Santa Clara University ABA 509 Report
The 2025 Standard 509 disclosure for Santa Clara University, laid out by section: admissions, costs, aid, conditional scholarships, enrolment, bar passage and class composition.
Santa Clara University's 2025 Standard 509 disclosure reports that 2,575 applicants received 1,354 offers (52.6%), the entering class had a median LSAT of 159, the median grant was $40,000 per year, the first-time bar passage rate was 82.0%.
What this is. Every figure below comes from the school's own Standard 509 filing to the ABA, as published in the public disclosure data. Tables follow the report's own sections rather than a reorganisation by topic, so you can line each number up against the original. Where a school did not report a figure, it saysnot reported — nothing here is filled in with an average or an estimate. How to read these numbers →
Santa Clara, California · Report year 2025 · all Santa Clara University data →
Admissions
Applications, offers and enrolment for the entering class, plus the LSAT and GPA percentiles of the students who matriculated.
Source: Standard 509(b)(1)
| Completed applications | 2,575 |
|---|---|
| Offers of admission | 1,354 |
| Acceptance rate | 52.6% |
| Enrollees from the applicant pool | 253 |
| Enrolled in the first-year class | 262 |
| First-year class size | 256 |
| LSAT 25th percentile | 157 |
| LSAT median | 159 |
| LSAT 75th percentile | 162 |
| Undergraduate GPA 25th percentile | 3.21 |
| Undergraduate GPA median | 3.5 |
| Undergraduate GPA 75th percentile | 3.74 |
| Students who submitted LSAT scores | 238 |
| Students who submitted GRE scores | 17 |
How Santa Clara University compares within California
Among the 17 law schools in California that report acceptance rate, Santa Clara University has the 2nd highest.
The 17 law schools in California, ordered by acceptance rate. Schools that did not report a figure are shown as — and are not ranked.
| School | Acceptance rate | Median LSAT | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific, University of the | 54.4% | 156 | 1,248 |
| Santa Clara University ← this school | 52.6% | 159 | 2,575 |
| California Western School of Law | 46.9% | 155 | 2,144 |
| Western State, Westcliff University | 43.7% | 152 | 916 |
| University of San Francisco | 42.4% | 155 | 2,100 |
| Southwestern Law School | 36.5% | 157 | 3,584 |
| University of California-San Francisco | 27.5% | 161 | 4,593 |
| Loyola Marymount University-Los Angeles | 26.1% | 163 | 4,549 |
| University of San Diego | 23.5% | 163 | 4,241 |
| Pepperdine University | 23.4% | 164 | 4,272 |
| Chapman University | 20.5% | 163 | 2,514 |
| University of California-Davis | 16.0% | 165 | 3,896 |
| University of California-Irvine | 14.9% | 169 | 3,720 |
| University of California-Berkeley | 14.8% | 170 | 6,562 |
| University of California-Los Angeles | 12.1% | 171 | 8,623 |
| University of Southern California | 11.2% | 169 | 7,204 |
| Stanford University | 6.1% | 173 | 5,526 |
Tuition, fees and living costs
What the school charges and what it estimates students will spend living.
Source: Standard 509(b)(2)
| Tuition (annual, full-time) | not reported |
|---|---|
| Non-resident tuition (annual) | not reported |
| Tuition reporting basis | per credit hour |
| Per credit hour | $2,260 |
| Mandatory fees (full-time) | not reported |
| Living on campus | $35,618 |
| Living off campus | $35,618 |
| Tuition guarantee | no |
How Santa Clara University compares within California
Santa Clara University does not report annual tuition, so it cannot be placed among the 17 law schools in this state.
The 17 law schools in California, ordered by annual tuition. Schools that did not report a figure are shown as — and are not ranked.
| School | Annual tuition | Living off campus |
|---|---|---|
| University of Southern California | $84,034 | $32,298 |
| Stanford University | $77,454 | $51,102 |
| Pepperdine University | $72,920 | $33,700 |
| Loyola Marymount University-Los Angeles | $70,360 | $43,030 |
| University of San Diego | $66,950 | $39,197 |
| California Western School of Law | $64,720 | $34,342 |
| Southwestern Law School | $63,160 | $38,033 |
| Chapman University | $63,126 | $41,778 |
| Pacific, University of the | $62,678 | $35,081 |
| University of California-Berkeley | $62,532 | $45,866 |
| University of San Francisco | $59,800 | $34,100 |
| University of California-Los Angeles | $59,084 | $40,046 |
| University of California-Irvine | $59,080 | $37,293 |
| University of California-Davis | $57,460 | $33,048 |
| Western State, Westcliff University | $54,840 | $32,140 |
| University of California-San Francisco | $53,087 | $34,466 |
| Santa Clara University ← this school | — | $35,618 |
Grants and scholarships awarded
The share of students receiving grant aid, the size of those awards, and how they are distributed across the four funding bands.
Source: Standard 509(b)(2)
| Students receiving grant aid | 61.0% |
|---|---|
| Median grant (per year) | $40,000 |
| 25th percentile grant | $30,000 |
| 75th percentile grant | $57,262 |
| Half tuition or less | 17.0% |
| Above half, below full | 24.0% |
| Full tuition | 18.0% |
| Above full tuition | 1.0% |
How Santa Clara University compares within California
Among the 17 law schools in California that report median grant, Santa Clara University has the 5th highest.
The 17 law schools in California, ordered by median grant. Schools that did not report a figure are shown as — and are not ranked.
| School | Median grant | % receiving aid |
|---|---|---|
| Chapman University | $59,500 | 59.0% |
| Stanford University | $52,797 | 50.0% |
| Loyola Marymount University-Los Angeles | $45,000 | 62.0% |
| University of Southern California | $40,092 | 95.0% |
| Santa Clara University ← this school | $40,000 | 61.0% |
| California Western School of Law | $37,440 | 60.0% |
| University of San Francisco | $33,718 | 62.0% |
| University of San Diego | $32,000 | 91.0% |
| University of California-Berkeley | $31,158 | 86.0% |
| Pacific, University of the | $30,426 | 93.0% |
| Pepperdine University | $30,000 | 77.0% |
| Southwestern Law School | $29,166 | 72.0% |
| University of California-Davis | $25,000 | 99.0% |
| University of California-Irvine | $25,000 | 95.0% |
| University of California-Los Angeles | $24,456 | 83.0% |
| Western State, Westcliff University | $23,616 | 78.0% |
| University of California-San Francisco | $20,000 | 86.0% |
Conditional scholarships
Awards that must be re-earned each year. The retention figure is the share that kept the award after review.
Source: Standard 509(b)(3)
| Offers conditional scholarships | yes |
|---|---|
| Entering with a conditional award (2024) | 110 |
| Kept the award after year one | 70.9% |
| Award reduced or eliminated | 32 |
How Santa Clara University compares within California
Among the 11 law schools in California that report retention rate, Santa Clara University has the 5th highest.
The 17 law schools in California, ordered by retention rate. Schools that did not report a figure are shown as — and are not ranked.
| School | Retention rate | Entering with award |
|---|---|---|
| University of San Diego | 89.3% | 234 |
| University of California-San Francisco | 83.6% | 304 |
| Loyola Marymount University-Los Angeles | 83.3% | 216 |
| Pepperdine University | 76.9% | 117 |
| Santa Clara University ← this school | 70.9% | 110 |
| Pacific, University of the | 66.4% | 128 |
| University of San Francisco | 62.5% | 96 |
| Chapman University | 57.1% | 84 |
| Southwestern Law School | 51.9% | 295 |
| California Western School of Law | 36.7% | 199 |
| Western State, Westcliff University | 33.9% | 115 |
| Stanford University | — | — |
| University of California-Berkeley | — | — |
| University of California-Davis | — | — |
| University of California-Irvine | — | — |
| University of California-Los Angeles | — | — |
| University of Southern California | — | — |
Enrollment
How many students the school enrolled, and how that breaks down by degree.
Source: Standard 509(b)(4)
| Total students enrolled | 755 |
|---|---|
| JD students (all years) | 746 |
| First-year JD students | 262 |
| Non-JD students | 9 |
| First-year class size | 256 |
How Santa Clara University compares within California
Among the 17 law schools in California that report jd students, Santa Clara University has the 6th highest.
The 17 law schools in California, ordered by jd students. Schools that did not report a figure are shown as — and are not ranked.
| School | JD students | First-year JD |
|---|---|---|
| University of California-Berkeley | 1,128 | 374 |
| Southwestern Law School | 1,108 | 459 |
| University of California-San Francisco | 1,048 | 382 |
| University of California-Los Angeles | 1,020 | 328 |
| Loyola Marymount University-Los Angeles | 1,000 | 338 |
| Santa Clara University ← this school | 746 | 262 |
| University of San Diego | 725 | 240 |
| California Western School of Law | 669 | 269 |
| University of Southern California | 650 | 228 |
| Pacific, University of the | 615 | 212 |
| University of California-Davis | 606 | 209 |
| Stanford University | 570 | 193 |
| Pepperdine University | 553 | 230 |
| University of San Francisco | 510 | 201 |
| University of California-Irvine | 493 | 189 |
| Chapman University | 420 | 153 |
| Western State, Westcliff University | 355 | 120 |
Bar passage
First-time passage is the share passing on the first attempt; ultimate passage counts retakes over two years.
Source: Standard 509(b)(8)
| First-time takers | 205 |
|---|---|
| First-time passers | 168 |
| First-time passage rate | 82.0% |
| Ultimate passage rate (2023) | 88.0% |
| Ultimate passage rate (2024) | 92.0% |
How Santa Clara University compares within California
Among the 17 law schools in California that report first-time rate, Santa Clara University has the 10th highest.
The 17 law schools in California, ordered by first-time rate. Schools that did not report a figure are shown as — and are not ranked.
| School | First-time rate | Ultimate rate |
|---|---|---|
| Stanford University | 99.4% | 99.0% |
| University of California-Los Angeles | 96.7% | 97.8% |
| University of California-Berkeley | 94.8% | 97.0% |
| University of Southern California | 94.1% | 96.3% |
| University of California-Davis | 93.2% | 97.0% |
| Pepperdine University | 90.7% | 95.6% |
| University of California-Irvine | 89.9% | 97.4% |
| University of San Diego | 86.7% | 96.8% |
| University of California-San Francisco | 86.3% | 94.0% |
| Santa Clara University ← this school | 82.0% | 92.0% |
| Western State, Westcliff University | 81.1% | 89.3% |
| University of San Francisco | 80.9% | 93.6% |
| Chapman University | 80.3% | 87.5% |
| Loyola Marymount University-Los Angeles | 79.7% | 94.6% |
| Southwestern Law School | 72.1% | 88.0% |
| California Western School of Law | 71.4% | 86.0% |
| Pacific, University of the | 71.1% | 88.2% |
Entering class composition
Race and gender of the entering class, as reported by the school. Categories follow the school's own reporting.
Source: Standard 509(b)(1)
| Students in the entering class | 256 |
|---|---|
| White | 96 |
| Black | 9 |
| Hispanic | 50 |
| Asian | 82 |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 0 |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 0 |
| Multiracial | 19 |
| Race not reported | 0 |
| Men | 111 |
| Women | 145 |
| Another gender | 0 |
| Gender not reported | 0 |
Where to go next
- Admissions funnel — applications through to enrolment, with yield rates
- Cost of attendance — three-year totals, and what aid changes
- Financial aid breakdown — the four funding bands in detail
- Bar passage — first-time and ultimate rates
- Employment outcomes — where graduates went
- Scholarship calculator — what your own LSAT and GPA would place you in
Common questions
What does the Santa Clara University 509 report show?
Santa Clara University's 2025 Standard 509 disclosure reports that 2,575 applicants received 1,354 offers (52.6%), the entering class had a median LSAT of 159, the median grant was $40,000 per year, the first-time bar passage rate was 82.0%.
How does Santa Clara University compare with other law schools in California?
Among the 17 law schools in California that report acceptance rate, Santa Clara University has the 2nd highest.
How many applicants did Santa Clara University receive, and how many were admitted?
Santa Clara University received 2,575 completed applications and issued 1,354 offers of admission, an acceptance rate of 52.6%.
What is the tuition and grant aid at Santa Clara University?
For Santa Clara University, tuition is reported per credit hour at $2,260, off-campus living costs are estimated at $35,618, the median grant is $40,000 per year, 61% of students receive grant aid.
What is the bar passage rate at Santa Clara University?
Santa Clara University had a first-time bar passage rate of 82.0% across 205 takers in the most recent cycle. The two-year ultimate passage rate was 92.0%.