Southern University Law Center is a historically Black law school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with day and evening study options. Its civil-law and common-law curriculum includes civil rights, public service, clinical advocacy, and technology and entrepreneurship.
This guide walks you through how to get into Southern University Law.
Jump to a section
1. Southern University Law Admissions Numbers and Statistics
Southern University Law Class of 2028:
- LSAT: 75th: 151 | Median: 147 | 25th: 145
- GPA: 75th: 3.52 | Median: 3.19 | 25th: 2.91
Southern University Law Class of 2027:
- LSAT: 75th: 148 | Median: 146 | 25th: 144
- GPA: 75th: 3.57 | Median: 3.24 | 25th: 2.90
These are the full-time entering classes from fall 2025 and fall 2024. The LSAT median rose one point while the GPA median fell 0.05. Full-time enrollment increased from 209 to 239. Across all divisions, Southern enrolled 300 first-years in 2025, including 61 part-time students, compared with 275 the previous year.
Southern considers work, military service, activities, and background alongside the numbers.
Aim to be at or above at least one median to be competitive. Above both puts you in a stronger position. Below both medians, this is a prayer, not a reach.
For context on how medians affect your strategy, see How to Build a Smart Law School List.
2. Southern University Law Application Essays
Personal Statement
Southern considers the personal statement alongside academic performance, employment, military service, social and economic background, extracurricular involvement, and writing ability.
For more on how to write a personal statement, see my Personal Statement Examples and Personal Statement Guide.
For more on making your whole application work together, see my Cohesive Narrative Guide.
Addenda and Character & Fitness (if applicable)
Southern evaluates character and fitness as part of admission.
I'll be publishing a guide to addenda and character and fitness.
3. Southern University Law Resume Requirements
Southern requires a resume. Present your education, employment, service, and activities clearly, with dates and concrete responsibilities. Give sustained work and community involvement their appropriate weight.
For more on preparing your resume, see my Resume Examples and Resume Guide.
4. Southern University Law Letters of Recommendation
Southern requires two letters of recommendation as part of the application. Arrange submission with the rest of your supporting materials before the application deadline.
For more on recommendations, see my LOR Guide (Applicants) and LOR Guide (Writers).
5. Southern University Law Interview Process
Southern offers prospective students campus tours through its Office of Admission & Recruitment.
6. Southern University Law Deadlines and Decision Options
Testing Policy
Southern requires the LSAT and registration with LSAC's Credential Assembly Service. The application also needs transcripts, recommendations, and the LSAT writing sample. An application without the required writing sample is incomplete.
Application Dates and Fees
- Application Deadline: May 1 is Southern's recurring deadline for applications and supporting materials.
- Application Fee: $75.
- Entering Term: Fall for beginning JD students.
- Seat Deposit: $200 after admission.
Southern does not process applications received after May 1 for the upcoming August entering class. Plan the LSAT, transcript requests, and recommendation submissions together so that submitting the application does not leave a required piece behind. Admission decisions are communicated electronically.
Program Formats
Part-Time Day and Evening Divisions: The full-time JD is designed for three years; the part-time day and evening paths generally take four. All lead to the 90-credit JD. Choose the division that fits your actual schedule, including time for reading, writing, and clinical work. The evening option changes the timetable, not the need to make room for a demanding professional degree.
7. Southern University Law Scholarships and Financial Aid
Merit Scholarships
Southern's first-year scholarships consider the undergraduate record and other substantive factors. Awards depend on available funding. Renewal terms deserve close attention: among 2024-2025 entrants, 21 received conditional scholarships and eight had awards reduced or eliminated. Compare the offer's continuing requirements with the cost of attending without that award.
Cost of Attendance
For 2026-2027, Southern's full-time resident tuition and fees are $17,834. The annual full-time budget is $52,520 for residents and $67,520 for nonresidents, before listed first-year add-ons. Including those add-ons brings the first-year budgets to $54,018 and $69,018.
Part-time resident tuition and fees are $15,228. First-year total budgets, including the listed add-ons, are $50,612 for residents and $65,612 for nonresidents. Residency and division materially change the comparison. Use the full budget, not tuition alone, when weighing Southern against another offer.
For more on scholarship strategy, see How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships.
8. Southern University Law Joint Degree Programs
Southern offers two joint-degree routes that connect legal training with management and public administration:
- JD/MPA with Southern University's Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, designed for four years.
- JD/MBA with Southern University's College of Business, also described as a four-year program.
The MPA combination fits an interest in public administration and agency leadership. The MBA combination connects more directly to business operations and organizational management. Keep the distinction concrete: these are different professional curricula, not interchangeable additions to the JD.
9. Southern University Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)
Southern University Class of 2025 employment outcomes (reported to the ABA, measured 10 months after graduation):
- Full-time, long-term bar-passage-required employment (ABA): 40.3%
- BigLaw (firms with 101+ attorneys): 4.8%
- Federal clerkships: 0.0%
- Public service (including government): 24.7%
Louisiana was the leading employment location, followed by Texas and New York. Southern's regional practice base is central to evaluating the degree. A plan to practice in Louisiana fits that pattern more directly than a plan built around immediate national mobility. The bar-required employment result also makes cost consequential. Compare your scholarship, residency classification, and total borrowing with the kind of job you intend to pursue, rather than treating admission itself as the end of the decision.
10. Southern University Law Areas of Study and Specializations
Civil Law and Common Law: Southern offers distinct Civil Law and Common Law tracks. The civil-law curriculum connects to Louisiana practice; the common-law track prepares students for other jurisdictions. Changing tracks can require additional coursework, making intended practice location an important academic choice.
Civil Rights and Public Service: Civil Rights Litigation, Law and Racism, and Law and Poverty give students several ways to study access to justice. Angela Allen-Bell's work on constitutional rights and restorative justice adds a faculty connection to that curricular emphasis.
Technology and Entrepreneurship: The Technology and Entrepreneurship Clinic combines intellectual property with the everyday legal needs of businesses, nonprofits, inventors, and artists. Copyright Law, Patent Law, and Trademark Prosecution provide related coursework for students interested in transactional rather than exclusively courtroom practice.
Legislation and Government: Legislative Drafting Seminar and Legislative Drafting Practicum connect legal analysis with the work of developing legislation. Baton Rouge's role as Louisiana's capital gives this course cluster a direct local context, particularly alongside the JD/MPA route.
Maritime and Environmental Practice: Admiralty, Offshore and Personal Injury, Environmental Justice, and Regulation of Toxic and Hazardous Substances connect the curriculum to Gulf Coast legal issues. These courses offer distinct routes into maritime disputes, regulatory questions, and environmental harms.
11. Southern University Law Clinics and Experiential Learning
Southern's clinical program gives upper-level students supervised responsibility for real clients, including people unable to afford counsel.
- Technology and Entrepreneurship Clinic: Students work directly with clients on business formation, contracts, compliance, and intellectual property matters under supervising attorneys.
- Civil, Administrative, and Family Law Clinic: Students interview clients, research legal issues, draft documents, prepare cases, and develop oral advocacy.
- Criminal clinical work: Clinical Education includes supervised representation in criminal matters involving indigent clients.
- Juvenile clinical work: Students can work on juvenile matters through Clinical Education's supervised practice model.
- Elder-law clinical work: Clinical Education includes legal representation addressing older clients' needs.
- Tax and domestic-violence clinical work: These are additional practice areas within Clinical Education, combining substantive law with supervised client service.
Clinical Education is available to eligible second- and third-year students; Evidence and Professional Responsibility are prerequisites. The Technology and Entrepreneurship Clinic expressly includes upper-level day and evening students.
Pro Bono and Experiential Learning
The Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project connects law students with constitutional education in the community. Moot Court and Trial Advocacy add structured opportunities to develop written and oral advocacy. These experiences complement client work rather than replacing it.
12. Southern University Law Notable Faculty and Journals
Faculty
- Virginia Listach: Clinical Director of the Southern University Law Clinic. She supervises civil, administrative, and family matters and coordinates the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project.
- Angela A. Allen-Bell: B. K. Agnihotri Endowed Professor. Her work addresses constitutional law, civil rights, and restorative justice; she worked in the appellate judiciary before entering academia.
- Deleso A. Alford: Rachel Emanuel Endowed Professor of Law. Her scholarship connects health equity, race, and legal accountability, including research on Henrietta Lacks and unjust enrichment.
- Nadia E. Nedzel: Reilly Family Professor of Law. Her fields include comparative law, legal history, and the rule of law; she authored Legal Reasoning, Research, and Writing for International Graduate Students.
Journals
- Southern University Law Review: Student-edited legal scholarship involving research, writing, and editorial work.
- Journal of Race, Gender, and Poverty: Student scholarship and editing focused on the legal questions reflected in its title.
13. Southern University Law Culture and Student Life
Southern's three divisions bring students with different schedules and professional backgrounds into the same law school. The Student Bar Association, Black Law Students Association, Evening Law Student Association, and advocacy organizations provide different points of connection. The 2025 entering class included both 239 full-time and 61 part-time students.
Baton Rouge places the school in Louisiana's capital, with state government and local legal practice close to the law-school experience. For students pursuing Louisiana careers, the combination of civil-law coursework, community-facing clinics, and a regional graduate employment base gives the location practical weight.
Want Help Getting Into Southern University Law?
I work with applicants one-on-one on the whole application process, from strategy through essays and submission.
Explore my services | Request a consultation
Related Reading
→ How to Build a Smart Law School List
→ Should You Apply Early Decision to Law School?
→ How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships
→ 6 Proven Steps to Get Off a Law School Waitlist
→ How to Get Into Law School Below Both Medians
→ What Holistic Law School Admissions Really Means
→ Blog Directory
Note: While I try to keep this guide up to date, always verify deadlines, requirements, and policies at the Southern University Law website before applying.
Think you spotted an outdated requirement or something that doesn't look right? Email moshe@sharperstatements.com with the school and a link to the current information.
