Home › Law schools by state › Compare › Southern University Law Center vs Thomas M. Cooley Law School
Southern University Law Center vs Thomas M. Cooley Law School
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. 0.9% of Southern University's Class of 2025 and 0.7% of Thomas M. Cooley's went to BigLaw or federal clerkships.
- Southern University costs about $19K less over three years after the average scholarship: $185K against $205K.
- Thomas M. Cooley is harder to get into: a 147 median LSAT and a 52.9% acceptance rate, against 147 and 56.5% at Southern University.
- Southern University has the higher first time bar pass rate: 68.1% against 51.5%.
Southern University
vs
Thomas M. Cooley
Where graduates go
Southern University leads 3 of 5
✓0.9%
BigLaw + federal clerkships
0.7%
✓0.9%
BigLaw (501+ attorney firms)
0.7%
0.0%
Federal clerkships
0.0%
66.2%
Graduates employed
✓87.4%
✓68.1%
First time bar passage
51.5%
What it costs
Thomas M. Cooley leads 3 of 4
✓$185K
Three year net cost
$205K
20%
Students receiving a scholarship
✓57%
$11,000/yr
Median scholarship (recipients)
✓$13,746/yr
$2,127/yr
Average scholarship (all students)
✓$9,115/yr
Who gets in
Acceptance rate: Southern University 56.5% · Thomas M. Cooley 52.9%
LSAT
Bars run from the 25th to the 75th percentile, with the median marked.
Southern University
145147150
Thomas M. Cooley
145147151
142144146148150152154
GPA
Undergraduate GPA of the entering class, same scale for both schools.
Southern University
2.863.153.48
Thomas M. Cooley
2.673.093.45
2.602.702.802.903.003.103.203.303.403.50
Southern University Law Center
Thomas M. Cooley Law School
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Frequently asked questions
Is Southern University or Thomas M. Cooley better for BigLaw?
Southern University placed more of its Class of 2025 in BigLaw or federal clerkships: 0.9% against 0.7%. By BigLaw alone (firms of 501+ attorneys), Southern University placed 0.9% and Thomas M. Cooley placed 0.7%. Federal clerkships were 0.0% at Southern University and 0.0% at Thomas M. Cooley.
Which is harder to get into, Southern University or Thomas M. Cooley?
Southern University's Fall 2025 entering class had a median LSAT of 147 and a median GPA of 3.15, with a 56.5% acceptance rate. Thomas M. Cooley's had 147 and 3.09, with 52.9%. Add your LSAT and GPA above to see your estimated chances at both.
Which costs less, Southern University or Thomas M. Cooley?
After the average scholarship, three years cost about $185K at Southern University and $205K at Thomas M. Cooley, 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, Southern University or Thomas M. Cooley?
20% of Southern University students receive a scholarship, with a median award of $11,000 a year among recipients. 57% of Thomas M. Cooley students receive a scholarship, with a median award of $13,746 a year among recipients.
Which has the better bar passage rate?
68.1% of Southern University's first time takers passed in 2025, against 51.5% at Thomas M. Cooley. Each school's profile shows how that compares with the states where its graduates sat.
Should I choose Southern University or Thomas M. Cooley?
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