Florida State University College of Law
Tallahassee, Florida · Public · ABA-approved since 1968 · Data updated November 2, 2026
Florida State University College of Law is a public law school in Tallahassee, Florida, approved by the American Bar Association since 1968. It admitted a fall 2025 class with a median LSAT of 166, higher than 78% of ABA-approved schools, saw 88.8% of its first-time bar takers pass in 2025 and placed 87.1% of its 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs.
What stands out
- First-time bar passage 12.4 points above the average for the states where its graduates sat.
- Harder to get into than 87% of schools: it accepted 16% of applicants.
- Tuition and fees of about $23,781, less than 86% of schools charge.
Admissions: LSAT, GPA and acceptance rate
For the class that entered in fall 2025, Florida State University received 2,711 completed applications and made 433 offers, an acceptance rate of 16%. 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 | 158 | 166 | 167 |
| Undergraduate GPA | 3.60 | 3.93 | 3.99 |
A quarter of the class scored 158 or lower on the LSAT and a quarter scored 167 or higher. An applicant at or above the median, 166, 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.
2 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
Florida State University charges tuition by the credit hour: $688 a credit for Florida residents and $1,422 for everyone else, plus $3,600 in annual fees. The degree takes 88 credits, so a full-time year of about 29 credits comes to roughly $23,781 ($45,312 out of state). That is less than 86% of ABA schools charge. The school estimates living costs of $23,180 a year off campus.
| Annual cost, 2025-26 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition per credit hour, full-time, resident | $688 |
| Annual fees, resident | $3,600 |
| Tuition per credit hour, full-time, nonresident | $1,422 |
| Annual fees, nonresident | $3,600 |
| Living costs, on campus | $23,180 |
| Living costs, off campus | $23,180 |
| Living costs, at home | $17,740 |
In 2024-25, 78% of full-time students received a grant or scholarship from the school. The median award was $15,464, and the middle half of awards ran from $5,737 to $20,640. Subtract the median award from the full-time tuition and fees above and a typical recipient pays about $8,317 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 | 25% |
| Half to full tuition | 25% |
| Full tuition | 12% |
| More than full tuition | 16% |
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 at the in-state rate plus off-campus living costs come to about $140,883. With the median scholarship every year, about $94,492. Tuition usually rises each year, so treat this as a floor.
Bar passage
Of 134 graduates who took a bar exam for the first time in 2025, 119 passed: 88.8%. The average for the same exams, weighted by where its graduates sat, was 76.4%, so the school finished a full 12.4 points above that average.
| Where they sat, 2025 | Takers | Passed | School | State average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 other jurisdictions | 21 | 20 | 95.2% | 80.3% |
| Florida | 113 | 99 | 87.6% | 75.7% |
The ABA also follows each class for two years. Of the 196 members of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam, 184 had passed one within two years: 93.9%.
Jobs after graduation
The ABA counts where each class is working ten months after graduation. Of 132 2025 graduates, 115 (87.1%) had full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage, and 7 more (5.3%) had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. At the typical ABA school, 83.4% were in lawyer jobs. 0 (0%) were unemployed and looking for work. 2 of the full-time, long-term jobs were funded by the school.
Law firm jobs by firm size
Shares are of all 132 graduates. Firms of more than 250 lawyers, the usual sense of “Big Law,” hired 23 (17.4%).
Where graduates work
Most employed graduates stayed in Florida (102), followed by Georgia (4) and Texas (2).
Students who leave
In 2024-25, 2 first-year students left Florida State University: 1 for academic reasons (1%) and 1 for other reasons, such as transferring to another school (1%).
Transfers run both ways: 0 first-year students transferred out and 17 transferred in from other law schools. The students who transferred in had a median first-year law school GPA of 3.37.
Classes, clinics and faculty
Florida State University offered 142 upper-level course titles beyond the first-year curriculum in 2024-25. Of its upper-level class sections, 84% had fewer than 25 students and 2% had 75 or more.
| Hands-on learning, 2024-25 | Number |
|---|---|
| Law clinic seats available | 82 |
| Law clinic seats filled | 60 |
| Field placement (externship) positions filled | 96 |
| Simulation course seats filled | 432 |
| Co-curricular offerings (journals, moot court, etc.) | 21 |
The school reports 70 full-time faculty and 76 more who teach part-time or in other roles. With 455 J.D. students, that is about 6 students per full-time faculty member.
How Florida State University compares in Florida
Florida has 11 ABA-approved law schools. Among them, Florida State University ranks 2nd in median LSAT, 3rd in first-time bar passage, 3rd in share of graduates in lawyer jobs and 4th-lowest tuition.
| School | Median LSAT | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Florida | 169 | $21,804 | 90.2% | 88.8% |
| Florida State University | 166 | $23,781 | 88.8% | 87.1% |
| University of Miami | 164 | $69,218 | 85.3% | 83.3% |
| Florida International University | 161 | $21,129 | 85.9% | 84.1% |
| Stetson University | 159 | $57,017 | 84.9% | 81.2% |
| Jacksonville University | 156 | $36,820 | 92.3% | 92.3% |
| Ave Maria School of Law | 155 | $52,350 | 77.5% | 81.5% |
| Nova Southeastern University | 155 | $50,710 | 74.5% | 69.5% |
| Florida A&M University | 152 | $13,855 | 74.7% | 71.3% |
| St. Thomas University (Miami) | 152 | $47,578 | 87.1% | 77.8% |
| Barry University | 150 | $43,150 | 58.9% | 63.8% |
More on each, and on the Florida bar exam: law schools in Florida.
Schools with similar admissions numbers
These five schools admitted fall 2025 classes with the median LSAT and GPA closest to Florida State 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State University | 166 | 3.93 | $23,781 | 88.8% | 87.1% |
| Arizona State University Phoenix, AZ | 165 | 3.91 | $29,833 | 91.9% | 89% |
| University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL | 167 | 3.97 | $25,879 | 95.2% | 93.2% |
| University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT | 166 | 3.87 | $35,829 | 94.6% | 92.5% |
| Indiana University Bloomington Bloomington, IN | 164 | 3.91 | $38,472 | 84.6% | 84.8% |
| The Ohio State University Columbus, OH | 168 | 3.91 | $37,263 | 93.1% | 88.5% |
Frequently asked questions
What LSAT score do you need to get into Florida State University College of Law?
There is no cutoff, but the class that entered in fall 2025 had a median LSAT of 166, with the middle half scoring 158 to 167. The median undergraduate GPA was 3.93. The school accepted 16% of applicants.
What is the bar passage rate at Florida State University College of Law?
88.8% of Florida State University graduates taking a bar exam for the first time in 2025 passed, against a weighted state average of 76.4%. Within two years of graduating, 93.9% of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam had passed.
How much does Florida State University College of Law cost?
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are about $23,781 a year for Florida residents and $45,312 for nonresidents. The school charges by the credit hour, so that figure assumes a full-time load of 29 credits a year. Most students pay less: 78% of full-time students received a grant, with a median award of $15,464.
Do Florida State University College of Law graduates get jobs?
Ten months after graduation, 87.1% of the class of 2025 had full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar passage, and 5.3% more had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. 0% were unemployed and seeking work.
Is Florida State University College of Law ABA-accredited?
Yes. Florida State University College of Law has been approved by the American Bar Association since 1968, so its graduates can sit for the bar exam in every state.