Do you want to be enrolled in a top-tier law school renowned for its exceptional mix of diverse cultures and opportunities? If so, read on to learn more about how to get into the Charleston School of Law!
Established in 2003 and accredited by the American Bar Association in August 2011. The College of Charleston Law School has a long history of producing thorough breed and excellent lawyers and providing them with world-class education and experience.
According to the American Bar Association’s 2023 disclosures, only 63.9% of its graduates passed the bar exam on their first attempt, significantly below the national average of 78% reported by The Bar Examiner for 2022. Additionally, Law School Transparency data from 2023 indicates that just 65.3% of graduates secure full-time legal jobs, reflecting the school’s challenges in preparing students for licensure and employment.
If you’d like to be part of all that the school has to offer, this article will be your best guide as we have covered everything including admission requirements and deadlines, acceptance rate, tuition costs, and more!
Charleston School of Law Overview
The Charleston School of Law was founded as a private for-profit law school in Charleston, South Carolina. The school was one of the best-accredited law schools by the American Bar Association (ABA) in August 2011.
The school of law was founded upon the principle of promoting public service by its students and graduates; that is the reason it is mandatory for each student in the school to perform at least 50 hours of public service before graduation.
The citedel of learning has played a very crucial role in the development of the rule of law in the USA and boasts of a legal community with the highest professional reputation.
Not only are Charleston School of Law students the privilege of mentoring and externship programs offered in partnership with Charleston’s collegial, professional Bar, but they also benefit from a firsthand look at the study of law in a city anchored by a renowned, downtown civic law hub known as the Four Corners of Law.
Thus, since its inception, the institution has reinvigorated the study of law in Charleston by providing students with a rich, comprehensive program rooted in excellence.
Charleston School of Law Admission Requirements
The Charleston School of Law requirements aim to admit students who have the knowledge on how to study smart not hard while striving for excellence in the study of law. To keep the standard high, the entering class is highly competitive and always favors the most talented, the Charleston School of Law Requirements are as follows:
GPA Requirements
To apply to the Charleston School of Law you will first need to complete an undergraduate degree at any accredited college or university of your choice. While the specific major you choose doesn’t matter, the GPA you get does! The institution has a median GPA of 3.41
It is advisable that you go for a major based on your interest in the subject rather than on the prestige you assume it will hold. It will interest you to know that the Law school admission committees will prefer to admit students with an arts degree with a high GPA over a science degree with a low GPA!
Also, it is important that you endeavor to get your transcript diversified by enrolling in various elective courses outside of your major field of study that will boost your chance at the law college. This will serve as a point to the admission committee that you are talented in multiple disciplines, making you a more grounded candidate.
Charleston School of Law Lsat
All the applicants to the School of Law are to take the Charleston School of Law LSAT exams. So that your application is not delayed and also stays ahead of the Charleston School of Law application deadline, it is ideal that you take the LSAT in the summer or fall of the year before the year in which you wish to matriculate.
The median LSAT score of the institution based on the past years is 160. The school has also begun accepting GRE scores in lieu of the LSAT. As a new admission policy, in an effort to boost the enrollment of law school, the Charleston School of Law will now accept the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) starting from the 2023 admission under the following conditions:
- An applicant does not have available a reportable LSAT score
- Such applicants will have to submit all GRE scores from the past five years
- Also, the applicants who want to apply using the GRE alone must submit a written explanation for why he or she has chosen to take the GRE over the LSAT
A Resume
Students also have to submit a resume detailing their work, volunteer, and academic experience, if you have received any awards or honors it is good to include them too.
Since you will not have any direct legal experience, it is important that you include any extracurricular activities that you participated in that gave you the platform to develop your critical thinking, leadership, time management, collaboration, and communication skills.
More detailed information can be found on the school’s website. You can present this information electronically via the school portal or as hard copies as soon as the school calls for applications.
Charleston School of Law Acceptance Rate
The College of Charleston Law School has a promising acceptance rate of 55.6%!
Charleston School of Law Application Deadlines
Applying to law schools can be a very tedious process this is because a law degree is one of the best college degrees in the World, and one can easily miss out on the deadlines. So that you can stay up to date without missing the deadline, here are key dates you should always look out for.
While the Charleston School of Law application deadline is March 1, it’s highly recommended that you turn in your application before the end of first priority deadline.
Charleston School of Law Tuition
Tuition for the Charleston School of Law costs $43,700 for full-time J.D. students and $35,100 for part-time J.D. students. To enable students to pay for tuition, the school law office of admission offers both merit-based and need-based scholarships.
Current School of Law students stand a chance of qualifying for the Presidential Honors Program, which includes a scholarship, based on outstanding academic performance during their first year or first thirty credits earned at the law school.
Some of the school’s most rewarding scholarships are:
- ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship
- Diversity Scholars Program
- External Scholarship Opportunities
- Merit-Based Scholarships
- Need-Based Scholarships
- Presidential Honors Program
- Yellow Ribbon Program
The various financial aides are awarded on a merit basis, it’s important that a student maintain a high GPA at the undergraduate level so as to be considered a competitive applicant and to also attend law school for free!
Charleston School of Law Ranking
In the United States, there are various institutions that are empowered by law to be responsible for ranking various schools every year. The rankings are a pointer to which schools are the best schools in the World for students to enroll in. When you check the ranking of an academic institution before you apply, you will have an idea of its quality and how difficult it is to gain admission to such a school.
The Princeton Review released in its 2023 report of law school ratings, this School of Law was rated among the top-rated law schools in the categories of “Professor Accessibility” and “Professor: Teaching.”
The US News and World Report ranks the institution as follows:
- #180-196 in best law schools.
- 186 in Business/Corporate Law
- 178 in Clinical Training
- 177 in Constitutional Law
- 174 in Contracts/Commercial Law
- 170 in Criminal Law
- 172 in Environmental Law
- 187 in Intellectual Property Law
- 163 in International Law
- 177 in Tax Law
- 139 in Trial Advocacy
Also, this school of law has a robust academic curriculum, and various opportunities for practical learning it will interest you to know that the Charleston School of Law Moot Court is just like a normal USA court, and provides high intellectual engagement opportunities.
This School of Law is also an excellent institution to pursue your legal education because it is an educational hub for the development of the legal mind, networking, internships, and externships that can turn your academic journey into reality!
FAQs: Charleston School of Law
Yes, the Charleston School of Law is situated in an area with various employment and networking opportunities and has top-class faculty members, diverse course offerings, and a good number of experiential learning opportunities for its law students.
You should be targeting 160 on the LSAT to be considered competitive at the College of Charleston law school.
Tuition for the Charleston School of Law costs $43,700 for full-time J.D. students and $35,100 for part-time J.D. students. Moreover, this law school offers various financial aid to help ease the financial burden of these high costs.
The Charleston School of Law acceptance rate is very promising at the rate of 55.6%.
Conclusion
After going over how to get into the Charleston School of Law, you should at this point have a better idea of whether or not the institution is the ideal school for you to begin your legal academic journey and kickstart your career in the field of law.
To ensure that you are on the right path toward achieving your academic goals, the school’s attorney advisors provide individual career counseling for students. The citedel of learning also runs several job-related programs.
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