University of San Francisco School of Law

What University of San Francisco School of Law does

University of San Francisco School of Law is a private, ABA-accredited law school operating as a core academic division within the University of San Francisco, a Jesuit nonprofit institution founded in 1855. The school delivers a Juris Doctor (JD) program with full-time and part-time options, three LLM specializations (Intellectual Property & Technology Law, General, and Taxation), a Master of Legal Studies in Taxation for non-lawyers, an Accelerated Master of Legal Studies, dual-degree programs, and a portfolio of nine specialized law clinics covering Criminal Justice, Housing Justice, Immigration & Deportation Defense, Immigration Policy, In-House Counsel, CREATE Law, International Human Rights, Racial Justice, and Tax Law. Additional experiential infrastructure includes the Arns & Brandi Trial Institute and the Center for Law, Tech, and Social Good, which targets blockchain and legal-tech adjacent programming.

The school's go-to-market is direct-to-consumer enrollment through the law school admission office, supported by undergraduate pipeline advantages conferred by USF's overall reputation (#1 national diversity ranking 2025, top-25% overall 2026, top-15% social mobility 2026, Forbes Top 20 Entrepreneurial School 2026) and the university's San Francisco location, which delivers internship placement benefits. Revenue is generated primarily through tuition and fees, with the broader university disclosing 2026-27 international undergraduate total estimated cost of $90,481 including tuition, room and board, health insurance, books, transportation, and personal expenses. Merit-based scholarship disbursement is a major financial-aid lever, with first-year awards ranging $16,000-$29,000 tied to GPA bands and transfer awards $8,000-$17,000, plus external grant inflows (e.g., $175,000 five-year Lilly Endowment sub-award via CENTERS, $250,000 in NASA research grants). Distribution channels span Common Application, USF Direct Application, Coalition Application, the dedicated graduate portal, and dedicated China.usfca.edu recruitment infrastructure including WeChat. The school has no disclosed APIs, no commercial product surface, and is positioned as a credential-and-experience-driven educational nonprofit rather than a technology vendor.

Name

University of San Francisco School of Law

Legal name

University of San Francisco

Website

https://usfca.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1855

Operating status

Operating

Short description

University of San Francisco School of Law is a private Jesuit law school offering JD, LLM (IP/Technology, General, Taxation), and Master's in Legal Studies programs, distinguished by nine specialized law clinics and San Francisco Bay Area experiential learning placement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

ABA-Accredited JD-Granting Law Schools (EDAHAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Law & Legal Studies Research Universities (EDAHABAF)

Keywords

• Legal education
• Law school programs
• JD degree
• LLM programs
• Law clinics

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Primary revenue from tuition charged to undergraduate and graduate students. Financial requirements for international students listed at $90,481 for 2026-27 estimated total costs including tuition, room and board, health insurance, books, transportation and personal expenses.
2. Merit-Based Scholarships: University provides merit-based scholarships to attract students, with annual awards ranging from $16,000 to $29,000 for first-year students and $8,000 to $17,000 for transfer students based on GPA
3. Grants and Sub-awards: External funding from foundations including $175,000 sub-award from Lilly Endowment over five years through CENTERS network for Catholic education initiatives

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

The University of San Francisco School of Law provides graduate-level legal education centered on its Juris Doctor (JD) program, multiple LLM specializations (Intellectual Property & Technology Law, Taxation, General LLM), a Master of Legal Studies in Taxation (MLST), and an Accelerated MLS. The school supplements degree programs with nine experiential law clinics, the Arns & Brandi Trial Institute, dual degree pathways, and the Center for Law, Tech, and Social Good, serving individual prospective law students seeking bar admission and legal careers.

Product overview

University of San Francisco School of Law offers a comprehensive legal education portfolio centered on its JD program with full-time and part-time options. The school provides multiple graduate-level degrees including LLM programs in Intellectual Property & Technology Law, General LLM, Taxation LLM, and Master of Legal Studies in Taxation. The school distinguishes itself through extensive experiential learning via nine law clinics including Criminal Justice, Housing Justice, Immigration Defense, Immigration Policy, In-House Counsel, CREATE Law, International Human Rights, Racial Justice, and Tax Law clinics. Additional programs include the Arns & Brandi Trial Institute, Moot Court competitions, and the Center for Law, Tech, and Social Good. The school also offers dual degree programs combining JD with other USF degrees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Honors College: Interdisciplinary honors program with small classes, study abroad opportunities, and Getty Fellowship awards of $5,000/year
• Horizon Collective
• 4+1 Accelerated Degree Programs
• Saint Ignatius Institute
• Joan and Ralph Lane Center for Catholic Social Thought and the Ignatian Tradition
• Frank C. Newman International Human Rights Law Clinic
• Silvaye

Products and services

• JD Program Juris Doctor degree program offering full-time and part-time options, preparing students for bar admission and legal practice.
• LLM in Intellectual Property & Technology Law Master of Laws program specializing in intellectual property and technology law for legal professionals seeking advanced credentials aligned with the San Francisco tech ecosystem.
• Master of Laws (LLM) General Master of Laws degree for law graduates seeking advanced legal education.
• LLM in Taxation Master of Laws specializing in tax law for practicing attorneys.
• Master of Legal Studies in Taxation (MLST) Graduate degree in taxation law for non-lawyers seeking specialized knowledge.
• Accelerated Master of Legal Studies (MLS) Accelerated program for earning a Master of Legal Studies degree, designed for time efficiency for working professionals.
• Law Clinics Program (nine specialized clinics) Experiential learning program comprising nine specialized law clinics (Criminal Justice, Housing Justice, Immigration & Deportation Defense, Immigration Policy, In-House Counsel, CREATE Law, International Human Rights, Racial Justice, and Tax Law) where students represent real clients, conduct client interviews, write motions, and second-chair trials alongside practicing attorneys.
• Dual Degree Programs Combined JD programs with other degrees offered in collaboration with other USF schools, allowing students to earn two degrees concurrently.
• Arns & Brandi Trial Institute Trial advocacy institute offering intensive advocacy training for law students, including moot court and trial technique training.

Quantifiable outcome

• 51% higher median income than other four-year school graduates ($91,483)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASA awarded $100,000 Wildfire Climate Tech Challenge grant to USF students Andrew Saah and Owen Sordillo for startup Silvaye developing wildfire prediction software. Students also admitted to NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory startup incubator.
• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTwo NASA grants totaling $250,000 ($190,000 and $60,000) awarded to USF professor Xiaosheng Huang and team for dark matter research using Hubble Space Telescope and machine learning analysis of astronomical images.
• UNICEFminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSF student Khushal Chekuri interned with UNICEF helping build an app that surveys millions on the efficacy of aid.
• Public Defender's OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw students in Criminal Justice Clinic work alongside attorneys at the Public Defender's Office, conducting client interviews, writing motions, and second-chairing trials.
• Elimisha KakumaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram providing higher education to high school graduates in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya; USF law students conducted spring break fieldwork with this organization.
• United Nations High Commission on RefugeesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw students working on refugee rights report findings to be presented to UN High Commission on Refugees and Kenyan Department of Refugee Services.
• 15 Other Universities (CENTERS Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSF is part of Catholic Education Network to Enact and Resource Synodality (CENTERS), a national network of 16 universities responding to Catholic university identity in today's world.
• Dignity Health Medical GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical rotation site for nursing students including placement at Saint Francis/St. Mary's hospital for hands-on healthcare training.
• Recombia BiosciencesminorOthersBiotechnology company in South San Francisco where USF 4+1 program graduate Kylie Watanabe works on cloning and automation team.
• NkartaminorOthersCell therapy company in South Francisco where USF biotechnology graduate Zea Lim interned, developing natural killer (NK) cell therapies for cancer.
• Golden State WarriorsminorOthersProfessional sports team that hired Sport Management graduate Kai Rogers through connections made via Alumni Mentor Program.
• San Francisco GiantsminorOthersMajor League Baseball team where USF student held position as part of multi-position work experience during college.
• City College of San FranciscocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransfer pathway agreement providing specific course guides for majors including Biology, Business, Computer Science, Psychology, and Public Health.

Scale indicators20 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• UC Law San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings): UC Law San Francisco is a direct geographic peer, operating an ABA-accredited law school in San Francisco's Tenderloin district with similarly strong social justice and clinical programming. Both schools compete for the same Bay Area applicant pool and emphasize public interest law.
• Santa Clara University School of Law: Santa Clara Law is a Jesuit-affiliated ABA-accredited law school in Silicon Valley with a strong tech-law and IP focus. Its Jesuit mission, Bay Area location, and emphasis on ethics and social justice make it a strong mission-aligned peer to USF Law.
• University of San Diego School of Law: USD School of Law is a Catholic-affiliated ABA-accredited private law school in Southern California with a comparable mission emphasis on social justice, ethics, and professional values. Mirrors USF Law's faith-based private positioning in a different regional market.
• Pepperdine Caruso School of Law: Pepperdine Caruso Law is a private ABA-accredited Christian-affiliated law school in Malibu with strong programs in dispute resolution and entertainment law. Comparable in scale, tuition level, and faith-based mission profile to USF Law.
• Golden Gate University School of Law: Golden Gate University School of Law is a private ABA-accredited law school located in downtown San Francisco. Closest geographic peer, competing for similar Bay Area applicants with similar tuition profile and emphasis on diverse, non-traditional students.
• Southwestern Law School: Southwestern Law School is a private ABA-accredited law school in Los Angeles with strong entertainment and intellectual property law programs. Comparable private California peer in scale, tuition tier, and programmatic focus areas.

Broad incumbents

• Stanford Law School: Stanford Law is the elite Bay Area ABA-accredited law school with significantly stronger brand and resources, but serves a similar Silicon Valley tech-law and entrepreneurship-focused student demographic. Represents the upper-bound aspirational peer for California law applicants.
• UC Berkeley Law: UC Berkeley Law is a top-tier public ABA-accredited law school in the Bay Area that competes directly with USF Law for California applicants. Offers substantially lower tuition as a public institution, posing a competitive pricing threat.
• UCLA School of Law: UCLA Law is a top-ranked public ABA-accredited law school in California. As a major competitor for California residents at a lower price point, it represents a structural pricing challenge for USF Law's premium private positioning.

Regional players

• University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law: McGeorge School of Law is a private ABA-accredited law school in Sacramento (a USF regional campus city). Competes for Northern California applicants with strong programs in advocacy, international law, and public policy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/usflaw
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/usfcalifornia
• Facebookfacebook.com/usflaw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-of-san-francisco-school-of-law
• Instagraminstagram.com/usfca
• TikToktiktok.com/@usfca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about University of San Francisco School of Law