ABA Standard 509 · 2025 cycle · Last synced May 31, 2026

Southwestern Law School

California · Private · School ID: southwestern-law-school

Southwestern Law School is a private law school in California. In the most recent ABA Standard 509 cycle it reported a 64.9% first-time bar passage rate (state average 77.8%). 83.4% of graduates landed full-time, long-term JD-required or JD-advantage jobs, and 5.5% joined large firms of 251+ attorneys. Resident tuition is $63,160 per year; a median grant of $29,166 brings median net tuition to about $33,994. The median LSAT is 157 with a 36.5% acceptance rate.

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Admissions

LSAT (25 / 50 / 75)154 / 157 / 160
uGPA (25 / 50 / 75)3.23 / 3.51 / 3.72
Acceptance rate36.5%
Applications received3,584
Offers extended1,307
1L enrollment459
Total JD enrollment1,108
GRE-only takers0
Transfers in / out0 / 9

Cost & scholarships

Resident tuition$63,160
Non-resident tuition$63,160
Mandatory fees
Living-expense estimate$38,033
Median grant$29,166
Grant 25 / 75 percentile$12,500 / $42,372
No-grant share28.2%
< half-tuition grants37.1%
Half-to-full grants31.8%
Full-tuition grants1.2%
Above-full grants (stipend)1.7%
Conditional-scholarship loss rate

Bar passage

First-Time Bar (2024 cohort)64.9%
Two-Year Ultimate Bar92.5%
State average (same exam)77.8%
Difference vs. state-12.9 pts

Different cohorts: first-time bar passage reflects graduates who entered law school about three years before the current admissions class shown above. Read the two as separate snapshots, not a single pipeline.

Job outcomes (10 months after graduation)

Total graduates290
FTLT (full-time, long-term, JD-required/advantage)83.4%
Bar-required jobs78.6%
MegaLaw 500+4.1%
BigLaw 251–5001.4%
Mid 101–2504.1%
Small 2–10047.6%
Solo1.0%
Clerkships1.7%
Government4.8%
Public interest9.7%
Business / industry10.0%
Academia0.3%
Seeking employment7.6%

Top destination states (2024)

Demographics (current JD enrollment)

Male enrollment440 (40.0%)
Female enrollment659 (60.0%)
White562
Black31
Hispanic309
Asian127
Two or more races56
Other / unreported23

Faculty

Total faculty185
Full-time70
Faculty of color57

State market context

Mean attorney salary in state$213,860

Frequently asked questions

What is the first-time bar passage rate at Southwestern Law School?

Southwestern Law School reported a 64.9% first-time bar passage rate in the most recent ABA Standard 509 disclosure, versus a 77.8% state average.

How much does Southwestern Law School cost?

Resident tuition at Southwestern Law School is $63,160 per year (about $189,480 over three years). The median grant is $29,166, bringing median net tuition to roughly $33,994 per year.

What LSAT and GPA do you need for Southwestern Law School?

The median (50th-percentile) LSAT at Southwestern Law School is 157 and the median GPA is 3.51; the acceptance rate is 36.5%.

What are the job outcomes at Southwestern Law School?

83.4% of Southwestern Law School graduates held full-time, long-term JD-required or JD-advantage jobs about ten months after graduation. 5.5% joined large firms of 251+ attorneys. 7.6% were still seeking employment.

Other law schools in California

Source: ABA Standard 509 Required Disclosure for Southwestern Law School, published by the American Bar Association at abarequireddisclosures.org. State attorney salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS 2024 (occupation code 23-1011). Cost-of-living from U.S. BEA Regional Price Parities. Methodology: /methodology.html.