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Southwestern Law School
Track decisions and applicant data for the 2023-2024 cycle — 188 applicants reporting.
23-24 · selected
22-23 · previous
ABA 509 (2023): 2,018 apps · 1,006 offers · 351 enrolled · 49.85% acceptance rate
Detailed Breakdown
Accepted · 115 total (incl. 1 from waitlist) · 6.1% yield
Waitlist · 16 total · 6.3% accepted off WL
Admissions Data
| LSAT & GPA Statistics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th | 50th | 75th | |
|
LSAT
(ABA · 2023)
36th percentile
|
152 | 155 | 158 |
| LSAT (LSD) | 153 | 157 | 161 |
|
GPA
(ABA · 2023)
15th percentile
|
3.17 | 3.44 | 3.63 |
| GPA (LSD) | 3.2 | 3.55 | 3.8 |
| Average Statistics by Decision (LSD) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | Rejected | All | Accepted |
| LSAT | 147.7 | 157.21 | 158.76 |
| GPA | 3.38 | 3.48 | 3.53 |
| Softs | T3.56 | T3.14 | T3.11 |
| Avg $ | - | - | $103,831 |
| Admissions Metrics (ABA 509) | |
|---|---|
| Metric | Value |
| Applications |
2018
66th percentile
|
| Admission Offers | 1006 |
| Class Size |
351
93rd percentile
|
| Acceptance Rate |
49.85%
37th percentile
|
| Yield Rate |
34.29%
70th percentile
|
| Application Process Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Avg Days: Sent to Decision | 68 days |
| Avg Days: UR to Decision | 22 days |
| Interview Invite Rate | 7.4% |
| Interview → Acceptance Rate | 92.9% |
Decision Timing
Selected Cycle (2023-2024) decisions (solid) vs. 50 decisions from Previous Cycle (2022-2023) (faded). Click the previous cycle in the legend to toggle.
Where Is Southwestern 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
Employment outcomes data from ABA 509 disclosures is shown below.
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 ★ 181 (68.0% of class)
JD Advantage 21 (7.9% of class)
Professional 14 (5.3% of class)
Other 1 (0.4% 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 ★ | 179 | 2 | — | — | 181 | 68.0% |
| JD Advantage | 16 | 5 | — | — | 21 | 7.9% |
| Professional | — | — | — | — | 14 | 5.3% |
| Other | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0.4% |
| School-Funded | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0.0% |
| Total Employed | 195 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 217 | 81.6% |
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 | 53.4% |
56th percentile
|
| Judicial Clerkships | 1.1% |
5th percentile
|
| Government | 6.0% |
12th percentile
|
| Public Interest | 8.6% |
53rd percentile
|
| Business | 11.7% |
80th percentile
|
| Academia | 1.1% |
45th percentile
|
Clerkships by Type
| Type | Graduates | % of Class | National Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | 2 | 0.8% |
32nd percentile
|
| State/Local | 1 | 0.4% | — |
Federal clerkships enhance careers in litigation and academia.
Bar Exam Performance
| Metric | Rate | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| First-Time Pass | 60.14% |
14th percentile
|
| Ultimate Pass | 95.24% |
66th percentile
|
| Jurisdiction Weighted | 72.23% | — |
Salary Outcomes
Private Sector
Public Sector
Career Outcomes Summary
Law school tuition at Southwestern Law School is $116k annually (calculated from semester costs). Prospective law students should budget approximately $72k for the total annual cost of attending (including tuition, fees, books, and living expenses).
For JD graduates from Southwestern Law School, the first-time bar exam pass rate is 60.14%. Within two years, 95.24% 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.
Cost of Attendance
Annual Tuition
Annual Fees
Cost of Living
Scholarship & Grant Aid
Students Receiving Grants
Median Grant
Grant Range (25th–75th)
Grant Distribution
Conditional Scholarships
Admissions Contact
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Read moreAbout Southwestern Law School admissions
Southwestern Law School is a prestigious JD program located in Los Angeles, California. In the competitive 2023 law school rankings, Southwestern Law School was ranked 141 by US News & World Report, making it a strong option for prospective law students in the current application cycle. According to the 2023 ABA 509 Report, Southwestern Law School has an entering 1L class size of approximately 351 with an acceptance rate of 49.85%, positioning it among the competitive law schools for JD applicants.
About Southwestern Law School Admissions
Based on the 2023 ABA 509 Report, 2018 candidates submitted JD applications to Southwestern Law School and 1006 received acceptance letters. The law school application process here is moderately selective for prospective students with an acceptance rate of 49.85%.
The JD program at Southwestern Law School enrolls a first-year class of 351 law students each year, with an admissions yield rate of 34.29%. This means that of the 1006 applicants who received law school acceptance letters, 345 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 Southwestern 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 Southwestern Law School?
The above statistics show that Southwestern Law School typically admits students with LSAT scores ranging from 152 (25th percentile) to 158 (75th percentile), with a median of 155.
For GPA, admitted students typically have undergraduate GPAs ranging from 3.17 to 3.63, with a median of 3.44.
With an acceptance rate of 49.85%, Southwestern Law School 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).