University of San Diego

5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA 92110-2492
(619) 260-4528

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National Comparison: Overview of Facts

#3 in Public Sector Salary

USD Law is tied for #3 in terms of median starting salary among graduates working in government jobs or judicial clerkships at the federal or state level ($72,000).

#37 in Highest Tuition (out-of-state)

#138 in Highest Tuition (in-state)
USD Law ranks #37 in terms of highest tuition among full-time law students for its out-of state tuition of $54,641, and it ranks #138 in terms of highest tuition among full-time law students for its in-state tuition of $40,461. We rank from a total of 283 tuition rates from 194 law schools, ranking twice those law schools that have different in-state and out-of-state tuition rates. Room and board expenses average $14,694 per year.

#51 in Acceptance Rate

USD Law ranks #51 in terms of student selectivity with an acceptance rate of 35.4% among those who applied for admission.

#52 in Presence of Minority Students

USD Law ranks #52 in terms of the highest percentage of students who are racial or ethnic minority (41.5%).

#53 in Private Sector Salary

USD Law is tied for #53 in terms of the median starting salary among graduates working in private practice as law firm associates ($85,000).

#58 in Median LSAT

USD Law is tied for #58 in terms of the median LSAT score (159) among those applicants granted admission who enrolled as full-time students. The LSAT measures reading comprehension, analytical reasoning, and logical reasoning.

#60 in Library Size

USD Law ranks #60 in terms of library size with 550,092 volumes or equivalents.

#68 in Median Undergraduate GPA

USD Law ranks #68 in terms of highest median undergraduate GPA (3.53) among those applicants granted admission who enrolled as full-time students.

#121 in Bar Passage Rate

USD Law ranks #121 in terms of bar passage rate among first-time test takers (76.1%), and it outperforms by +17.8% the state of California’s overall bar passage rate of 58.3%. (A national comparison on this metric should be taken in a qualified sense and with caution, because every state has a different bar passage rate.)

#124 in Employment Rate at Graduation

#149 in Employment Rate at 10 Months
USD Law ranks #124 in terms of graduates employed at the time of graduation (37.3%) and #149 in terms of graduates employed ten months after graduation (67.6%).

#126 in Student to Faculty Ratio

USD Law is tied for #126 in terms of lowest student to faculty ratio (7.8:1).

#169 in Presence of Minority Faculty

USD Law ranks #169 in terms of the highest percentage of faculty who are racial or ethnic minority (8.1%).

#181 in Presence of Female Faculty

USD Law is tied for #181 in terms of the highest percentage of faculty who are female (29.5%).

Fall 2020 Application Information

Application Deadline: N/A
Application Fee: $0

Admissions Statistics

2020 2017
Acceptance Rate 35.4% 40.5%
LSAT Score (Median) 159 159
LSAT Score (25th-75th percentile) 156-161 156-161
GPA (Median) 3.53 3.41
GPA Range (25th-75th percentile) 3.23-3.69 3.19-3.63

Bar Exam Statistics

2020 2017
State in which most graduates took bar exam: CA CA
School's bar passage rate: 76.1% 73.3%
State overall bar passage rate: 58.3% 60.2%
School bar pass rate vs. state bar pass rate: +17.8% +13.1%

Employment Statistics

2020 2017
Graduates employed at graduation: 37.3% 38.4%
Graduates employed 10 months after graduation: 67.6% 58.6%

Tuition and Expenses

2020 2017
Tuition (In-State): $40,461 N/A
Tuition (Out-of-State): $54,641 N/A
Room and Board: $14,694 $12,885
Proportion of full-time students receiving grants: 79.7% 63.4%
Median grant amount among full-time students: $28,000 $22,000
Average indebtedness of those who incurred debt: $119,264 $135,433
Proportion of graduates who incurred debt: 81.1% 81.4%
View National Comparison

Students & Faculty

2020 2017
Total Students: 687 634
Men: 44.5% 48.9%
Women: 55.5% 51.1%
Student Racial Demographics:

White: 58.5% N/A
Black: 4.1% N/A
Hispanic: 14.7% N/A
Asian: 10.2% N/A
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 7.8 : 1 N/A
Total Faculty: 149 N/A
Male: 70.5% N/A
Female: 29.5% N/A
Minority: 8.1% N/A

Full-Time Starting Salaries

2020 2017
Private Sector (Median): $85,000 $85,000
Public Sector (Median): $72,000 $57,000
View National Comparison

Library Resources

2020 2017
Volumes and equivalents: 550,092 537,494