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USC Gould School of Law

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Last updated: September 1, 2026

USC Gould School of Law

USC Gould School of Law (commonly "USC Gould" or "Gould Law") is the law school of the University of Southern California, a private research university in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1900, it is the oldest law school in Southern California and combines the USC brand with a 100% employment rate for the Class of 2025 — the flagship outcome of a school whose placement machine in the Los Angeles market rivals schools ranked far above it.

USC Gould at a Glance

Category Latest information
Founded 1900 (oldest law school in Southern California)
Type Private (University of Southern California)
ABA approval or accreditation ABA approved (Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar)
Location Los Angeles, California (University Park campus, 699 Exposition Boulevard)
Latest U.S. News rank #26 (tie) (2026 edition, unchanged from prior year)
Latest completed applications 7,204 (Fall 2025)
Latest acceptance rate 11.17% (2025 ABA 509)
Latest LSAT median 169 (25th 165 – 75th 170)
Latest GPA median 3.91 (25th/75th not publicly confirmed)
Latest entering class 228 (Fall 2025)
Current tuition $86,472 (2026–27; same for residents and nonresidents)
Current estimated cost of attendance $107,236–$117,044 (2026–27, by living arrangement)
Latest first-time bar passage 94% (all jurisdictions; 93% California) — Class of 2025
Latest bar-required employment 96% full-time, long-term, bar-required (Class of 2025); 100% employed overall
Current dean Franita Tolson (since April 1, 2024; first African American dean)

Introduction

USC Gould School of Law.jpg



USC Gould is a private, top-tier law school in the heart of Los Angeles. Founded in 1900 as the first law school in Southern California, it has built its modern reputation on one metric above all: placement. The Class of 2025 achieved 100% employment within ten months of graduation, with 96% in full-time, long-term, bar-required positions — outcomes that put USC among the most reliable employment producers in the country. Its Los Angeles location gives it a lock on the second-largest legal market in the United States, and its 11.17% acceptance rate (Fall 2025) makes it one of the most selective private law schools in the West.

Rankings and Reputation

Overall ranking

U.S. News (2026 edition) ranks USC Gould #26 (tie) out of 194 — unchanged from the prior edition (David Lat's 2026 rankings compilation; Reddit's full 2026 list shows USC Gould and Wisconsin–Madison tied at #26). The school's position understates its effective standing in its home market, where USC routinely outplaces its national rank. Official profile: U.S. News profile

Specialty rankings

USC Gould's reputation is built on its Los Angeles placement power — particularly entertainment and transactional law, where its alumni network inside the industry is among the deepest of any school — and on its public-interest pipeline (the school's Loan Repayment Assistance Program is a centerpiece of its financial-aid offering). Formal specialty-rank positions were not re-verified this cycle and are marked not confirmed here.

Admissions: What It Takes to Get In

Entering class (Fall 2025)

USC Gould received 7,204 completed applications and admitted at an 11.17% acceptance rate (2025 ABA 509 Report), producing an entering class of 228 students. Exact offer counts were not publicly confirmed in the sources reviewed (for reference, 2024: 6,203 applications, 770 offers, 200 enrolled, 25.97% yield per LSD.Law).

LSAT and GPA

Fall 2025 entering students: LSAT median 169 (25th 165 / 75th 170); UGPA median 3.91 (2025 ABA 509 data per LSD.Law and ILRG). The 25th–75th GPA range was not publicly confirmed in the sources reviewed.

Interpreting the numbers

USC's 11.17% acceptance rate is among the lowest of any non-T14 school, yet its median LSAT (169) sits a notch below its UCLA and Berkeley public competitors — a reflection of heavy in-state and transfer/alternative-path competition rather than weak demand. The school's real comparative advantage shows up after graduation: 100% employment and 96% bar-required placement in the country's second-largest market.

Application timing

USC Gould offers Binding Early Decision, a 3+3 accelerated Bachelor/JD path, and an LL.M.-to-J.D. transfer route (all verified on the school's application menu); the exact application fee and 2026–27 deadlines were not publicly confirmed this cycle (the applications page was not retrievable) — check the application portal directly: J.D. Application Instructions

Cost, Scholarships, and Debt

Tuition

$86,472 for the 2026–27 academic year — a flat rate for all students regardless of state of residence, plus mandatory fees of $1,964 (Student Bar Association $120, Student Health Services $1,440, Norman Topping Scholarship Fund $22, Graduate Student Programming $80, Transportation $302). USC Health Insurance Plan ($3,787) is waivable with proof of coverage. (U.S. News lists $84,034 as the most recent reported full-time tuition figure.)

Cost of attendance

School-published 2026–27 estimated totals by living arrangement:

  • Living with parents/relatives: $107,236
  • Living on campus: $116,897
  • Living off campus: $117,044

Components include books/supplies $2,200, food $3,762–$8,438, housing $8,775–$14,760, personal $2,020, and transportation $1,190–$2,070. 3L students add ~$2,331 in bar licensing fees; loan origination fees add ~$221 for borrowers.

Financial aid

The percentage of students receiving grants and the median grant amount were not publicly confirmed in the sources reviewed. Verified aid programs (school menu): the Frank Rothman Scholarship, Honors Scholars program, First Generation Professionals support, and a dedicated Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) for public-interest careers. USC also offers an interest-free monthly Payment Plan.

Debt perspective

USC is among the most expensive law schools in the country: $86,472 tuition plus Los Angeles living costs produces a ~$117,000 annual budget — on par with Columbia and NYU. The school's counterweight is placement certainty (100% employment, 96% bar-required) and its LRAP program; in-state students should weigh USC's private price against the UC schools' public tuition as the primary financial comparison.

Employment Outcomes

Employment (Class of 2025)

100% of the Class of 2025 was employed within ten months of graduation, with 96% in full-time, long-term, bar-required positions (USC Gould news release). The school's official ABA Employment Summary for 2025 is posted at its Post-Graduate Employment Statistics page; category-level detail (firm sizes, clerkships, sectors) was not machine-readable in the sources reviewed. (ILRG's alternate bar-required figure of 87.3%, #49 nationally, uses a narrower definition.)

What these numbers mean

National context: across all 36,206 ABA graduates in the Class of 2025, 82.7% landed long-term, full-time legal jobs and 8.8% were underemployed. USC's 100% employment and 96% bar-required rates sit far above both baselines, powered by deep Los Angeles firm demand, a loyal and dense Southern California alumni network, and the school's deliberate career-services emphasis.

Bar passage

94% first-time passage across all jurisdictions, including 93% first-time on the California bar for the Class of 2025 (USC Gould news release). An independent tracker of the July 2025 California bar lists USC at 92.9%. The school's earlier published bar-passage rankings have placed it second only to Stanford among California law schools in prior cycles.

Where graduates go

Los Angeles leads placement overwhelmingly, with strong shares in entertainment/media, transactional and litigation practices, plus a steady public-interest pipeline supported by LRAP. Geographic and firm-size splits for the Class of 2025 were not confirmed in the sources reviewed.

Academics and Programs

Curriculum and special strengths

USC Gould's curriculum is oriented around the Los Angeles market: entertainment and transactional law, business law, and litigation, with certificates of specialization available. The school emphasizes experiential and practical training alongside a rigorous core, and its location makes it the default destination for students targeting California entertainment and media practice.

Clinics and experiential learning

The school operates a broad slate of clinics and practicums plus JD externships (roster not re-verified this cycle), alongside dual-degree programs, study-abroad options, and the 3+3 accelerated path. Degrees: the full-time J.D., LL.M., and residential M.S.L.; there is no part-time J.D. division.

Student Life and Location

Living in Los Angeles

The University Park campus sits in the heart of Los Angeles — downtown's firm corridor, the entertainment industry, government and public-interest employers all within a short commute. USC's Trojan alumni network is one of the most engaged in the country, and the school's position as the oldest law school in Southern California gives it a century of institutional roots in the market.

Student body

USC Gould's entering class of 228 is selective (11.17% acceptance) and career-focused, with a strong public-interest contingent supported by the school's LRAP and First Generation Professionals programs. Dean Franita Tolson — the school's first African American dean, appointed April 1, 2024 — has emphasized access, inclusion and the school's placement mission.

How USC Compares

Choose USC if

You want the Los Angeles market and the entertainment/media industry; you value a 100% employment record and 96% bar-required placement; you want the USC Trojan network; or you prefer a private-school experience in Southern California at the oldest law school in the region.

Consider alternatives if

Price is your primary variable — USC's ~$117,000 annual budget exceeds UCLA's and Berkeley's public tuition by a wide margin (UCLA $61,862/$74,107; Berkeley $66,374/$79,991); or you want the higher national ranking and BigLaw-percentage profiles of UCLA (#13) and Berkeley (#16), both of which sit well above USC (#26). For New York or East Coast placement, T14 peers remain the stronger pipeline.

The TLS Verdict

USC Gould is the best-positioned law school in America's second-largest legal market that is not named UCLA: 100% employment, 96% bar-required placement, 94% first-time bar passage, and an alumni network that dominates Los Angeles practice. What it is not is a bargain — at private-school price with a #26 national rank, its value argument rests entirely on the certainty of Southern California outcomes. For applicants committed to Los Angeles, entertainment, or a reliable placement machine, USC Gould is a rational top choice; for those weighing national portability or public tuition, UCLA and Berkeley are the natural comparators.

Frequently Asked Questions

How hard is it to get into USC Gould?

Selective: 11.17% of 7,204 applicants were admitted for Fall 2025 (2025 ABA 509).

What LSAT score is competitive for USC Gould?

The Fall 2025 median was 169; the middle 50% ran from 165 to 170.

What GPA do USC applicants typically have?

The Fall 2025 median UGPA was 3.91; the 25th–75th range was not publicly confirmed in the sources reviewed.

Does USC give scholarships?

Yes — via merit and need-based aid including the Frank Rothman Scholarship, Honors Scholars, and First Generation Professionals programs, plus an LRAP for public-interest careers; the percentage of students receiving grants and median grant amount were not confirmed in the sources reviewed.

What is USC's bar passage rate?

94% first-time across all jurisdictions and 93% first-time on the California bar for the Class of 2025 (92.9% per an independent July 2025 tracker).

Is USC good for BigLaw?

Yes — 96% of the Class of 2025 landed full-time, long-term, bar-required positions, with Los Angeles large-firm hiring the core of the placement market; the exact 501+ attorney share was not confirmed in the sources reviewed.

Does USC offer a part-time J.D.?

No. The J.D. is full-time only; USC offers a residential M.S.L. and LL.M. as its non-J.D. programs.

What is USC Gould best known for?

100% employment for the Class of 2025, the Los Angeles and entertainment-law market, the USC Trojan network, and being the oldest law school in Southern California.

Contact and Key Links

Official links

TLS Forum Links

Sources

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