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SMU Dedman School of Law

Rank 45 (USNWR 2023)
164
Median LSAT
3.71
Median GPA
33.9%
Acceptance rate

Also known as

  • SMU Dedman School of Law
  • Southern Methodist University
  • SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY
  • SMU

SMU Dedman School of Law is a law school located in Dallas, Texas. The school was ranked 45 in 2023 by USNWR. Annual enrollment for SMU Dedman School of Law is approximately 226.

Admissions website: https://www.smu.edu/Law/Admissions

Admissions email: lawadmit@smu.edu

Admissions phone: 214-768-2550

Can I get into SMU Dedman School of Law with aGPA andLSAT?

SMU Dedman School of Law Key Statistics

Previous year ABA 509 data
Percentiles 25 50 75
LSAT 160 164 165
GPA 3.35 3.71 3.87
Miscellaneous Count Percentile
# Applications 2253 71
# Admissions offers 764 -
Class size 226 74
% Accepted 33.9% 66
% Yield 28.9% 47

During the 2023 application cycle, 2,253 people applied and 764 were offered admission.

Southern Methodist University has a 1L class size of 226, and yield of 28.93%. 221 out of 764 applicants who were offered admission accepted, meaning that 28.93% of the people who were offered admission ended up attending the school.

The 1L class at Southern Methodist University has a median LSAT of 164. The 25th percentile LSAT is 160 and the 75th percentile LSAT is 165.

The median GPA is 3.71. The 25th percentile GPA is 3.35 and the 75th percentile GPA is 3.87.

SMU Dedman School of Law LSAT & GPA graph for 2022-2023

LSD has stats for 318 applicants for the 2022-2023 application cycle.

The graphs show applicant results plotted against GPA and LSAT. The dotted lines on the graphs represent the 25/50/75th percentiles reported by the school in their ABA 509 report from the previous year.

Each data point represents an LSD user that shared their application results for the benefit of future applicants.

Click on a data point to see that user's profile.

25th, 50th, 75th refer to percentiles from last year's admitted class

How much does SMU Dedman School of Law cost per year?

$61,058.00
Tuition
61st percentile
$89,565.00
CoA
67th percentile
67.40%
Grads with debt
32nd percentile
$146,637.00
Average debt
90th percentile
$80,000.00
Salary, 25th %
86th percentile
$125,000.00
Salary
91st percentile
$69,684.00
PI Salary
92nd percentile
62.70%
Employment rate
65th percentile
87.00%
Bar pass rate
70th percentile

Cost of attending SMU Dedman School of Law

In 2023, tuition was $61,058 and the annual cost of attending was $89,565 (tuition plus living expenses).

Cost of Attendance (CoA) is the estimated total amount you will have to spend every year to go to school. Unlike tuition, CoA includes expenses like rent, food, and insurance.

SMU Dedman School of Law employment outcomes

JD graduates from Southern Methodist University make $125,000 (median) upon graduation if they work in the private sector. If they go into the public sector, a grad can expect to make $69,684.

70.5% of law graduates from Southern Methodist University go directly to work for law firms, while 7.7% clerk for a judge. 2.9% of graduates go into public interest.

87.0% of Southern Methodist University graduates pass the bar on their first try.

Some interesting facts about SMU Dedman School of Law

Founded in 1925, SMU Dedman School of Law is located on a magnificent tree-lined campus in a beautiful residential neighborhood just five miles north of downtown Dallas. SMU offers an intimate learning community within a vibrant urban center.

With a relatively small entering class size, an outstanding teaching faculty, and distinguished guest lecturers, SMU offers a scholarly community with fantastic opportunities both inside and outside the classroom. SMU also has a well-rounded, diverse student body from approximately 200 colleges and universities, 35 states, and over 20 countries.

Law School Campus

SMU offers a beautiful setting in which to pursue legal studies. The Law School Quadrangle, a six-acre, self-contained corner of the campus, offers students convenient access to all law school facilities. The larger SMU campus offers students a variety of housing options, a childcare facility, a health center, and a fitness/wellness center.

The law school has its own dining hall and a four-story parking garage with 500 spaces.

Southern Methodist University

Chat for Southern Methodist University
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ImperfectIrishWolfhound
16:06
By 12pm CST
ImperfectIrishWolfhound
16:11
Also it’s an insane amount, it’s $1,000
16:20
My bad, thanks for the correction!
BronzeSample
16:21
deposit deadline is April 1st but if you are going to the April 12th Admitted Students Day, they extended your deadline to April 15
BronzeSample
16:21
I'm guessing anybody recently admitted is also the 15th
BronzeSample
16:21
but either way, a large chunk are due by the 1st
BronzeSample
16:25
@ProductiveRedundantCoral: amazing news
16:25
I sure wish they'd release the rest of their results before April 1st :')
BronzeSample
16:25
@ValleyH: I really think they'll wait unfortunately. If half of the people they've accepted say no thanks, it'll open up so many spots. I could be wrong tho lmao
@BronzeSample: that sounds about right!
TVnetwork
18:21
Do you have to register for the april 12 admitted students day ?
20:05
Just got my scholly. Does anyone know where the reconsideration form is? Only one I can find is online from 2020.
TVnetwork
20:50
Same ^ @jack77
10:13
Ope, Villanova WL just hit
This isn't Villanova...
LoneStarPossum
13:45
Gen Q: how does everyone feel about the deposit increase this year to $1,000? I’m pretty sure it was lower last year
13:57
App updated as of yesterday, 3/27
13:57
Still says "complete"
eclecticpeculiarwaterbottle
14:07
@ValleyH: prob means ur UR. They don’t specifically say ur. It stays complete until decision but the date does change.
BronzeSample
14:09
@LoneStarPossum: if you want to go to SMU, I think it is actually a good thing. More maybes will not want to dish out that kind of money for a deposit so it'll open up seats and scholarships sooner than if more people pay the deposit and decide to back out later
LoneStarPossum
14:18
@BronzeSample: I can see that for sure, I wonder if more schools will start increasing seat deposits in the coming years considering how common double depositing is.
BronzeSample
14:19
@LoneStarPossum: I'm not sure, I feel like it may end up hurting some schools? Like if I'm waiting on a WL decision for school B, it might be worth taking the risk to not deposit at school A and see what happens. the whole process is whack.
LoneStarPossum
14:25
@BronzeSample: I could see it hurting a lot of schools but also benefitting people on the waitlist. It’s a crazy amount for it being non-refundable for most people though, since CAS and app fees are another charge to apply.
BronzeSample
14:46
for sure, I think it'll work out this year in SMU's favor because they can probably get a better idea of what their class is looking like early on
15:14
Oh god if I'm UR I'm going to cry :')
ImperfectIrishWolfhound
15:34
I really hate how paying the deposit means you’ve “accepted” the scholarship and are barred from negotiating. I just got my info today. You’re giving me 2 weeks. That’s insane.
ImperfectIrishWolfhound
15:36
Scholarship negations are dependent on other schools giving you information. These schools are literally withholding information for as long as they can in an effort to basically bypass the longstanding tradition of scholarship negations. God this process is just downright depressing sometimes
ImperfectIrishWolfhound
15:37
(Also sorry to be a complainer. Anyways @ValleyH I’m really hoping you get some good news soon)
15:41
@ImperfectIrishWolfhound: Thank you so much, it's much appreciated <333
date change but still says app complete, does this mean im UR now?
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