Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Public · ABA-approved since 1933 · Data updated November 2, 2026
Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law is a public law school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, approved by the American Bar Association since 1933. It admitted a fall 2025 class with a median LSAT of 165, higher than 76% of ABA-approved schools, saw 89% of its first-time bar takers pass in 2025 and placed 88.2% of its 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs.
Admissions: LSAT, GPA and acceptance rate
For the class that entered in fall 2025, Temple University received 3,043 completed applications and made 742 offers, an acceptance rate of 24.4%. 237 students enrolled in the first-year class (208 full-time, 29 part-time). The typical ABA school accepted 35.8%.
| Entering class, fall 2025 | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT | 162 | 165 | 168 |
| Undergraduate GPA | 3.59 | 3.76 | 3.90 |
A quarter of the class scored 162 or lower on the LSAT and a quarter scored 168 or higher. An applicant at or above the median, 165, 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.
8 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 $34,137 a year for Pennsylvania residents and $50,545 for everyone else. That is less than 67% of ABA schools charge. The school estimates living costs of $27,812 a year off campus.
| Annual cost, 2025-26 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition, full-time, resident | $32,588 |
| Fees, full-time, resident | $1,549 |
| Tuition, full-time, nonresident | $48,996 |
| Fees, full-time, nonresident | $1,549 |
| Tuition, part-time, resident | $26,076 |
| Living costs, on campus | $27,812 |
| Living costs, off campus | $27,812 |
| Living costs, at home | $16,112 |
In 2024-25, 90% of full-time students received a grant or scholarship from the school. The median award was $31,334, and the middle half of awards ran from $22,271 to $41,500. Subtract the median award from the full-time tuition and fees above and a typical recipient pays about $2,803 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 | 62% |
| Full tuition | 1% |
| More than full tuition | 3% |
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 at the in-state rate plus off-campus living costs come to about $185,847. With the median scholarship every year, about $91,845. Tuition usually rises each year, so treat this as a floor.
Bar passage
Of 200 graduates who took a bar exam for the first time in 2025, 178 passed: 89%. The average for the same exams, weighted by where its graduates sat, was 79.8%, so the school finished 9.2 points above that average.
| Where they sat, 2025 | Takers | Passed | School | State average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 other jurisdictions | 30 | 29 | 96.7% | 79.5% |
| Delaware | 13 | 13 | 100% | 79.7% |
| Pennsylvania | 157 | 136 | 86.6% | 79.7% |
The ABA also follows each class for two years. Of the 206 members of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam, 199 had passed one within two years: 96.6%.
Jobs after graduation
The ABA counts where each class is working ten months after graduation. Of 195 2025 graduates, 172 (88.2%) had full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage, and 11 more (5.6%) had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. At the typical ABA school, 83.4% were in lawyer jobs. 3 (1.5%) 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 Pennsylvania (127), followed by Delaware (15) and New Jersey (13).
Students who leave
In 2024-25, 3 first-year students left Temple University: 1 for academic reasons (0%) and 2 for other reasons, such as transferring to another school (1%).
Transfers run both ways: 2 first-year students transferred out and 4 transferred in from other law schools.
Classes, clinics and faculty
Temple University offered 233 upper-level course titles beyond the first-year curriculum in 2024-25. Of its upper-level class sections, 89% had fewer than 25 students and 1% had 75 or more.
| Hands-on learning, 2024-25 | Number |
|---|---|
| Law clinic seats available | 242 |
| Law clinic seats filled | 197 |
| Field placement (externship) positions filled | 247 |
| Simulation course seats filled | 775 |
| Co-curricular offerings (journals, moot court, etc.) | 7 |
The school reports 69 full-time faculty and 162 more who teach part-time or in other roles. With 685 J.D. students, that is about 10 students per full-time faculty member.
How Temple University compares in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has 8 ABA-approved law schools. Among them, Temple University ranks 2nd in median LSAT, 5th 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 Pennsylvania | 173 | $84,492 | 94.4% | 97.2% |
| Temple University | 165 | $34,137 | 89% | 88.2% |
| Villanova University | 164 | $60,750 | 90% | 90.8% |
| Drexel University | 160 | $58,850 | 84.2% | 85.7% |
| University of Pittsburgh | 160 | $41,633 | 93% | 82% |
| Penn State Dickinson Law | 159 | $60,479 | 87.6% | 83.4% |
| Duquesne University | 157 | $60,118 | 89.7% | 86.8% |
| Widener University Commonwealth Law School | 150 | $56,900 | 68.9% | 77.1% |
More on each, and on the Pennsylvania bar exam: law schools in Pennsylvania.
Schools with similar admissions numbers
These five schools admitted fall 2025 classes with the median LSAT and GPA closest to Temple 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temple University | 165 | 3.76 | $34,137 | 89% | 88.2% |
| University of Washington Seattle, WA | 165 | 3.76 | $47,073 | 92.6% | 83.1% |
| Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University New York, NY | 165 | 3.78 | $76,458 | 87.8% | 89.1% |
| Baylor University Waco, TX | 164 | 3.77 | $67,547 | 93.7% | 95.5% |
| Northeastern University Boston, MA | 164 | 3.77 | $65,850 | 90.5% | 82.2% |
| University of Iowa Iowa City, IA | 164 | 3.78 | $33,489 | 91.4% | 91.1% |
Frequently asked questions
What LSAT score do you need to get into Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law?
There is no cutoff, but the class that entered in fall 2025 had a median LSAT of 165, with the middle half scoring 162 to 168. The median undergraduate GPA was 3.76. The school accepted 24.4% of applicants.
What is the bar passage rate at Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law?
89% of Temple University graduates taking a bar exam for the first time in 2025 passed, against a weighted state average of 79.8%. Within two years of graduating, 96.6% of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam had passed.
How much does Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law cost?
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are $34,137 a year for Pennsylvania residents and $50,545 for nonresidents. Most students pay less: 90% of full-time students received a grant, with a median award of $31,334.
Do Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law graduates get jobs?
Ten months after graduation, 88.2% of the class of 2025 had full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar passage, and 5.6% more had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. 1.5% were unemployed and seeking work.
Is Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law ABA-accredited?
Yes. Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law has been approved by the American Bar Association since 1933, so its graduates can sit for the bar exam in every state.