Western New England University School of Law
Springfield, Massachusetts · Private · ABA-approved since 1974 · Data updated November 2, 2026
Western New England University School of Law is a private law school in Springfield, Massachusetts, approved by the American Bar Association since 1974. It admitted a fall 2025 class with a median LSAT of 153, higher than 15% of ABA-approved schools, saw 68% of its first-time bar takers pass in 2025 and placed 56% of its 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs.
What stands out
- 56% of 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs, fewer than at 95% of schools.
- First-time bar passage 9.4 points below the average for the states where its graduates sat.
- A median LSAT of 153, lower than 80% of ABA-approved schools.
Admissions: LSAT, GPA and acceptance rate
For the class that entered in fall 2025, Western New England University received 871 completed applications and made 452 offers, an acceptance rate of 51.9%. 115 students enrolled in the first-year class (78 full-time, 37 part-time). The typical ABA school accepted 35.8%.
| Entering class, fall 2025 | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT | 149 | 153 | 156 |
| Undergraduate GPA | 2.84 | 3.27 | 3.57 |
A quarter of the class scored 149 or lower on the LSAT and a quarter scored 156 or higher. An applicant at or above the median, 153, 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 $53,020 a year. That is more than 57% of ABA schools charge. The school estimates living costs of $20,731 a year off campus.
| Annual cost, 2025-26 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition, full-time, resident | $50,320 |
| Fees, full-time, resident | $2,700 |
| Tuition, part-time, resident | $37,740 |
| Living costs, on campus | $20,731 |
| Living costs, off campus | $20,731 |
| Living costs, at home | $20,731 |
In 2024-25, 82% of full-time students received a grant or scholarship from the school. The median award was $30,000, and the middle half of awards ran from $23,000 to $35,000. Subtract the median award from the full-time tuition and fees above and a typical recipient pays about $23,020 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 | 24% |
| Half to full tuition | 45% |
| Full tuition | 12% |
| More than full tuition | 0% |
Three years, roughly. At 2025-26 prices, three years of full-time tuition and fees plus off-campus living costs come to about $221,253. With the median scholarship every year, about $131,253. Tuition usually rises each year, so treat this as a floor.
Bar passage
Of 75 graduates who took a bar exam for the first time in 2025, 51 passed: 68%. The average for the same exams, weighted by where its graduates sat, was 77.4%, so the school finished 9.4 points below that average.
| Where they sat, 2025 | Takers | Passed | School | State average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 other jurisdictions | 12 | 8 | 66.7% | 79.3% |
| Connecticut | 33 | 20 | 60.6% | 67.6% |
| Massachusetts | 30 | 23 | 76.7% | 85.4% |
The ABA also follows each class for two years. Of the 97 members of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam, 81 had passed one within two years: 83.5%.
Jobs after graduation
The ABA counts where each class is working ten months after graduation. Of 84 2025 graduates, 47 (56%) had full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage, and 4 more (4.8%) had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. At the typical ABA school, 83.4% were in lawyer jobs. 12 (14.3%) were unemployed and looking for work.
Law firm jobs by firm size
Shares are of all 84 graduates. Firms of more than 250 lawyers, the usual sense of “Big Law,” hired 1 (1.2%).
Where graduates work
Most employed graduates stayed in Massachusetts (28), followed by Connecticut (25) and New York (6).
Students who leave
In 2024-25, 6 first-year students left Western New England University: 2 for academic reasons (2%) and 4 for other reasons, such as transferring to another school (4%).
Transfers run both ways: 1 first-year students transferred out and 1 transferred in from other law schools.
Classes, clinics and faculty
Western New England University offered 91 upper-level course titles beyond the first-year curriculum in 2024-25. Of its upper-level class sections, 82% had fewer than 25 students and 0% had 75 or more.
| Hands-on learning, 2024-25 | Number |
|---|---|
| Law clinic seats available | 40 |
| Law clinic seats filled | 36 |
| Field placement (externship) positions filled | 66 |
| Simulation course seats filled | 209 |
| Co-curricular offerings (journals, moot court, etc.) | 9 |
The school reports 25 full-time faculty and 49 more who teach part-time or in other roles. With 324 J.D. students, that is about 13 students per full-time faculty member.
How Western New England University compares in Massachusetts
Massachusetts has 8 ABA-approved law schools. Among them, Western New England University ranks 6th in median LSAT, 7th in first-time bar passage, 7th in share of graduates in lawyer jobs and 2nd-lowest tuition.
| School | Median LSAT | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard University | 174 | $82,352 | 97.9% | 93.2% |
| Boston University | 170 | $71,382 | 94.9% | 92.1% |
| Boston College | 168 | $72,755 | 96.2% | 92.5% |
| Northeastern University | 164 | $65,850 | 90.5% | 82.2% |
| Suffolk University | 155 | $64,046 | 80.8% | 76.3% |
| New England Law | Boston | 153 | $63,216 | 73.9% | 51.4% |
| Western New England University | 153 | $53,020 | 68% | 56% |
| University of Massachusetts Dartmouth | 152 | $33,456 | 62.6% | 68.4% |
More on each, and on the Massachusetts bar exam: law schools in Massachusetts.
Schools with similar admissions numbers
These five schools admitted fall 2025 classes with the median LSAT and GPA closest to Western New England 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western New England University | 153 | 3.27 | $53,020 | 68% | 56% |
| Mitchell Hamline School of Law St. Paul, MN | 154 | 3.29 | $56,300 | 72% | 60.1% |
| Vermont Law School South Royalton, VT | 152 | 3.25 | $56,457 | 67.9% | 69.2% |
| University of the District of Columbia Washington, DC | 151 | 3.28 | $13,438 | 57.9% | 52.5% |
| Widener University Delaware Law School Wilmington, DE | 152 | 3.33 | $59,150 | 75.9% | 83% |
| North Carolina Central University Durham, NC | 151 | 3.31 | $19,190 | 59.4% | 62% |
Frequently asked questions
What LSAT score do you need to get into Western New England University School of Law?
There is no cutoff, but the class that entered in fall 2025 had a median LSAT of 153, with the middle half scoring 149 to 156. The median undergraduate GPA was 3.27. The school accepted 51.9% of applicants.
What is the bar passage rate at Western New England University School of Law?
68% of Western New England University graduates taking a bar exam for the first time in 2025 passed, against a weighted state average of 77.4%. Within two years of graduating, 83.5% of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam had passed.
How much does Western New England University School of Law cost?
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are $53,020 a year. Most students pay less: 82% of full-time students received a grant, with a median award of $30,000.
Do Western New England University School of Law graduates get jobs?
Ten months after graduation, 56% of the class of 2025 had full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar passage, and 4.8% more had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. 14.3% were unemployed and seeking work.
Is Western New England University School of Law ABA-accredited?
Yes. Western New England University School of Law has been approved by the American Bar Association since 1974, so its graduates can sit for the bar exam in every state.