Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law
Orange, California · Private · ABA-approved since 1998 · Data updated November 2, 2026
Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law is a private law school in Orange, California, approved by the American Bar Association since 1998. It admitted a fall 2025 class with a median LSAT of 163, higher than 66% of ABA-approved schools, saw 80.3% of its first-time bar takers pass in 2025 and placed 76.2% of its 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs.
What stands out
- A median scholarship of $59,500, larger than at 99% of schools.
- 43% of students who entered with a conditional scholarship in 2024-25 had it cut or taken away.
Admissions: LSAT, GPA and acceptance rate
For the class that entered in fall 2025, Chapman University received 2,514 completed applications and made 516 offers, an acceptance rate of 20.5%. 153 students enrolled in the first-year class. The typical ABA school accepted 35.8%.
| Entering class, fall 2025 | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT | 156 | 163 | 164 |
| Undergraduate GPA | 3.32 | 3.70 | 3.82 |
A quarter of the class scored 156 or lower on the LSAT and a quarter scored 164 or higher. An applicant at or above the median, 163, is in the stronger half of this class; one below the 25th percentile is a long shot unless something else in the file stands out.
Where would your numbers fall in this class?
Enter an LSAT score and undergraduate GPA. We compare them with the class that entered in fall 2025. This shows where your numbers sit, not your chances: admissions offices read the whole file.
Tuition, living costs and scholarships
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are $63,201 a year. That is more than 75% of ABA schools charge. The school estimates living costs of $41,778 a year off campus.
| Annual cost, 2025-26 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition, full-time, resident | $63,126 |
| Fees, full-time, resident | $75 |
| Tuition, part-time, resident | $50,400 |
| Living costs, on campus | $32,956 |
| Living costs, off campus | $41,778 |
| Living costs, at home | $27,918 |
In 2024-25, 56% of full-time students received a grant or scholarship from the school. The median award was $59,500, and the middle half of awards ran from $35,000 to $64,500. Subtract the median award from the full-time tuition and fees above and a typical recipient pays about $3,701 a year in tuition and fees, before living costs. That is a rough guide, since awards vary and some students get nothing.
| Size of grant, all students | Share of students |
|---|---|
| Less than half tuition | 12% |
| Half to full tuition | 32% |
| Full tuition | 0% |
| More than full tuition | 15% |
Scholarships that can be cut. Chapman University awards some conditional scholarships, which shrink or end if a student's grades fall below a set mark. Of 84 students who entered in 2024-25 with one, 36 had it reduced or eliminated (43%). For students who entered in 2023-24 the figure was 36 of 100. Ask any school that offers you one exactly what you must do to keep it.
Three years, roughly. At 2025-26 prices, three years of full-time tuition and fees plus off-campus living costs come to about $314,937. With the median scholarship every year, about $136,437. Tuition usually rises each year, so treat this as a floor.
Bar passage
Of 127 graduates who took a bar exam for the first time in 2025, 102 passed: 80.3%. The average for the same exams, weighted by where its graduates sat, was 82.6%, so the school finished within a few points of that average (-2.3 pts).
| Where they sat, 2025 | Takers | Passed | School | State average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 other jurisdictions | 5 | 4 | 80% | 80.7% |
| California | 122 | 98 | 80.3% | 82.7% |
The ABA also follows each class for two years. Of the 144 members of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam, 138 had passed one within two years: 95.8%.
Jobs after graduation
The ABA counts where each class is working ten months after graduation. Of 130 2025 graduates, 99 (76.2%) had full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage, and 11 more (8.5%) had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. At the typical ABA school, 83.4% were in lawyer jobs. 9 (6.9%) were unemployed and looking for work.
Law firm jobs by firm size
Shares are of all 130 graduates. Firms of more than 250 lawyers, the usual sense of “Big Law,” hired 16 (12.3%).
Where graduates work
Most employed graduates stayed in California (103), followed by District of Columbia (5) and Washington (2).
Students who leave
In 2024-25, 9 first-year students left Chapman University: 7 for academic reasons (5%) and 2 for other reasons, such as transferring to another school (1%).
Transfers run both ways: 0 first-year students transferred out and 5 transferred in from other law schools.
Classes, clinics and faculty
Chapman University offered 87 upper-level course titles beyond the first-year curriculum in 2024-25. Of its upper-level class sections, 81% had fewer than 25 students and 0% had 75 or more.
| Hands-on learning, 2024-25 | Number |
|---|---|
| Law clinic seats available | 155 |
| Law clinic seats filled | 68 |
| Field placement (externship) positions filled | 196 |
| Simulation course seats filled | 636 |
| Co-curricular offerings (journals, moot court, etc.) | 4 |
The school reports 37 full-time faculty and 48 more who teach part-time or in other roles. With 420 J.D. students, that is about 11 students per full-time faculty member.
How Chapman University compares in California
California has 17 ABA-approved law schools. Among them, Chapman University ranks 8th in median LSAT, 13th in first-time bar passage, 14th in share of graduates in lawyer jobs and 8th-lowest tuition.
| School | Median LSAT | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford University | 173 | $79,707 | 99.4% | 86.8% |
| University of California, Los Angeles | 171 | $61,862 | 96.7% | 94.3% |
| University of California, Berkeley | 170 | $66,374 | 94.8% | 96.8% |
| University of California, Irvine | 169 | $61,288 | 89.9% | 92.9% |
| University of Southern California | 169 | $85,948 | 94.1% | 94.3% |
| University of California, Davis | 165 | $59,870 | 93.2% | 91.7% |
| Pepperdine University | 164 | $73,550 | 90.7% | 91.8% |
| Chapman University | 163 | $63,201 | 80.3% | 76.2% |
| Loyola Marymount University (Loyola Law School) | 163 | $71,386 | 79.7% | 85.7% |
| University of San Diego | 163 | $67,751 | 86.7% | 88.6% |
| UC Law San Francisco | 161 | $54,329 | 86.2% | 87% |
| Santa Clara University | 159 | $65,777 | 82% | 75.3% |
| Southwestern Law School | 157 | $63,160 | 72.1% | 78.6% |
| University of the Pacific, McGeorge | 156 | $63,318 | 71.1% | 68.9% |
| California Western School of Law | 155 | $64,870 | 71.4% | 74.1% |
| University of San Francisco | 155 | $59,990 | 80.9% | 76.3% |
| Western State College of Law | 152 | $55,648 | 81.1% | 79.6% |
More on each, and on the California bar exam: law schools in California.
Schools with similar admissions numbers
These five schools admitted fall 2025 classes with the median LSAT and GPA closest to Chapman University's, so an applicant who fits here is likely to be a similar fit there. Compare what each costs and how its graduates fare.
| School | Median LSAT | Median GPA | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chapman University | 163 | 3.70 | $63,201 | 80.3% | 76.2% |
| University of Maryland Baltimore, MD | 164 | 3.72 | $40,009 | 81.7% | 79.8% |
| Loyola Marymount University (Loyola Law School) Los Angeles, CA | 163 | 3.74 | $71,386 | 79.7% | 85.7% |
| Michigan State University East Lansing, MI | 162 | 3.73 | $43,868 | 77.3% | 81.2% |
| University of Oklahoma Norman, OK | 162 | 3.73 | $24,653 | 91.7% | 91.1% |
| University of South Carolina Columbia, SC | 162 | 3.67 | $24,022 | 90% | 88.9% |
Frequently asked questions
What LSAT score do you need to get into Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law?
There is no cutoff, but the class that entered in fall 2025 had a median LSAT of 163, with the middle half scoring 156 to 164. The median undergraduate GPA was 3.70. The school accepted 20.5% of applicants.
What is the bar passage rate at Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law?
80.3% of Chapman University graduates taking a bar exam for the first time in 2025 passed, against a weighted state average of 82.6%. Within two years of graduating, 95.8% of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam had passed.
How much does Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law cost?
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are $63,201 a year. Most students pay less: 56% of full-time students received a grant, with a median award of $59,500.
Do Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law graduates get jobs?
Ten months after graduation, 76.2% of the class of 2025 had full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar passage, and 8.5% more had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. 6.9% were unemployed and seeking work.
Is Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law ABA-accredited?
Yes. Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law has been approved by the American Bar Association since 1998, so its graduates can sit for the bar exam in every state.