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Study hard, for the well is deep, and our brains are shallow.
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University of South Dakota Law School
Vermillion, South Dakota
Rank #122 (USNWR 2023)
151
LSAT
3.56
GPA
67.5%
Admit Rate
25th, 50th, 75th lines show admitted class %iles
JD Admissions & Requirements
Data from 2023 admissions cycle
151
LSAT
3.56
GPA
67.5%
Admit Rate
University of South Dakota Law School is a prestigious JD program located in Vermillion, South Dakota. In the competitive 2023 law school rankings, University of South Dakota Law School was ranked 122 by US News & World Report, making it a strong option for prospective law students in the current application cycle. For the 2023 admissions cycle, University of South Dakota Law School has an entering 1L class size of approximately 86 with an acceptance rate of 67.5%, positioning it among the competitive law schools for JD applicants.
Also known as
SOUTH DAKOTA, UNIVERSITY OF
USD
Law School Applications
302
JD application volume in 2023 cycle
JD Acceptance Rate
67.5%
JD Program Size
86
JD Tuition Cost
$62k
Make crime pay. Become a lawyer.
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Wisdom from University of South Dakota Law School Admits
3.92 / 155 • Indiana University - Bloomington • 5 months ago
actually study and you can easy get t14 if you want. study for a week and get a 155!
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3.7 / 148 • Northern Illinois University • 5 months ago
You get what you put into it… tell the truth.
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2.59 / 145 • University of South Dakota • 5 months ago
I went back to school and got an Associate’s in Paralegal Studies. My uGPA is crap but my gpa...
Read more
3.4 / 152 • University of South Dakota • 5 months ago
American citizen with UK undergrad and Australian MA. uGPA provided as a rough equivalent from...
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University of South Dakota Law School Law School Admissions Data & Statistics
2023-2024 Cycle Overview
19 applicants
Accepted
2
/
11
Waitlisted
0
Rejected
2
-
Withdrawn
4
-
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 University of South Dakota Law School, 302 candidates submitted JD applications and 230 received acceptance letters. The law school application process here is moderately selective for prospective students with an acceptance rate of 67.5%.
The JD program at University of South Dakota Law School enrolls a first-year class of 86 law students each year, with an admissions yield rate of 34.78%. This means that of the 230 applicants who received law school acceptance letters, 80 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 University of South Dakota 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 |
302
|
| Admission Offers | 230 |
| Class Size |
86
|
| Acceptance Rate |
67.5%
|
| Yield Rate |
34.78%
|
| Average Statistics by Decision (LSD) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | Rejected | All | Accepted |
| LSAT | 149.0 | 155.89 | 156.27 |
| GPA | 2.63 | 3.24 | 3.38 |
| Softs | T4.0 | T3.5 | T3.5 |
| Avg Scholarship | - | - | $56,021 |
* Softs are self-reported ratings (T1-T4) representing non-numeric application factors
| LSAT & GPA Statistics (ABA 509) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th | 50th | 75th | |
|
LSAT
|
148 | 151 | 154 |
|
GPA
|
3.18 | 3.56 | 3.72 |
| LSD User Stats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | 25th | 50th | 75th |
| LSAT | 152.5 (+4.5) | 156.0 (+5.0) | 159.5 (+5.5) |
| GPA | 2.92 (-0.26) | 3.2 (-0.36) | 3.71 (-0.01) |
* Based on 19 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 | 25 days |
| Avg Days: UR to Decision | 23 days |
| Interview Invite Rate | 0.0% |
| Interview → Acceptance Rate | - |
The above statistics show that University of South Dakota Law School typically admits students with LSAT scores ranging from 148 (25th percentile) to 154 (75th percentile), with a median of 151.
For GPA, admitted students typically have undergraduate GPAs ranging from 3.18 to 3.72, with a median of 3.56.
With an acceptance rate of 67.5%, University of South Dakota 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).
Application Status Data
University of South Dakota Law School Application Status Data
Application statuses submitted by LSData users
Showing 19 apps
University of South Dakota Law School Law School Employment Outcomes
Overview
JD Employment Rate
91.4%
First-Time Bar Pass
72.15%
Median Starting Salary
$75,000
Private Sector
Employment Quality
JD Required
86.2%
BigLaw Placement
0.0%
Federal Clerkships
3.4%
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 ★ | 50 | 0 | — | — | 50 | 86.2% |
| JD Advantage | 3 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 5.2% |
| Professional | — | — | — | — | 2 | 3.4% |
| Other | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0.0% |
| School-Funded | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0.0% |
| Total Employed | 53 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 94.8% |
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 | 34.5% |
|
| Judicial Clerkships | 24.1% |
|
| Government | 24.1% |
|
| Public Interest | 3.4% |
|
| Business | 6.9% |
|
| Academia | 1.7% |
|
Judicial Clerkships
Clerkships by Type
| Clerkship Type | Graduates | % of Class | National Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | 2 | 3.4% |
|
| State/Local | 12 | 20.7% | — |
Federal clerkships are highly prestigious positions that significantly enhance career prospects in litigation and academia.
Bar Examination Performance
First-Time Pass Rate
72.15%
Takers:
79
Passed:
57
vs State Avg
-7.4%
Ultimate Pass Rate
86.79%
Takers:
53
Passed:
46
Within 2 years
Jurisdiction Weighted
79.53%
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
Median Salary
$75,000
25th Percentile
$55,000
Public Sector
Median Salary
$66,000
Career Outcomes Summary
Law school tuition at University of South Dakota Law School is $62k annually (calculated from semester costs). Prospective law students should budget approximately $36k for the total annual cost of attending (including tuition, fees, books, and living expenses).
After completing their JD program at University of South Dakota Law School, graduates entering private law firms earn a median starting salary of $75,000. JD graduates pursuing public sector legal careers start at approximately $66,000. These post-law school employment outcomes are important factors for evaluating the return on investment for your legal education.
For law school applicants interested in specific legal career paths, it's worth noting that 34.5% of University of South Dakota Law School JD graduates secure positions at law firms after graduation. Additionally, 24.1% of graduates obtain prestigious judicial clerkships, and 3.4% pursue public interest law careers. Overall, 91.4% of JD graduates were employed at jobs that required a JD within 10 months of graduation.
For JD graduates from University of South Dakota Law School, the first-time bar exam pass rate is 72.15%. Within two years, 86.79% of graduates ultimately pass the bar exam. The school's first-time pass rate is -7.4% 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.