University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
Detroit, Michigan · Private · ABA-approved since 1933 · Data updated November 2, 2026
University of Detroit Mercy School of Law is a private law school in Detroit, Michigan, approved by the American Bar Association since 1933. It admitted a fall 2025 class with a median LSAT of 156, higher than 33% of ABA-approved schools, saw 71.5% of its first-time bar takers pass in 2025 and placed 88.4% of its 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs.
Admissions: LSAT, GPA and acceptance rate
For the class that entered in fall 2025, the University of Detroit Mercy received 1,478 completed applications and made 612 offers, an acceptance rate of 41.4%. 247 students enrolled in the first-year class (239 full-time, 8 part-time). The typical ABA school accepted 35.8%.
| Entering class, fall 2025 | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT | 154 | 156 | 159 |
| Undergraduate GPA | 3.16 | 3.52 | 3.73 |
A quarter of the class scored 154 or lower on the LSAT and a quarter scored 159 or higher. An applicant at or above the median, 156, 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
The University of Detroit Mercy charges tuition by the credit hour: $1,616 a credit, plus $327 in annual fees. The degree takes 90 credits, so a full-time year of about 30 credits comes to roughly $48,807. That is more than 52% of ABA schools charge. The school estimates living costs of $23,983 a year off campus.
| Annual cost, 2025-26 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition per credit hour, full-time, resident | $1,616 |
| Annual fees, resident | $327 |
| Living costs, off campus | $23,983 |
In 2024-25, 58% of full-time students received a grant or scholarship from the school. The median award was $18,636, and the middle half of awards ran from $10,504 to $32,614. Subtract the median award from the full-time tuition and fees above and a typical recipient pays about $30,171 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 | 28% |
| Half to full tuition | 29% |
| Full tuition | 0% |
| More than full tuition | 1% |
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 $218,370. With the median scholarship every year, about $162,462. Tuition usually rises each year, so treat this as a floor.
Bar passage
Of 144 graduates who took a bar exam for the first time in 2025, 103 passed: 71.5%. The average for the same exams, weighted by where its graduates sat, was 71.9%, so the school finished within a few points of that average (-0.4 pts).
| Where they sat, 2025 | Takers | Passed | School | State average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 other jurisdictions | 8 | 6 | 75% | 81.9% |
| Michigan | 136 | 97 | 71.3% | 71.3% |
The ABA also follows each class for two years. Of the 121 members of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam, 93 had passed one within two years: 76.9%.
Jobs after graduation
The ABA counts where each class is working ten months after graduation. Of 190 2025 graduates, 168 (88.4%) had full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage, and 5 more (2.6%) had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. At the typical ABA school, 83.4% were in lawyer jobs. 11 (5.8%) were unemployed and looking for work.
Law firm jobs by firm size
Shares are of all 190 graduates. Firms of more than 250 lawyers, the usual sense of “Big Law,” hired 14 (7.4%).
Where graduates work
Most employed graduates stayed in Michigan (113), followed by Arizona (2) and New York (2).
Students who leave
In 2024-25, 5 first-year students left the University of Detroit Mercy: 0 for academic reasons (0%) and 5 for other reasons, such as transferring to another school (2%).
Transfers run both ways: 11 first-year students transferred out and 1 transferred in from other law schools.
Classes, clinics and faculty
The University of Detroit Mercy offered 108 upper-level course titles beyond the first-year curriculum in 2024-25. Of its upper-level class sections, 65% had fewer than 25 students and 1% had 75 or more.
| Hands-on learning, 2024-25 | Number |
|---|---|
| Law clinic seats available | 297 |
| Law clinic seats filled | 235 |
| Field placement (externship) positions filled | 119 |
| Simulation course seats filled | 448 |
| Co-curricular offerings (journals, moot court, etc.) | 15 |
The school reports 29 full-time faculty and 73 more who teach part-time or in other roles. With 664 J.D. students, that is about 23 students per full-time faculty member.
How the University of Detroit Mercy compares in Michigan
Michigan has 5 ABA-approved law schools. Among them, the University of Detroit Mercy ranks 4th in median LSAT, 4th in first-time bar passage, 2nd in share of graduates in lawyer jobs and 4th-lowest tuition.
| School | Median LSAT | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Michigan | 171 | $76,680 | 94.2% | 95.9% |
| Wayne State University | 164 | $42,594 | 73.8% | 84.7% |
| Michigan State University | 162 | $43,868 | 77.3% | 81.2% |
| University of Detroit Mercy | 156 | $48,807 | 71.5% | 88.4% |
| Cooley Law School | 147 | $48,040 | 51.5% | 58.7% |
More on each, and on the Michigan bar exam: law schools in Michigan.
Schools with similar admissions numbers
These five schools admitted fall 2025 classes with the median LSAT and GPA closest to the University of Detroit Mercy'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Detroit Mercy | 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% |
| Campbell University Raleigh, NC | 156 | 3.51 | $52,770 | 93.5% | 86.7% |
| Nova Southeastern University Davie, FL | 155 | 3.52 | $50,710 | 74.5% | 69.5% |
| University of Wyoming Laramie, WY | 156 | 3.55 | $19,244 | 83% | 85.9% |
| University of Memphis Memphis, TN | 155 | 3.53 | $21,228 | 72.6% | 79.8% |
Frequently asked questions
What LSAT score do you need to get into University of Detroit Mercy School of Law?
There is no cutoff, but the class that entered in fall 2025 had a median LSAT of 156, with the middle half scoring 154 to 159. The median undergraduate GPA was 3.52. The school accepted 41.4% of applicants.
What is the bar passage rate at University of Detroit Mercy School of Law?
71.5% of University of Detroit Mercy graduates taking a bar exam for the first time in 2025 passed, against a weighted state average of 71.9%. Within two years of graduating, 76.9% of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam had passed.
How much does University of Detroit Mercy School of Law cost?
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are about $48,807 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: 58% of full-time students received a grant, with a median award of $18,636.
Do University of Detroit Mercy School of Law graduates get jobs?
Ten months after graduation, 88.4% of the class of 2025 had full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar passage, and 2.6% more had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. 5.8% were unemployed and seeking work.
Is University of Detroit Mercy School of Law ABA-accredited?
Yes. University of Detroit Mercy 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.