The School of Law at Seattle University

Law School Admissions

Application

Director of admissions Carol Cochran
Application deadline N/A
Full-time program application fee $60
Part-time program application fee $60
Besides the fall semester, can enter in summer

The School of Law at Seattle University

Admissions & Enrollment (Overall)

Acceptance rate 46.3% – Medium
Median undergraduate GPA for all program entrants 3.32
Median LSAT score for all program entrants 157

Admissions & Enrollment (Full-time)

Acceptance rate 46.6%
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) 155-160
Undergraduate GPA (25th-75th percentile) 3.12-3.52
Median undergraduate GPA for full-time program entrants 3.33
Median LSAT score for full-time program entrants 157

Admissions & Enrollment (Part-time)

Acceptance rate 43.8%
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) 153-158
Undergraduate GPA (25th-75th percentile) 2.9-3.44
Median undergraduate GPA for part-time program entrants 3.22
Median LSAT score for part-time program entrants 156

Law School Academics

Academic Program Details

Academic calendar Semester
Joint degrees offered
J.D./M.B.A. J.D./M.P.A.
J.D./M.I.B. J.D./M.S.A.L.
J.D./M.S.F. J.D./MACJ (Masters in Criminal Justice)
J.D./M.Acc. J.D./M.A.T.L.
Special programs offered to J.D. students (as provided by the school)
Clinics: Administrative; Community Development; Dom. Violence; Immigration; Human Rts.; Mediation; Mental Health; Predatory Lending; Trusts and Estates; Youth Advocacy; Civil Rights Amicus. Externships: numerous.
Centers/Institutes: Academic Resource; Access to Justice; Corporations; Law and Equality; Global Justice; Indian Law and Policy.
Summer Study Abroad: Guatemala, South Africa.
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 178
Seminars 58
Positions available in seminars 1,150
Positions available in simulation courses 616
Positions available in faculty-supervised clinical courses 104
Student activities (as provided by the school)
Journals (Law Review, Social Justice, Environmental, Indian Law);Affinity/identity groups: Asian-Pacific Islander, Black, Christian, Korean, Latina/o, Middle Eastern, Native American, OUTLAWS, South Asian; Thomas More; Moot Court; Dispute Resolution; American Constitution Society; IP Law; Jewish Legal Society; Public Interest Law Foundation; Women’s Law Caucus; Env’l Law Society; Human Rights

Curricular Offerings (Full-time)

Typical first-year full-time section size taught by full-time faculty (excludes small sections) 85
Is there typically a full-time “small section” of the first-year class taught by full-time faculty (excluding Legal Writing)? No
Typical size of first-year “small section” N/A
Positions filled in full-time program seminars 686
Positions filled in full-time program simulation courses 383
Positions filled in faculty-supervised full-time program clinical courses 91
Full-time students involved in field placements 168
Full-time students involved in law journals 120
Full-time students involved in advanced moot court or trial competitions 34
Full-time students enrolled in independent study 21

Curricular Offerings (Part-time)

Typical first-year part-time section size taught by full-time faculty (excludes small sections) 56
Is there typically a part-time “small section” of the first-year class taught by full-time faculty (excluding Legal Writing)? No
Positions filled in part-time program seminars 66
Positions filled in part-time program simulation courses 77
Positions filled in faculty-supervised part-time program clinical courses 12
Part-time students involved in field placements 9
Part-time students involved in law journals 11
Part-time students involved in advanced moot court or trial competitions 0
Part-time students enrolled in independent study 5

Faculty Profile (Fall 2011)

Student-faculty ratio 12.3:1 – Medium
Full- and part-time faculty 110
Full-time minority faculty 27.9%
Part-time minority faculty 4.1%
Total faculty 117
Total faculty (men) 61.5%
Total faculty (women) 38.5%
Total faculty (minorities) 18.8%

Class Size

Law School Ranking

#82 Best Law Schools

(4) Ranking by Specialties

#18 in Clinical Training
#81 in Law Firms Rank Schools
#1 in Legal Writing
#13 in Part-time Law

Law Ranking Scores

Score 45
Peer assessment score (out of 5) 2.5
Assessment score by lawyers/judges (out of 5) 3.1
GPA (25th-75th percentile) 3.1-3.52
Median undergraduate GPA for all program entrants 3.32
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) 154-159
Median LSAT score for all program entrants 157
Acceptance rate 46.3% – Medium
Student-faculty ratio 12.3:1 – Medium
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 48.3% – Medium
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 88.2% – Medium
Bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 77.7% – Low
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar WA
Statewide bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 70.3%

Law School Student Body

Student Body (Overall)

Total Enrolled 1002

Student Body (Full-time)

Enrollment (full-time) 806

Student Body (Part-time)

Enrollment (part-time) 196

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

First-year students discontinuing law school 10.3%
Second-year students discontinuing law school 1.9%
Third-year students discontinuing law school 0.9%
Fourth-year students discontinuing law school N/A
Male students discontinuing law school 4.8%
Female students discontinuing law school 3.5%

Law School Cost

Financial Aid Contact Information

Financial aid director Kathleen Koch
Financial aid phone (206) 398-4250
Financial aid application deadline N/A

Expenses

Tuition and fees
Full-time: $39,282 per year
Part-time: $32,725 per year
Room and board $11,556
Books $1,258
Miscellaneous expenses $5,183
Is the tuition the same for first-, second-, and third-year students? Yes
Does the university offer housing restricted to law students? No
Does the university offer graduate student housing for which law students are eligible? No
Does the university offer a public-interest scholarship program to current J.D. students? Yes

Grants (Full-time students)

Students receiving grants of less than one-half tuition 54.7%
Students receiving grants of one-half tuition or more but less than full 1.6%
Students receiving grants of full tuition 1.2%
Students receiving grants of more than full tuition 0.0%
Median grant amount $10,000
Grant range (25th–75th percentile) $6,000–$13,000
Full-time students receiving grants 57.6%

Grants (Part-time students)

Students receiving grants of less than one-half tuition 26.5%
Students receiving grants of one-half tuition or more but less than full 2.0%
Students receiving grants of full tuition 0.0%
Students receiving grants of more than full tuition 0.0%
Median grant amount $9,500
Grant range (25th–75th percentile) $7,000–$12,500
Part-time students receiving grants 28.6%

Indebtedness

Average indebtedness of 2011 graduates who incurred law school debt $109,079
Proportion who borrowed 87.3%
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) 54,608
Microform titles 104,428
Electronic titles 21,810
Other non-book titles 2,814
Total titles 183,660
Volumes (excluding microforms) 169,848
Volume equivalent microforms 224,303
Total volumes and volume equivalents 394,151
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 119
Number of hours per week professional staff are on duty on a regular schedule 64
Number of hours per week only full-time support staff are on duty on a regular schedule 37
Number of hours per week only students or other part-time staff are on duty on a regular schedule 10
Number of hours of reference service provided per week on a regular schedule 61
Number of weeks per year library operates on an abbreviated schedule 6
Number of hours per week library is open on an abbreviated schedule 58
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 10
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 43
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 information technology department, law school library, university information technology department
Approximate number of full-time-equivalent information technology staff (excluding hourly students and other temporary staff) 10
Number of open, wired network connections available to students in the law library (excluding computer labs) 367
Number of open, wired network connections available to students in classrooms 945
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 1,188
Does the law school have a wireless network? Yes
Wireless network is available in the law library, in classrooms, in administrative/faculty offices and work areas, elsewhere in the law school
Does the school require entering students to own a computer? Yes

Physical Library Facilities

Net square feet of space assigned for library purposes 30,169
Total seats available for library users 429
Details about the library and other facilities (as provided by the school) Sullivan Hall is an award-winning facility that is filled with natural light and offers numerous open spaces. The building houses numerous classrooms (all with up-to-date technology) and the Library. The Law School Annex, opened in 2010, houses the Law Clinic, the Student Journals, four classrooms, and a space for public receptions.

Law School Careers

Bar Statistics (Winter and Summer 2010 administrations)

State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar WA
Bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 77.7% – Low
Statewide bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 70.3%

Class of 2010 Graduates

Total graduates 321
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 48.3%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 88.2%

Class of 2010 Graduates-Class Breakdown at Graduation

Graduates whose employment status is unknown 0.0%
Graduates whose employment status is known 100.0%
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 48.3%
Graduates known to be enrolled in a full-time degree program 2.8%
Graduates known to be unemployed and seeking work 48.0%
Graduates known to be unemployed and not seeking work 0.9%

Class of 2010 Graduates-Class Breakdown at Nine Months

Graduates whose employment status is unknown 0.0%
Graduates whose employment status is known 100.0%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 88.2%
Graduates known to be enrolled in a full-time degree program 2.8%
Graduates known to be unemployed and seeking work 4.0%
Graduates known to be unemployed and not seeking work 5.0%

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

25th percentile private sector starting salary $64,500
Median private sector starting salary $75,000
75th percentile private sector starting salary $85,000
Percent in the private sector who reported salary information 21%
Median public service starting salary $54,000

Areas of Legal Practice (Class of 2010)

Percent employed in academia 3.2%
Percent employed in business and industry 20.8%
Percent employed in government 11.0%
Percent employed in all judicial clerkships 5.3%
Percent employed in law firms 50.9%
Percent employed in public interest 8.8%
Percent employed in an unknown field 0.0%

Employment Location (Class of 2010)

Graduates employed in-state 87%
Graduates employed out-of-state 11.3%
Graduates employed in foreign countries 2%
Number of states where graduates are employed 17
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) 0.0%
Middle Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA) 0.4%
East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) 0.0%
West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) 0.7%
South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) 2.8%
East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) 0.0%
West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) 0.7%
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) 90.1%
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY) 3.5%
Employment location unknown 0.0%

Career Services

(Data appear as originally submitted by this school)

Career services operations The Center for Professional Development is staffed by four professionals with diverse legal backgrounds, and offers individual counseling to help students identify curricular and career options, assistance with resume and cover-letter writing and interviewing techniques, and programs, career panels, and job fairs to help students understand how the job search and career development processes work.

Job Type

Bar admission required/anticipated (e.g., attorney and corporate counsel positions, law clerks, judicial clerks) 64.0%
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) 16.0%
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) 16.0%
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) 4.0%
Non-professional other – percent employed in full-time positions N/A