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Penn State Law School
State College, Pennsylvania
Rank #80 (USNWR 2023)
161
LSAT
3.77
GPA
30.9%
Admit Rate
25th, 50th, 75th lines show admitted class %iles
JD Admissions & Requirements
Data from 2023 admissions cycle
161
LSAT
3.77
GPA
30.9%
Admit Rate
Penn State Law School is a prestigious JD program located in State College, Pennsylvania. In the competitive 2023 law school rankings, Penn State Law School was ranked 80 by US News & World Report, making it a strong option for prospective law students in the current application cycle. For the 2023 admissions cycle, Penn State Law School has an entering 1L class size of approximately 131 with an acceptance rate of 30.9%, positioning it among the competitive law schools for JD applicants.
Also known as
PENNSYLVANIA STATE - PENN STATE LAW
PSU
Law School Applications
1914
JD application volume in 2023 cycle
JD Acceptance Rate
30.9%
JD Program Size
131
JD Tuition Cost
$111k
The only bar I passed this year serves drinks.
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Wisdom from Penn State Law School Admits
3.7 / 167 • University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign • 5 months ago
LSAT: took multiple times, 167 highest. GPA: 3.7ish in a STEM field, then flunked out of...
Read more
3.97 / 162 • Indiana University - Bloomington • 5 months ago
Took the LSAT twice, April 2023 and June 2023. Highest score was April. Applied to every school...
Read more
3.45 / 170 • University of Wisconsin • 5 months ago
Start EARLY. Start your personal essays much earlier than you think, they take a lot of time....
Read more
4.03 / 159 • William & Mary Law School • 4 months ago
LSAC tier 1 fee waiver automatically waived the application fee from every school besides...
Read more
3.41 / 163 • Pennsylvania State - Dickinson Law • 5 months ago
Always order the Alley Trio with little sugar and no ice
Read more
Penn State Law School Law School Admissions Data & Statistics
2023-2024 Cycle Overview
256 applicants
Accepted
6
/
80
Waitlisted
22
Rejected
15
-
Withdrawn
98
-
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 2023 admissions cycle at Penn State Law School, 1914 candidates submitted JD applications and 707 received acceptance letters. The law school application process here is selective for prospective students with an acceptance rate of 30.9%.
The JD program at Penn State Law School enrolls a first-year class of 131 law students each year, with an admissions yield rate of 18.25%. This means that of the 707 applicants who received law school acceptance letters, 129 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.
JD Admission Requirements & Application Statistics
| Admissions Metrics (ABA 509) | |
|---|---|
| Metric | Value |
| Applications |
1914
|
| Admission Offers | 707 |
| Class Size |
131
|
| Acceptance Rate |
30.9%
|
| Yield Rate |
18.25%
|
| Average Statistics by Decision (LSD) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | Rejected | All | Accepted |
| LSAT | 155.43 | 160.26 | 161.25 |
| GPA | 3.34 | 3.58 | 3.69 |
| Softs | T3.33 | T3.34 | T3.44 |
| Avg Scholarship | - | - | $108,938 |
* Softs are self-reported ratings (T1-T4) representing non-numeric application factors
| LSAT & GPA Statistics (ABA 509) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th | 50th | 75th | |
|
LSAT
|
157 | 161 | 163 |
|
GPA
|
3.62 | 3.77 | 3.90 |
| LSD User Stats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | 25th | 50th | 75th |
| LSAT | 156.0 (-1.0) | 160.0 (-1.0) | 164.0 (+1.0) |
| GPA | 3.4 (-0.22) | 3.65 (-0.12) | 3.83 (-0.07) |
* Based on 256 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 | 83 days |
| Avg Days: UR to Decision | 80 days |
| Interview Invite Rate | 0.0% |
| Interview → Acceptance Rate | - |
The above statistics show that Penn State Law School typically admits students with LSAT scores ranging from 157 (25th percentile) to 163 (75th percentile), with a median of 161.
For GPA, admitted students typically have undergraduate GPAs ranging from 3.62 to 3.90, with a median of 3.77.
With an acceptance rate of 30.9%, 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).
Application Status Data
Penn State Law School Application Status Data
Application statuses submitted by LSData users
Showing 256 apps
Penn State Law School Law School Employment Outcomes
Overview
JD Employment Rate
92.9%
First-Time Bar Pass
86.29%
Median Starting Salary
-
Private Sector
Employment Quality
JD Required
84.1%
BigLaw Placement
12.4%
Federal Clerkships
1.8%
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 ★ | 95 | 0 | — | — | 95 | 84.1% |
| JD Advantage | 8 | 2 | — | — | 10 | 8.8% |
| Professional | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0.0% |
| Other | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0.0% |
| School-Funded | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0.0% |
| Total Employed | 103 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 105 | 92.9% |
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 | 52.2% |
|
| Judicial Clerkships | 13.3% |
|
| Government | 15.0% |
|
| Public Interest | 3.5% |
|
| Business | 7.1% |
|
| Academia | 1.8% |
|
Unemployment Rate: 5.3%
(graduates actively seeking employment)
Judicial Clerkships
Clerkships by Type
| Clerkship Type | Graduates | % of Class | National Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | 2 | 1.8% |
|
| State/Local | 13 | 11.5% | — |
Federal clerkships are highly prestigious positions that significantly enhance career prospects in litigation and academia.
Bar Examination Performance
First-Time Pass Rate
86.29%
Takers:
124
Passed:
105
vs State Avg
+12.1%
Ultimate Pass Rate
94.64%
Takers:
112
Passed:
106
Within 2 years
Jurisdiction Weighted
74.18%
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 Penn State Law School is $111k annually (calculated from semester costs). Prospective law students should budget approximately $55k for the total annual cost of attending (including tuition, fees, books, and living expenses).
For JD graduates from Penn State Law School, the first-time bar exam pass rate is 86.29%. Within two years, 94.64% of graduates ultimately pass the bar exam. The school's first-time pass rate is +12.1% 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.