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USC Gould School of Law (USC)
Los Angeles, California
Rank #26 (USNWR 2025)
169
LSAT
3.91
GPA
12.4%
Admit Rate
25th, 50th, 75th lines show admitted class %iles
JD Admissions & Requirements
Data from 2025 ABA 509 Report
169
LSAT
3.91
GPA
12.4%
Admit Rate
USC Gould School of Law, commonly known as USC, is a prestigious JD program located in Los Angeles, California. In the competitive 2025 law school rankings, USC Gould School of Law was ranked 26 by US News & World Report, making it a strong option for prospective law students in the current application cycle. According to the 2025 ABA 509 Report, USC Gould School of Law has an entering 1L class size of approximately 228 with an acceptance rate of 12.4%, positioning it among the most selective law schools for JD applicants.
Also known as
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, UNIVERSITY OF
USC USC Gould
Law School Applications
7204
JD applications (2025 ABA 509)
JD Acceptance Rate
12.4%
JD Program Size
228
JD Tuition Cost
$168k
Wisdom from USC Gould School of Law Admits
3.61 / 173 • Stanford University • 7 months ago
blackletterlaw left no wisdom for posterity… (◕︵◕) Do not let me and the advice I’ve written...
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4.12 / 171 • Northwestern University • 7 months ago
All that matters is the legacy you leave behind Leave one worth remembering
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3.9 / 175 • University of Pennsylvania • 7 months ago
making my profile public to help anyone who has the same stats at me! i stopped recording...
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4.0 / 170 • Harvard University • 7 months ago
I think the reason I did very well despite being KJD and below T14 LSAT median is that my...
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3.85 / 174 • Columbia University • 7 months ago
emphasize your strengths and acknowledge your weaknesses! you don’t need a typical pre-law...
Read more
USC Gould School of Law Law School Admissions Data & Statistics
2025-2026 Cycle Overview
1110 applicants
Accepted
8
/
67
Waitlisted
5
Rejected
63
-
Withdrawn
21
-
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.
Decisions by Day
Daily breakdown of admission decisions and interview invites for USC Gould School of Law this cycle.
Accepted
Waitlisted
Rejected
Interview Invite
When Does USC Gould School of Law Release Decisions?
Historical decision timing patterns based on 1033 decisions from the 2024-2025 cycles.
Accepted
Waitlisted
Rejected
Interview Invite
Weeks are labeled by month (Sep-Aug academic year). Higher bars indicate weeks when this school typically releases more decisions or interview invites.
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.
Based on the 2025 ABA 509 Report, 7204 candidates submitted JD applications to USC Gould School of Law and 805 received acceptance letters. The law school application process here is highly competitive for prospective students with an acceptance rate of 12.4%.
The JD program at USC Gould School of Law enrolls a first-year class of 228 law students each year, with an admissions yield rate of 28.2%. This means that of the 805 applicants who received law school acceptance letters, 227 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 USC Gould School of Law, 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 USC Gould School of Law?
JD Admission Requirements & Application Statistics
| Admissions Metrics (ABA 509) | |
|---|---|
| Metric | Value |
| Applications |
7204
|
| Admission Offers | 805 |
| Class Size |
228
|
| Acceptance Rate |
12.4%
|
| Yield Rate |
28.2%
|
| Average Statistics by Decision (LSD) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | Rejected | All | Accepted |
| LSAT | 165.71 | 169.13 | 172.68 |
| GPA | 3.57 | 3.76 | 3.88 |
| Softs | T3.33 | T3.35 | T3.75 |
| Avg Scholarship | - | - | $126,041 |
* Softs are self-reported ratings (T1-T4) representing non-numeric application factors
| LSAT & GPA Statistics (ABA 509) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th | 50th | 75th | |
|
LSAT
|
165 | 169 | 170 |
|
GPA
|
3.73 | 3.91 | 3.97 |
| LSD User Stats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | 25th | 50th | 75th |
| LSAT | 166.0 (+1.0) | 170.0 (+1.0) | 172.0 (+2.0) |
| GPA | 3.65 (-0.08) | 3.85 (-0.06) | 3.96 (-0.01) |
* Based on 1110 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 | 92 days |
| Avg Days: UR to Decision | 46 days |
| Interview Invite Rate | 0.0% |
| Interview → Acceptance Rate | - |
The above statistics show that USC Gould School of Law typically admits students with LSAT scores ranging from 165 (25th percentile) to 170 (75th percentile), with a median of 169.
For GPA, admitted students typically have undergraduate GPAs ranging from 3.73 to 3.97, with a median of 3.91.
With an acceptance rate of 12.4%, USC Gould School of Law is considered a highly competitive 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
USC Gould School of Law Application Status Data
Application statuses submitted by LSData users
Loading application data...
USC Gould School of Law Law School Employment Outcomes
Overview
JD Employment Rate
-
First-Time Bar Pass
94.01%
Median Starting Salary
-
Private Sector
Employment Quality
JD Required
0.0%
BigLaw Placement
0.0%
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 ★ | — | — | — | — | — | 0.0% |
| JD Advantage | — | — | — | — | — | 0.0% |
| Professional | — | — | — | — | — | 0.0% |
| Other | — | — | — | — | — | 0.0% |
| School-Funded | — | — | — | — | — | 0.0% |
| Total Employed | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
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 | — | — |
| Judicial Clerkships | — | — |
| Government | — | — |
| Public Interest | — | — |
| Business | — | — |
| Academia | — | — |
Judicial Clerkships
Bar Examination Performance
First-Time Pass Rate
94.01%
Takers:
217
Passed:
204
vs State Avg
+15.3%
Ultimate Pass Rate
95.73%
Takers:
211
Passed:
202
Within 2 years
Jurisdiction Weighted
78.74%
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 USC Gould School of Law is $168k annually (calculated from semester costs). Prospective law students should budget approximately $64k for the total annual cost of attending (including tuition, fees, books, and living expenses).
For JD graduates from USC Gould School of Law, the first-time bar exam pass rate is 94.01%. Within two years, 95.73% of graduates ultimately pass the bar exam. The school's first-time pass rate is +15.3% 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.