University of South Dakota, School of Law Admission
University of South Dakota, School of Law Undergraduate Program
University of South Dakota, School of Law Application

The Facts

The University of South Dakota is a rather small, public institution located in the town of Vermillion, South Dakota, and is has a combined graduate and undergraduate population of over 8,400 students. The university's School of Law, however, is significantly smaller, and is home to about 252 graduate law students. The average age of enrollment is around 25, 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 wonderful research resources, its connections within the state's legal and professional communities, as well as for its emphasis on practical legal skills. The school offers degrees in the 3 year JD, as well as combined degrees in the JD/MBA, the JD/MPA, the JD/MA in educational administration, English, history, political science, public administration, psychology, as well as administrative studies. Some of the most popular programs of study include courses in the areas of environmental law as well as Indian law.

Admission to the University of South Dakota's School of Law is quite not terribly competitive among the relatively few students who apply; last year, over 470 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 170 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 73 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming semester. The admitted students had an average LSAT score ranging from 150 to 156, as well as an average undergraduate GPA of about a 3.3. 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 16 faculty members, all of whom come from very diverse legal and professional backgrounds. In general, students rave about the experience and erudition of their professors, saying that they are constantly impressed by their dedication and willingness to help students when needed. The school has a very manageable student to faculty ratio of about 17:1, and the small classes allow for plenty of interaction and discussion between students and their professors.

Employment Facts

Students at the School of Law don't seem terribly nervous about finding jobs after graduating; in fact, over 92% of the most recently graduating students were able to find jobs within a few months of receiving their degrees, and had an average starting salary of about $38,250. Students are most frequently hired by employers such as the Eighth circuit court of appeals, the U.S. district court, the South Dakota Supreme Court, the South Dakota Circuit Court, the Minnehaha public defender, as well as various local and national firms.

What's Good

"The school has amazing connections within the state's legal community; there are plenty of opportunities to make professional connections."

"I really appreciate the practical approach the professors take to teaching the law."

"Students here are very supportive of one another, and negative competition is nonexistent."

What's Bad

"There aren't very many internship opportunities here unfortunately."

"The building could use some updating in terms of technology."

"There is always a shortage of on campus graduate housing, and it's hard to find anything off campus."

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