St. Mary's University, School of Law Admission
St. Mary's University, School of Law Undergraduate Program
St. Mary's University, School of Law Application

The Facts

St. Mary's University is a rather small, private institution located in the city of San Antonio, Texas, and is affiliated with the Roman Catholic church. The university has a combined graduate and undergraduate population of over 8,000 students, however, the university's School of Law is significantly smaller, and is home to about 793 graduate law students. The average age of enrollment is around 24, and it is fairly rare for any students to enter the school directly from their undergraduate education. The school is perhaps best known for its intimate, caring approach to legal education, as well as for its wonderful library and consequently fantastic research resources. The school offers degrees in the 3 year JD, the 1 year LLM in international and comparative law for U.S. educated graduates, the 1 year LLM in American legal studies for foreign educated graduates, as well as combined degrees in the JD/MBA in accounting, the JD/MA in international relations with a concentration in justice administration, the JD/MA in public administration, the JD/MA in English language and literature, the JD/MA in theology, the JD/MS in computer science, the JD/MS in industrial engineering, the JD/MBA in business administration, as well as the JD/MA in communication studies. Some of the most popular programs of study include courses in the areas of constitutional law, criminal law, human rights law, as well as international law.

Admission to St. Mary's University's School of Law is quite competitive among the many students who apply; last year, over 2,170 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 685 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 295 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming semester. The admitted students had an average LSAT score ranging from 152 to 156, as well as an average undergraduate GPA of about a 3.1. Students are notified of their admissions status on a rolling basis, and there is currently no early application program in place.

The School of Law has 95 faculty members, all of whom come from very diverse legal and professional backgrounds. Students rave about both their accessibility and approachability, saying that they are always there to help, and do everything they can to make sure their students get the most out of class possible. The school has a rather manageable student to faculty ratio of 18:1, and the relatively small classes allow for plenty of interaction and discussion between students and their professors.

Employment Facts

Students at the School of Law express quite a bit of anxiety about finding jobs after graduating. The school's bar passage rate is lower than it's ever been, and the career services don't seem to do their job when it comes to attracting recruiters to campus. However, over 74% of the most recent graduating students were able to find jobs within a few months of receiving their degrees, and had an average starting salary around $55,000. Students are most frequently hired by employers such as small and midsize private firms, various governmental agencies including courts, district attorneys' offices, as well as various business endeavors.

What's Good

"The school is really a community-based place. People really look out for one another, and you feel taken care of."

"The faculty are so dedicated here, and you can tell that their hearts are really in teaching."

"Even though the school is technically Catholic, I never feel any pressure to change my religious beliefs."

What's Bad

"The facilities and technology could definitely use some updating. They're pretty antiquated."

"The career services office is really a joke. They don't do anything to help us out."

"I'm a bit worried about the low bar passage rate. It doesn't reflect highly on our school in general."

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