ABA 509 Profile · Public · Columbia, SC
University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law: admission requirements and 509 data
A median LSAT of 162 and a median undergraduate GPA of 3.67 describe the class that entered in 2025. 2,114 people applied, 632 were admitted and 215 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
162
p25 160 to p75 164
Median UGPA
3.67
p25 3.43 to p75 3.86
Acceptance Rate
29.9%
632 offers of 2,114 applications
First-Year Class
221
all full time
Full-Time Tuition
$38,100
residents pay $20,322
Living Estimate
$25,392
school's own figure, single student off campus
Median Grant
$12,562
90% of students hold one
First-Time Bar Pass
83.3%
jurisdiction average 75.8%
How the acceptance rate is worked out
632 offers of admission ÷ 2,114 completed applications = 29.9%
We divide offers by completed applications rather than reprinting a rate. The 509 report states 29.90%, 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 University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice
University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice received 2,114 completed applications for the 2025 entering class and made 632 offers of admission, an acceptance rate of 29.9%. 215 of those admitted enrolled, a yield of 34.0%. The full first-year class came to 221 students, all full time. Total JD enrollment across all years is 649.
Enrolled students posted a median LSAT of 162, with a 25th percentile of 160 and a 75th of 164. That is 3 points above the 159 median across the 196 ABA-approved schools in this data. It ranks 67 of 196 on LSAT median. Undergraduate GPA ran 3.43 at the 25th percentile, 3.67 at the median and 3.86 at the 75th.
Full-time tuition is $20,322 for residents and $38,100 for non-residents, a gap of $17,778 a year. Mandatory fees add $3,700. The school's own living-expense estimate for a single student off campus is $25,392. Tuition, fees and that living estimate add up to $67,192 for one year, or $201,576 across three, before any grant. 565 JD students hold a grant or scholarship, 90% of the student body, and the median full-time award is $12,562. 24 awards cover full tuition or more.
Of the graduating class that sat a bar exam for the first time, 174 of 209 passed, a rate of 83.25%. The weighted average across the jurisdictions where those graduates sat was 75.81%, so the school ran 7.44 points ahead of the jurisdictions it feeds. Ten months after graduation, 169 of 190 graduates (88.9%) held a job requiring bar admission. 28 joined law firms of 251 lawyers or more (14.7% of the class), of whom 16 went to firms of 501 or more. 3 took federal clerkships. The largest single destination was South Carolina with 137 graduates, followed by North Carolina with 12.
University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice has been approved by the Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education since 1925. It is a public school based in Columbia, SC. 6 first-year students left for academic reasons, 3.0% of the class. 3 students transferred in from other law schools.
The full 509 record
Admitted class profile, 2025 entering class
| Completed applications | 2,114 |
|---|---|
| Offers of admission | 632 |
| Matriculants from the applicant pool | 215 |
| Yield (matriculants per offer) | 34.0% |
| LSAT 75th percentile | 164 |
| LSAT 50th percentile | 162 |
| LSAT 25th percentile | 160 |
| UGPA 75th percentile | 3.86 |
| UGPA 50th percentile | 3.67 |
| UGPA 25th percentile | 3.43 |
| Students admitted on an LSAT score | 218 |
| Students admitted on a GRE score | 0 |
Program, faculty and calendar
| Total JD enrollment | 649 |
|---|---|
| JD degrees awarded | 190 |
| Credit hours required for the JD | 90 |
| Academic term | Semesters |
| Full-time faculty | 60 |
| Faculty other than full time | 77 |
| Course titles beyond the first year | 145 |
| Law clinic seats filled56 available | 47 |
| Field placements filled | 78 |
| Application deadline | Priority deadline: March 1, 2026 Applications accepted through July 1, 2026 |
| Application fee | $60 |
Tuition, fees and living costs, 2025 to 2026
| Full-time tuition, resident | $20,322 |
|---|---|
| Full-time annual fees, resident | $3,700 |
| Full-time tuition, non-resident | $38,100 |
| Full-time annual fees, non-resident | $3,700 |
| First-year tuition plus fees, resident | $24,022 |
| First-year tuition plus fees, non-resident | $41,800 |
| Living expenses, on campus | $25,392 |
| Living expenses, off campus | $25,392 |
| Living expenses, at home | $16,846 |
| Tuition, fees and living, one yearthe three published figures added together | $67,192 |
| The same three figures over three yearsbefore any grant or scholarship | $201,576 |
| Tuition guarantee program | No |
Grants and scholarships
| JD students receiving a grantof 628 students | 565 |
|---|---|
| Share receiving a grant | 90% |
| Awards below half tuition | 381 |
| Awards from half to full tuition | 160 |
| Awards at full tuition | 7 |
| Awards above full tuition | 17 |
| Full-time grant, 75th percentile | $18,000 |
| Full-time grant, 50th percentile | $12,562 |
| Full-time grant, 25th percentile | $8,000 |
| Conditional scholarships offered | No |
Attrition, transfers and outcomes
| First-year academic attrition3.0% of the first-year class | 6 |
|---|---|
| First-year other attrition | 2 |
| Students transferring in | 3 |
| First-year students transferring out | 4 |
| First-time bar takers | 209 |
| First-time bar passers | 174 |
| Gap to the jurisdiction average | +7.44 points |
| Graduates in a job requiring bar admission88.9% of 190 graduates | 169 |
| Graduates at firms of 251 or more lawyers14.7% of graduates | 28 |
| Graduates at firms of 501 or more lawyers | 16 |
| Graduates in federal clerkships | 3 |
| Graduates seeking work at the reporting date | 5 |
As listed on the 509 report
Report, 1525 Senate Street
Columbia, SC 29208
(803) 777-4155
sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/law/index.php
Council approved since 1925
South Carolina has 2 ABA-approved law schools. The South Carolina 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 University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice
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 University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School 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.