Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College of Law was founded in 1897 and is the oldest law school in the state of Ohio. It was originally known as The Cleveland Law School, and was established by a group of prominent Cleveland lawyers and judges. The college was originally housed in a building on Broadway Avenue, which is now part of Playhouse Square. In 1933, the college moved to its current location on Euclid Avenue and changed its name to Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. The college has undergone several changes over the years, including a merger with Fenn College in 1969 and becoming part of Cleveland State University in 1976. In recent years, the college has continued to grow and expand its academic offerings, adding new degree programs such as Environmental Law and International Law. Additionally, it now offers a number of dual-degree programs that allow students to earn two degrees simultaneously at different universities. The college also boasts an impressive faculty with notable scholars from around the world who are committed to teaching excellence and research. Additionally, it has an active alumni network that includes many distinguished members such as Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College of Law is located in the state of Ohio. As one of the leading law programs, Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College of Law has a high average LSAT score of 153-158 when recruiting new students. As a return, the median starting salary for law graduates reaches $80,000 per year. See the following table for detailed admissions information and career profiles of Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.
Admissions: Cleveland State University (Cleveland-Marshall)
Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College of Law is a public institution located in the city of Cleveland, Ohio. The school offers a Juris Doctor (JD) degree as well as several dual degree programs, including JD/MBA, JD/LLM, and JD/MPH. The college also provides numerous certificate programs for specialized study.
The school typically enrolls about 430 students each year and has an average class size of about 60 students. In 2020, the admitted student profile included an average GPA of 3.43 and an average LSAT score of 159. The median GPA was 3.61, while the median LSAT score was 161. About 33% of all admitted students are from underrepresented racial or ethnic backgrounds and more than 25% are first-generation college students or veterans.
In addition to this diverse student population, Cleveland-Marshall also boasts an impressive faculty with a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Faculty members have earned degrees from some of the country’s top law schools like Harvard Law School and Yale Law School. They also have extensive experience in legal practice as well as teaching at multiple universities across the nation. This combination allows them to bring a unique perspective to the classroom that is both academically rigorous yet practical in nature.
Fall 2019 Admissions and Enrollment Statistics
Total number of full- and part-time applicants
1,820
Total number of full- and part-time acceptances
622
Overall acceptance rate
34.2%
Total number of full- and part-time first-year students enrolled
203
Number of full-time program applicants
1,513
Number of full-time program acceptances
543
Full-time acceptance rate
35.9%
Number of first-year full-time students enrolled
158
Number of part-time program applicants
309
Number of part-time program acceptances
79
Part-time acceptance rate
25.6%
Number of first-year part-time students enrolled
45
Fall 2019 GPA and LSAT Scores
25th-75th percentile GPA scores for all students
3.19-3.64
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for all students
153-158
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for full-time students
3.19-3.68
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for full-time students
153-158
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for part-time students
3.25-3.59
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for part-time students
151-158
Careers: Cleveland State University (Cleveland-Marshall)
Bar Statistics (Winter and Summer 2018 administrations)
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar
OH
School’s bar passage rate for first-time test takers
90.3%
Statewide bar passage rate for first-time test takers
87.8%
Class of 2018 Graduates
Total graduates
205
Graduates employed at graduation
76.1%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation
91.1%
Starting Salaries of 2018 Graduates Employed Full-time
25th percentile private sector starting salary
$60,000
Median private sector starting salary
$80,000
75th percentile private sector starting salary
$120,000
Percent in the private sector who reported salary information
43%
Median public service starting salary
$49,000
Areas of Legal Practice (Class of 2018)
Percent employed in academia
3.0%
Percent employed in business and industry
24.0%
Percent employed in government
12.0%
Percent employed in all judicial clerkships
5.0%
Percent employed in law firms
53.0%
Percent employed in public interest
3.0%
Percent employed in an unknown field
0.0%
Percent employed in a judicial clerkship by an Article III federal judge
1.0%
2018 Graduates Employment Location
Graduates employed in-state
89%
Graduates employed in foreign countries
1%
Number of states where graduates are employed
15
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)
0.0%
Middle Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA)
2.0%
East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
90.0%
West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)
0.0%
South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV)
3.0%
East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN)
1.0%
West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX)
1.0%
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)
1.0%
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY)
1.0%
Employment location unknown
0.0%
Career Services
(Data appear as originally submitted by this school)
Career services operations
The Office of Career Planning offers Fall and Spring Interview Programs, Career Fairs, and thousands of job postings through the year. Students gain experience by participating in clerkships, externships, and legal clinics, extending the classroom experience into the Cleveland legal community. Workshops, seminars, mock interviews and individual counseling prepare students for the job market.
Job Type
Bar admission required or anticipated (e.g., attorney and corporate counsel positions, law clerks, judicial clerks)
81.0%
J.D. preferred, law degree enhances position (e.g., corporate contracts administrator, alternative dispute resolution specialist, government regulatory analyst, FBI special agent)
15.0%
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)
