Charleston School of Law
Charleston, South Carolina · Private · ABA-approved since 2006 · Data updated November 2, 2026
Charleston School of Law is a private law school in Charleston, South Carolina, approved by the American Bar Association since 2006. It admitted a fall 2025 class with a median LSAT of 154, higher than 20% of ABA-approved schools, saw 77.4% of its first-time bar takers pass in 2025 and placed 76.2% of its 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs.
Admissions: LSAT, GPA and acceptance rate
For the class that entered in fall 2025, Charleston School of Law received 2,215 completed applications and made 1,112 offers, an acceptance rate of 50.2%. 241 students enrolled in the first-year class. The typical ABA school accepted 35.8%.
| Entering class, fall 2025 | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT | 152 | 154 | 157 |
| Undergraduate GPA | 3.26 | 3.51 | 3.75 |
A quarter of the class scored 152 or lower on the LSAT and a quarter scored 157 or higher. An applicant at or above the median, 154, 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.
1 of the entering students were admitted on a GRE score instead of the LSAT.
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 $49,684 a year. That is more than 54% of ABA schools charge. The school estimates living costs of $27,752 a year off campus.
| Annual cost, 2025-26 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition, full-time, resident | $48,600 |
| Fees, full-time, resident | $1,084 |
| Tuition, part-time, resident | $39,000 |
| Living costs, off campus | $27,752 |
| Living costs, at home | $27,752 |
In 2024-25, 95% of full-time students received a grant or scholarship from the school. The median award was $20,000, and the middle half of awards ran from $13,000 to $28,500. Subtract the median award from the full-time tuition and fees above and a typical recipient pays about $29,684 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 | 58% |
| Half to full tuition | 34% |
| Full tuition | 3% |
| More than full tuition | 0% |
Scholarships that can be cut. The school reports that it does not award scholarships that are reduced or ended because of grades, other than for failing to stay in good academic standing.
Three years, roughly. At 2025-26 prices, three years of full-time tuition and fees plus off-campus living costs come to about $232,308. With the median scholarship every year, about $172,308. Tuition usually rises each year, so treat this as a floor.
Bar passage
Of 221 graduates who took a bar exam for the first time in 2025, 171 passed: 77.4%. The average for the same exams, weighted by where its graduates sat, was 80.6%, so the school finished 3.2 points below that average.
| Where they sat, 2025 | Takers | Passed | School | State average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 17 | 9 | 52.9% | 75.7% |
| Georgia | 10 | 8 | 80% | 79.5% |
| North Carolina | 13 | 10 | 76.9% | 82.1% |
| South Carolina | 128 | 105 | 82% | 81.1% |
| 25 other jurisdictions | 53 | 39 | 73.6% | 80.4% |
The ABA also follows each class for two years. Of the 162 members of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam, 145 had passed one within two years: 89.5%.
Jobs after graduation
The ABA counts where each class is working ten months after graduation. Of 210 2025 graduates, 160 (76.2%) had full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage, and 9 more (4.3%) had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. At the typical ABA school, 83.4% were in lawyer jobs. 20 (9.5%) were unemployed and looking for work. 1 of the full-time, long-term jobs were funded by the school.
Law firm jobs by firm size
Shares are of all 210 graduates. Firms of more than 250 lawyers, the usual sense of “Big Law,” hired 4 (1.9%).
Where graduates work
Most employed graduates stayed in South Carolina (102), followed by Georgia (10) and Florida (7).
Students who leave
In 2024-25, 21 first-year students left Charleston School of Law: 11 for academic reasons (4%) and 10 for other reasons, such as transferring to another school (4%).
Transfers run both ways: 5 first-year students transferred out and 9 transferred in from other law schools. The students who transferred in had a median first-year law school GPA of 2.50.
Classes, clinics and faculty
Charleston School of Law offered 106 upper-level course titles beyond the first-year curriculum in 2024-25. Of its upper-level class sections, 69% had fewer than 25 students and 0% had 75 or more.
| Hands-on learning, 2024-25 | Number |
|---|---|
| Law clinic seats available | 53 |
| Law clinic seats filled | 53 |
| Field placement (externship) positions filled | 103 |
| Simulation course seats filled | 605 |
| Co-curricular offerings (journals, moot court, etc.) | 1 |
The school reports 29 full-time faculty and 46 more who teach part-time or in other roles. With 707 J.D. students, that is about 24 students per full-time faculty member.
How Charleston School of Law compares in South Carolina
South Carolina has 2 ABA-approved law schools. Among them, Charleston School of Law ranks 2nd in median LSAT, 2nd in first-time bar passage, 2nd in share of graduates in lawyer jobs and 2nd-lowest tuition.
| School | Median LSAT | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of South Carolina | 162 | $24,022 | 90% | 88.9% |
| Charleston School of Law | 154 | $49,684 | 77.4% | 76.2% |
More on each, and on the South Carolina bar exam: law schools in South Carolina.
Schools with similar admissions numbers
These five schools admitted fall 2025 classes with the median LSAT and GPA closest to Charleston School of Law'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston School of Law | 154 | 3.51 | $49,684 | 77.4% | 76.2% |
| University of Akron Akron, OH | 154 | 3.51 | $26,649 | 70.2% | 78.9% |
| Creighton University Omaha, NE | 153 | 3.51 | $48,346 | 71.2% | 84.1% |
| Willamette University Salem, OR | 154 | 3.48 | $56,680 | 64.6% | 73.3% |
| Liberty University Lynchburg, VA | 154 | 3.54 | $45,348 | 85.3% | 88% |
| Pace University White Plains, NY | 154 | 3.54 | $57,756 | 65.2% | 80.8% |
Frequently asked questions
What LSAT score do you need to get into Charleston School of Law?
There is no cutoff, but the class that entered in fall 2025 had a median LSAT of 154, with the middle half scoring 152 to 157. The median undergraduate GPA was 3.51. The school accepted 50.2% of applicants.
What is the bar passage rate at Charleston School of Law?
77.4% of Charleston School of Law graduates taking a bar exam for the first time in 2025 passed, against a weighted state average of 80.6%. Within two years of graduating, 89.5% of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam had passed.
How much does Charleston School of Law cost?
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are $49,684 a year. Most students pay less: 95% of full-time students received a grant, with a median award of $20,000.
Do Charleston 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 4.3% more had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. 9.5% were unemployed and seeking work.
Is Charleston School of Law ABA-accredited?
Yes. Charleston School of Law has been approved by the American Bar Association since 2006, so its graduates can sit for the bar exam in every state.