South Texas College of Law Houston
Houston, Texas · Private · ABA-approved since 1959 · Data updated November 2, 2026
South Texas College of Law Houston is a private law school in Houston, Texas, approved by the American Bar Association since 1959. It admitted a fall 2025 class with a median LSAT of 155, higher than 25% of ABA-approved schools, saw 85.6% of its first-time bar takers pass in 2025 and placed 81.9% of its 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs.
Admissions: LSAT, GPA and acceptance rate
For the class that entered in fall 2025, South Texas College of Law Houston received 2,770 completed applications and made 932 offers, an acceptance rate of 33.6%. 437 students enrolled in the first-year class (343 full-time, 94 part-time). The typical ABA school accepted 35.8%.
| Entering class, fall 2025 | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT | 153 | 155 | 158 |
| Undergraduate GPA | 3.08 | 3.41 | 3.65 |
A quarter of the class scored 153 or lower on the LSAT and a quarter scored 158 or higher. An applicant at or above the median, 155, 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.
9 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 $44,960 a year. That is less than 54% of ABA schools charge. The school estimates living costs of $56,958 a year off campus.
| Annual cost, 2025-26 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition, full-time, resident | $42,960 |
| Fees, full-time, resident | $2,000 |
| Tuition, part-time, resident | $28,640 |
| Living costs, off campus | $56,958 |
| Living costs, at home | $26,998 |
In 2024-25, 73% of full-time students received a grant or scholarship from the school. The median award was $11,000, and the middle half of awards ran from $3,399 to $18,000. Subtract the median award from the full-time tuition and fees above and a typical recipient pays about $33,960 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 | 76% |
| Half to full tuition | 8% |
| Full tuition | 0% |
| More than full tuition | 0% |
Scholarships that can be cut. South Texas College of Law Houston awards some conditional scholarships, which shrink or end if a student's grades fall below a set mark. Of 280 students who entered in 2024-25 with one, 94 had it reduced or eliminated (34%). For students who entered in 2023-24 the figure was 96 of 247. 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 $305,754. With the median scholarship every year, about $272,754. Tuition usually rises each year, so treat this as a floor.
Bar passage
Of 284 graduates who took a bar exam for the first time in 2025, 243 passed: 85.6%. The average for the same exams, weighted by where its graduates sat, was 82.7%, so the school finished within a few points of that average (+2.9 pts).
| Where they sat, 2025 | Takers | Passed | School | State average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 other jurisdiction | 1 | 1 | 100% | 87.3% |
| Texas | 283 | 242 | 85.5% | 82.7% |
The ABA also follows each class for two years. Of the 250 members of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam, 237 had passed one within two years: 94.8%.
Jobs after graduation
The ABA counts where each class is working ten months after graduation. Of 299 2025 graduates, 245 (81.9%) had full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage, and 7 more (2.3%) had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. At the typical ABA school, 83.4% were in lawyer jobs. 12 (4%) were unemployed and looking for work.
Law firm jobs by firm size
Shares are of all 299 graduates. Firms of more than 250 lawyers, the usual sense of “Big Law,” hired 22 (7.4%).
Where graduates work
Most employed graduates stayed in Texas (261), followed by California (3) and Alaska (2).
Students who leave
In 2024-25, 40 first-year students left South Texas College of Law Houston: 24 for academic reasons (3%) and 16 for other reasons, such as transferring to another school (2%).
Transfers run both ways: 16 first-year students transferred out and 3 transferred in from other law schools.
Classes, clinics and faculty
South Texas College of Law Houston offered 133 upper-level course titles beyond the first-year curriculum in 2024-25. Of its upper-level class sections, 62% had fewer than 25 students and 8% had 75 or more.
| Hands-on learning, 2024-25 | Number |
|---|---|
| Law clinic seats available | 231 |
| Law clinic seats filled | 154 |
| Field placement (externship) positions filled | 148 |
| Simulation course seats filled | 946 |
| Co-curricular offerings (journals, moot court, etc.) | 20 |
The school reports 47 full-time faculty and 83 more who teach part-time or in other roles. With 1,144 J.D. students, that is about 24 students per full-time faculty member.
How South Texas College of Law Houston compares in Texas
Texas has 10 ABA-approved law schools. Among them, South Texas College of Law Houston ranks 7th in median LSAT, 6th in first-time bar passage, 7th in share of graduates in lawyer jobs and 7th-lowest tuition.
| School | Median LSAT | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Texas | 172 | $38,236 | 96.4% | 95.8% |
| Texas A&M University | 169 | $32,634 | 95.3% | 95.2% |
| Southern Methodist University | 167 | $68,686 | 97.8% | 94.7% |
| Baylor University | 164 | $67,547 | 93.7% | 95.5% |
| University of Houston | 163 | $39,222 | 84.5% | 84.9% |
| Texas Tech University | 159 | $27,532 | 95.5% | 91.9% |
| South Texas College of Law Houston | 155 | $44,960 | 85.6% | 81.9% |
| St. Mary's University | 153 | $46,310 | 84.6% | 80.6% |
| University of North Texas at Dallas | 153 | $18,761 | 79.7% | 71.7% |
| Texas Southern University | 150 | $21,038 | 62.9% | 54.3% |
More on each, and on the Texas bar exam: law schools in Texas.
Schools with similar admissions numbers
These five schools admitted fall 2025 classes with the median LSAT and GPA closest to South Texas College of Law Houston'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Texas College of Law Houston | 155 | 3.41 | $44,960 | 85.6% | 81.9% |
| Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY | 154 | 3.41 | $25,392 | 76.2% | 68.8% |
| Elon University Greensboro, NC | 154 | 3.40 | $45,333 | 69.9% | 82.2% |
| University of Baltimore Baltimore, MD | 155 | 3.45 | $36,418 | 70.5% | 73.5% |
| Ave Maria School of Law Naples, FL | 155 | 3.36 | $52,350 | 77.5% | 81.5% |
| University of Arkansas at Little Rock Little Rock, AR | 153 | 3.41 | $17,474 | 78.9% | 75% |
Frequently asked questions
What LSAT score do you need to get into South Texas College of Law Houston?
There is no cutoff, but the class that entered in fall 2025 had a median LSAT of 155, with the middle half scoring 153 to 158. The median undergraduate GPA was 3.41. The school accepted 33.6% of applicants.
What is the bar passage rate at South Texas College of Law Houston?
85.6% of South Texas College of Law Houston graduates taking a bar exam for the first time in 2025 passed, against a weighted state average of 82.7%. Within two years of graduating, 94.8% of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam had passed.
How much does South Texas College of Law Houston cost?
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are $44,960 a year. Most students pay less: 73% of full-time students received a grant, with a median award of $11,000.
Do South Texas College of Law Houston graduates get jobs?
Ten months after graduation, 81.9% of the class of 2025 had full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar passage, and 2.3% more had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. 4% were unemployed and seeking work.
Is South Texas College of Law Houston ABA-accredited?
Yes. South Texas College of Law Houston has been approved by the American Bar Association since 1959, so its graduates can sit for the bar exam in every state.