Samford University Cumberland School of Law
Birmingham, Alabama · Private · ABA-approved since 1949 · Data updated November 2, 2026
Samford University Cumberland School of Law is a private law school in Birmingham, Alabama, approved by the American Bar Association since 1949. It admitted a fall 2025 class with a median LSAT of 156, higher than 33% of ABA-approved schools, saw 90.4% of its first-time bar takers pass in 2025 and placed 80.6% of its 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs.
Admissions: LSAT, GPA and acceptance rate
For the class that entered in fall 2025, Samford University received 925 completed applications and made 453 offers, an acceptance rate of 49%. 170 students enrolled in the first-year class. The typical ABA school accepted 35.8%.
| Entering class, fall 2025 | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT | 154 | 156 | 160 |
| Undergraduate GPA | 3.42 | 3.63 | 3.84 |
A quarter of the class scored 154 or lower on the LSAT and a quarter scored 160 or higher. An applicant at or above the median, 156, 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 $47,334 a year. That is less than 50% of ABA schools charge. The school estimates living costs of $31,226 a year off campus.
| Annual cost, 2025-26 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition, full-time, resident | $46,334 |
| Fees, full-time, resident | $1,000 |
| Living costs, off campus | $31,226 |
| Living costs, at home | $9,176 |
In 2024-25, 93% 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 $7,500 to $27,000. Subtract the median award from the full-time tuition and fees above and a typical recipient pays about $27,334 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 | 49% |
| Half to full tuition | 43% |
| Full tuition | 0% |
| More than full tuition | 0% |
Scholarships that can be cut. Samford University awards some conditional scholarships, which shrink or end if a student's grades fall below a set mark. Of 155 students who entered in 2024-25 with one, 7 had it reduced or eliminated (5%). For students who entered in 2023-24 the figure was 20 of 149. 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 $235,680. With the median scholarship every year, about $175,680. Tuition usually rises each year, so treat this as a floor.
Bar passage
Of 136 graduates who took a bar exam for the first time in 2025, 123 passed: 90.4%. The average for the same exams, weighted by where its graduates sat, was 81.9%, so the school finished 8.6 points above that average.
| Where they sat, 2025 | Takers | Passed | School | State average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 other jurisdictions | 26 | 25 | 96.2% | 80.4% |
| Alabama | 110 | 98 | 89.1% | 82.4% |
The ABA also follows each class for two years. Of the 136 members of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam, 129 had passed one within two years: 94.8%.
Jobs after graduation
The ABA counts where each class is working ten months after graduation. Of 139 2025 graduates, 112 (80.6%) had full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage, and 9 more (6.5%) had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. At the typical ABA school, 83.4% were in lawyer jobs. 7 (5%) were unemployed and looking for work.
Law firm jobs by firm size
Shares are of all 139 graduates. Firms of more than 250 lawyers, the usual sense of “Big Law,” hired 16 (11.5%).
Where graduates work
Most employed graduates stayed in Alabama (101), followed by Georgia (6) and Florida (5).
Students who leave
In 2024-25, 5 first-year students left Samford University: 2 for academic reasons (1%) and 3 for other reasons, such as transferring to another school (2%).
Transfers run both ways: 5 first-year students transferred out and 2 transferred in from other law schools.
Classes, clinics and faculty
Samford University offered 128 upper-level course titles beyond the first-year curriculum in 2024-25. Of its upper-level class sections, 75% had fewer than 25 students and 1% had 75 or more.
| Hands-on learning, 2024-25 | Number |
|---|---|
| Law clinic seats available | 94 |
| Law clinic seats filled | 72 |
| Field placement (externship) positions filled | 181 |
| Simulation course seats filled | 701 |
| Co-curricular offerings (journals, moot court, etc.) | 7 |
The school reports 33 full-time faculty and 71 more who teach part-time or in other roles. With 471 J.D. students, that is about 14 students per full-time faculty member.
How Samford University compares in Alabama
Alabama has 3 ABA-approved law schools. Among them, Samford University ranks 2nd in median LSAT, 2nd in first-time bar passage, 2nd in share of graduates in lawyer jobs and 3rd-lowest tuition.
| School | Median LSAT | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Alabama | 167 | $25,879 | 95.2% | 93.2% |
| Samford University | 156 | $47,334 | 90.4% | 80.6% |
| Faulkner University | 150 | $40,400 | 67.5% | 65.9% |
More on each, and on the Alabama bar exam: law schools in Alabama.
Schools with similar admissions numbers
These five schools admitted fall 2025 classes with the median LSAT and GPA closest to Samford 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samford University | 156 | 3.63 | $47,334 | 90.4% | 80.6% |
| Howard University Washington, DC | 156 | 3.63 | $41,412 | 78% | 71% |
| University of Montana Missoula, MT | 156 | 3.64 | $27,512 | 82.5% | 80.2% |
| University of Missouri, Kansas City Kansas City, MO | 156 | 3.65 | $26,192 | 82.3% | 81.2% |
| New York Law School New York, NY | 157 | 3.63 | $73,524 | 86.5% | 74.8% |
| Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA | 157 | 3.62 | $60,118 | 89.7% | 86.8% |
Frequently asked questions
What LSAT score do you need to get into Samford University Cumberland School of Law?
There is no cutoff, but the class that entered in fall 2025 had a median LSAT of 156, with the middle half scoring 154 to 160. The median undergraduate GPA was 3.63. The school accepted 49% of applicants.
What is the bar passage rate at Samford University Cumberland School of Law?
90.4% of Samford University graduates taking a bar exam for the first time in 2025 passed, against a weighted state average of 81.9%. Within two years of graduating, 94.8% of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam had passed.
How much does Samford University Cumberland School of Law cost?
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are $47,334 a year. Most students pay less: 93% of full-time students received a grant, with a median award of $20,000.
Do Samford University Cumberland School of Law graduates get jobs?
Ten months after graduation, 80.6% of the class of 2025 had full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar passage, and 6.5% more had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. 5% were unemployed and seeking work.
Is Samford University Cumberland School of Law ABA-accredited?
Yes. Samford University Cumberland School of Law has been approved by the American Bar Association since 1949, so its graduates can sit for the bar exam in every state.