SMU Dedman School of Law

Dallas, TX

SMU Dedman School of Law is located in Dallas, TX and enrolls approximately 254 first-year (1L) students. The median LSAT is 167 and median GPA is 3.81. In the most recent reporting year, 87.9% of graduates secured full-time, bar-required employment, with 33.6% at large firms (251+ attorneys) and 2.4% in federal clerkships.

1L Class Size
254
Median LSAT
167
Median GPA
3.81
Bar-Required Jobs
87.9%

Admissions Profile

Entering class 2024–25
75th Percentile 168
50th Percentile 167
25th Percentile 163
75th Percentile 3.92
50th Percentile 3.81
25th Percentile 3.52

Employment Outcomes

Class of 2024
Bar-Required Jobs (FTLT)
87.9%
Full-time, long-term · of total graduates
Private Practice
Any Law Firm
75.7%
All firm sizes combined
BigLaw (251+ atty)
33.6%
Large firm placement
Clerkships
All Clerkships
3.6%
Federal, state & other
Federal Clerkship
2.4%
Article III & federal courts
Public Sector & Other
Government
7.3%
Federal, state & local
Public Interest
1.2%
Nonprofits & advocacy
Business & Industry
9.3%
In-house & corporate
Education
0.4%
Academia & teaching
Other Outcomes
JD Advantage
8.9%
Non-bar-required roles
Unemployed, Seeking
0.4%
Actively job searching

First-Time Bar Passage

Class of 2024
First-Time Pass Rate
90.2%
Across all jurisdictions · first-time takers
ABA Avg (Weighted)
81.36%
Peer schools, same jurisdictions
vs. ABA Avg
+8.84%
Above weighted average
First-Time Takers
245
Graduates sitting for bar

Scholarship Distribution

Full-time students · entering class

Each circle represents 1% of the entering class, colored by scholarship level received.

No scholarship 38
Less than ½ tuition 415
Half to full tuition 173
Full tuition 0
More than full tuition 23