Overview

Applicants
2,366
Acceptance Rate
37%
Median Undergrad GPA
3.36
Accepted Applicants Who Attend
249

Test Scores

LSAT
25th-75th percentile
(enrolled students)
150 - 155

Deadlines

Application Deadlines
March 1

Application Process

Rolling Admissions
Yes

Application Fee
$0

CAS Service Used
Yes

Applicants accepted in terms other than fall
No

Transfer Applicants Accepted
Yes

Deferred Admission
Yes

Other Admission Factors

Academic

LSAT Score
Undergraduate GPA
Essay / Personal Statement

Selectivity Rating

Faculty Information

Student/Faculty
12:1
Total Faculty
101

33
Female
24
Underrepresented Minorities


Students Say

Located in San Antonio, the St. Mary’s University School of Law boasts a strong commitment to public service and pro bono work, and students praise it’s “service-oriented mission.” In fact, “St. Mary’s dominates in pro bono work in Texas.” “St. Mary’s has a new dean who has already done amazing things for the school, including increasing the number and size of scholarships available, and bringing new focus to the school in more modern areas of law” although one student adds that “the rest of administration is fairly inaccessible, or if you manage to get a request across their desk, it is usually summarily shot down.” The professors at St. Mary’s “are an amazing group who are really trying to prepare us for the world of law practice, while at the same time being incredibly supportive and helpful.” Another student adds that “the professors at St. Mary’s University School of Law are the School’s best assets. They are welcoming, honest and have many voices to share. Most, if not all, of them offer practical experience in class and a good portion are also quite entertaining.”
St. Mary’s may be a Catholic and Marianist institution, but “it is very welcome[ing] to people of all faiths or no faith at all.” Additionally. St. Mary’s Law Journal is “one of the most cited law journals in the country, and [the school] also boasts a second law journal, The Scholar, which is the only one in the country that focuses on social and race issues in the law.” The first-year curriculum is “tough,” and St. Mary’s curve “isn’t as forgiving as other more prestigious law schools. St. Mary’s doesn’t artificially inflate grades, but this means if you get a high grade, you really did earn it.” The “Mock Trial/Moot Court/Negotiations Programs . . . consistently produce national ranked teams and provide students with practicable skills.”
Overall, students “feel fortunate to have attended St. Mary’s Law School,” but note the “disadvantage when it comes to ‘big law’ and judicial internships & clerkships (as compared to University of Texas students),” although there are “opportunities St. Mary’s students have because of particular professors who have forged relationships with federal and Texas judges.” Students at St. Mary’s “benefit greatly from professors who impart the practicalities of practicing law, not just the theory, and administrators who strive to provide as many opportunities to gain practical skills as possible. Regardless of whether it is more difficult to obtain post-grad employment because of St. Mary’s ranking, I think these aspects (and the tremendous faculty) are well worth it.”

Career overview

Pass Rate for First-Time Bar Exam
70%
Median Starting Salary
$70,000
% of graduates who are employed within ten months of graduation
85%
% of job accepting graduates providing useable salary information
72%

Career Services

On campus summer employment recruitment for first year JD students
Yes

On campus summer employment recruitment for second year JD students
Yes

# of Employers that Recruit on Campus Each Year
70

Employers who most frequently hire graduates
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid; Bexar County District Attorney?s Office; Thomas J. Henry Injury Attorneys; Dykema; Daspit Law Firm

Graduates Employed by Area

63%
Private Practice
14%
Government
10%
Public Interes
9%
Business/Industry
3%
Judicial Clerkships
1%
Academic

Graduates Employed by Region

91%
South West
3%
South
1%
International
1%
Mountain
1%
Pacific

Prominent Alumni

The Honorable David Ezra
US District Court for the Western District of Texas

The Honorable John Cornyn
US Senator

The Honorable Marina Garcia Marmolejo
Judge, US District Court for Southern District of Texasthern

The Honorable Sandee Bryan Marion
Retired Chief Justice of the Texas Fourth Court of Appeals

Lawrence Waks
Partner, Reed Smith

Dates

Financial Aid Rating
Mar 31
Application Deadlines
Mar 1

Financial Aid Statistics

Average Annual Total Aid Package Awarded
$45,111

% Students Receiving Some Aid
92%

Expenses per Academic Year

Tuition
$41,138
Estimated On-Campus Room and Board
$13,880
Estimated Off-Campus Room and Board
$13,880
Estimated Cost for Books / Academic Expense
$1,600
Fees
$1,104

Student Body Profile

Total Enrollment
737
Parent Institution Enrollement
3,458

Number of Foreign Countries Represented
3
Average Age at Entry
26

% International
1%

Demographics

59.00%
% Under-represented Minorities

85% are full time
15% are part time
55% female
45% male

Campus Life

Students Say

“What sets St. Mary’s apart is the collective spirit. Students are not afraid of working together to accomplish a similar goal,” but “while some cliques can form, it is more a separation of people who participate and people who don’t. Those that don’t go to events may feel excluded in classroom discussions because some students simply know each other better.” And while “the competitive nature of the grades creates a sense of urgency in some students who feel they are constantly looking over their shoulder to see who may be trying to gain an edge over the others,” many students nonetheless “feel free to share their notes and outlines with others.” Students applaud the “availability of various student organizations, which open up doors to anything from an interview with the Supreme Court of Texas to lasting friendships.”
Although “the facilities could use some improvement,” students note that “the university recently upgraded a few classrooms, which have been received very well, but other elements, such as the library study rooms, could use expansion and renovation. Additionally, the law school does not have many on-campus food locations or student lounge areas that encourage students to stay after classes have ended.”

More Information

% of Classrooms with Internet Access
95%

Admissions Office Contact

Contact
Catherine Casiano
Assistant Dean of Admissions

Address
One Camino Santa Maria
San Antonio, TX 78228-8601

Phone
210-436-3523

Email
lawadmissions@stmarytx.edu


Articles & Advice