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Why South Texas College of Law?

South Texas College of Law Houston is nationally recognized for its exceptional advocacy programs and commitment to providing practice-ready legal education.

South Texas College of Law is a less selective JD program with an acceptance rate of approximately 44.3%. The median entering 1L profile is a 3.41 GPA and 153 LSAT, with the 25th–75th percentile bands at 3.08–3.65 GPA and 151–156 LSAT. The full-time first-year class is approximately 366 students. Recent graduates have placed most heavily in Texas, Florida, and Colorado — useful context if your geographic preference shapes your school list. In the 2025 ABA reporting cycle, South Texas College of Law admitted 3 transfer students into the 2L class. 16 1Ls transferred out.

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Specialty strengths

Trial AdvocacyAlternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)Transactional Law PracticeInternational Economic Law

Class profile

US News rank
#138
Median GPA
3.41
25th–75th: 3.08–3.65
Median LSAT
153
25th–75th: 151–156
Acceptance rate
44.3%
Class size (FT 1L)
366
Transfers admitted (2025)
3
ABA 2025 reporting cycle

2025 transfer admit profile

Actual GPAs of students South Texas College of Law admitted as transfers in the 2025 ABA cycle.

25th percentile
—
Suppressed (small cohort)
Median
—
50th percentile
75th percentile
—
Suppressed (small cohort)

16 1Ls transferred out of South Texas College of Law in the same cycle — context for how portable South Texas College of Law's 1L credit is among admissions committees elsewhere.

Top employment markets

  1. 1Texas
  2. 2Florida
  3. 3Colorado

Where the most recent graduating class concentrated employment, per the school's ABA 509 employment summary. Use this as a signal of where the alumni network and OCI recruiting pipeline are strongest.

Signature clinics

Clinical programs that define South Texas College of Law's practical training. Mention specific clinic names in your "Why South Texas College of Law" essay where they align with your interests.

  • Family Law Clinic
    Provides legal representation in divorces, custody issues, and other family law matters.
  • Estate Planning & Probate Clinic
    Assists clients with modest estate planning needs, probate, and guardianship cases.
  • Asylum & Human Trafficking Clinic
    Offers legal services to asylum seekers and victims of human trafficking.
  • Veterans Clinic
    Helps veterans with benefits claims, discharge upgrades, and civil legal issues.
  • Actual Innocence Clinic
    Works on cases involving claims of actual innocence and wrongful conviction.
  • Tax Controversy Clinic
    Represents clients in disputes with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Notable journals

Student-edited publications you could write for or cite as a research interest.

  • South Texas Law Review— General legal scholarship, publishing articles on developing legal theory and practice.
  • CURRENTS: Journal of International Economic Law— International economic law.
  • Corporate Counsel Review— Corporate law and in-house counsel issues.
  • Construction Law Journal— Construction law.
  • Hispanic Journal of Law and Policy— Legal issues impacting the Hispanic community.
  • Texas Tax Lawyer— Texas tax law.

Faculty highlights

Well-known faculty grouped by primary specialty. If a professor's scholarship aligns with your interests, name them in your essay and reference a specific paper or course.

Human Trafficking

  • Claire Andresen· also Child Abuse, Criminal Law

Civil Procedure

  • Michael F. Barry· also Complex Litigation

Contracts

  • Elizabeth Lee Thompson· also Appellate Law

Legal Research and Writing

  • Elissa Jacob

Associate Dean for Faculty

  • Amanda Peters· also Law Review oversight

Clinical Studies

  • Catherine Greene Burnett· also Pro Bono Programs

Criminal Law

  • Joe Leahy· also Criminal Procedure, Evidence

National Security Law

  • Geoffrey Corn· also Law of Armed Conflict

What makes South Texas College of Law distinctive

Programs, history, or institutional features that set this school apart beyond rank.

  • ·Nationally recognized advocacy program with over 140 national championships.
  • ·Frank Evans Center for Conflict Resolution, a leading center for mediation and arbitration training.
  • ·Joint JD/MBA degree programs with Mays Business School at Texas A&M University and Cameron School of Business at the University of St. Thomas.
  • ·Offers a part-time online J.D. program, providing flexibility for working professionals.
  • ·Located in Downtown Houston, offering immediate access to internships and job opportunities in a major legal market.
  • ·Member of the Consortium for Innovative Legal Education, facilitating national and international educational programs.

Using this for your "Why South Texas College of Law" essay

Strong "Why X Law School" essays are concrete and specific to the school — not interchangeable templates. Use these facts to anchor your essay, then layer on what you've found from the school's own faculty pages, clinical program descriptions, and journal listings.

Important note: admissions committees actively reject AI-written personal statements and "Why X" essays. Use this page as research material to write your own essay — never as a template to copy. Authentic, specific, personally-grounded reasoning is the only thing that wins these essays.

Frequently asked about South Texas College of Law

What is the median GPA and LSAT at South Texas College of Law?▾

South Texas College of Law's most recent entering 1L class had a median GPA of 3.41 and a median LSAT of 153. The 25th–75th percentile range was 3.08–3.65 GPA and 151–156 LSAT. Per ABA 509 disclosures.

What is South Texas College of Law's acceptance rate?▾

South Texas College of Law's most recent reported acceptance rate was approximately 44.3%, per ABA 509 disclosures.

What clinics does South Texas College of Law offer?▾

South Texas College of Law's notable clinical programs include: Family Law Clinic, Estate Planning & Probate Clinic, Asylum & Human Trafficking Clinic, Veterans Clinic, Actual Innocence Clinic. Visit the school's official clinical programs page for the full list.

What journals does South Texas College of Law publish?▾

South Texas College of Law's notable student-edited journals include: South Texas Law Review, CURRENTS: Journal of International Economic Law, Corporate Counsel Review, Construction Law Journal, Hispanic Journal of Law and Policy.

Where do South Texas College of Law graduates work?▾

South Texas College of Law graduates concentrate employment in Texas, Florida, Colorado, per the school's most recent ABA 509 employment summary.

How many transfer students does South Texas College of Law admit?▾

South Texas College of Law admitted 3 transfer students into the 2L class in the 2025 ABA reporting cycle.

Schools similar to South Texas College of Law

Other schools at a comparable rank tier — useful for building a transfer list, balanced 0L application list, or essay-research shortlist.

#136
Cleveland State University College of Law
GPA 3.50 · LSAT 154
#136
Quinnipiac University
GPA 3.65 · LSAT 152
#140
University of Arkansas, Little Rock
GPA 3.41 · LSAT 152
#136
University of Baltimore
GPA 3.45 · LSAT 154
#140
University of Memphis
GPA 3.53 · LSAT 154
#136
University of New Hampshire
GPA 3.50 · LSAT 156

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Generated from public sources via search-grounded AI on 4/27/2026. If any fact looks wrong, click through to verify and let us know.