Law schools in California
The 17 ABA-accredited law schools in California report a median first-time bar passage of 84.2%, above the national median of 82.9%.
- Median LSAT median 163 (national 159)
- First-time bar passage median 84.2% (national 82.9%)
- Full-time, long-term JD employment median 91.4% (national 90.8%)
- Resident tuition median $63,126 (national $45,200)
Schools, ranked by first-time bar passage
| # | Law school | Median LSAT | First-time bar passage | Full-time, long-term JD employment | Resident tuition |
|---|
| 1 | Stanford Law School | 173 | 96.5% | 91.6% | $77,454 |
| 2 | UCLA School of Law | 171 | 94.2% | 97% | $59,084 |
| 3 | University of Southern California School of Law | 169 | 94% | 96.5% | $84,034 |
| 4 | UC Berkeley School of Law | 170 | 91.2% | 97.2% | $62,532 |
| 5 | University of California-Davis School of Law | 165 | 88.9% | 94.6% | $57,460 |
| 6 | Pepperdine University School of Law | 164 | 86.8% | 93.4% | $72,920 |
| 7 | University of California-Irvine School of Law | 169 | 85.5% | 93.5% | $59,080 |
| 8 | University of San Diego School of Law | 163 | 84.8% | 98.3% | $66,950 |
| 9 | Loyola Marymount University-Los Angeles School of Law | 163 | 84.2% | 91% | $70,360 |
| 10 | University of California-San Francisco School of Law | 161 | 83.8% | 91.2% | $53,087 |
| 11 | Santa Clara University School of Law | 159 | 74.8% | 79.8% | $65,540 |
| 12 | University of San Francisco School of Law | 155 | 74.6% | 84.2% | $59,800 |
| 13 | Chapman University School of Law | 163 | 74.1% | 85.4% | $63,126 |
| 14 | University of the Pacific School of Law | 156 | 70.5% | 79.7% | $62,678 |
| 15 | Southwestern Law School | 157 | 64.9% | 83.4% | $63,160 |
| 16 | Western State, Westcliff University School of Law | 152 | 63.6% | 91.4% | $54,840 |
| 17 | California Western School of Law | 155 | 62.9% | 79% | $64,720 |
Source: ABA Standard 509 Required Disclosures, most recent reported cycle. Last updated June 8, 2026.