Overview

Applicants
1,060
Acceptance Rate
34%
Median Undergrad GPA
3.42
Accepted Applicants Who Attend
150

Test Scores

LSAT
25th-75th percentile
(enrolled students)
141 - 165

Deadlines

Application Deadlines
July 1

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

Academic

LSAT Score
Undergraduate GPA
Letters of Recommendation
Essay / Personal Statement

Selectivity Rating

Faculty Information

Total Faculty
97

14
Underrepresented Minorities


Students Say

Students at Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law call their school “a diamond in the rough.” The focus here is squarely on bar preparation and practical training. “The greatest strengths are the opportunities for real-world experience,” says a 3L. There are a half dozen clinics and they cover a wide range of legal areas. Externships with judges, government entities, and public interest groups are “readily available” in Cleveland and the greater metropolitan area. The moot court program is strong. The legal writing program thoroughly emphasizes “advocacy skills.” If students run into academic difficulties, they can take advantage of Cleveland-Marshall’s academic support programs, which provide group training and one-on-one assistance to help students with their course work. Areas of concentration are available in business law, civil litigation and dispute resolution, criminal law, employment law, health law, and international law. There are five dual-degree programs and three journals. Cleveland-Marshall Law is also quite a bargain, particularly if you are an Ohio resident.
“On average, Marshall professors are knowledgeable, passionate, and approachable,” relates a 2L. “I have never been taught something as inherently boring as civil procedure in such an invigorating manner,” beams a 1L. Professors are also generally accessible outside the classroom. The “excellent” administration is “extremely open to student interaction and answers questions and concerns promptly.” However, “heading to the main campus to get administrative stuff done can be tedious.” Students’ biggest academic complaint involves the distribution of grades. The curve here, which permits faculty members to give over 50 percent of all 1Ls a grade of C+ or lower, can be pretty rough.
Cleveland-Marshall Law is located in downtown Cleveland on the main campus of the larger university, which means that part-time work at local firms is easy to come by throughout the year. According to some students, “the facilities could be a little fancier.” Most say that the layout of the law school is “not only aesthetically pleasing but functional,” though. “The library is great.” “The new addition is modern and beautiful,” relates a 1L. “It’s eye-catching from the street and a great place for students to study or relax between classes.”
More than 75 percent of all newly minted graduates take jobs in either private practice or the corporate world. The overwhelming majority of Cleveland-Marshall’s alumni practice in Ohio and the school’s reputation is very solid throughout the northeastern part of the state. Students rave about Cleveland-Marshall Law’s “connection to the Cleveland legal community” as well as “a supportive, active alumni base that extends opportunities to anyone who seeks them.”

Career overview

Pass Rate for First-Time Bar Exam
66%
Median Starting Salary
$71,500
% of graduates who are employed within ten months of graduation
94%
% of job accepting graduates providing useable salary information
65%

Career Services

On campus summer employment recruitment for first year JD students
Yes

On campus summer employment recruitment for second year JD students
Yes

Employers who most frequently hire graduates
Jones Day; Baker & Hostetler; Thompson, Hine; Squire, Sanders & Dempsey; Calfee, Halter & Griswold; Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff; Hahn, Loeser & Parks, LLP; Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur; Gallagher Sharp; Cuyahoga County Prosecutors Office; and Cuyahoga County Public Defenders Office are among the many employers who hire our students and graduates. A broad range of employers representing small, medium and large firms as well as business and government agencies employ our graduates.

Graduates Employed by Area

68%
Private Practice
13%
Government
12%
Business/Industry
6%
Public Interes

Graduates Employed by Region

2%
Pacific

Prominent Alumni

Marcia Fudge
Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development; served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 13 years.

Hon. Louis Stokes
Civil Rights pioneer, served 15 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Was the first African American congressman elected in Ohio.

Hon. Melody Stewart
Justice, Supreme Court of Ohio. The first African American elected to the Ohio Supreme Court.

Hon. Michael P. Donnelly
Justice, Supreme Court of Ohio.

Hon. Clifton B. Newman
Judge, South Carolina Circuit Court. Presided over the murder trial of attorney Alex Murdaugh.

Dates

Financial Aid Rating
May 1

Financial Aid Statistics


Expenses per Academic Year

In-State Tuition
$28,293
Out-Of-State Tuition
$29,393
Estimated On-Campus Room and Board
$22,440
Estimated Off-Campus Room and Board
$22,440
Estimated Cost for Books / Academic Expense
$1,500
Fees
$1,749

Student Body Profile

Total Enrollment
403
Parent Institution Enrollement
15,648

Average Age at Entry
27

% International
0%

Demographics

16.00%
% Under-represented Minorities

75% are full time
25% are part time
55% female
45% male

Campus Life

Students Say

The part-time program at Cleveland-Marshall is pretty large and “evening and day students do have very different experiences.” As you would expect, full-timers are generally younger while part-timers are older and have “more time in the real world” already under their belts. “In my class, we have architects, engineers, law enforcement officials, researchers, bankers, and people with other varying careers,” says a part-time 2L. Some part-time students complain that they are “excluded from a lot of school activities and classes.” Others assert that “the full- and part-timers are treated equally.” “I am a full-time 3L who frequently takes night classes due to my part-time work schedule and I haven’t noticed a divide between night and day professors’ focus on the students,” explains one student. “Some of the best professors I have had in law school teach night classes.”
Student opinion concerning the academic atmosphere is mixed. Some students flatly call it “competitive.” Others, staking something of a middle ground, say that “people are friendly and willing to help, most of the time.” Still others describe “a great sense of camaraderie.” “Students here help one another better than at any institution I’ve ever encountered,” declares a 3L. Socially, clubs and extracurricular activities are abundant. “The student bar association plans fun socials at least once a month with free food and drinks for students to unwind.” “Everyone seems to fall into whatever groups make them happy and things move right along.” “Most of the students know one another,” explains a 3L. “We have lockers, prom (Barrister’s Ball), socials, drama, and tons of drinking.” Beyond the law school orbit, Cleveland isn’t generally listed among the greatest cities in the United States but there really are a lot of charming neighborhoods and the cost of living is comparatively low.

More Information

% of Classrooms with Internet Access
100%

Admissions Office Contact

Contact
Barbara Andelman
Assistant Dean for Admission and Financial Aid

Address
1801 Euclid Avenue, LB 138
Cleveland, OH 44115-2214

Phone
216-687-2304

Email
law.admissions@csuohio.edu


Articles & Advice