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Penn State Law School (PSU)
Track decisions and applicant data for the 2020-2021 cycle — 279 applicants reporting.
20-21 · selected
19-20 · previous
ABA 509 (2020): 1,825 apps · 686 offers · 122 enrolled · 37.59% acceptance rate
Detailed Breakdown
Accepted · 157 total (incl. 1 from waitlist) · 3.2% yield
Waitlist · 61 total · 1.6% accepted off WL
Admissions Data
| LSAT & GPA Statistics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th | 50th | 75th | |
|
LSAT
(ABA · 2020)
71st percentile
|
155 | 160 | 162 |
| LSAT (LSD) | 159 | 162 | 165 |
|
GPA
(ABA · 2020)
78th percentile
|
3.36 | 3.72 | 3.83 |
| GPA (LSD) | 3.22 | 3.55 | 3.78 |
| Average Statistics by Decision (LSD) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | Rejected | All | Accepted |
| LSAT | 160.13 | 161.97 | 164.39 |
| GPA | 2.9 | 3.47 | 3.52 |
| Softs | T3.06 | T3.31 | T3.31 |
| Avg $ | - | - | $139,557 |
| Admissions Metrics (ABA 509) | |
|---|---|
| Metric | Value |
| Applications |
1825
65th percentile
|
| Admission Offers | 686 |
| Class Size |
122
21st percentile
|
| Acceptance Rate |
37.59%
65th percentile
|
| Yield Rate |
17.49%
3rd percentile
|
| Application Process Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Avg Days: Sent to Decision | 52 days |
| Avg Days: UR to Decision | 52 days |
| Interview Invite Rate | 0.7% |
| Interview → Acceptance Rate | 50.0% |
Decision Timing
Selected Cycle (2020-2021) decisions (solid) vs. 55 decisions from Previous Cycle (2019-2020) (faded). Click the previous cycle in the legend to toggle.
Where Is Penn State Law School Trending?
Historical LSAT, GPA, and acceptance rate data from ABA 509 reports. Rising medians or falling acceptance rates indicate increasing competitiveness.
LSAT and GPA bands show 25th/50th/75th percentiles; acceptance rate is lower = more selective. Click legend items to show/hide metrics.
Overview
78.7% of Penn State Law School graduates secured JD-required employment, with a median private sector salary of $75,000 and a 85.08% first-time bar passage rate (2020 ABA 509 data).
JD Employment Rate
First-Time Bar Pass
Median Starting Salary
Employment Quality
JD Required
BigLaw Placement
Federal Clerkships
Employment Quality Distribution
Law Firm Employment by Size
Employment Quality Matrix
Bar Required ★ 84 (68.9% of class)
JD Advantage 12 (9.8% of class)
Professional 2 (1.6% of class)
Other 0 (0.0% of class)
School-Funded 0 (0.0% of class)
| Employment Type | Full-Time Long-Term |
Full-Time Short-Term |
Part-Time Long-Term |
Part-Time Short-Term |
Total | % of Grads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bar Required ★ | 84 | 0 | — | — | 84 | 68.9% |
| JD Advantage | 10 | 2 | — | — | 12 | 9.8% |
| Professional | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1.6% |
| Other | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0.0% |
| School-Funded | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0.0% |
| Total Employed | 94 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 98 | 80.3% |
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
Sector Details
| Sector | % of Graduates | National Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Law Firms | 36.1% |
18th percentile
|
| Judicial Clerkships | 18.0% |
82nd percentile
|
| Government | 13.1% |
70th percentile
|
| Public Interest | 4.9% |
36th percentile
|
| Business | 4.9% |
16th percentile
|
| Academia | 3.3% |
90th percentile
|
Clerkships by Type
| Type | Graduates | % of Class | National Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | 1 | 0.8% |
36th percentile
|
| State/Local | 21 | 17.2% | — |
Federal clerkships enhance careers in litigation and academia.
Bar Exam Performance
| Metric | Rate | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| First-Time Pass | 85.08% |
66th percentile
|
| Ultimate Pass | 94.5% |
74th percentile
|
| Jurisdiction Weighted | 77.54% | — |
Salary Outcomes
Private Sector
Public Sector
Career Outcomes Summary
Law school tuition at Penn State Law School is $99k annually (calculated from semester costs). Prospective law students should budget approximately $47k for the total annual cost of attending (including tuition, fees, books, and living expenses).
After completing their JD program at Penn State Law School, graduates entering private law firms earn a median starting salary of $75,000. JD graduates pursuing public sector legal careers start at approximately $50,030. These post-law school employment outcomes are important factors for evaluating the return on investment for your legal education.
For law school applicants interested in specific legal career paths, it's worth noting that 36.1% of Penn State Law School JD graduates secure positions at law firms after graduation. Additionally, 18.0% of graduates obtain prestigious judicial clerkships, and 4.9% pursue public interest law careers. Overall, 78.7% of JD graduates were employed at jobs that required a JD within 10 months of graduation.
For JD graduates from Penn State Law School, the first-time bar exam pass rate is 85.08%. Within two years, 94.5% of graduates ultimately pass the bar exam. The school's first-time pass rate is +7.5% 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.
Cost of Attendance
Annual Tuition
Annual Fees
Cost of Living
Scholarship & Grant Aid
Students Receiving Grants
Median Grant
Grant Range (25th–75th)
Grant Distribution
Debt & ROI
Avg Debt at Graduation
Graduates Who Borrowed
Debt-to-Salary Ratio
Conditional Scholarships
This school reports no conditional scholarships.
Admissions Contact
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Read moreAbout Penn State Law School admissions
Penn State Law School , commonly known as PSU, is a prestigious JD program located in State College, Pennsylvania. In the competitive 2020 law school rankings, Penn State Law School was ranked 60 by US News & World Report, making it a strong option for prospective law students in the current application cycle. According to the 2020 ABA 509 Report, Penn State Law School has an entering 1L class size of approximately 122 with an acceptance rate of 37.59%, positioning it among the competitive law schools for JD applicants.
About Penn State Law School Admissions
Based on the 2020 ABA 509 Report, 1825 candidates submitted JD applications to Penn State Law School and 686 received acceptance letters. The law school application process here is selective for prospective students with an acceptance rate of 37.59%.
The JD program at Penn State Law School enrolls a first-year class of 122 law students each year, with an admissions yield rate of 17.49%. This means that of the 686 applicants who received law school acceptance letters, 120 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 Penn State Law School, students should aim to meet or exceed the median statistics shown below. Meeting these GPA and LSAT targets significantly improves your chances of admission.
What LSAT score do I need for Penn State Law School?
The above statistics show that Penn State Law School typically admits students with LSAT scores ranging from 155 (25th percentile) to 162 (75th percentile), with a median of 160.
For GPA, admitted students typically have undergraduate GPAs ranging from 3.36 to 3.83, with a median of 3.72.
With an acceptance rate of 37.59%, Penn State Law School is considered a 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).