Columbia, South Carolina
University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law
- Accreditation
- ABA approved since 1925
- Institution type
- Public
- J.D. formats
- Full-time J.D.
- Median LSAT
- 162
- Median GPA
- 3.67
- Resident tuition
- $20,322
- First-year class
- 221
- Bar-required jobs
- 88.9%
- First-time bar passage
- 90.1%
J.D. program formats
- Full-time J.D.
- Offered. Full-time first-year students were reported to the ABA.
- Part-time J.D.
- Not on the ABA Council’s part-time list.
- Distance-education J.D.
- Not on the ABA Council’s distance-education J.D. list.
Formats come from the ABA Council’s published lists, not from the school’s marketing. What each format means
Programs published by the school
Concentrations and courses of study
Defined paths through the J.D. curriculum and study at partner institutions.
- Children’s Law ConcentrationSchool page for Children’s Law Concentration (opens in a new tab)
Clinics and field placements
Supervised legal work with real clients or in real legal settings, for credit.
- Carolina Health Advocacy Medicolegal Partnership (CHAMPS) ClinicSchool page for Carolina Health Advocacy Medicolegal Partnership (CHAMPS) Clinic (opens in a new tab)
- Criminal Defense ClinicSchool page for Criminal Defense Clinic (opens in a new tab)
- Criminal Practice ClinicSchool page for Criminal Practice Clinic (opens in a new tab)
- Domestic Violence ClinicSchool page for Domestic Violence Clinic (opens in a new tab)
- Education Rights ClinicSchool page for Education Rights Clinic (opens in a new tab)
- Federal Litigation ClinicSchool page for Federal Litigation Clinic (opens in a new tab)
- Pro Bono ClinicSchool page for Pro Bono Clinic (opens in a new tab)
- Tax ClinicSchool page for Tax Clinic (opens in a new tab)
- Veterans Legal ClinicSchool page for Veterans Legal Clinic (opens in a new tab)
- Youth Defender ClinicSchool page for Youth Defender Clinic (opens in a new tab)
Centers and institutes
Research and program centers that organize a school's teaching, scholarship and events in a field.
- Children's Law CenterSchool page for Children's Law Center (opens in a new tab)
- Constitutional Law CenterSchool page for Constitutional Law Center (opens in a new tab)
- Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough Center on ProfessionalismSchool page for Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough Center on Professionalism (opens in a new tab)
Journals and advocacy programs
Student-edited publications and competitive advocacy programs.
- South Carolina Journal of International Law and BusinessSchool page for South Carolina Journal of International Law and Business (opens in a new tab)
- South Carolina Law ReviewSchool page for South Carolina Law Review (opens in a new tab)
Master's degrees for non-lawyers
Graduate degrees in legal studies for professionals who work with the law but do not intend to practise. They do not qualify graduates to sit for the bar.
- M.S.L.School page for M.S.L. (opens in a new tab)
- M.S.L. in Environmental Law & SustainabilitySchool page for M.S.L. in Environmental Law & Sustainability (opens in a new tab)
- M.S.L. in Health Systems LawSchool page for M.S.L. in Health Systems Law (opens in a new tab)
Curriculum & faculty (2025 ABA report)
Source
- Organization
- American Bar Association, Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar
- Document
- ABA Standard 509 compilation — Curricular Offerings (2025)
- Covers
- Report year 2025
- Retrieved
- Sep 23, 2026
- Status
- Verified · Sep 23, 2026
Course titles beyond 1L
145
Clinic positions available
56
47 filled
Field placements filled
78
Simulation course seats
687
Co-curricular offerings
7
Full-time faculty
60
137 total faculty
Clinic and simulation seat counts are only mapped from report layouts that define them unambiguously (2025 onward).
