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.
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.
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)
