All three law schools in the state of Washington are accredited by the Association of American Law Schools. The law schools are all fully accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). The ABA sets the highest quality standards for law school accreditation.
University of Washington's law school was ranked 23rd in 2009 by U.S. News & World Report, which ranks colleges on an annual basis. The average bar examination pass rate for all Washington law schools in 2009 was 82 percent. University of Washington's pass rate was 87.6 percent while at Gonzaga the average was 84.3 percent, followed by Seattle University at 81.9 percent. The percentage of University of Washington law school students employed at graduation was 87.6 percdent and 66.6 percent at Seattle University. Gonzaga University figures for employment at graduation in 2009 were not available but 92.6 percent of the law school's graduates were employed nine months after graduation. The employment rate nine months after graduation for University of Washington graduates was 97.2 percent.
Grade point averages (GPA) for students entering the University of Washington law school ranged from 3.47 to 3.82 in 2009. GPAs for Gonzaga University applicants ranged from 3.06 to 3.54 and from 3.17 to 3.62 at Seattle University. Law School Admission Test scores (LSAT) for students entering the University of Washington law school in 2009 ranged from a low of 159 to a high of 165. For Gonzaga, the scores ranged from 153 to 157 and for Seattle University from 155 to 161. University of Washington had an acceptance rate for law school applicants of 22.7 percent. Gonzaga University School of Law accepted 45.4 percent of applicants while Seattle University accepted 28.2 percent of all applicants.
Tuition at the University of Washington School of Law in 2009 was $32,777 per year for non-residents and $22,267 per year for in-state tuition. Gonzaga University, a private school, had tuition of $31,460 per year. Seattle University tuition was highest for full-time students at $35,406 per year.
The student to faculty ratio at the University of Washington in 2009 was 10.2 percent. There were 530 students in 2009. At Gonzaga University the ratio was 14.8 percent, with 516 students. Seattle University's ratio was 14.4 percent, with 1,036 students.