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Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country. This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on.
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California Western School of Law
San Diego, California
Rank #178 (USNWR 2024)
153
LSAT
3.39
GPA
55.3%
Admit Rate
25th, 50th, 75th lines show admitted class %iles
JD Admissions & Requirements
Data from 2024 admissions cycle
153
LSAT
3.39
GPA
55.3%
Admit Rate
California Western School of Law is a prestigious JD program located in San Diego, California. In the competitive 2024 law school rankings, California Western School of Law was ranked 178 by US News & World Report, making it a strong option for prospective law students in the current application cycle. For the 2024 admissions cycle, California Western School of Law has an entering 1L class size of approximately 273 with an acceptance rate of 55.3%, positioning it among the competitive law schools for JD applicants.
Also known as
CALIFORNIA WESTERN SCHOOL OF LAW
Law School Applications
1792
JD application volume in 2024 cycle
JD Acceptance Rate
55.3%
JD Program Size
273
JD Tuition Cost
$124k
Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country. This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on.
✨ Enjoy an ad-free experience with LSD+
Wisdom from California Western School of Law Admits
3.1 / 157 • Drake University • 5 months ago
LowstatVetParalegal69 my name is pretty self explanatory.
Read more
3.35 / 157 • Duquesne University • 5 months ago
Make sure you have safety schools!!! Scholarships > Rankings
Read more
3.5 / 157 • Santa Clara University • 5 months ago
Oct 2024 (1L year edit): Absolutely no regrets about my choice! Helpful advice for students...
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3.65 / 168 • University of California—Davis • 5 months ago
Don’t get scared, apply early, try your best, retake the LSAT, and make your personal...
Read more
3.95 / 165 • Pepperdine University • 5 months ago
I think that a solid scholarship from a lower ranked school is better than less/no scholarship...
Read more
California Western School of Law Law School Admissions Data & Statistics
2024-2025 Cycle Overview
144 applicants
Accepted
1
/
48
Waitlisted
17
Rejected
8
-
Withdrawn
45
-
Admissions Graphs
Drag the handle in the bottom right of the chart to resize
25th, 50th, 75th lines show admitted class %iles
25th, 50th, 75th lines show admitted class %iles
Filters
LSAT Score: Law School Admission Test score (120-180 scale)
GPA: Undergraduate Grade Point Average (0.0-4.3+ scale)
Drag the handle in the bottom right of the chart to resize
This chart shows when decisions were made throughout the application cycle. Use the filters above to refine the data.
How to Use These Graphs
Graph Navigation:
- Zoom: Click and drag to zoom into a specific area
- Reset zoom: Double-click anywhere on the graph
- View details: Hover over any point to see detailed information
- Visit profile: Click on any point to open that user's profile page
- Toggle series: Click on any legend item to show/hide that category (accepted, waitlisted, rejected, unknown)
Advanced Features:
- Colorblind mode: Toggle on in the controls above for an alternative color palette
- Export/Print: Click the menu in the top-right corner of any graph to download or print
- Cycle selection: Use the dropdown in the controls above to view data from different application cycles
- Demographic filters: Filter by International, URM, Military, or Early Decision status to compare specific groups
- Custom axes: On the LSAT vs. GPA graph, select different metrics to compare (dates, scholarships, etc.)
- Compare your stats: Your own stats will appear as a blue diamond when viewing these graphs
Selectivity & Competitiveness Trends
How to interpret this chart:
- LSAT (blue): Shows the 25th/50th/75th percentiles as a shaded band with median line. Hover to see exact values in format: 165/170/175
- GPA (green): Shows the 25th/50th/75th percentiles as a shaded band with median line. Hover to see exact values in format: 3.45/3.65/3.85
- Acceptance Rate (orange): Percentage of applicants who received offers (lower = more selective)
- Applications (purple dashed): Total number of applications received each year
Rising LSAT/GPA medians, narrowing bands, or falling acceptance rates indicate increasing competitiveness. Click legend items to show/hide metrics.
For law school applicants interested in the 2024 admissions cycle at California Western School of Law, 1792 candidates submitted JD applications and 991 received acceptance letters. The law school application process here is moderately selective for prospective students with an acceptance rate of 55.3%.
The JD program at California Western School of Law enrolls a first-year class of 273 law students each year, with an admissions yield rate of 26.03%. This means that of the 991 applicants who received law school acceptance letters, 258 chose to enroll. Understanding these law school admission statistics can help prospective JD applicants evaluate their chances and plan their application strategy.
For a competitive law school application to California Western School of Law, students should aim to meet or exceed the median statistics shown below. Meeting these GPA and LSAT targets significantly improves your chances of admission.
JD Admission Requirements & Application Statistics
| Admissions Metrics (ABA 509) | |
|---|---|
| Metric | Value |
| Applications |
1792
|
| Admission Offers | 991 |
| Class Size |
273
|
| Acceptance Rate |
55.3%
|
| Yield Rate |
26.03%
|
| Average Statistics by Decision (LSD) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | Rejected | All | Accepted |
| LSAT | 151.38 | 157.61 | 159.37 |
| GPA | 3.3 | 3.39 | 3.44 |
| Softs | T3.17 | T3.32 | T3.37 |
| Avg Scholarship | - | - | $128,709 |
* Softs are self-reported ratings (T1-T4) representing non-numeric application factors
| LSAT & GPA Statistics (ABA 509) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th | 50th | 75th | |
|
LSAT
|
151 | 153 | 157 |
|
GPA
|
3.07 | 3.39 | 3.60 |
| LSD User Stats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | 25th | 50th | 75th |
| LSAT | 153.0 (+2.0) | 157.0 (+4.0) | 161.25 (+4.25) |
| GPA | 3.2 (+0.13) | 3.46 (+0.07) | 3.77 (+0.17) |
* Based on 144 self-reported applications
* Green/Red values show difference from ABA 509 data
* Green/Red values show difference from ABA 509 data
| Application Process Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Avg Days: Sent to Decision | 33 days |
| Avg Days: UR to Decision | 21 days |
| Interview Invite Rate | 0.0% |
| Interview → Acceptance Rate | - |
The above statistics show that California Western School of Law typically admits students with LSAT scores ranging from 151 (25th percentile) to 157 (75th percentile), with a median of 153.
For GPA, admitted students typically have undergraduate GPAs ranging from 3.07 to 3.60, with a median of 3.39.
With an acceptance rate of 55.3%, California Western School of Law is considered a moderately selective law school in terms of admissions.
What these numbers mean
- Percentiles: The 25th/50th/75th percentiles show the distribution of scores among admitted students.
- Applications: Total number of people who applied to this law school.
- Acceptance Rate: Percentage of applicants who received offers (lower = more selective).
- Yield Rate: Percentage of admitted students who enrolled (higher = more desirable).
Application Status Data
California Western School of Law Application Status Data
Application statuses submitted by LSData users
Showing 144 apps
California Western School of Law Law School Employment Outcomes
Overview
JD Employment Rate
75.9%
First-Time Bar Pass
48.35%
Median Starting Salary
-
Private Sector
Employment Quality
JD Required
67.6%
BigLaw Placement
0.9%
Federal Clerkships
1.4%
Employment Quality Distribution
Law Firm Employment by Size
Employment Quality Matrix
| Employment Type | Full-Time Long-Term |
Full-Time Short-Term |
Part-Time Long-Term |
Part-Time Short-Term |
Total | % of Grads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bar Required ★ | 146 | 4 | — | — | 150 | 69.4% |
| JD Advantage | 13 | 1 | — | — | 14 | 6.5% |
| Professional | — | — | — | — | 7 | 3.2% |
| Other | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0.5% |
| School-Funded | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0.0% |
| Total Employed | 159 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 172 | 79.6% |
School-Funded: May inflate stats
Generally, if you attend law school, you want to secure a bar-required position. However, at prestigious institutions, students may target specific JD advantage positions such as private equity or elite consulting roles.
Employment by Sector
Distribution
Sector Details
| Employment Sector | % of Graduates | National Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Law Firms | 54.2% |
|
| Judicial Clerkships | 1.9% |
|
| Government | 9.3% |
|
| Public Interest | 10.2% |
|
| Business | 3.7% |
|
| Academia | 0.9% |
|
Unemployment Rate: 13.9%
(graduates actively seeking employment)
Judicial Clerkships
Clerkships by Type
| Clerkship Type | Graduates | % of Class | National Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | 3 | 1.4% |
|
| State/Local | 1 | 0.5% | — |
Federal clerkships are highly prestigious positions that significantly enhance career prospects in litigation and academia.
Bar Examination Performance
First-Time Pass Rate
48.35%
Takers:
182
Passed:
88
vs State Avg
-24.2%
Ultimate Pass Rate
82.3%
Takers:
209
Passed:
172
Within 2 years
Jurisdiction Weighted
72.51%
State average for jurisdictions where graduates took the bar
Understanding bar passage metrics
• First-time: Immediate readiness indicator
• Ultimate: Long-term success within 2 years
• vs State: Performance relative to state average
Bar Passage Rates Comparison
Salary Outcomes
Private Sector
No data available
Public Sector
No data available
Career Outcomes Summary
Law school tuition at California Western School of Law is $124k annually (calculated from semester costs). Prospective law students should budget approximately $68k for the total annual cost of attending (including tuition, fees, books, and living expenses).
For JD graduates from California Western School of Law, the first-time bar exam pass rate is 48.35%. Within two years, 82.3% of graduates ultimately pass the bar exam. The school's first-time pass rate is -24.2% compared to the weighted state average. These bar passage metrics are important indicators of how well the law school prepares its students for this crucial professional licensing examination.