What is Chapman University's employment rate?

Chapman University reports 130 graduates for the class of 2025, of whom 113 were employed — an employment rate of 86.9% among graduates with known employment status. 111 held full-time long-term positions.

How many Chapman University graduates went into law firms?

78 of the 111 full-time long-term positions were in law firms (70.3%), including 13 at firms with 501 or more attorneys. The remaining 33 positions were in business and industry, government, public interest, judicial clerkships and education.

How many Chapman University graduates needed bar admission?

99 of 111 full-time long-term positions required or anticipated bar admission, 89.2% of the total. The remainder were jobs where a JD is an advantage but licensure is not the point.

Home / Employment / Chapman University

Chapman University Law School Employment Outcomes

Orange, CA · class of 2025 · reported roughly ten months after graduation

86.9%

Employment rate

111

Full-time long-term

At firms 501+ attorneys

#158

of 195 by employment rate

Class of 2025

Graduates in the class	130
Employment status unknown	0
Graduates with known status	130
Employed	113
Employment rate	86.9%
Of whom in full-time long-term positions	111
Enrolled in further graduate study	2
Seeking work	9
Not seeking work	3
Employed start date after the reporting date	3

The employment rate is calculated over graduates whose status is known. The 0 with unknown status are excluded from the denominator rather than counted as unemployed, which is the standard treatment.

What kind of work

Bar admission required or anticipated	100 total · 99 full-time long-term
Position where a JD is an advantage	12 total · 11 full-time long-term
Other professional position	1
Requiring bar, share of full-time long-term	89.2%

The two categories are kept separate deliberately. “Bar admission required” positions are ones where licensure is the point; “JD advantage” positions are where the degree helps but does not require a licence. Combining them into a single “legal employment” figure would blur exactly the distinction an applicant is trying to make.

Where the graduates went

Law firms and non-firm destinations, full-time long-term positions. These two tables add up to 111.

Law firms by size

Firm size	Graduates	Share of full-time long-term
Solo practice	0	0.0%
1–10 attorneys	22	19.8%
11–25	15	13.5%
26–50	15	13.5%
51–100	4	3.6%
101–250	6	5.4%
251–500	3	2.7%
501 or more	13	11.7%
Size not reported	0	0.0%
All law firms	78	70.3%

Non-firm destinations

This table does not include law firms. The ABA reports firms separately under their size distribution, so at this school the two tables together are the complete picture — 70.3% went to firms and the 29.7% below did not.

Destination	Graduates	Share of full-time long-term
Business & industry	7	6.3%
Government	15	13.5%
Public interest	5	4.5%
Judicial clerkship — federal	5	4.5%
Judicial clerkship — state & local	1	0.9%
Judicial clerkship — tribal	0	0.0%
Judicial clerkship — international	0	0.0%
Education	0	0.0%
All non-firm destinations	33	29.7%

Government (15), public interest (5) and judicial clerkships (6) together account for 26 of the full-time long-term positions at this school.

Where they went

The three states graduates reported most often. Not necessarily where they are licensed.

Rank	State	Graduates	Share of employed
Largest	CALIFORNIA	103	91.2%
2nd	DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA	5	4.4%
3rd	WASHINGTON	2	1.8%

Compared with other California schools

School	Employment rate	Full-time	Firms	501+ attorneys	Non-firm
Chapman University	86.9%	111	70.3%	13	29.7%

What these figures do not tell you

No salary data. Starting salaries are filed separately by each school and are not part of this report, so none appears here.
One class only. These figures describe a single cohort about ten months after graduation. They do not show a trend and may not hold for the next class.
A high rate is not automatically a good outcome. A school can place nearly everyone quickly, or place 85% into positions most graduates consider their first choice. The rate alone does not distinguish these.
Reported location is not licensure. A graduate who reports New York as their destination may not be licensed to practise there.

The Chapman University Law School ABA 509 report — every figure from the disclosure, section by section
Chapman University — full admissions data
All schools by employment outcomes
Chapman University — bar passage
Chapman University — cost of attendance
Chapman University — financial aid
Law schools in California

Source: Chapman University Law School ABA Standard 509 Employment Outcomes report, class of 2025, covering status roughly ten months after graduation. Employment rate is calculated over graduates with known employment status. Firm size and industry figures are full-time long-term positions; firms are reported separately from the industry breakdown. Not a prediction of any individual's outcome.