USC Bucks Trend with a 5% Increase in Law Applications

Incoming Class Boasts the Largest GPA Gain of Any Top 30 Law School
 
-By Gilien Silsby

USC Gould School of Law recruited a stellar first-year class in 2014, a group that boasts the highest median grade point average in the school’s history, maintains a 95th percentile median LSAT and is 32 percent diverse.

The demand for a seat in the USC Gould’s first year class increased significantly with a 5 percent surge in applications. USC bucked a 6.7 percent decline in law school applications nationwide.
 
“USC Gould School of Law is one of the nation’s preeminent schools known for our small, cohesive learning environment, world-class faculty and cutting-edge experiential learning,” said USC Gould Dean Robert K. Rasmussen “It is no surprise that students are drawn to our school and Los Angeles.”
 
The Class of 2017 scored an average in the 95th percentile on the LSAT and earned an undergraduate GPA of 3.76 up from 3.70 the previous year. The class also has broad geographic representation: students hail from 89 colleges and universities and 35 percent of the class is made up of non-California residents.
 
Not only did the academic quality of the class improve, the size increased to 202 students from 175 the previous year.

A total of 4,578 applications were submitted for consideration, said Chloe Reid, USC Gould Dean of Admissions. “We spent a tremendous amount of one-on-one time with applicants. That personal touch is what USC is known for. At the end of the day, it’s about choosing the school that will provide the best overall education. Top students who want a high-caliber, energizing law school experience are drawn to us,” she said.
 
Here are other Class of 2017 highlights:
 
· 54 percent of the class attended public universities as undergraduates
 
· The top four represented colleges and universities by number of students are UC Berkeley, NYU, USC and UCLA.
 
· 10 percent are economically disadvantaged
 
· The class ranges in age from 19 to 40 years, with an average age of 24 years old
 
· Students with advanced degrees represent nearly 10 percent of the class, up from 5 percent in 2013.
 
Reid is expecting that USC Gould’s 2014-15 admissions cycle will show another year of success. “The momentum is continuing and applications are again on the rise despite a decline in applications nationwide,” she said.