ABA 509 Profile · Public · Vermillion, SD
University of South Dakota: admission requirements and 509 data
A median LSAT of 152 and a median undergraduate GPA of 3.47 describe the class that entered in 2025. 405 people applied, 253 were admitted and 85 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
152
p25 149 to p75 156
Median UGPA
3.47
p25 3.16 to p75 3.81
Acceptance Rate
62.5%
253 offers of 405 applications
First-Year Class
88
all full time
Full-Time Tuition
$32,184
residents pay $12,076
Living Estimate
$18,034
school's own figure, single student off campus
Median Grant
$5,000
55% of students hold one
First-Time Bar Pass
72.6%
jurisdiction average 78.6%
How the acceptance rate is worked out
253 offers of admission ÷ 405 completed applications = 62.5%
We divide offers by completed applications rather than reprinting a rate. The 509 report states 62.47%, 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 Dakota
University of South Dakota received 405 completed applications for the 2025 entering class and made 253 offers of admission, an acceptance rate of 62.5%. 85 of those admitted enrolled, a yield of 33.6%. The full first-year class came to 88 students, all full time. Total JD enrollment across all years is 252.
Enrolled students posted a median LSAT of 152, with a 25th percentile of 149 and a 75th of 156. That is 7 points below the 159 median across the 196 ABA-approved schools in this data. It ranks 168 of 196 on LSAT median. Undergraduate GPA ran 3.16 at the 25th percentile, 3.47 at the median and 3.81 at the 75th.
Full-time tuition is $12,076 for residents and $32,184 for non-residents, a gap of $20,108 a year. Mandatory fees add $5,037. The school's own living-expense estimate for a single student off campus is $18,034. Tuition, fees and that living estimate add up to $55,255 for one year, or $165,765 across three, before any grant. 139 JD students hold a grant or scholarship, 55% of the student body, and the median full-time award is $5,000. 18 awards cover full tuition or more. The school reports conditional scholarships: 1 entering students held one and 0 had it reduced or eliminated.
Of the graduating class that sat a bar exam for the first time, 53 of 73 passed, a rate of 72.60%. The weighted average across the jurisdictions where those graduates sat was 78.62%, so the school ran 6.02 points behind the jurisdictions it feeds. Ten months after graduation, 64 of 82 graduates (78.0%) held a job requiring bar admission. 3 took federal clerkships. The largest single destination was South Dakota with 46 graduates, followed by Iowa with 5.
University of South Dakota has been approved by the Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education since 1923. It is a public school based in Vermillion, SD. No first-year students left for academic reasons in the reporting year. 1 students transferred in from other law schools.
The full 509 record
Admitted class profile, 2025 entering class
| Completed applications | 405 |
|---|---|
| Offers of admission | 253 |
| Matriculants from the applicant pool | 85 |
| Yield (matriculants per offer) | 33.6% |
| LSAT 75th percentile | 156 |
| LSAT 50th percentile | 152 |
| LSAT 25th percentile | 149 |
| UGPA 75th percentile | 3.81 |
| UGPA 50th percentile | 3.47 |
| UGPA 25th percentile | 3.16 |
| Students admitted on an LSAT score | 87 |
| Students admitted on a GRE score | 0 |
Program, faculty and calendar
| Total JD enrollment | 252 |
|---|---|
| JD degrees awarded | 83 |
| Credit hours required for the JD | 90 |
| Academic term | Semesters |
| Full-time faculty | 19 |
| Faculty other than full time | 36 |
| Course titles beyond the first year | 81 |
| Law clinic seats filled0 available | 0 |
| Field placements filled | 127 |
| Application deadline | July 1 |
| Application fee | $35 |
Tuition, fees and living costs, 2025 to 2026
| Full-time tuition, resident | $12,076 |
|---|---|
| Full-time annual fees, resident | $5,037 |
| Full-time tuition, non-resident | $32,184 |
| Full-time annual fees, non-resident | $5,037 |
| First-year tuition plus fees, resident | $17,113 |
| First-year tuition plus fees, non-resident | $37,221 |
| Living expenses, on campus | $16,452 |
| Living expenses, off campus | $18,034 |
| Living expenses, at home | $10,774 |
| Tuition, fees and living, one yearthe three published figures added together | $55,255 |
| The same three figures over three yearsbefore any grant or scholarship | $165,765 |
| Tuition guarantee program | No |
Grants and scholarships
| JD students receiving a grantof 253 students | 139 |
|---|---|
| Share receiving a grant | 55% |
| Awards below half tuition | 90 |
| Awards from half to full tuition | 31 |
| Awards at full tuition | 13 |
| Awards above full tuition | 5 |
| Full-time grant, 75th percentile | $10,000 |
| Full-time grant, 50th percentile | $5,000 |
| Full-time grant, 25th percentile | $590 |
| Conditional scholarships offered | Yes |
Attrition, transfers and outcomes
| First-year academic attrition0.0% of the first-year class | 0 |
|---|---|
| First-year other attrition | 5 |
| Students transferring in | 1 |
| First-year students transferring out | 1 |
| First-time bar takers | 73 |
| First-time bar passers | 53 |
| Gap to the jurisdiction average | -6.02 points |
| Graduates in a job requiring bar admission78.0% of 82 graduates | 64 |
| Graduates at firms of 251 or more lawyers0.0% of graduates | 0 |
| Graduates at firms of 501 or more lawyers | 0 |
| Graduates in federal clerkships | 3 |
| Graduates seeking work at the reporting date | 6 |
As listed on the 509 report
414 East Clark Street
Vermillion, SD 57069
(605) 658-3508
www.usd.ude/Acadmics/Colleges-and-Schools/knudson-school-of-law
Council approved since 1923
University of South Dakota 509 report: common questions
Where can I find University of South Dakota's ABA 509 report?
›
Every ABA-approved law school files a Standard 509 Information Report each year, and the ABA publishes them at https://www.abarequireddisclosures.org/. This page restates University of South Dakota's 2025 report, covering the class that entered in 2025: LSAT and GPA percentiles, applications and offers, first-year class size, tuition, grants, bar passage and employment. The figures come from the school's own filing, not from a ranking or a survey.
What LSAT score do you need for University of South Dakota?
›
University of South Dakota reported a median LSAT of 152 for the class that entered in 2025. The middle 50 percent ran from 149 at the 25th percentile to 156 at the 75th. A score at or above 152 puts you at or above the median half of the class; below 149 you are in the quarter of admitted students who needed something else in the file to carry the application. Law schools do not publish a minimum LSAT, and these percentiles describe enrolled students rather than a cutoff.
What GPA do you need for University of South Dakota?
›
University of South Dakota reported a median undergraduate GPA of 3.47 for the 2025 entering class, with a 25th percentile of 3.16 and a 75th of 3.81. These are LSAC Credential Assembly Service GPAs, which are recalculated from every undergraduate transcript and can differ from the GPA on your degree certificate.
What is University of South Dakota's acceptance rate?
›
253 of 405 applicants were offered admission for the 2025 entering class, an acceptance rate of 62.5%. That figure is offers divided by completed applications, both as filed in the 509 report. Of those admitted, 85 enrolled.
How much does University of South Dakota cost?
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University of South Dakota filed full-time tuition of $32,184 for the year in its 2025 509 report. Residents pay $12,076 and non-residents $32,184. The median grant among students receiving one was $5,000, so the published price is not what most students pay. Living costs are reported separately and are not included in these figures.
What is University of South Dakota's bar passage rate?
›
72.6% of University of South Dakota graduates passed the bar on their first attempt, as reported in the ABA's first-time bar passage outcomes for 2024 graduates. Bar passage is reported a year behind the admissions figures on this page because it tracks a graduating class rather than an entering one.
Closest on the numbers
Schools with the nearest LSAT median to University of South Dakota
St. Thomas University
152 LSAT, 3.42 GPA, 60.2% accept
Mississippi College
152 LSAT, 3.37 GPA, 59.8% accept
Florida A&M University
152 LSAT, 3.48 GPA, 34.7% accept
Widener University Delaware
152 LSAT, 3.33 GPA, 59.7% accept
University of Massachusetts School of Law-Dartmouth
152 LSAT, 3.36 GPA, 52.2% accept
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 Dakota 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.