September 28, 2026

Southwestern Welcomes 445 Students in Class of 2026

Southwestern has continued to strengthen entering credentials and has seen application volume more than double since 2020.

Southwestern welcomed 445 new J.D. students this fall, continuing a period of substantial growth in both demand and academic strength. Since 2020, application volume has grown from 1,991 to 4,373, the median LSAT for matriculants has increased from 153 to 159, and the median undergraduate GPA has risen from 3.25 to 3.56.

While the growth has come amid a broader national increase in application volume and enrollment, Southwestern has outpaced the national market. Southwestern's application growth ties to the Online J.D. Program, launched in 2024. That program accounts for approximately 1,590 of the 4,373 applicants and this year enrolled 103 entering students—nearly one-quarter of the class. The Full-Time Day program also grew over the same period, signaling that the online program helped raise the school's overall profile. 

Most entering students did not come directly from college: 87 percent earned their undergraduate degrees before 2026, and the average age is 27 for the entire class, and 32 for the new Online J.D. students. Eighty-three percent are the first in their families to attend law school, and 36 percent are first-generation college graduates. 

Students' paths to Southwestern vary considerably, which is not surprising given the multiple pathways the school has designed to ensure legal education is broadly available. 

Ratag Abdelmalik, an online student, moved to the United States from Libya in 2008 and spent years seeking asylum with her family, a status that also limited her access to financial aid for college. “At one point, I really thought I wasn’t going to attend college,” she said. She ultimately earned a degree in Criminal Justice and Criminology from Metropolitan State University of Denver in just three years, followed by a Master’s in Criminal Justice from Boston University. Her experiences with the immigration and justice systems helped inspire her interest in pursuing a legal career. In 2023, the same year her family was granted asylum, she helped organize donations and supplies for flood victims in Libya, bringing together community support for those affected.

Paisley Specht entered through SCALE, Southwestern’s accelerated J.D. program, after playing Division I basketball while earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA in marketing, building a social-media audience of more than 80,000 followers, and working with brands through name, image and likeness partnerships.

In 2025, Specht was one of 50 women selected from more than 1,100 applicants for the NCAA x Meta NIL Empower Program, an experience that deepened her interest in the legal and business questions facing college athletes. “Being a college athlete and working in NIL let me see the industry from the athlete’s side,” Specht said. “I understand how much is at stake when an athlete signs a contract or builds a brand. I want to help athletes understand those decisions, protect their interests and recognize what is possible.”

“Every entering class changes the law school it joins,” said President and Dean Darby Dickerson. “This class arrives at a Southwestern that is stronger than it was six years ago yet still defined by the breadth of experience its students bring. They have different responsibilities and ambitions, and they will pursue the J.D. in different ways. Our responsibility remains the same: to help each of them develop the judgment and skill to serve the people who will one day depend on them.”