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Southwestern Law School
Track decisions and applicant data for the 2024-2025 cycle — 267 applicants reporting.
24-25 · selected
23-24 · previous
ABA 509 (2024): 2,946 apps · 1,160 offers · 416 enrolled · 39.38% acceptance rate
Detailed Breakdown
Accepted · 134 total (incl. 1 from waitlist) · 2.2% yield
Waitlist · 32 total · 3.1% accepted off WL
Admissions Data
| LSAT & GPA Statistics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th | 50th | 75th | |
|
LSAT
(ABA · 2024)
36th percentile
|
153 | 155 | 158 |
| LSAT (LSD) | 153 | 157 | 162 |
|
GPA
(ABA · 2024)
16th percentile
|
3.24 | 3.48 | 3.67 |
| GPA (LSD) | 3.17 | 3.47 | 3.77 |
| Average Statistics by Decision (LSD) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | Rejected | All | Accepted |
| LSAT | 151.61 | 157.29 | 159.95 |
| GPA | 3.1 | 3.41 | 3.54 |
| Softs | T3.27 | T3.19 | T3.22 |
| Avg $ | - | - | $105,370 |
| Admissions Metrics (ABA 509) | |
|---|---|
| Metric | Value |
| Applications |
2946
77th percentile
|
| Admission Offers | 1160 |
| Class Size |
416
97th percentile
|
| Acceptance Rate |
39.38%
54th percentile
|
| Yield Rate |
35.0%
71st percentile
|
| Application Process Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Avg Days: Sent to Decision | 67 days |
| Avg Days: UR to Decision | 54 days |
| Interview Invite Rate | 0.7% |
| Interview → Acceptance Rate | 100.0% |
Decision Timing
Selected Cycle (2024-2025) decisions (solid) vs. 131 decisions from Previous Cycle (2023-2024) (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 ★ 198 (68.3% of class)
JD Advantage 26 (9.0% of class)
Professional 11 (3.8% 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 ★ | 194 | 4 | — | — | 198 | 68.3% |
| JD Advantage | 23 | 3 | — | — | 26 | 9.0% |
| Professional | — | — | — | — | 11 | 3.8% |
| Other | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0.0% |
| School-Funded | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0.0% |
| Total Employed | 217 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 235 | 81.0% |
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 | 54.8% |
58th percentile
|
| Judicial Clerkships | 1.4% |
8th percentile
|
| Government | 6.2% |
9th percentile
|
| Public Interest | 8.3% |
54th percentile
|
| Business | 9.3% |
77th percentile
|
| Academia | 0.7% |
35th percentile
|
Clerkships by Type
| Type | Graduates | % of Class | National Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | 0 | 0.0% |
10th percentile
|
| State/Local | 4 | 1.4% | — |
Federal clerkships enhance careers in litigation and academia.
Bar Exam Performance
| Metric | Rate | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| First-Time Pass | 63.98% |
17th percentile
|
| Ultimate Pass | 89.59% |
39th percentile
|
| Jurisdiction Weighted | 72.34% | — |
Salary Outcomes
Private Sector
Public Sector
Career Outcomes Summary
Law school tuition at Southwestern Law School is $121k annually (calculated from semester costs). Prospective law students should budget approximately $73k 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 63.98%. Within two years, 89.59% of graduates ultimately pass the bar exam. The school's first-time pass rate is -8.4% 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
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 2024 law school rankings, Southwestern Law School was ranked 154 by US News & World Report, making it a strong option for prospective law students in the current application cycle. According to the 2024 ABA 509 Report, Southwestern Law School has an entering 1L class size of approximately 416 with an acceptance rate of 39.38%, positioning it among the competitive law schools for JD applicants.
About Southwestern Law School Admissions
Based on the 2024 ABA 509 Report, 2946 candidates submitted JD applications to Southwestern Law School and 1160 received acceptance letters. The law school application process here is selective for prospective students with an acceptance rate of 39.38%.
The JD program at Southwestern Law School enrolls a first-year class of 416 law students each year, with an admissions yield rate of 35.0%. This means that of the 1160 applicants who received law school acceptance letters, 406 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 153 (25th percentile) to 158 (75th percentile), with a median of 155.
For GPA, admitted students typically have undergraduate GPAs ranging from 3.24 to 3.67, with a median of 3.48.
With an acceptance rate of 39.38%, Southwestern 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).