Gonzaga University School of Law was founded in 1912 as the first law school in Washington State. It has a rich history of providing quality, affordable legal education to generations of students. Since its founding, Gonzaga Law has graduated some of the most distinguished and successful attorneys in the region. The school also boasts a strong alumni network and a commitment to public service.
Gonzaga Law is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. In addition to preparing students for the bar exam, Gonzaga Law offers an array of clinical opportunities, including an externship program that allows students to gain legal experience in local government organizations and offices. The school also offers specialty courses such as tax law, international law and business law. Students have access to numerous resources including a well-stocked library with over 200,000 volumes and access to Westlaw databases.
Gonzaga Law is dedicated to providing a superior legal education while promoting ethical values among its students and faculty members alike. The faculty is comprised of highly respected scholars from across the country who are committed to teaching excellence and scholarly achievement within their respective fields. Through its various programs, Gonzaga Law strives to prepare its graduates for successful careers as lawyers or other professionals in their chosen field.
Gonzaga University School of Law is located in the state of Washington. As one of the leading law programs, Gonzaga University School of Law has a high average LSAT score of 153-157 when recruiting new students. As a return, the median starting salary for law graduates reaches $67,500 per year. See the following table for detailed admissions information and career profiles of Gonzaga University School of Law.
Admissions: Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University School of Law has a competitive admissions process. For the 2021-2022 school year, the median LSAT score for accepted applicants was 159 and the median GPA was 3.48. The 25th percentile LSAT score was 156 and the 25th percentile GPA was 3.17, while the 75th percentile LSAT score was 162 and the 75th percentile GPA was 3.74. In addition to strong academic credentials, Gonzaga also considers an applicant’s personal statement, letters of recommendation, resume or CV, and any additional materials submitted in support of their application in order to make an informed decision about their application for admission. Last year’s entering class had an average age of 28 years old and nearly 50% were students who identified as people of color or international students from around the world. The student-faculty ratio is 11:1 and more than 90% of faculty members hold terminal degrees in their field of study.
Fall 2019 Admissions and Enrollment Statistics
Total number of full- and part-time applicants
1,513
Total number of full- and part-time acceptances
649
Overall acceptance rate
42.9%
Total number of full- and part-time first-year students enrolled
188
Number of full-time program applicants
1,513
Number of full-time program acceptances
649
Full-time acceptance rate
42.9%
Number of first-year full-time students enrolled
188
Number of part-time program applicants
N/A
Number of part-time program acceptances
N/A
Part-time acceptance rate
N/A
Number of first-year part-time students enrolled
N/A
Fall 2019 GPA and LSAT Scores
25th-75th percentile GPA scores for all students
3.05-3.51
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for all students
153-157
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for full-time students
3.05-3.51
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for full-time students
153-157
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for part-time students
N/A
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for part-time students
N/A
Careers: Gonzaga University
Bar Statistics (Winter and Summer 2018 administrations)
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar
WA
School’s bar passage rate for first-time test takers
81.7%
Statewide bar passage rate for first-time test takers
74.1%
Class of 2018 Graduates
Total graduates
163
Graduates employed at graduation
N/A
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation
93.9%
Starting Salaries of 2018 Graduates Employed Full-time
25th percentile private sector starting salary
$51,500
Median private sector starting salary
$67,500
75th percentile private sector starting salary
$90,000
Percent in the private sector who reported salary information
30%
Median public service starting salary
$54,500
Areas of Legal Practice (Class of 2018)
Percent employed in academia
2.0%
Percent employed in business and industry
12.0%
Percent employed in government
15.0%
Percent employed in all judicial clerkships
8.0%
Percent employed in law firms
52.0%
Percent employed in public interest
7.0%
Percent employed in an unknown field
4.0%
Percent employed in a judicial clerkship by an Article III federal judge
0.0%
2018 Graduates Employment Location
Graduates employed in-state
62%
Graduates employed in foreign countries
1%
Number of states where graduates are employed
13
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)
0.0%
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)
0.0%
South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV)
0.0%
East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN)
1.0%
West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX)
0.0%
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)
70.0%
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY)
22.0%
Employment location unknown
4.0%
Career Services
(Data appear as originally submitted by this school)
Career services operations
The Career Services Office assists students and alumni in planning careers and in finding employment. The office offers counseling, mock interviews, fairs, and a variety of seminars, in addition to on-campus interviews, interview days in Portland and Seattle, and networking contacts. The office hosts new graduate/alumni networking events in Seattle and other cities.
Job Type
Bar admission required or anticipated (e.g., attorney and corporate counsel positions, law clerks, judicial clerks)
76.0%
J.D. preferred, law degree enhances position (e.g., corporate contracts administrator, alternative dispute resolution specialist, government regulatory analyst, FBI special agent)
13.0%
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)
6.0%
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)
