Georgia State University College of Law
Atlanta, Georgia · Public · ABA-approved since 1984 · Data updated November 2, 2026
Georgia State University College of Law is a public law school in Atlanta, Georgia, approved by the American Bar Association since 1984. It admitted a fall 2025 class with a median LSAT of 160, higher than 54% of ABA-approved schools, saw 87.4% of its first-time bar takers pass in 2025 and placed 88.7% of its 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs.
What stands out
- Tuition and fees of $17,596, less than 96% of schools charge.
Admissions: LSAT, GPA and acceptance rate
For the class that entered in fall 2025, Georgia State University received 2,450 completed applications and made 749 offers, an acceptance rate of 30.6%. 237 students enrolled in the first-year class (184 full-time, 53 part-time). The typical ABA school accepted 35.8%.
| Entering class, fall 2025 | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT | 158 | 160 | 163 |
| Undergraduate GPA | 3.45 | 3.64 | 3.82 |
A quarter of the class scored 158 or lower on the LSAT and a quarter scored 163 or higher. An applicant at or above the median, 160, 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 $17,596 a year for Georgia residents and $39,320 for everyone else. That is less than 96% of ABA schools charge. The school estimates living costs of $26,693 a year off campus.
| Annual cost, 2025-26 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition, full-time, resident | $16,162 |
| Fees, full-time, resident | $1,434 |
| Tuition, full-time, nonresident | $37,886 |
| Fees, full-time, nonresident | $1,434 |
| Tuition, part-time, resident | $12,114 |
| Living costs, on campus | $22,153 |
| Living costs, off campus | $26,693 |
| Living costs, at home | $14,913 |
In 2024-25, 54% of full-time students received a grant or scholarship from the school. The median award was $7,776, and the middle half of awards ran from $2,336 to $10,627. Subtract the median award from the full-time tuition and fees above and a typical recipient pays about $9,820 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 | 19% |
| Half to full tuition | 17% |
| Full tuition | 0% |
| More than full tuition | 13% |
Scholarships that can be cut. Georgia State University awards some conditional scholarships, which shrink or end if a student's grades fall below a set mark. Of 72 students who entered in 2024-25 with one, 5 had it reduced or eliminated (7%). For students who entered in 2023-24 the figure was 7 of 76. 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 at the in-state rate plus off-campus living costs come to about $132,867. With the median scholarship every year, about $109,539. Tuition usually rises each year, so treat this as a floor.
Bar passage
Of 183 graduates who took a bar exam for the first time in 2025, 160 passed: 87.4%. The average for the same exams, weighted by where its graduates sat, was 79.5%, so the school finished 7.9 points above that average.
| Where they sat, 2025 | Takers | Passed | School | State average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 other jurisdictions | 8 | 8 | 100% | 79.9% |
| Georgia | 175 | 152 | 86.9% | 79.5% |
The ABA also follows each class for two years. Of the 178 members of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam, 165 had passed one within two years: 92.7%.
Jobs after graduation
The ABA counts where each class is working ten months after graduation. Of 195 2025 graduates, 173 (88.7%) had full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage, and 8 more (4.1%) had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. At the typical ABA school, 83.4% were in lawyer jobs. 7 (3.6%) were unemployed and looking for work.
Law firm jobs by firm size
Shares are of all 195 graduates. Firms of more than 250 lawyers, the usual sense of “Big Law,” hired 39 (20%).
Where graduates work
Most employed graduates stayed in Georgia (174), followed by District of Columbia (2) and South Carolina (2).
Students who leave
In 2024-25, 10 first-year students left Georgia State University: 1 for academic reasons (0%) and 9 for other reasons, such as transferring to another school (4%).
Transfers run both ways: 2 first-year students transferred out and 7 transferred in from other law schools. The students who transferred in had a median first-year law school GPA of 3.11.
Classes, clinics and faculty
Georgia State University offered 155 upper-level course titles beyond the first-year curriculum in 2024-25. Of its upper-level class sections, 60% had fewer than 25 students and 4% had 75 or more.
| Hands-on learning, 2024-25 | Number |
|---|---|
| Law clinic seats available | 160 |
| Law clinic seats filled | 154 |
| Field placement (externship) positions filled | 155 |
| Simulation course seats filled | 155 |
| Co-curricular offerings (journals, moot court, etc.) | 3 |
The school reports 69 full-time faculty and 82 more who teach part-time or in other roles. With 682 J.D. students, that is about 10 students per full-time faculty member.
How Georgia State University compares in Georgia
Georgia has 5 ABA-approved law schools. Among them, Georgia State University ranks 3rd in median LSAT, 2nd in first-time bar passage, 3rd in share of graduates in lawyer jobs and the lowest tuition.
| School | Median LSAT | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Georgia | 169 | $19,502 | 88.4% | 93.5% |
| Emory University | 166 | $70,472 | 86.3% | 87.9% |
| Georgia State University | 160 | $17,596 | 87.4% | 88.7% |
| Mercer University | 157 | $45,082 | 86.5% | 90.1% |
| Atlanta's John Marshall Law School | 152 | $53,586 | 63.8% | 72.3% |
More on each, and on the Georgia bar exam: law schools in Georgia.
Schools with similar admissions numbers
These five schools admitted fall 2025 classes with the median LSAT and GPA closest to Georgia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia State University | 160 | 3.64 | $17,596 | 87.4% | 88.7% |
| University of Denver Denver, CO | 160 | 3.66 | $63,812 | 81.5% | 77.2% |
| University of Oregon Eugene, OR | 160 | 3.62 | $48,612 | 79.2% | 82.4% |
| Stetson University Gulfport, FL | 159 | 3.63 | $57,017 | 84.9% | 81.2% |
| Tulane University New Orleans, LA | 161 | 3.67 | $74,756 | 76.1% | 84.1% |
| Catholic University of America Washington, DC | 161 | 3.68 | $63,280 | 90.4% | 79.6% |
Frequently asked questions
What LSAT score do you need to get into Georgia State University College of Law?
There is no cutoff, but the class that entered in fall 2025 had a median LSAT of 160, with the middle half scoring 158 to 163. The median undergraduate GPA was 3.64. The school accepted 30.6% of applicants.
What is the bar passage rate at Georgia State University College of Law?
87.4% of Georgia State University graduates taking a bar exam for the first time in 2025 passed, against a weighted state average of 79.5%. Within two years of graduating, 92.7% of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam had passed.
How much does Georgia State University College of Law cost?
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are $17,596 a year for Georgia residents and $39,320 for nonresidents. Most students pay less: 54% of full-time students received a grant, with a median award of $7,776.
Do Georgia State University College of Law graduates get jobs?
Ten months after graduation, 88.7% of the class of 2025 had full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar passage, and 4.1% more had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. 3.6% were unemployed and seeking work.
Is Georgia State University College of Law ABA-accredited?
Yes. Georgia State University College of Law has been approved by the American Bar Association since 1984, so its graduates can sit for the bar exam in every state.