Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law was established in 1915, making it the first law school in the Southwest. The school was founded by the Dallas Bar Association and was the first law school to be accredited by the American Bar Association. The school has a long history of producing some of the most influential lawyers in Texas and beyond. The faculty is comprised of nationally-recognized scholars and teachers who provide a comprehensive legal education that prepares students for successful careers as attorneys. SMU Dedman School of Law also offers a variety of courses and programs that focus on specific areas of law, such as public interest law, criminal justice, international law, business law, and more. Many top-ranked legal employers recruit SMU Dedman School of Law graduates for their job opportunities. In addition to its academic excellence, SMU Dedman School of Law also plays an important role in community service initiatives through its pro bono program. Through this program, students are able to assist low-income individuals with their legal needs on a volunteer basis. This commitment to helping those in need makes SMU Dedman School of Law an invaluable asset to the legal community. Check educationvv.com for higher education, business schools and counties in Florida.
Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law is located in the state of Texas. As one of the leading law programs, Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law has a high average LSAT score of 158-165 when recruiting new students. As a return, the median starting salary for law graduates reaches $85,000 per year. See the following table for detailed admissions information and career profiles of Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.
Southern Methodist University is abbreviated for SMU: https://www.abbreviationfinder.org/acronyms/smu_southern-methodist-university.html
Admissions: Southern Methodist University (Dedman)
Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law is one of the top law schools in the country, boasting an impressive acceptance rate of just over 38%. Out of the 4,000 applications received for the 2021-2022 academic year, 1,500 were accepted. Of those accepted, approximately 46% were female and 54% were male. Additionally, approximately 81% of admitted students identified as being members of a minority group. The average LSAT score for accepted students was 165 and the median GPA was 3.68. The school also reported that its incoming class had an average age of 26 years old and came from all 50 states and over 75 countries around the world. The school offers a variety of programs to its students including full-time day programs, part-time evening programs, JD/MBA dual degree programs, and joint JD/PhD degree programs with other universities in the area. Additionally, SMU Law offers a number of scholarships and financial aid packages to help offset tuition costs for eligible applicants.
Fall 2019 Admissions and Enrollment Statistics | |
---|---|
Total number of full- and part-time applicants | 2,275 |
Total number of full- and part-time acceptances | 608 |
Overall acceptance rate | 26.7% |
Total number of full- and part-time first-year students enrolled | 256 |
Number of full-time program applicants | 2,056 |
Number of full-time program acceptances | 465 |
Full-time acceptance rate | 22.6% |
Number of first-year full-time students enrolled | 178 |
Number of part-time program applicants | 699 |
Number of part-time program acceptances | 143 |
Part-time acceptance rate | 20.5% |
Number of first-year part-time students enrolled | 78 |
Fall 2019 GPA and LSAT Scores | |
25th-75th percentile GPA scores for all students | 3.24-3.84 |
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for all students | 155-165 |
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for full-time students | 3.3-3.87 |
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for full-time students | 158-165 |
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for part-time students | 3.17-3.76 |
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for part-time students | 153-160 |
Careers: Southern Methodist University (Dedman)
Bar Statistics (Winter and Summer 2018 administrations) | |
---|---|
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar | TX |
School’s bar passage rate for first-time test takers | 93.7% |
Statewide bar passage rate for first-time test takers | 84.4% |
Class of 2018 Graduates | |
Total graduates | 294 |
Graduates employed at graduation | 75.6% |
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation | 98.6% |
Starting Salaries of 2018 Graduates Employed Full-time | |
25th percentile private sector starting salary | $70,000 |
Median private sector starting salary | $85,000 |
75th percentile private sector starting salary | $160,000 |
Percent in the private sector who reported salary information | 89% |
Median public service starting salary | $51,334 |
Areas of Legal Practice (Class of 2018) | |
Percent employed in academia | 3.0% |
Percent employed in business and industry | 23.0% |
Percent employed in government | 5.0% |
Percent employed in all judicial clerkships | 2.0% |
Percent employed in law firms | 66.0% |
Percent employed in public interest | 1.0% |
Percent employed in an unknown field | 0.0% |
Percent employed in a judicial clerkship by an Article III federal judge | 2.2% |
2018 Graduates Employment Location | |
Graduates employed in-state | 94% |
Graduates employed in foreign countries | N/A |
Number of states where graduates are employed | 12 |
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) | 0.4% |
Middle Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA) | N/A |
East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) | N/A |
West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) | N/A |
South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) | 2.2% |
East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) | N/A |
West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) | 94.8% |
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) | 0.7% |
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY) | 1.9% |
Employment location unknown | N/A |
Career Services | |
(Data appear as originally submitted by this school) | |
Career services operations | Career counseling and access to alumni for J.D; tax, general and international LL.M students’ fall recruiting program with on-campus interviews and a resume collection component for employers who cannot visit the campus. Employers include large, Texas firms for summer clerkships, courts seeking second and third year students and smaller firms and government agencies. |
Job Type | |
Bar admission required or anticipated (e.g., attorney and corporate counsel positions, law clerks, judicial clerks) | 84.0% |
J.D. preferred, law degree enhances position (e.g., corporate contracts administrator, alternative dispute resolution specialist, government regulatory analyst, FBI special agent) | 9.0% |
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) | 1.0% |