Overview

Applicants
2,755
Acceptance Rate
40%
Median Undergrad GPA
3.58
Accepted Applicants Who Attend
247

Test Scores

LSAT
25th-75th percentile
(enrolled students)
153 - 160

Deadlines

Application Deadlines
March 15

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


Selectivity Rating


Students Say

St. John’s University School of Law’s “greatest strength... is its willingness to go to bat for its students.” “Friends, alumni, and professors routinely make calls and write letters on behalf of students,” one happy student says. St. John’s provides a “strong alumni base, especially in the NYC area,” and has “a great reputation in the New York Judicial arena.” Consequentially, graduates “have an edge in both NYC and Long Island firms.” SJU “has a very collegial atmosphere” with “no backstabbing.” The friendly atmosphere is created in part by the fact that “each 1L class is divided into three groups that take all of their first year classes together.” Students quickly make friends and “camaraderie is pervasive, everyone works hard, [and] most are willing to help each other with outlines or forming study groups.”
“The teachers are uniformly excellent,” and most “have an Ivy League background” and are “experienced within their respective fields.” These “absolutely amazing” professors tend to have an “open door policy” and “are pleasant and willing to help.” “The professor student interaction is great,” although one student says there is “much too much emphasis on rote memorization of law that leads to cramming and a ‘brain dump’ on a single final exam.” “The professor takes a personal interest in his or her student” and the school “encourages participation in its trial advocacy, moot court and journal programs.” “A few (maybe 10 percent) of the Professors seem very unenthusiastic, like they don’t want to be there,” but overall the teachers are “excellent” and “accessible beyond belief.”
Student opinion on the administration is more divided. Some say that the “helpful” administration “works like clockwork.” Others say “the right hand never knows what the left is doing, and you can go to five different people with the same question and get five different answers.” A 2L says, “I would say the administration has your back. It’s not ‘us and them;’ it’s ‘us.’” Students are friendly with the Dean, who “tries to get to know everyone” and is frequently seen “walking around.” By far the most common complaint is a rather unusual one: “temperature regulation.” The “climate problem in the classrooms” means that “it can be fifty degrees in a room one day and ninety degrees the next day.” “Seriously, why is blazing hot in every other room?” one sweaty student bemoans. Otherwise, “the facilities are nice” and “classrooms have all been re-done in recent years and utilize current technology.” “The library is well organized and has a good variety of quiet areas and common areas for group work,” when students need to study. “The most valuable resource so far has been the Career Development Office,” a 1L tells us. “I was able to get instant feedback on cover letters and résumés. In the end, this led to me landing a desirable summer internship rather quickly.”

Career overview

Median Starting Salary
$65,000
% of graduates who are employed within ten months of graduation
92%
% of job accepting graduates providing useable salary information
76%

Career Services

On campus summer employment recruitment for first year JD students
No

On campus summer employment recruitment for second year JD students
Yes

# of Employers that Recruit on Campus Each Year
50

Employers who most frequently hire graduates
Many private law firms, government and public interest agencies, as well as judges and corporations hire St. John’s University School of Law Graduates.

Graduates Employed by Area

53%
Private Practice
17%
Government
15%
Business/Industry
3%
Public Interes
2%
Judicial Clerkships
2%
Academic

Graduates Employed by Region

96%
Mid-Atlantic
3%
New England

Prominent Alumni

Judge P. Kevin Castel ’75
United States District Judge, Southern District of New York

Elisa D. Garcia C. ′85
Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, Office Depot Inc.

Steven J. Gartner ′84
Co-Chairman, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

Denise F. Keane ′76
Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Altria Group, Inc.

Terence P. Winter ′88
Writer, Executive Producer and Director, The Sopranos; Creator, Writer and Executive Producer, Board

Dates

Financial Aid Rating
Feb 1
Application Deadlines
Mar 1

Financial Aid Statistics

Average Annual Total Aid Package Awarded
$58,485

% Students Receiving Some Aid
94%

Expenses per Academic Year

Estimated On-Campus Room and Board
$20,490
Estimated Off-Campus Room and Board
$17,499
Estimated Cost for Books / Academic Expense
$2,025

Student Body Profile

Total Enrollment
731

Average Age at Entry
24

Demographics

26.00%
% Under-represented Minorities

47% female
53% male

Campus Life

Students Say

“Stop by the cafeteria at lunch time and the noise and energy make it obvious these students ACTUALLY LIKE each other!” one student boasts. SJU students “are helpful, friendly, and the competition is not cutthroat.” Instead, students treat each other “like family” although “it is a bit cliquey at times.” “The admissions department does a great job of recruiting bright, thoughtful, dynamic and diversified groups of students.” That said, they do a poor job in “ethnic diversity” and the student body is “an utter white wash, though I think the school has improved that aspect over the last couple years.”
Despite being located in the NYC city limits, students say “you need a car at St. John’s” if you want to get anywhere. “The train ride to Manhattan is NOT reasonable,” taking about an hour to get from campus to Times Square. “There is practically nothing ‘within walking distance,’ if you consider ‘walking distance’ less than twenty minutes away,” one student grumbles. Still, if you can brave the ride then all of New York City is at your disposal. “Everything is what you make of it,” one student muses, “and St. John’s has a very large amount of opportunities to join groups that are highly involved, social, and supportive.”

More Information

% of Classrooms with Internet Access
100%

Admissions Office Contact

Contact
Alicia Meehan
Assistant Dean for Admissions and Recruitment

Address
8000 Utopia Parkway
Queens, NY 11439

Phone
718-990-6474

Email
lawinfo@stjohns.edu