Samford University

AL · Private · East South Central

Acceptance rate: 49% (925 applicants)
Median LSAT: 156 (middle 50%: 154–160)
Median GPA: 3.63 (middle 50%: 3.42–3.84)
Tuition: $46,334 (per year)
Bar passage: 90.4% (+8.6 pts vs. state average)

Deadlines

Priority: May 1, 2027
Priority: Dec. 31, 2026

Essays

Personal statement (2 to 3 pages, double-spaced)

Please share your motivation for pursuing a legal education, highlighting what drives your passion for law. You may wish to reflect on significant life experiences, personal challenges you've overcome, leadership roles, community involvement, or other attributes that demonstrate your potential to enrich Cumberland's intellectual and cultural environment. You may also explain how your background equips you for success in the study and practice of law or describe how you plan to use your legal education to serve the public good.

Jere F. White Jr. Fellowship essay (500 words)

How do you view law as an avenue for service? Identify one area of service in which you wish to participate during your second and third year of law school. The area of service should address an identifiable community need.

Addenda (No limit stated)

Applicants may use the addenda section for other information they want to share, such as explanations for academic/criminal misconduct, drastic changes in LSAT score or withdrawal/failure/changes in undergraduate grades and courses.

Editor's notes

Treat Dec. 31 as your deadline. May 1 is the official date, but Cumberland says a complete file by Dec. 31 gets a faster review and better scholarship consideration, and scholarship offers arrive within 48 hours of admission.
The class just got stronger. The Class of 2029 posted a median LSAT of 157 and GPA of 3.70, both records for the school. If you're near the old medians, a retake before winter may be worth more than an early submission.
Pick your recommenders with the school's rule in mind: one academic letter from your major, and either a second academic letter or a character reference if you've been out working. Relatives don't count.
If you have a 160 or higher and a real record of service, apply for the Jere F. White Jr. Fellowship. It's full tuition plus a stipend, and it's the only entering award with its own application.