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The only bar I passed this year serves drinks.
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Southwestern Law School
Los Angeles, California
Rank #154 (USNWR 2024)
155
LSAT
3.48
GPA
39.4%
Admit Rate
25th, 50th, 75th lines show admitted class %iles
JD Admissions & Requirements
Data from 2024 admissions cycle
155
LSAT
3.48
GPA
39.4%
Admit Rate
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. For the 2024 admissions cycle, Southwestern Law School has an entering 1L class size of approximately 416 with an acceptance rate of 39.4%, positioning it among the competitive law schools for JD applicants.
Also known as
SOUTHWESTERN LAW SCHOOL
Law School Applications
2946
JD application volume in 2024 cycle
JD Acceptance Rate
39.4%
JD Program Size
416
JD Tuition Cost
$121k
The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is practice.
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Wisdom from Southwestern Law School Admits
3.1 / 157 • Drake University • 6 months ago
LowstatVetParalegal69 my name is pretty self explanatory.
Read more
3.75 / 164 • University of Colorado—Boulder • 6 months ago
“If you ever feel alone, don’t.” - One Direction
Read more
3.46 / 173 • University of California—Los Angeles • 6 months ago
splitters beware: apply early! i don’t think i ever had a great shot at columbia/nyu/ucla/usc,...
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3.35 / 157 • Duquesne University • 6 months ago
Make sure you have safety schools!!! Scholarships > Rankings
Read more
Southwestern Law School Law School Admissions Data & Statistics
2024-2025 Cycle Overview
271 applicants
Accepted
3
/
85
Waitlisted
22
Rejected
21
-
Withdrawn
66
-
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 2024 admissions cycle at Southwestern Law School, 2946 candidates submitted JD applications and 1160 received acceptance letters. The law school application process here is selective for prospective students with an acceptance rate of 39.4%.
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.
JD Admission Requirements & Application Statistics
| Admissions Metrics (ABA 509) | |
|---|---|
| Metric | Value |
| Applications |
2946
|
| Admission Offers | 1160 |
| Class Size |
416
|
| Acceptance Rate |
39.4%
|
| Yield Rate |
35.0%
|
| Average Statistics by Decision (LSD) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | Rejected | All | Accepted |
| LSAT | 151.9 | 157.12 | 159.89 |
| GPA | 3.14 | 3.42 | 3.54 |
| Softs | T3.31 | T3.19 | T3.22 |
| Avg Scholarship | - | - | $105,511 |
* Softs are self-reported ratings (T1-T4) representing non-numeric application factors
| LSAT & GPA Statistics (ABA 509) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th | 50th | 75th | |
|
LSAT
|
153 | 155 | 158 |
|
GPA
|
3.24 | 3.48 | 3.67 |
| LSD User Stats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | 25th | 50th | 75th |
| LSAT | 153.0 (0.0) | 157.0 (+2.0) | 161.0 (+3.0) |
| GPA | 3.18 (-0.06) | 3.49 (+0.01) | 3.77 (+0.1) |
* Based on 271 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 | 68 days |
| Avg Days: UR to Decision | 54 days |
| Interview Invite Rate | 1.1% |
| Interview → Acceptance Rate | 66.7% |
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 39.4%, 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).
Application Status Data
Southwestern Law School Application Status Data
Application statuses submitted by LSData users
Showing 271 apps
Southwestern Law School Law School Employment Outcomes
Overview
JD Employment Rate
77.2%
First-Time Bar Pass
63.98%
Median Starting Salary
-
Private Sector
Employment Quality
JD Required
66.9%
BigLaw Placement
6.9%
Federal Clerkships
0.0%
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 ★ | 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% |
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 | 54.8% |
|
| Judicial Clerkships | 1.4% |
|
| Government | 6.2% |
|
| Public Interest | 8.3% |
|
| Business | 9.3% |
|
| Academia | 0.7% |
|
Unemployment Rate: 10.7%
(graduates actively seeking employment)
Judicial Clerkships
Clerkships by Type
| Clerkship Type | Graduates | % of Class | National Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | 0 | 0.0% |
|
| State/Local | 4 | 1.4% | — |
Federal clerkships are highly prestigious positions that significantly enhance career prospects in litigation and academia.
Bar Examination Performance
First-Time Pass Rate
63.98%
Takers:
261
Passed:
167
vs State Avg
-8.4%
Ultimate Pass Rate
89.59%
Takers:
221
Passed:
198
Within 2 years
Jurisdiction Weighted
72.34%
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 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.