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Behind every great lawyer is an even greater paralegal who knows where everything is.
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SMU Dedman School of Law
Dallas, Texas
165
LSAT
3.86
GPA
30.39%
Admit Rate
25th, 50th, 75th lines show admitted class %iles
JD Admissions & Requirements
Data from 2024 admissions cycle
165
LSAT
3.86
GPA
30.39%
Admit Rate
SMU Dedman School of Law is a prestigious JD program located in Dallas, Texas. For the 2024 admissions cycle, SMU Dedman School of Law has an entering 1L class size of approximately 227 with an acceptance rate of 30.39%, positioning it among the competitive law schools for JD applicants.
Also known as
SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY
SMU
Law School Applications
2540
JD application volume in 2024 cycle
JD Acceptance Rate
30.39%
JD Program Size
227
JD Tuition Cost
$117k
A judge is a law student who marks his own examination papers.
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Wisdom from SMU Dedman School of Law Admits
3.98 / 167 • University of Notre Dame • 5 months ago
I would have gotten in every where if I had done the optional essays and apply earlier. That’s...
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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
3.63 / 168 • Texas A&M University • 5 months ago
165 -> 163 -> 168 -> 166 (lol). Previous career in healthcare/med school. Goals are Dallas big...
Read more
SMU Dedman School of Law Law School Admissions Data & Statistics
2024-2025 Cycle Overview
595 applicants
Accepted
23
/
142
Waitlisted
94
Rejected
84
-
Withdrawn
133
-
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.
Admission Statistics Not Available
Detailed admission statistics for this school are currently unavailable.
Application Status Data
SMU Dedman School of Law Application Status Data
Application statuses submitted by LSData users
Showing 595 apps
SMU Dedman School of Law Law School Employment Outcomes
Overview
JD Employment Rate
97.6%
First-Time Bar Pass
84.93%
Median Starting Salary
-
Private Sector
Employment Quality
JD Required
88.7%
BigLaw Placement
27.9%
Federal Clerkships
2.4%
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 ★ | 219 | 0 | — | — | 219 | 88.7% |
| JD Advantage | 21 | 1 | — | — | 22 | 8.9% |
| Professional | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0.0% |
| Other | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0.0% |
| School-Funded | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0.0% |
| Total Employed | 240 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 241 | 97.6% |
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 | 75.7% |
|
| Judicial Clerkships | 3.6% |
|
| Government | 7.3% |
|
| Public Interest | 1.2% |
|
| Business | 9.3% |
|
| Academia | 0.4% |
|
Judicial Clerkships
Clerkships by Type
| Clerkship Type | Graduates | % of Class | National Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | 6 | 2.4% |
|
| State/Local | 3 | 1.2% | — |
Federal clerkships are highly prestigious positions that significantly enhance career prospects in litigation and academia.
Bar Examination Performance
First-Time Pass Rate
84.93%
Takers:
219
Passed:
186
vs State Avg
+6.0%
Ultimate Pass Rate
95.61%
Takers:
205
Passed:
196
Within 2 years
Jurisdiction Weighted
78.97%
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 SMU Dedman School of Law is $117k annually (calculated from semester costs). Prospective law students should budget approximately $45k for the total annual cost of attending (including tuition, fees, books, and living expenses).
For JD graduates from SMU Dedman School of Law, the first-time bar exam pass rate is 84.93%. Within two years, 95.61% of graduates ultimately pass the bar exam. The school's first-time pass rate is +6.0% 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.