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Southwestern Law School vs University of Detroit Mercy

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

  • Southwestern places more graduates in BigLaw or federal clerkships: 4.5% of the Class of 2025, against 2.6% at Detroit Mercy.
  • Detroit Mercy costs about $61K less over three years after the average scholarship: $180K against $241K.
  • Southwestern is harder to get into: a 157 median LSAT and a 36.5% acceptance rate, against 156 and 41.4% at Detroit Mercy.
Southwestern
vs
Detroit Mercy

Where graduates go

Southwestern leads 4 of 5

✓4.5%
BigLaw + federal clerkships
2.6%
✓4.1%
BigLaw (501+ attorney firms)
2.6%
✓0.3%
Federal clerkships
0.0%
87.6%
Graduates employed
✓93.2%
✓72.1%
First time bar passage
71.5%

What it costs

Southwestern leads 3 of 4

$241K
Three year net cost
✓$180K
✓72%
Students receiving a scholarship
58%
✓$29,166/yr
Median scholarship (recipients)
$18,636/yr
✓$20,745/yr
Average scholarship (all students)
$12,461/yr

Who gets in

Acceptance rate: Southwestern 36.5% · Detroit Mercy 41.4%

LSAT

Bars run from the 25th to the 75th percentile, with the median marked.

Southwestern
154157160
Detroit Mercy
154156159
152154156158160162

GPA

Undergraduate GPA of the entering class, same scale for both schools.

Southwestern
3.233.513.72
Detroit Mercy
3.163.523.73
3.103.203.303.403.503.603.703.80

Frequently asked questions

Is Southwestern or Detroit Mercy better for BigLaw?
Southwestern placed more of its Class of 2025 in BigLaw or federal clerkships: 4.5% against 2.6%. By BigLaw alone (firms of 501+ attorneys), Southwestern placed 4.1% and Detroit Mercy placed 2.6%. Federal clerkships were 0.3% at Southwestern and 0.0% at Detroit Mercy.
Which is harder to get into, Southwestern or Detroit Mercy?
Southwestern's Fall 2025 entering class had a median LSAT of 157 and a median GPA of 3.51, with a 36.5% acceptance rate. Detroit Mercy's had 156 and 3.52, with 41.4%. Add your LSAT and GPA above to see your estimated chances at both.
Which costs less, Southwestern or Detroit Mercy?
After the average scholarship, three years cost about $241K at Southwestern and $180K at Detroit Mercy, 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, Southwestern or Detroit Mercy?
72% of Southwestern students receive a scholarship, with a median award of $29,166 a year among recipients. 58% of Detroit Mercy students receive a scholarship, with a median award of $18,636 a year among recipients.
Which has the better bar passage rate?
72.1% of Southwestern's first time takers passed in 2025, against 71.5% at Detroit Mercy. Each school's profile shows how that compares with the states where its graduates sat.
Should I choose Southwestern or Detroit Mercy?
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.

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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

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