| |
|
« TLS Profiles - TLS Programs - TLS Stats - Rankings Seton Hall Law School
Admissions & Tuition Roughly 47% (1,542 of 3,272) of applicants were granted admission last year. Of full-time matriculating students, the 25th to 75th percentile GPA range was 3.29–3.73 and the range for the LSAT was 158-162—with medians of 3.53 and 160, respectively. Seton Hall also accepts students on a part-time basis; and, as is the case at many schools, the admissions standards for part-time students are less demanding than those for full-timers. A whopping 86% of part-time applicants were accepted last year (518 out of 602). Those admitted had GPA’s ranging from 2.95 to 3.48 for the 25th to 75th percentiles, and LSAT scores which ranged from 152 to 156. Cost-of-attendance at Seton Hall Law School is on the expensive side. Tuition alone is over $42,000 a year. And when room & board, book costs and miscellaneous fees are considered, the total cost of attendance each year is likely to top $60,000, with a three year total of more than $180,000. Surely, this is a daunting figure, but there is hope: Seton Hall has a slightly generous financial aid office, which gives grants equal to or higher than the cost of one-half tuition to more than 12% of its students. The median grant last year was a more-than-helpful $16,000, while the 25th to 75th percentile range was $8,526 to $24,000. Even with such a strong financial aid program, 88% of Seton Hall students still end up borrowing money to finance their legal educations. As a result, the average indebtedness for Seton Hall graduates is a discouraging $98,000. Seton Hall has good career prospects however, and prospective students should make themselves aware of the potential return on their investment. Bar Passage & employment Prospects The Bar passage rate for Seton Hall graduates is 85%, six percentage points higher than the rate for all New Jersey law school graduates. Seton Hall grads have little trouble finding work after passing the Bar. Nearly 87% of all graduates have a job lined up at the time of graduation. Within nine months of graduation, over 96% of graduates are employed. These numbers speak well of Seton Hall’s strong regional reputation. Employment percentages alone can only say so much. The question is not whether these students find jobs, but whether they find jobs that justify the investment of three years’ tuition and time. The answer is yes—at least for those who entered the private sector. Starting salaries for graduates who entered private practice in recent years have ranged from $80,000 for the 25th percentile to $145,000 for the 75th. The overall median was a solid $120,000. Not bad for a young professional, just out of school. Those students who entered public service did not fare so well financially. The median starting salary in this field is generally just over $42,000 for Seton Hall graduates. These students, however, are rarely in it for the money. While career prospects are strong for Seton Hall graduates, students should be aware of the fact that such prospects are not strong everywhere. Seton Hall is a regional school, and its graduates struggle to find work outside of the Middle Atlantic region—specifically outside of New Jersey. Roughly 70% of 2006 graduates ended up practicing in New Jersey. And for the 30% of students who did leave the state, half of them stayed very close, finding work in the border states of New York and Pennsylvania. The remaining students spread themselves out around the country, with nearly all of them staying east of the Mississippi River. Academics With great facilities and some stand-out programs, Seton Hall Law School is well-equipped to prepare its students for the career that lies ahead. The law school building is relatively new, providing big, tech-friendly classrooms and vast library resources. The classrooms themselves don’t teach students however, and it is the professors who must make the cut. The Seton Hall faculty is up to the task, with professors who are “leading experts” who “view teaching as their first priority,” according to students interviewed by Princeton Review. Healthcare law is far and away Seton Hall’s strong suit. Ranked fifth in the country according to USNews’ specialty rankings, the program is unanimously respected. Students can complement their JD with a concentration in Health Law or even an LLM. Seton Hall is also a regional power in intellectual property. Unfortunately, Seton Hall shines in few other fields; and this may be a factor come hiring time—though, as noted in the employment section above, Seton Hall grads seem to have little trouble finding work. Quality-of-life Newark is not the most desirable place to attend law school. In fact, it is not the most desirable place to do anything, really. Crime is high, the city is full of eyesores, and the social scene leaves much to be desired. But Seton Hall students make the best of their surroundings. Many students spend time in nearby Hoboken, where there is a growing population of young professionals and an increasingly vibrant night-life. Students also always have the option of hopping over to New York City for a weekend, which offers infinitely more opportunities for social life than anywhere in New Jersey. Undoubtedly, law students have little time to socialize anyway; but prospective students would be mistaken to discount the effect that a school’s location will have on one’s experience. Students at Seton Hall do have fun, but the obstacles are many. Conclusion In sum, Seton Hall Law School should be on the short list of any student with a desire to practice in New Jersey. Students should be sure to visit the campus, however, and decide whether or not they could spend three years in Newark. Quick Reference U.S. News Ranking: 77 |
Stanford Law School Yale Law School Harvard Law School University of Virginia School of Law Pepperdine Law School Northwestern Law School Cornell Law School Michigan Law School Golden Gate Law School Duke Law School Columbia Law School Temple Law School Loyola Law School UCLA School of Law Villanova Law School New York University Law School UC Hastings Law School Santa Clara Law School UPenn Law School Berkeley Boalt Hall University of Chicago Law School UC Davis Law School Fordham Law School George Washington Law School Georgetown University Law Center New York Law School UNC Chapel Hill Law School Boston College Law School Boston University School of Law Emory University Law School The University of Iowa College of Law University of Minnesota Law School The University of Texas School of Law The University of Southern California School of Law (Gould) Vanderbilt University Law School Washington University in St. Louis School of Law Wisconsin Law School The University of Alabama School of Law George Mason University School of Law The University of Colorado School of Law Indiana University School of Law - Bloomington University of Notre Dame Law School The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law The University of Illinois College of Law The University of Washington School of Law William & Mary Law School Washington and Lee University School of Law The Arizona State University College of Law The Baylor University School of Law The Case Western Reserve University School of Law The University of Georgia School of Law The Brigham Young University Law School The Southern Methodist University School of Law Tulane University Law School The University of Connecticut School of Law University of Florida Levin College of Law Wake Forest University School of Law Vermont Law School The University of Utah College of Law Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University The University of Tennessee College of Law The University of Cincinnati College of Law The University of Pittsburgh School of Law University of Maryland School of Law The University of Kentucky College of Law The University of Houston College of Law The Florida State University College of Law Chicago-Kent College of Law (Illinois Institute of Technology) Brooklyn Law School University of Arizona College of Law American University College of Law University of San Diego School of Law Northeastern University School of Law University Of Miami School Of Law University of Richmond Law Oregon School Of Law Lewis & Clark School of Law Rutgers Law - Camden South Carolina Law Seattle University School of Law PSU School of Law Canada: University of Toronto Faculty of Law DePaul University College of Law Rutgers-Newark School of Law Hofstra Law School Seton Hall Law School Missouri - Columbia Law School Indiana University Indianapolis Law Buffalo Law School UNLV Law School St. John's School of Law The University of Denver Law School University of Louisville School of Law The University of Oklahoma College of Law Georgia State University College of Law Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center Loyola University Chicago School of Law Marquette University Law School University of Kansas School of Law Canada: University of Alberta Faculty of Law St. Louis University School of Law University of New Mexico School of Law Catholic University's Columbus School of Law The University of Maine School of Law Gonzaga University School of Law The University of Arkansas School of Law University of San Francisco School of Law Canada: Dalhousie Law School Canada: McGill University Faculty of Law Canada: University of Ottawa Faculty of Law Canada: Osgoode Hall Law School (York University) Canada: UBC Faculty of Law IE Law School- Northwestern Law Executive LLM Program IE Law School- Master of Laws (LL.M.) in International Practice University of California – Irvine School of Law |
With strong academics and great career prospects, Seton Hall Law School is quite an attractive option—especially for those student who plan to build their careers in New Jersey. And while the school’s location is less-than-ideal, Seton Hall students seem to be happy with their choice.