Southwestern Law School
Los Angeles, California · Private · ABA-approved since 1970 · Data updated November 2, 2026
Southwestern Law School is a private law school in Los Angeles, California, approved by the American Bar Association since 1970. It admitted a fall 2025 class with a median LSAT of 157, higher than 38% of ABA-approved schools, saw 72.1% of its first-time bar takers pass in 2025 and placed 78.6% of its 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs.
What stands out
- 48% of students who entered with a conditional scholarship in 2024-25 had it cut or taken away.
- 13% of first-year students left during the year, a higher share than at 8% of schools.
- First-time bar passage 10.6 points below the average for the states where its graduates sat.
Admissions: LSAT, GPA and acceptance rate
For the class that entered in fall 2025, Southwestern Law School received 3,584 completed applications and made 1,307 offers, an acceptance rate of 36.5%. 459 students enrolled in the first-year class (383 full-time, 76 part-time). The typical ABA school accepted 35.8%.
| Entering class, fall 2025 | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT | 154 | 157 | 160 |
| Undergraduate GPA | 3.23 | 3.51 | 3.72 |
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, 157, 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 $63,160 a year. That is more than 74% of ABA schools charge. The school estimates living costs of $38,033 a year off campus.
| Annual cost, 2025-26 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition, full-time, resident | $63,160 |
| Tuition, part-time, resident | $42,124 |
| Living costs, on campus | $36,413 |
| Living costs, off campus | $38,033 |
| Living costs, at home | $25,073 |
In 2024-25, 69% of full-time students received a grant or scholarship from the school. The median award was $29,166, and the middle half of awards ran from $12,500 to $42,372. Subtract the median award from the full-time tuition and fees above and a typical recipient pays about $33,994 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 | 37% |
| Half to full tuition | 32% |
| Full tuition | 1% |
| More than full tuition | 2% |
Scholarships that can be cut. Southwestern Law School awards some conditional scholarships, which shrink or end if a student's grades fall below a set mark. Of 295 students who entered in 2024-25 with one, 142 had it reduced or eliminated (48%). For students who entered in 2023-24 the figure was 108 of 222. 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 $303,579. With the median scholarship every year, about $216,081. Tuition usually rises each year, so treat this as a floor.
Bar passage
Of 290 graduates who took a bar exam for the first time in 2025, 209 passed: 72.1%. The average for the same exams, weighted by where its graduates sat, was 82.7%, so the school finished a full 10.6 points below that average.
| Where they sat, 2025 | Takers | Passed | School | State average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 276 | 197 | 71.4% | 82.7% |
| 9 other jurisdictions | 14 | 12 | 85.7% | 81.2% |
The ABA also follows each class for two years. Of the 252 members of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam, 233 had passed one within two years: 92.5%.
Jobs after graduation
The ABA counts where each class is working ten months after graduation. Of 290 2025 graduates, 228 (78.6%) had full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage, and 12 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. 22 (7.6%) were unemployed and looking for work.
Law firm jobs by firm size
Shares are of all 290 graduates. Firms of more than 250 lawyers, the usual sense of “Big Law,” hired 16 (5.5%).
Where graduates work
Most employed graduates stayed in California (243), followed by Pennsylvania (3) and Texas (2).
Students who leave
In 2024-25, 55 first-year students left Southwestern Law School: 51 for academic reasons (12%) and 4 for other reasons, such as transferring to another school (1%).
Transfers run both ways: 9 first-year students transferred out and 0 transferred in from other law schools.
Classes, clinics and faculty
Southwestern Law School offered 139 upper-level course titles beyond the first-year curriculum in 2024-25. Of its upper-level class sections, 53% had fewer than 25 students and 10% had 75 or more.
| Hands-on learning, 2024-25 | Number |
|---|---|
| Law clinic seats available | 166 |
| Law clinic seats filled | 143 |
| Field placement (externship) positions filled | 441 |
| Simulation course seats filled | 972 |
| Co-curricular offerings (journals, moot court, etc.) | 19 |
The school reports 70 full-time faculty and 115 more who teach part-time or in other roles. With 1,108 J.D. students, that is about 16 students per full-time faculty member.
How Southwestern Law School compares in California
California has 17 ABA-approved law schools. Among them, Southwestern Law School ranks 13th in median LSAT, 15th in first-time bar passage, 12th in share of graduates in lawyer jobs and 7th-lowest tuition.
| School | Median LSAT | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford University | 173 | $79,707 | 99.4% | 86.8% |
| University of California, Los Angeles | 171 | $61,862 | 96.7% | 94.3% |
| University of California, Berkeley | 170 | $66,374 | 94.8% | 96.8% |
| University of California, Irvine | 169 | $61,288 | 89.9% | 92.9% |
| University of Southern California | 169 | $85,948 | 94.1% | 94.3% |
| University of California, Davis | 165 | $59,870 | 93.2% | 91.7% |
| Pepperdine University | 164 | $73,550 | 90.7% | 91.8% |
| Chapman University | 163 | $63,201 | 80.3% | 76.2% |
| Loyola Marymount University (Loyola Law School) | 163 | $71,386 | 79.7% | 85.7% |
| University of San Diego | 163 | $67,751 | 86.7% | 88.6% |
| UC Law San Francisco | 161 | $54,329 | 86.2% | 87% |
| Santa Clara University | 159 | $65,777 | 82% | 75.3% |
| Southwestern Law School | 157 | $63,160 | 72.1% | 78.6% |
| University of the Pacific, McGeorge | 156 | $63,318 | 71.1% | 68.9% |
| California Western School of Law | 155 | $64,870 | 71.4% | 74.1% |
| University of San Francisco | 155 | $59,990 | 80.9% | 76.3% |
| Western State College of Law | 152 | $55,648 | 81.1% | 79.6% |
More on each, and on the California bar exam: law schools in California.
Schools with similar admissions numbers
These five schools admitted fall 2025 classes with the median LSAT and GPA closest to Southwestern Law School'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwestern Law School | 157 | 3.51 | $63,160 | 72.1% | 78.6% |
| Campbell University Raleigh, NC | 156 | 3.51 | $52,770 | 93.5% | 86.7% |
| University of Detroit Mercy Detroit, MI | 156 | 3.52 | $48,807 | 71.5% | 88.4% |
| University of the Pacific, McGeorge Sacramento, CA | 156 | 3.52 | $63,318 | 71.1% | 68.9% |
| Jacksonville University Jacksonville, FL | 156 | 3.48 | $36,820 | 92.3% | 92.3% |
| Albany Law School Albany, NY | 158 | 3.54 | $64,234 | 86.7% | 88.5% |
Frequently asked questions
What LSAT score do you need to get into Southwestern Law School?
There is no cutoff, but the class that entered in fall 2025 had a median LSAT of 157, with the middle half scoring 154 to 160. The median undergraduate GPA was 3.51. The school accepted 36.5% of applicants.
What is the bar passage rate at Southwestern Law School?
72.1% of Southwestern Law School 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, 92.5% of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam had passed.
How much does Southwestern Law School cost?
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are $63,160 a year. Most students pay less: 69% of full-time students received a grant, with a median award of $29,166.
Do Southwestern Law School graduates get jobs?
Ten months after graduation, 78.6% 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. 7.6% were unemployed and seeking work.
Is Southwestern Law School ABA-accredited?
Yes. Southwestern Law School has been approved by the American Bar Association since 1970, so its graduates can sit for the bar exam in every state.