Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law
Houston, Texas · Public · ABA-approved since 1949 · Data updated November 2, 2026
Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law is a public law school in Houston, Texas, approved by the American Bar Association since 1949. It admitted a fall 2025 class with a median LSAT of 150, higher than 4% of ABA-approved schools, saw 62.9% of its first-time bar takers pass in 2025 and placed 54.3% of its 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs.
What stands out
- 67% of students who entered with a conditional scholarship in 2024-25 had it cut or taken away.
- First-time bar passage 19.7 points below the average for the states where its graduates sat.
- 18% of first-year students left during the year, a higher share than at 2% of schools.
Admissions: LSAT, GPA and acceptance rate
For the class that entered in fall 2025, Texas Southern University received 2,032 completed applications and made 673 offers, an acceptance rate of 33.1%. 221 students enrolled in the first-year class. The typical ABA school accepted 35.8%.
| Entering class, fall 2025 | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT | 148 | 150 | 152 |
| Undergraduate GPA | 2.99 | 3.33 | 3.62 |
A quarter of the class scored 148 or lower on the LSAT and a quarter scored 152 or higher. An applicant at or above the median, 150, 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.
5 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 $21,038 a year for Texas residents and $28,167 for everyone else. That is less than 89% of ABA schools charge. The school estimates living costs of $27,784 a year off campus.
| Annual cost, 2025-26 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition, full-time, resident | $19,202 |
| Fees, full-time, resident | $1,836 |
| Tuition, full-time, nonresident | $26,331 |
| Fees, full-time, nonresident | $1,836 |
| Living costs, off campus | $27,784 |
In 2024-25, 51% of full-time students received a grant or scholarship from the school. The median award was $7,363, and the middle half of awards ran from $3,500 to $10,519. Subtract the median award from the full-time tuition and fees above and a typical recipient pays about $13,675 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 | 33% |
| Half to full tuition | 17% |
| Full tuition | 1% |
| More than full tuition | 0% |
Scholarships that can be cut. Texas Southern University awards some conditional scholarships, which shrink or end if a student's grades fall below a set mark. Of 83 students who entered in 2024-25 with one, 56 had it reduced or eliminated (67%). 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 at the in-state rate plus off-campus living costs come to about $146,466. With the median scholarship every year, about $124,377. Tuition usually rises each year, so treat this as a floor.
Bar passage
Of 159 graduates who took a bar exam for the first time in 2025, 100 passed: 62.9%. The average for the same exams, weighted by where its graduates sat, was 82.6%, so the school finished a full 19.7 points below that average.
| Where they sat, 2025 | Takers | Passed | School | State average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 other jurisdictions | 4 | 3 | 75% | 80.5% |
| Texas | 155 | 97 | 62.6% | 82.7% |
The ABA also follows each class for two years. Of the 152 members of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam, 137 had passed one within two years: 90.1%.
Jobs after graduation
The ABA counts where each class is working ten months after graduation. Of 164 2025 graduates, 89 (54.3%) had full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage, and 3 more (1.8%) had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. At the typical ABA school, 83.4% were in lawyer jobs. 31 (18.9%) were unemployed and looking for work.
Law firm jobs by firm size
Shares are of all 164 graduates. Firms of more than 250 lawyers, the usual sense of “Big Law,” hired 16 (9.8%).
Where graduates work
Most employed graduates stayed in Texas (104), followed by District of Columbia (3) and Alabama (2).
Students who leave
In 2024-25, 37 first-year students left Texas Southern University: 25 for academic reasons (12%) and 12 for other reasons, such as transferring to another school (6%).
Transfers run both ways: 9 first-year students transferred out and 0 transferred in from other law schools.
Classes, clinics and faculty
The school reports 58 full-time faculty and 56 more who teach part-time or in other roles. With 556 J.D. students, that is about 10 students per full-time faculty member.
How Texas Southern University compares in Texas
Texas has 10 ABA-approved law schools. Among them, Texas Southern University ranks 10th in median LSAT, 10th in first-time bar passage, 10th in share of graduates in lawyer jobs and 2nd-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 Texas Southern 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Southern University | 150 | 3.33 | $21,038 | 62.9% | 54.3% |
| Faulkner University Montgomery, AL | 150 | 3.33 | $40,400 | 67.5% | 65.9% |
| Widener University Commonwealth Law School Harrisburg, PA | 150 | 3.33 | $56,900 | 68.9% | 77.1% |
| Ohio Northern University Ada, OH | 149 | 3.34 | $33,900 | 56.4% | 83.7% |
| North Carolina Central University Durham, NC | 151 | 3.31 | $19,190 | 59.4% | 62% |
| Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL | 149 | 3.38 | $22,088 | 74.2% | 73% |
Frequently asked questions
What LSAT score do you need to get into Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law?
There is no cutoff, but the class that entered in fall 2025 had a median LSAT of 150, with the middle half scoring 148 to 152. The median undergraduate GPA was 3.33. The school accepted 33.1% of applicants.
What is the bar passage rate at Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law?
62.9% of Texas Southern University graduates taking a bar exam for the first time in 2025 passed, against a weighted state average of 82.6%. Within two years of graduating, 90.1% of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam had passed.
How much does Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law cost?
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are $21,038 a year for Texas residents and $28,167 for nonresidents. Most students pay less: 51% of full-time students received a grant, with a median award of $7,363.
Do Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law graduates get jobs?
Ten months after graduation, 54.3% of the class of 2025 had full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar passage, and 1.8% more had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. 18.9% were unemployed and seeking work.
Is Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law ABA-accredited?
Yes. Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall 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.