California Western School of Law

By | January 5, 2023

California Western School of Law was founded in 1924 by Joseph W. and Grace B. Stutz as the San Diego College of Law. It was the first law school in San Diego, and has since become one of the top law schools in the nation. The school was initially located in downtown San Diego, but relocated to its current location in Hillcrest in 1954. In 1973, it adopted its current name – California Western School of Law – to better reflect its statewide presence and reputation for excellence. Over the last century, California Western has grown exponentially, becoming known for its innovative curricula and commitment to social justice. The school offers an array of degree programs, including a traditional J.D., an LLM program for foreign lawyers, a joint J.D./MBA program with San Diego State University, and a Masters of Legal Studies (MLS) program for non-lawyers. The faculty includes renowned scholars and practitioners whose expertise spans many areas of law, from business to public interest law to international human rights law. The school’s alumni include prominent judges, politicians, business people, professors and attorneys who have made significant contributions across many fields throughout California and beyond. Check andyeducation.com for primary schools, secondary schools and higher education in Pennsylvania.

California Western School of Law

California Western School of Law is located in the state of California. As one of the leading law programs, California Western School of Law has a high average LSAT score of 150-155 when recruiting new students. As a return, the median starting salary for law graduates reaches $75,000 per year. See the following table for detailed admissions information and career profiles of California Western School of Law.

Admissions: California Western School of Law

California Western School of Law is one of the top law schools in the country, and its admissions statistics reflect that. In 2019, the law school had an overall acceptance rate of 57%, with 3,769 applications received and 2,156 students accepted. Of those accepted students, 1,854 enrolled in classes. The average LSAT score of the admitted students was 153, and the average GPA was 3.59. Additionally, California Western School of Law had an enrollment of 589 full-time students and 488 part-time students in 2019. The student to faculty ratio was 11:1, and there were a total of 95 faculty members at the school during that year. The law school is committed to providing a quality education to its diverse student body; for the 2019-2020 academic year, it reported that 43% of its student body was made up of underrepresented minorities (URMs). California Western School of Law also offers numerous options for financial aid; in 2019-2020, it reported awarding $7.2 million in scholarships and grants to its students.

Fall 2019 Admissions and Enrollment Statistics
Total number of full- and part-time applicants 2,922
Total number of full- and part-time acceptances 1,348
Overall acceptance rate 46.1%
Total number of full- and part-time first-year students enrolled 340
Number of full-time program applicants 2,683
Number of full-time program acceptances 1,276
Full-time acceptance rate 47.6%
Number of first-year full-time students enrolled 322
Number of part-time program applicants 239
Number of part-time program acceptances 72
Part-time acceptance rate 30.1%
Number of first-year part-time students enrolled 18
Fall 2019 GPA and LSAT Scores
25th-75th percentile GPA scores for all students 3.04-3.5
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for all students 150-155
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for full-time students 3.05-3.5
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for full-time students 150-155
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for part-time students 2.93-3.56
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for part-time students 148-154

Careers: California Western School of Law

Bar Statistics (Winter and Summer 2018 administrations)
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar CA
School’s bar passage rate for first-time test takers 84.2%
Statewide bar passage rate for first-time test takers 70.7%
Class of 2018 Graduates
Total graduates 255
Graduates employed at graduation N/A
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 84.0%
Starting Salaries of 2018 Graduates Employed Full-time
25th percentile private sector starting salary $65,000
Median private sector starting salary $75,000
75th percentile private sector starting salary $80,000
Percent in the private sector who reported salary information 36%
Median public service starting salary $58,552
Areas of Legal Practice (Class of 2018)
Percent employed in academia 1.0%
Percent employed in business and industry 13.0%
Percent employed in government 14.0%
Percent employed in all judicial clerkships 5.0%
Percent employed in law firms 60.0%
Percent employed in public interest 7.0%
Percent employed in an unknown field 0.0%
Percent employed in a judicial clerkship by an Article III federal judge 3.4%
2018 Graduates Employment Location
Graduates employed in-state 76%
Graduates employed in foreign countries 1%
Number of states where graduates are employed 15
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) N/A
Middle Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA) 1.0%
East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) 1.0%
West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) 1.0%
South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) 4.0%
East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) N/A
West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) 1.0%
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) 78.0%
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY) 13.0%
Employment location unknown 0.0%
Career Services
(Data appear as originally submitted by this school)
Career services operations The office is staffed with experienced lawyers from many practice areas and diverse settings. As a result, we provide students with first hand knowledge of what makes lawyers successful in a multitude of areas. We work closely with students to help them find their individual places in the profession so they enjoy rewarding careers in or around the law. www.cwsl.edu/careerservices
Job Type
Bar admission required or anticipated (e.g., attorney and corporate counsel positions, law clerks, judicial clerks) 90.0%
J.D. preferred, law degree enhances position (e.g., corporate contracts administrator, alternative dispute resolution specialist, government regulatory analyst, FBI special agent) 5.0%
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) 3.0%
Nonprofessional/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) 2.0%