Thomas M. Cooley Law School
Lansing, Michigan · Private · ABA-approved since 1975 · Data updated November 2, 2026
Thomas M. Cooley Law School is a private law school in Lansing, Michigan, approved by the American Bar Association since 1975. It admitted a fall 2025 class with a median LSAT of 147, higher than 2% of ABA-approved schools, saw 51.5% of its first-time bar takers pass in 2025 and placed 58.7% of its 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs.
What stands out
- A median LSAT of 147, lower than 97% of ABA-approved schools.
- First-time bar passage 22.9 points below the average for the states where its graduates sat.
- 58.7% of 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs, fewer than at 94% of schools.
Admissions: LSAT, GPA and acceptance rate
For the class that entered in fall 2025, Cooley Law School received 1,323 completed applications and made 700 offers, an acceptance rate of 52.9%. 237 students enrolled in the first-year class (147 full-time, 90 part-time). The typical ABA school accepted 35.8%.
| Entering class, fall 2025 | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT | 145 | 147 | 151 |
| Undergraduate GPA | 2.67 | 3.09 | 3.45 |
A quarter of the class scored 145 or lower on the LSAT and a quarter scored 151 or higher. An applicant at or above the median, 147, 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
Cooley Law School charges tuition by the credit hour: $1,580 a credit, plus $640 in annual fees. The degree takes 90 credits, so a full-time year of about 30 credits comes to roughly $48,040. That is more than 51% of ABA schools charge. The school estimates living costs of $29,972 a year off campus.
| Annual cost, 2025-26 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition per credit hour, full-time, resident | $1,580 |
| Annual fees, resident | $640 |
| Living costs, off campus | $29,972 |
In 2024-25, 45% of full-time students received a grant or scholarship from the school. The median award was $13,746, and the middle half of awards ran from $9,279 to $23,463. Subtract the median award from the full-time tuition and fees above and a typical recipient pays about $34,294 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 | 43% |
| Half to full tuition | 13% |
| Full tuition | 1% |
| 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 $234,036. With the median scholarship every year, about $192,798. Tuition usually rises each year, so treat this as a floor.
Bar passage
Of 138 graduates who took a bar exam for the first time in 2025, 71 passed: 51.5%. The average for the same exams, weighted by where its graduates sat, was 74.3%, so the school finished a full 22.9 points below that average.
| Where they sat, 2025 | Takers | Passed | School | State average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 other jurisdictions | 24 | 8 | 33.3% | 80.2% |
| Florida | 52 | 32 | 61.5% | 75.7% |
| Michigan | 62 | 31 | 50% | 71.3% |
The ABA also follows each class for two years. Of the 149 members of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam, 102 had passed one within two years: 68.5%.
Jobs after graduation
The ABA counts where each class is working ten months after graduation. Of 143 2025 graduates, 84 (58.7%) had full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage, and 12 more (8.4%) had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. At the typical ABA school, 83.4% were in lawyer jobs. 12 (8.4%) were unemployed and looking for work.
Law firm jobs by firm size
Shares are of all 143 graduates. Firms of more than 250 lawyers, the usual sense of “Big Law,” hired 1 (0.7%).
Where graduates work
Most employed graduates stayed in Michigan (53), followed by Florida (49) and Indiana (5).
Students who leave
In 2024-25, 25 first-year students left Cooley Law School: 18 for academic reasons (9%) and 7 for other reasons, such as transferring to another school (3%).
Transfers run both ways: 1 first-year students transferred out and 2 transferred in from other law schools.
Classes, clinics and faculty
Cooley Law School offered 113 upper-level course titles beyond the first-year curriculum in 2024-25. Of its upper-level class sections, 83% had fewer than 25 students and 4% had 75 or more.
| Hands-on learning, 2024-25 | Number |
|---|---|
| Law clinic seats available | 198 |
| Law clinic seats filled | 50 |
| Field placement (externship) positions filled | 192 |
| Simulation course seats filled | 0 |
| Co-curricular offerings (journals, moot court, etc.) | 0 |
The school reports 26 full-time faculty and 52 more who teach part-time or in other roles. With 476 J.D. students, that is about 18 students per full-time faculty member.
How Cooley Law School compares in Michigan
Michigan has 5 ABA-approved law schools. Among them, Cooley Law School ranks 5th in median LSAT, 5th in first-time bar passage, 5th in share of graduates in lawyer jobs and 3rd-lowest tuition.
| School | Median LSAT | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Michigan | 171 | $76,680 | 94.2% | 95.9% |
| Wayne State University | 164 | $42,594 | 73.8% | 84.7% |
| Michigan State University | 162 | $43,868 | 77.3% | 81.2% |
| University of Detroit Mercy | 156 | $48,807 | 71.5% | 88.4% |
| Cooley Law School | 147 | $48,040 | 51.5% | 58.7% |
More on each, and on the Michigan bar exam: law schools in Michigan.
Schools with similar admissions numbers
These five schools admitted fall 2025 classes with the median LSAT and GPA closest to Cooley Law School'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooley Law School | 147 | 3.09 | $48,040 | 51.5% | 58.7% |
| Southern University Baton Rouge, LA | 147 | 3.15 | $18,832 | 68.1% | 40.3% |
| Wilmington University School of Law Wilmington, DE | 149 | 3.13 | $24,053 | — | — |
| Appalachian School of Law Grundy, VA | 146 | 3.20 | $41,000 | 54.8% | 53.5% |
| Atlanta's John Marshall Law School Atlanta, GA | 152 | 3.13 | $53,586 | 63.8% | 72.3% |
| Barry University Orlando, FL | 150 | 3.23 | $43,150 | 58.9% | 63.8% |
Frequently asked questions
What LSAT score do you need to get into Thomas M. Cooley Law School?
There is no cutoff, but the class that entered in fall 2025 had a median LSAT of 147, with the middle half scoring 145 to 151. The median undergraduate GPA was 3.09. The school accepted 52.9% of applicants.
What is the bar passage rate at Thomas M. Cooley Law School?
51.5% of Cooley Law School graduates taking a bar exam for the first time in 2025 passed, against a weighted state average of 74.3%. Within two years of graduating, 68.5% of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam had passed.
How much does Thomas M. Cooley Law School cost?
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are about $48,040 a year. The school charges by the credit hour, so that figure assumes a full-time load of 30 credits a year. Some students pay less: 45% of full-time students received a grant, with a median award of $13,746.
Do Thomas M. Cooley Law School graduates get jobs?
Ten months after graduation, 58.7% of the class of 2025 had full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar passage, and 8.4% more had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. 8.4% were unemployed and seeking work.
Is Thomas M. Cooley Law School ABA-accredited?
Yes. Thomas M. Cooley Law School has been approved by the American Bar Association since 1975, so its graduates can sit for the bar exam in every state.