The Gould School of Law at University of Southern California

Law School Admissions

Application

Director of admissions Chloe Reid
Application deadline February 1
Full-time program application fee $75
Part-time program application fee N/A
Besides the fall semester, can enter in N/A

The Gould School of Law at University of Southern California

Admissions & Enrollment (Overall)

Acceptance rate 25.3% – Low
Median undergraduate GPA for all program entrants 3.69
Median LSAT score for all program entrants 167

Admissions & Enrollment (Full-time)

Acceptance rate 25.3%
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) 165-167
Undergraduate GPA (25th-75th percentile) 3.54-3.77
Median undergraduate GPA for full-time program entrants 3.69
Median LSAT score for full-time program entrants 167

Admissions & Enrollment (Part-time)

Acceptance rate N/A
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) N/A
Undergraduate GPA (25th-75th percentile) N/A
Median undergraduate GPA for part-time program entrants N/A
Median LSAT score for part-time program entrants N/A

Law School Academics

Academic Program Details

Academic calendar Semester
Joint degrees offered
J.D./M.A. Economics J.D./M.R.E.D.
J.D./M.A. International Relations J.D./M.A. Philosophy
J.D./M.P.A. J.D./M.S. Gerontology
J.D./M.S.W. J.D./M.P.P.
J.D./M.B.A. JD/PhD Politics & International Relation
J.D./M.B.T. J.D./Pharm.D.
J.D./M.A. Communications Management J.D./M.A Political Science
Special programs offered to J.D. students (as provided by the school)
Clinics: IP; immigration; small business; human rights; post-conviction. Research centers: economics; philosophy; politics; humanities; health. Intern/extern program w/entertainment, public interest & others. Joint degree programs w/USC schools, Caltech, London School of Econ. Certificate programs in business or entertainment w/USC’s business & cinema schools. Study in Europe, Australia, Asia.
Programs/courses offered in
appellate advocacy intellectual property law
clinical training international law
dispute resolution tax law
environmental law trial advocacy
health care law

Curricular Offerings (Overall)

Classroom course titles, beyond the first-year curriculum, offered last year 113
Seminars 31
Positions available in seminars 515
Positions available in simulation courses 504
Positions available in faculty-supervised clinical courses 88
Student activities (as provided by the school)
3 student-run journals (Southern California Law Review; Interdisciplinary Law Review; Review of Law and Social Justice). Public Interest Law Foundation among the nation’s largest and most active public interest student groups, offering 25 summer public interest grants annually. Hale Moot Court Honors Program as well as nationally competitive teams. Over 30 diverse student organizations.

Curricular Offerings (Full-time)

Typical first-year full-time section size taught by full-time faculty (excludes small sections) 70
Is there typically a full-time “small section” of the first-year class taught by full-time faculty (excluding Legal Writing)? Yes
Typical size of first-year “small section” 35
Positions filled in full-time program seminars 265
Positions filled in full-time program simulation courses 403
Positions filled in faculty-supervised full-time program clinical courses 87
Full-time students involved in field placements 132
Full-time students involved in law journals 164
Full-time students involved in advanced moot court or trial competitions 55
Full-time students enrolled in independent study 109

Curricular Offerings (Part-time)

Typical first-year part-time section size taught by full-time faculty (excludes small sections) 0
Is there typically a part-time “small section” of the first-year class taught by full-time faculty (excluding Legal Writing)? N/A
Positions filled in part-time program seminars 0
Positions filled in part-time program simulation courses 0
Positions filled in faculty-supervised part-time program clinical courses 0
Part-time students involved in field placements 0
Part-time students involved in law journals 0
Part-time students involved in advanced moot court or trial competitions 0
Part-time students enrolled in independent study 0

Faculty Profile (Fall 2011)

Student-faculty ratio 12.5:1 – Medium
Full- and part-time faculty 101
Full-time minority faculty 35.6%
Part-time minority faculty 32.1%
Total faculty 119
Total faculty (men) 57.1%
Total faculty (women) 42.9%
Total faculty (minorities) 31.9%

Class Size

Law School Ranking

#18 Best Law Schools

(2) Ranking by Specialties

#18 in Law Firms Rank Schools
#12 in Tax Law

Law Ranking Scores

Score 75
Peer assessment score (out of 5) 3.7
Assessment score by lawyers/judges (out of 5) 3.9
GPA (25th-75th percentile) 3.54-3.77
Median undergraduate GPA for all program entrants 3.69
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) 165-167
Median LSAT score for all program entrants 167
Acceptance rate 25.3% – Low
Student-faculty ratio 12.5:1 – Medium
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 82.1% – High
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 91.3% – High
Bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 89.3% – Medium
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar CA
Statewide bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 64.8%

Law School Student Body

Student Body (Overall)

Total Enrolled 648

Student Body (Full-time)

Enrollment (full-time) 648

Student Body (Part-time)

Enrollment (part-time) N/A
Gender distribution (part-time) N/A

Attrition Rates for Full- and Part-time Students (2010-2011)

First-year students discontinuing law school N/A
Second-year students discontinuing law school 1.8%
Third-year students discontinuing law school N/A
Fourth-year students discontinuing law school N/A
Male students discontinuing law school 0.9%
Female students discontinuing law school 0.3%

Law School Cost

Financial Aid Contact Information

Financial aid director Mary Bingham
Financial aid phone (213) 740-6314
Financial aid application deadline March 1

Expenses

Tuition and fees
Full-time: $50,591 per year
Room and board $15,800
Books $1,990
Miscellaneous expenses $4,203
Is the tuition the same for first-, second-, and third-year students? Yes
Does the university offer housing restricted to law students? Yes
Does the university offer graduate student housing for which law students are eligible? Yes
Does the university offer a public-interest scholarship program to current J.D. students? No

Grants (Full-time students)

Students receiving grants of less than one-half tuition 48.8%
Students receiving grants of one-half tuition or more but less than full 6.5%
Students receiving grants of full tuition 0.9%
Students receiving grants of more than full tuition 0.6%
Median grant amount $15,000
Grant range (25th–75th percentile) $10,000–$20,000
Full-time students receiving grants 56.8%

Grants (Part-time students)

Students receiving grants of less than one-half tuition N/A
Students receiving grants of one-half tuition or more but less than full N/A
Students receiving grants of full tuition N/A
Students receiving grants of more than full tuition N/A
Median grant amount $0
Grant range (25th–75th percentile) $0–$0
Part-time students receiving grants N/A

Indebtedness

Average indebtedness of 2011 graduates who incurred law school debt $130,011
Proportion who borrowed 83.1%
Does the school offer a loan repayment assistance program for 2011 J.D. graduates? Yes

Law School Library

Library Information Resources

Print titles (excluding nonbook titles) 86,698
Microform titles 92,809
Electronic titles 35,670
Other non-book titles 886
Total titles 216,063
Volumes (excluding microforms) 340,641
Volume equivalent microforms 118,417
Total volumes and volume equivalents 459,058
Number of volumes in the collection that are stored off site and are systematically retrievable 0
Library’s online catalog or website includes links to electronic titles or databases made available by another campus library or consortia Yes

Library Schedule of Operation

Number of hours per week library is open on a regular schedule 100
Number of hours per week professional staff are on duty on a regular schedule 50
Number of hours per week only full-time support staff are on duty on a regular schedule 17
Number of hours per week only students or other part-time staff are on duty on a regular schedule 33
Number of hours of reference service provided per week on a regular schedule 59
Number of weeks per year library operates on an abbreviated schedule 16
Number of hours per week library is open on an abbreviated schedule 50
Number of hours per week professional staff are on duty are on an abbreviated schedule 45
Number of hours per week only full-time support staff are on duty on an abbreviated schedule 5
Number of hours per week only students or other part-time staff are on duty on an abbreviated schedule 0
Number of hours of reference service provided per week on an abbreviated schedule 35
Number of weeks per year library operates on expanded schedule 4

Information Technology

Department(s) responsible for the law school information technology operations law school library
Approximate number of full-time-equivalent information technology staff (excluding hourly students and other temporary staff) 8
Number of open, wired network connections available to students in the law library (excluding computer labs) 30
Number of open, wired network connections available to students in classrooms 12
Number of open, wired network connections available to students in computer labs 0
Number of open, wired network connections available to students elsewhere in the law school 0
Does the law school have a wireless network? Yes
Wireless network is available in the law library, in classrooms, in computer labs, in administrative/faculty offices and work areas, elsewhere in the law school
Does the school require entering students to own a computer? No

Physical Library Facilities

Net square feet of space assigned for library purposes 42,000
Total seats available for library users 230
Details about the library and other facilities (as provided by the school) The Law Library is known for providing the highest quality of service to USC law faculty and students to support their academic and research efforts. The Law library’s ample study space includes spacious reading rooms and technology-enabled study rooms. For a complete description of the law library and its services, visit http://lawweb.usc.edu/library/

Law School Careers

Bar Statistics (Winter and Summer 2010 administrations)

State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar CA
Bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 89.3% – Medium
Statewide bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 64.8%

Class of 2010 Graduates

Total graduates 195
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 82.1%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 91.3%

Class of 2010 Graduates-Class Breakdown at Graduation

Graduates whose employment status is unknown 1.0%
Graduates whose employment status is known 99.0%
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 82.1%
Graduates known to be enrolled in a full-time degree program 3.1%
Graduates known to be unemployed and seeking work 12.8%
Graduates known to be unemployed and not seeking work 1.0%

Class of 2010 Graduates-Class Breakdown at Nine Months

Graduates whose employment status is unknown 1.0%
Graduates whose employment status is known 99.0%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 91.3%
Graduates known to be enrolled in a full-time degree program 3.1%
Graduates known to be unemployed and seeking work 1.5%
Graduates known to be unemployed and not seeking work 3.1%

Starting Salaries of Graduates Employed Full-time (Class of 2010)

25th percentile private sector starting salary $135,000
Median private sector starting salary $160,000
75th percentile private sector starting salary $160,000
Percent in the private sector who reported salary information 73%
Median public service starting salary $60,000

Areas of Legal Practice (Class of 2010)

Percent employed in academia 3.9%
Percent employed in business and industry 10.7%
Percent employed in government 12.4%
Percent employed in all judicial clerkships 5.6%
Percent employed in law firms 61.8%
Percent employed in public interest 5.6%
Percent employed in an unknown field 0.0%

Employment Location (Class of 2010)

Graduates employed in-state 86%
Graduates employed out-of-state 13.0%
Graduates employed in foreign countries 1%
Number of states where graduates are employed 13
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) 1.1%
Middle Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA) 4.5%
East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) 0.6%
West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) 0.0%
South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) 3.4%
East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) 0.6%
West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) 1.7%
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) 86.0%
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY) 1.1%
Employment location unknown 0.5%

Career Services

(Data appear as originally submitted by this school)

Career services operations First-year students meet individually with career counselors to map personalized job search strategy. Counselors are attorneys with deep understanding of legal job market; one staff member focuses on clerkship assistance. Services include workshops, simulated interviews, mock alumni interviews, career guidance, resume help. Extensive national alumni network offers broad networking opportunities.

Job Type

Bar admission required/anticipated (e.g., attorney and corporate counsel positions, law clerks, judicial clerks) 78.1%
Bar admission required/anticipated – percent employed in full-time positions N/A
J.D. preferred, law degree enhances position (e.g., corporate contracts administrator, alternative dispute resolution specialist, government regulatory analyst, FBI special agent) 20.2%
J.D. preferred – percent employed in full-time positions N/A
Professional other (jobs that require professional skills or training but for which a J.D. is neither preferred nor particularly applicable; e.g., accountant, teacher, business manager, nurse) 1.7%
Professional other – percent employed in full-time positions N/A
Non-professional other (job that does not require any professional skills or training or is taken on a temporary basis and not viewed as part of a career path) 0.0%
Non-professional other – percent employed in full-time positions N/A