Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School
Carbondale, Illinois · Public · ABA-approved since 1974 · Data updated November 2, 2026
Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School is a public law school in Carbondale, Illinois, approved by the American Bar Association since 1974. It admitted a fall 2025 class with a median LSAT of 149, higher than 3% of ABA-approved schools, saw 74.2% of its first-time bar takers pass in 2025 and placed 73% of its 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs.
What stands out
- A median LSAT of 149, lower than 96% of ABA-approved schools.
- 13% of first-year students left during the year, a higher share than at 8% of schools.
- It accepted 56.2% of applicants, more than 87% of schools did.
Admissions: LSAT, GPA and acceptance rate
For the class that entered in fall 2025, Southern Illinois University received 724 completed applications and made 407 offers, an acceptance rate of 56.2%. 133 students enrolled in the first-year class. The typical ABA school accepted 35.8%.
| Entering class, fall 2025 | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT | 146 | 149 | 155 |
| Undergraduate GPA | 2.93 | 3.38 | 3.78 |
A quarter of the class scored 146 or lower on the LSAT and a quarter scored 155 or higher. An applicant at or above the median, 149, 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
Southern Illinois University charges tuition by the credit hour: $547 a credit, plus $5,678 in annual fees. The degree takes 90 credits, so a full-time year of about 30 credits comes to roughly $22,088. That is less than 87% of ABA schools charge. The school estimates living costs of $18,608 a year off campus.
| Annual cost, 2025-26 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition per credit hour, full-time, resident | $547 |
| Annual fees, resident | $5,678 |
| Living costs, on campus | $15,671 |
| Living costs, off campus | $18,608 |
| Living costs, at home | $8,990 |
In 2024-25, 64% of full-time students received a grant or scholarship from the school. The median award was $9,500, and the middle half of awards ran from $6,000 to $16,540. Subtract the median award from the full-time tuition and fees above and a typical recipient pays about $12,588 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 | 32% |
| Half to full tuition | 29% |
| Full tuition | 0% |
| More than full tuition | 2% |
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 $122,088. With the median scholarship every year, about $93,588. Tuition usually rises each year, so treat this as a floor.
Bar passage
Of 66 graduates who took a bar exam for the first time in 2025, 49 passed: 74.2%. The average for the same exams, weighted by where its graduates sat, was 81.7%, so the school finished 7.4 points below that average.
| Where they sat, 2025 | Takers | Passed | School | State average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 other jurisdictions | 23 | 16 | 69.6% | 81.2% |
| Illinois | 43 | 33 | 76.7% | 81.1% |
The ABA also follows each class for two years. Of the 74 members of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam, 63 had passed one within two years: 85.1%.
Jobs after graduation
The ABA counts where each class is working ten months after graduation. Of 74 2025 graduates, 54 (73%) had full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage, and 4 more (5.4%) had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. At the typical ABA school, 83.4% were in lawyer jobs. 4 (5.4%) were unemployed and looking for work.
Law firm jobs by firm size
Shares are of all 74 graduates. Firms of more than 250 lawyers, the usual sense of “Big Law,” hired 2 (2.7%).
Where graduates work
Most employed graduates stayed in Illinois (41), followed by Missouri (9) and Indiana (3).
Students who leave
In 2024-25, 13 first-year students left Southern Illinois University: 7 for academic reasons (7%) and 6 for other reasons, such as transferring to another school (6%).
Transfers run both ways: 2 first-year students transferred out and 0 transferred in from other law schools.
Classes, clinics and faculty
Southern Illinois University offered 52 upper-level course titles beyond the first-year curriculum in 2024-25. Of its upper-level class sections, 67% had fewer than 25 students and 0% had 75 or more.
| Hands-on learning, 2024-25 | Number |
|---|---|
| Law clinic seats available | 33 |
| Law clinic seats filled | 25 |
| Field placement (externship) positions filled | 39 |
| Simulation course seats filled | 222 |
| Co-curricular offerings (journals, moot court, etc.) | 3 |
The school reports 21 full-time faculty and 12 more who teach part-time or in other roles. With 313 J.D. students, that is about 15 students per full-time faculty member.
How Southern Illinois University compares in Illinois
Illinois has 9 ABA-approved law schools. Among them, Southern Illinois University ranks 9th in median LSAT, 7th in first-time bar passage, 7th in share of graduates in lawyer jobs and the lowest tuition.
| School | Median LSAT | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Chicago | 174 | $84,906 | 96.7% | 96.8% |
| Northwestern University | 173 | $80,633 | 91.8% | 92% |
| University of Illinois | 166 | $39,904 | 93.2% | 92.2% |
| Chicago-Kent College of Law | 161 | $54,080 | 79.7% | 75.4% |
| Loyola University Chicago | 161 | $59,666 | 85.7% | 79.7% |
| DePaul University | 158 | $55,628 | 83.8% | 81.3% |
| University of Illinois Chicago | 153 | $42,080 | 68.8% | 71.2% |
| Northern Illinois University | 150 | $24,067 | 61.9% | 70.1% |
| Southern Illinois University | 149 | $22,088 | 74.2% | 73% |
More on each, and on the Illinois bar exam: law schools in Illinois.
Schools with similar admissions numbers
These five schools admitted fall 2025 classes with the median LSAT and GPA closest to Southern Illinois 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Illinois University | 149 | 3.38 | $22,088 | 74.2% | 73% |
| Ohio Northern University Ada, OH | 149 | 3.34 | $33,900 | 56.4% | 83.7% |
| Northern Illinois University DeKalb, IL | 150 | 3.41 | $24,067 | 61.9% | 70.1% |
| Faulkner University Montgomery, AL | 150 | 3.33 | $40,400 | 67.5% | 65.9% |
| Texas Southern University Houston, TX | 150 | 3.33 | $21,038 | 62.9% | 54.3% |
| Widener University Commonwealth Law School Harrisburg, PA | 150 | 3.33 | $56,900 | 68.9% | 77.1% |
Frequently asked questions
What LSAT score do you need to get into Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School?
There is no cutoff, but the class that entered in fall 2025 had a median LSAT of 149, with the middle half scoring 146 to 155. The median undergraduate GPA was 3.38. The school accepted 56.2% of applicants.
What is the bar passage rate at Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School?
74.2% of Southern Illinois University graduates taking a bar exam for the first time in 2025 passed, against a weighted state average of 81.7%. Within two years of graduating, 85.1% of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam had passed.
How much does Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School cost?
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are about $22,088 a year. The school charges by the credit hour, so that figure assumes a full-time load of 30 credits a year. Most students pay less: 64% of full-time students received a grant, with a median award of $9,500.
Do Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School graduates get jobs?
Ten months after graduation, 73% of the class of 2025 had full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar passage, and 5.4% more had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. 5.4% were unemployed and seeking work.
Is Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School ABA-accredited?
Yes. Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School has been approved by the American Bar Association since 1974, so its graduates can sit for the bar exam in every state.