Private (nonprofit)

California Western School of Law

San Diego, California·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Far West·cwsl.edu
Acceptance
Grad-only
—
6-yr Graduation
Grad-only
—
Total enrollment
650
peer median 484
Avg net price
Grad-only
—
Use this data
Ask Clema
AboutProgram outcomesAccreditationFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsCampus safetyPeersIR OfficeDocumentsAlumni

About

California Western School of Law is a private law school in San Diego, California. It is one of two successor organizations to California Western University, the other being Alliant International University. The school was founded in 1924, was approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) in 1962, and became a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) in 1967.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 1 Title IV programs, 1 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail.

Total programs
1
Passing
1
100.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

1programs
  • Passing1 · 100.0%
  • No Data0 · 0.0%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
1
No data
0

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

1
Law
First Professional Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
+85.0%
$100,889 vs $54,534

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

1
Law
First Professional Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
158%
$159,538 debt · $100,889 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

WASC Senior College and University Commission

Accredited since 2023Next review Feb 2029
PreaccreditedInstitutional accreditor

WASC Senior College and University Commission

Accredited since 2019Next review Feb 2029
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar

Accredited since 1962Next review Aug 2031

Action history · 4

  1. Feb 2023Initial Accreditation
    WASC Senior College and University Commission
  2. Feb 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar
  3. Oct 2018Renewal of Accreditation
    American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar
  4. Oct 2018Renewal of Accreditation
    American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, students received in Pell grants, alongside $33.2M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
—
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
—
null total
Direct Loans
$33.2M
915 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
’20
0k
’21
0k
’22
0k
’23
0k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Unsubsidized · Grad$9.5M
475 loan awards
Grad PLUS$23.8M
440 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 228 borrowers who entered repayment, 1 (0.4%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.4%
-1.9pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
228
Defaulted
1
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
0.7%
2017
2.5%
2018
0.4%
2019
0.4%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at CWSL

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs1
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

205 total completions
01Legal Professions
205100.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
650
12-mo unduplicated
658

Gender split

Men
38%252
Women
62%406

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
1.60
1 offenses · 625 students

3-year trend

1.322 yrs ago4.821 yr ago1.60Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
5
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
1

By location

1total
  • On campus1

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
0
Stalking
0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs00
Liquor00

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

CWSL vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions CWSL selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectCalifornia Western School of Law
Grad-onlyGrad-only650Grad-only—
Abraham Lincoln University
0%Open admission112$28,584—
Albany Law School
Grad-onlyGrad-only670Grad-only—
Appalachian School of Law
Grad-onlyGrad-only154Grad-only—
Atlanta's John Marshall Law School
Grad-onlyGrad-only379Grad-only—
Ave Maria School of Law
Grad-onlyGrad-only299Grad-only—
Brooklyn Law School
Grad-onlyGrad-only1,125Grad-only—
Cal Northern School of Law
Grad-onlyGrad-only55Grad-only—
Charleston School of Law
Grad-onlyGrad-only692Grad-only—
CUNY School of Law
Grad-onlyGrad-only669Grad-only—
Massachusetts School of Law
Grad-onlyGrad-only273Grad-only—
Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Grad-onlyGrad-only1,163Grad-only—
New England Law-Boston
Grad-onlyGrad-only1,131Grad-only—
New York Law School
Grad-onlyGrad-only1,062Grad-only—
Roger Williams University School of Law
Grad-onlyGrad-only484Grad-only—
San Joaquin College of Law
Grad-onlyGrad-only154Grad-only—
South Texas College of Law Houston
Grad-onlyGrad-only1,089Grad-only—
Southern University Law Center
32%Grad-only—Grad-only—
Southwestern Law School
Grad-onlyGrad-only1,006Grad-only—
The Colleges of Law at Santa Barbara
Grad-onlyGrad-only78Grad-only—
The Colleges of Law at Ventura
Grad-onlyGrad-only288Grad-only—
Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Grad-onlyGrad-only262Grad-only—
Thomas M Cooley Law School
Grad-onlyGrad-only420Grad-only—
Trinity Law School
Grad-onlyGrad-only273Grad-only—
University of California College of the Law-San Francisco
Grad-onlyGrad-only1,195Grad-only—
University of New Hampshire-Franklin Pierce School of Law
Grad-onlyGrad-only718Grad-only—
University of West Los Angeles
No freshman cohortNo freshman entry367No freshman cohort—
Vermont Law and Graduate School
Grad-onlyGrad-only722Grad-only—
Peer group median16%—484$28,584

Institutions like CWSL

Explore the federal data for institutions in CWSL's comparison group.

IPEDS

CWSL Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Team
1 member
  • Baran Bulkat
    Director of Institutional Research and Associate Director of Admissions

Reports & documents (1)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Notable alumni of CWSL (23)

A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

  • David Asper
  • Anthony J. Battaglia
  • Alissa Bjerkhoel
  • Scott C. Black
  • Christina Bobb
  • Garland E. Burrell Jr.
  • Marlene Caride
  • Derrick H.M. Chan
  • Shana Dale
  • Sean Elo-Rivera
  • David Francis
    Athletics
  • James B. Gibson
Showing 1–12 of 23
1 / 2

Frequently asked questions about California Western School of Law

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about CWSL.

What is the acceptance rate at California Western School of Law?

California Western School of Law does not have a reported acceptance rate. This institution offers no undergraduate degree programs, so there is no undergraduate admissions cycle to report.

What is the graduation rate at California Western School of Law?

California Western School of Law does not have a reported federal graduation rate. Federal graduation rates track first-time, full-time undergraduates seeking a degree. This institution offers no undergraduate degree programs, so there is no cohort to follow.

How many students attend California Western School of Law?

California Western School of Law reports a total enrollment of 650 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at California Western School of Law?

California Western School of Law does not have a reported average net price. Net price is a federal metric for first-time, full-time undergraduates receiving federal aid. This institution offers no undergraduate degree programs, so it does not report one.

Where is California Western School of Law located?

California Western School of Law is located in San Diego, California 92101-3046.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDSFall 2025–26 release, published July 28, 2026
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
U.S. Department of Education
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
U.S. Department of Education
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Federal Pell Grant & loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant and Direct Loan recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

Have a question this page can’t answer?

Ask Clema anything about California Western School of Law and its peers — plain language in, cited answers out, in minutes instead of days.

Try for freeBook a demo

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card