning needs and schedules.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)notableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 March 2026USPTO hosts the National Patent Application Drafting Competition which challenges law students to draft and defend a full patent application based on a hypothetical invention. Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law advanced as one of five finalists to the national round.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Suffolk University Law School: ABA-accredited JD-granting law school in Boston with a similarly tuition-dependent revenue model and regional employer pipeline. Comparable on tuition tier, regional placement dynamics, and outcomes-driven competition.
• Fordham Law School: ABA-accredited JD-granting law school in New York City with similar tier of applicants and strong NYC employer pipeline. Comparable on tuition dependence, regional placement, and competition for mid-tier law students.
• Seton Hall University School of Law: Catholic, ABA-accredited JD-granting law school in New Jersey with regional Mid-Atlantic focus and similar applicant profile. Closely comparable on faith-based positioning, tuition dependence, and Northeast employer pipeline.
• Boston College Law School: Catholic (Jesuit), ABA-accredited JD-granting law school in Massachusetts with similar faith-based identity and regional Northeast placement. Comparable on religious-affiliation positioning, applicant profile, and outcomes-driven competition.
• Temple University Beasley School of Law: ABA-accredited JD-granting law school in Philadelphia with similar applicant pool, joint-degree offerings, and regional Mid-Atlantic placement footprint. Comparable on tuition tier, public-private distinction, and outcomes-driven competition.
• Rutgers Law School: ABA-accredited JD-granting law school in New Jersey with regional Mid-Atlantic applicant pool and joint-degree offerings. Comparable on tuition tier, public-private distinction, and Northeast placement outcomes.
• American University Washington College of Law: ABA-accredited JD-granting law school in Washington, D.C. with strong specialty programs and a regional applicant base. Comparable on tuition model, specialty program focus, and proximity to the D.C. legal market.

Broad incumbents

• University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School: Ivy League, ABA-accredited JD-granting law school in Philadelphia with significantly stronger national brand and IP/corporate placement. Comparable as a Philadelphia-anchored ABA-accredited program but operates at a higher tier.
• Notre Dame Law School: Catholic, ABA-accredited JD-granting law school in Indiana with a nationally recognized brand and faith-based identity. Comparable on Catholic identity positioning but operates with broader geographic reach and stronger national ranking.
• Georgetown University Law Center: Top-tier, ABA-accredited JD-granting law school in Washington, D.C. with a national applicant pool and dominant specialty programs. Comparable as a regional ABA-accredited program serving the D.C. market but at a much higher competitive tier.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Villanova_Law
• Facebookfacebook.com/VillanovaLaw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Villanova University School of Law