ABA 509 Profile · Public · Cleveland, OH
Cleveland State University College of Law: admission requirements and 509 data
A median LSAT of 155 and a median undergraduate GPA of 3.50 describe the class that entered in 2025. 1,733 people applied, 597 were admitted and 195 enrolled. Every figure below is taken from this school's ABA Standard 509 Information Report, the disclosure the ABA requires each approved law school to publish for applicants.
Median LSAT
155
p25 152 to p75 158
Median UGPA
3.50
p25 3.11 to p75 3.76
Acceptance Rate
34.4%
597 offers of 1,733 applications
First-Year Class
195
120 full time, 75 part time
Full-Time Tuition
$29,866
residents pay $29,766
Living Estimate
$21,870
school's own figure, single student off campus
Median Grant
$11,000
98% of students hold one
First-Time Bar Pass
75.5%
jurisdiction average 80.5%
How the acceptance rate is worked out
597 offers of admission ÷ 1,733 completed applications = 34.4%
We divide offers by completed applications rather than reprinting a rate. The 509 report states 34.45%, which agrees with the division above. The rate counts every completed application, including applicants who never became competitive, so it is a measure of volume as much as of standards.
What the 2025 numbers say about Cleveland State University
Cleveland State University received 1,733 completed applications for the 2025 entering class and made 597 offers of admission, an acceptance rate of 34.4%. 195 of those admitted enrolled, a yield of 32.7%. Counting deferred admits and part-time entrants, the first-year class came to 195 students: 120 full time and 75 part time. Total JD enrollment across all years is 495.
Enrolled students posted a median LSAT of 155, with a 25th percentile of 152 and a 75th of 158. That is 4 points below the 159 median across the 196 ABA-approved schools in this data. It ranks 132 of 196 on LSAT median. Undergraduate GPA ran 3.11 at the 25th percentile, 3.50 at the median and 3.76 at the 75th. 8 of the entering class were admitted on a GRE score rather than an LSAT score.
Full-time tuition is $29,766 for residents and $29,866 for non-residents, a gap of $100 a year. Mandatory fees add $1,800. The school's own living-expense estimate for a single student off campus is $21,870. Tuition, fees and that living estimate add up to $53,536 for one year, or $160,608 across three, before any grant. 456 JD students hold a grant or scholarship, 98% of the student body, and the median full-time award is $11,000. 1 awards cover full tuition or more.
Of the graduating class that sat a bar exam for the first time, 83 of 110 passed, a rate of 75.45%. The weighted average across the jurisdictions where those graduates sat was 80.52%, so the school ran 5.07 points behind the jurisdictions it feeds. Ten months after graduation, 96 of 132 graduates (72.7%) held a job requiring bar admission. 16 joined law firms of 251 lawyers or more (12.1% of the class), of whom 9 went to firms of 501 or more. The largest single destination was Ohio with 106 graduates, followed by Michigan with 2.
Cleveland State University has been approved by the Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education since 1957. It is a public school based in Cleveland, OH. 24 first-year students left for academic reasons, 13.0% of the class. 2 students transferred in from other law schools.
The full 509 record
Admitted class profile, 2025 entering class
| Completed applications | 1,733 |
|---|---|
| Offers of admission | 597 |
| Matriculants from the applicant pool | 195 |
| Yield (matriculants per offer) | 32.7% |
| LSAT 75th percentile | 158 |
| LSAT 50th percentile | 155 |
| LSAT 25th percentile | 152 |
| UGPA 75th percentile | 3.76 |
| UGPA 50th percentile | 3.50 |
| UGPA 25th percentile | 3.11 |
| Students admitted on an LSAT score | 185 |
| Students admitted on a GRE score | 8 |
Program, faculty and calendar
| Total JD enrollment | 495 |
|---|---|
| JD degrees awarded | 132 |
| Credit hours required for the JD | 90 |
| Academic term | Semesters |
| Full-time faculty | 31 |
| Faculty other than full time | 64 |
| Course titles beyond the first year | 89 |
| Law clinic seats filled103 available | 83 |
| Field placements filled | 90 |
| Application deadline | June 1, 2026 |
| Application fee | No fee |
Tuition, fees and living costs, 2025 to 2026
| Full-time tuition, resident | $29,766 |
|---|---|
| Full-time annual fees, resident | $1,800 |
| Full-time tuition, non-resident | $29,866 |
| Full-time annual fees, non-resident | $1,800 |
| First-year tuition plus fees, resident | $31,566 |
| First-year tuition plus fees, non-resident | $31,666 |
| Living expenses, on campus | $21,870 |
| Living expenses, off campus | $21,870 |
| Living expenses, at home | $21,870 |
| Tuition, fees and living, one yearthe three published figures added together | $53,536 |
| The same three figures over three yearsbefore any grant or scholarship | $160,608 |
| Tuition guarantee program | No |
Grants and scholarships
| JD students receiving a grantof 467 students | 456 |
|---|---|
| Share receiving a grant | 98% |
| Awards below half tuition | 321 |
| Awards from half to full tuition | 134 |
| Awards at full tuition | 1 |
| Awards above full tuition | 0 |
| Full-time grant, 75th percentile | $18,000 |
| Full-time grant, 50th percentile | $11,000 |
| Full-time grant, 25th percentile | $6,000 |
| Conditional scholarships offered | No |
Attrition, transfers and outcomes
| First-year academic attrition13.0% of the first-year class | 24 |
|---|---|
| First-year other attrition | 3 |
| Students transferring in | 2 |
| First-year students transferring out | 2 |
| First-time bar takers | 110 |
| First-time bar passers | 83 |
| Gap to the jurisdiction average | -5.07 points |
| Graduates in a job requiring bar admission72.7% of 132 graduates | 96 |
| Graduates at firms of 251 or more lawyers12.1% of graduates | 16 |
| Graduates at firms of 501 or more lawyers | 9 |
| Graduates in federal clerkships | 0 |
| Graduates seeking work at the reporting date | 14 |
As listed on the 509 report
2121 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115-2344
Cleveland, OH 44115-2344
(216) 687-2344
Council approved since 1957
Ohio has 9 ABA-approved law schools. The Ohio guide compares them on LSAT median, cost and bar passage, and covers the state's admission rules.
Closest on the numbers
Schools with the nearest LSAT median to Cleveland State University
Data: ABA Standard 509 Information Report (2025), published for consumer disclosure, retrieved from the ABA Required Disclosures portal on 2026-09-01. Bar passage and employment figures come from the same portal's Bar Passage Outcomes and Employment Summary reports for the class of 2024. Figures describe the 2025 to 2026 reporting cycle for Cleveland State University College of Law and are restated in our own structure; no ABA document or file is reproduced here. Verify anything decision-critical with the school.
Related reading: LSAT score guide, GPA benchmarks, law school cost and ROI, application timeline, all 196 ABA-approved schools, and the Yale profile for the top of the range.