University of South Dakota School of Law is a public law school in South Dakota. In the most recent ABA Standard 509 cycle it reported a 72.6% first-time bar passage rate (state average 78.6%). 86.6% of graduates landed full-time, long-term JD-required or JD-advantage jobs. Resident tuition is $12,076 per year; a median grant of $5,000 brings median net tuition to about $7,076. The median LSAT is 152 with a 62.5% acceptance rate.
No placements reported (0%): Mid firm (101–250), BigLaw 251–500, MegaLaw 500+, Solo, Academia. These shares count where every employed graduate landed, by sector and firm size, across all job types; they can total more than the full-time long-term (FTLT) employment headline, which counts only the stricter full-time, long-term, JD-required or JD-advantage subset.
Bar passage · first-time
This school72.6%
State avg78.6%
first-time -6.0 pts vs state · 2-yr ultimate 92.31% · class of 2025 first-time 69.23% (reported early 2026) · Different cohort than the admissions class above.
Admissions · 25 / 50 / 75
LSATmedian 152
149156
uGPAmedian 3.47
3.163.81
Applications → offers → enrolled
Applied405
Offered253
Enrolled 1L88
Offer rate 62% · yield 35%.
Grant distribution
No grant 45.1%Under half 35.6%Half to full 12.3%Full 5.1%Stipend 2%
Demographics
Women 51%Men 49%
White
209
Black
7
Hispanic
13
Asian
6
Two or more
4
Other / unreported
13
Cost detail
Resident tuition
$12,076
Non-resident
$32,184
Mandatory fees
$5,037
Living estimate
$18,034
Median grant
$5,000
Grant 25 / 75
$590 / $10,000
Cond. schol. loss
—
Faculty & market
Total faculty
55
Full-time faculty
19
Faculty of color
2
Total JD enrollment
252
Graduates
82
Mean attorney salary · state
$93,270
Trajectory since 2011
LSAT · 25-75 band
Middle-50% LSAT band by entering class.
uGPA · 25-75 band
Middle-50% uGPA band by entering class.
First-time bar passage
First-time bar passage rate by year.
Full-time resident tuition
Sticker resident tuition by year.
Total JD enrollment
Total JD enrollment by year.
Admissions
LSAT (25 / 50 / 75)
149 / 152 / 156
uGPA (25 / 50 / 75)
3.16 / 3.47 / 3.81
Acceptance rate
62.5%
Applications received
405
Offers extended
253
1L enrollment
88
Total JD enrollment
252
GRE-only takers
0
1L attrition (academic / other)
0 / 5
Transfers in / out
1 / 1
Cost & scholarships
Resident tuition
$12,076
Non-resident tuition
$32,184
Mandatory fees
$5,037
Living-expense estimate
$18,034
Median grant
$5,000
Grant 25 / 75 percentile
$590 / $10,000
No-grant share
45.1%
< half-tuition grants
35.6%
Half-to-full grants
12.3%
Full-tuition grants
5.1%
Above-full grants (stipend)
2.0%
Conditional-scholarship loss rate
—
Bar passage
First-Time Bar (2024 cohort)
72.6%
Two-Year Ultimate Bar
92.31%
State average (same exam)
78.6%
Difference vs. state
-6.0 pts
Different cohorts: first-time bar passage reflects graduates who entered law school about three years before the current admissions class shown above. Read the two as separate snapshots, not a single pipeline.
What is the first-time bar passage rate at University of South Dakota School of Law?
University of South Dakota School of Law reported a 72.6% first-time bar passage rate in the most recent ABA Standard 509 disclosure, versus a 78.6% state average.
How much does University of South Dakota School of Law cost?
Resident tuition at University of South Dakota School of Law is $12,076 per year (about $36,228 over three years). The median grant is $5,000, bringing median net tuition to roughly $7,076 per year.
What LSAT and GPA do you need for University of South Dakota School of Law?
The median (50th-percentile) LSAT at University of South Dakota School of Law is 152 and the median GPA is 3.47; the acceptance rate is 62.5%.
What are the job outcomes at University of South Dakota School of Law?
86.6% of University of South Dakota School of Law graduates held full-time, long-term JD-required or JD-advantage jobs about ten months after graduation. 7.3% were still seeking employment.
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Data from the ABA Standard 509 disclosures, self-reported by law schools and not guaranteed (raw data may have errors or omissions). State attorney-salary context: U.S. BLS OEWS 2024 (SOC 23-1011); cost-of-living: U.S. BEA Regional Price Parities. How the data is sourced & validated: Methodology. Unfamiliar with a term (FTLT, net tuition, bimodal)? Glossary. Copyright basis & permitted use: Terms.