Loyola University New Orleans vs St. Mary's University
Where graduates end up, what each school really costs, and who gets in, side by side from each school's official ABA data. Add your LSAT and GPA to see your chances and scholarship estimates at both.
VS
Add your numbersSee your admission chances and scholarship estimates at both schools.
The short version
- =About the same placement. 4.0% of Loyola University New Orleans's Class of 2025 and 4.3% of St. Mary's's went to BigLaw or federal clerkships.
- St. Mary's costs about $19K less over three years after the average scholarship: $179K against $198K, and more of its students get a scholarship (81% vs 77%).
- Loyola University New Orleans is harder to get into: a 154 median LSAT and a 50.9% acceptance rate, against 153 and 26.0% at St. Mary's.
- St. Mary's has the higher first time bar pass rate: 84.6% against 71.2%.
Loyola University New Orleans
vs
St. Mary's
Where graduates go
St. Mary's leads 3 of 5
4.0%
BigLaw + federal clerkships
✓4.3%
✓2.8%
BigLaw (501+ attorney firms)
2.2%
1.1%
Federal clerkships
✓2.2%
✓92.7%
Graduates employed
91.0%
71.2%
First time bar passage
✓84.6%
What it costs
Even, 2 each
$198K
Three year net cost
✓$179K
77%
Students receiving a scholarship
✓81%
✓$26,000/yr
Median scholarship (recipients)
$12,500/yr
✓$20,129/yr
Average scholarship (all students)
$10,527/yr
Who gets in
Acceptance rate: Loyola University New Orleans 50.9% · St. Mary's 26.0%
LSAT
Bars run from the 25th to the 75th percentile, with the median marked.
Loyola University New Orleans
151154157
St. Mary's
151153156
148150152154156158160
GPA
Undergraduate GPA of the entering class, same scale for both schools.
Loyola University New Orleans
3.213.473.71
St. Mary's
3.143.493.69
3.053.153.253.353.453.553.653.75
Loyola University New Orleans
St. Mary's University
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Frequently asked questions
Is Loyola University New Orleans or St. Mary's better for BigLaw?
St. Mary's placed more of its Class of 2025 in BigLaw or federal clerkships: 4.3% against 4.0%. By BigLaw alone (firms of 501+ attorneys), Loyola University New Orleans placed 2.8% and St. Mary's placed 2.2%. Federal clerkships were 1.1% at Loyola University New Orleans and 2.2% at St. Mary's.
Which is harder to get into, Loyola University New Orleans or St. Mary's?
Loyola University New Orleans's Fall 2025 entering class had a median LSAT of 154 and a median GPA of 3.47, with a 50.9% acceptance rate. St. Mary's's had 153 and 3.49, with 26.0%. Add your LSAT and GPA above to see your estimated chances at both.
Which costs less, Loyola University New Orleans or St. Mary's?
After the average scholarship, three years cost about $198K at Loyola University New Orleans and $179K at St. Mary's, including living costs. Public schools are shown at out of state tuition. Your own scholarship can move these numbers a lot, so add your numbers above for an estimate.
Which gives more scholarship money, Loyola University New Orleans or St. Mary's?
77% of Loyola University New Orleans students receive a scholarship, with a median award of $26,000 a year among recipients. 81% of St. Mary's students receive a scholarship, with a median award of $12,500 a year among recipients.
Which has the better bar passage rate?
71.2% of Loyola University New Orleans's first time takers passed in 2025, against 84.6% at St. Mary's. Each school's profile shows how that compares with the states where its graduates sat.
Should I choose Loyola University New Orleans or St. Mary's?
It depends on your goals, your odds and your offers. Compare where each school's graduates end up, then add your LSAT and GPA above to see your estimated chances and scholarships at both. Your scholarship offer usually changes the cost more than anything else.
What a higher LSAT changes
Move the LSAT slider in the admissions calculator to watch your odds and scholarship estimates change at every school.
Figures come from each school’s official ABA disclosures. Admission chances and scholarship estimates are modeled from that data and are not predictions of any individual decision. Our data and methodology