Best Law Schools in the US – 2025

December 6, 2024

best law schools in the us

So you want to become a lawyer? You most likely have a few law schools in mind. Perhaps you even know what law field you want to pursue 鈥 whether that鈥檚 commercial law, environmental law, or constitutional law. It鈥檚 often a meticulous process to narrow down the list of law schools you want to apply to, especially given that most come with an application fee.

As you tirelessly search for the best law school, you鈥檒l come across lists upon lists. Already, you鈥檒l be familiar with the T14 law schools, the top 14 law schools. But we鈥檝e spun this list a bit differently than others, ranking the best law schools in the US by acceptance rate. Some of these names won鈥檛 surprise you, although their stats just might.

Best law schools in the US 鈥 sorted by acceptance rate

1)

  • Acceptance Rate: 5.6%
  • Location: New Haven, Connecticut
  • Tuition: $73,865
  • Student-Faculty Ratio: 4.4:1
  • Average LSAT score of incoming student: 175
  • Average GPA score of incoming student: 3.96

Yale Law School ranks at the top of the best law schools in the US list with its 5.6% acceptance rate. What might appeal most to students is that there are no fixed concentrations at Yale Law, so you have the flexibility in choosing courses.

2)

  • Acceptance Rate: 7.3%
  • Location: Stanford, California
  • Tuition: $74,475
  • Student-Faculty Ratio: 4.4:1
  • Average LSAT score of incoming student: 173
  • Average GPA score of incoming student: 3.95

Coming in at second place is Stanford Law, which is often tied with Yale. If you鈥檙e determined to pursue business or property law, this is the number one law school to aim for.

3) Harvard University Law School

  • Acceptance Rate: 9.6%
  • Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
  • Tuition: $75,008
  • Student-Faculty Ratio: 6.8:1
  • Average LSAT score of incoming student: 174
  • Average GPA score of incoming student: 3.93

Harvard Law School students already work on cases during their first year. And if you鈥檙e interested in studying abroad, HLS has a joint program with the University of Cambridge in England.

4)

  • Acceptance Rate: 9.9%
  • Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Tuition: $76,934
  • Student-Faculty Ratio: 4.8:1
  • Average LSAT score of incoming student: 172
  • Average GPA score of incoming student: 3.92

Students at UPENN鈥檚 Carey Law School have the option to earn another degree in tandem with their J.D. There鈥檚 also the opportunity to enroll in courses in other academic fields.

5)

  • Acceptance Rate: 10.5%
  • Location: Durham, North Carolina
  • Tuition: $75,738
  • Student-Faculty Ratio: 5.5:1
  • Average LSAT score of incoming student: 170
  • Average GPA score of incoming student: 3.87

Duke Law School focuses on students becoming 鈥渨hole lawyers,鈥 as evinced by their focus on work-life balance and community service. Their top-ranked concentrations of law are business/corporate law, criminal law, constitutional law, international law and tax law.

6)

  • Acceptance Rate: 11.5%
  • Location: Charlottesville, Virginia
  • Tuition: $71,200 (in-state)
  • Student-Faculty Ratio: 5.5:1
  • Average LSAT score of incoming student: 171
  • Average GPA score of incoming student: 3.94

The University of Virginia School of Law is the second oldest law school in the US, founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819. It is the only law school with a program for animal law.

7)

  • Acceptance Rate: 12.2%
  • Location: New York, New York
  • Tuition: $81,292
  • Student-Faculty Ratio: 5.5:1
  • Average LSAT score of incoming student: 173
  • Average GPA score of incoming student: 3.9

Columbia Law joins the ranks as one of the best law schools due to the practical opportunities for students to work on cases. Let鈥檚 not forget that its location in New York, like other law schools in Manhattan or the greater state, offers boundless resources and experiences.

8)

  • Acceptance Rate: 12.8%
  • Location: Chicago, IL
  • Tuition: $77,952
  • Student-Faculty Ratio: 4.8:1
  • Average LSAT score of incoming student: 173
  • Average GPA score of incoming student: 3.94

The University of Chicago Law School offers students a comprehensive, philosophical education that focuses on the humanities, sciences and social sciences.

9)

  • Acceptance Rate: 16.8%
  • Location: New York, New York
  • Tuition: $80,014
  • Student-Faculty Ratio: 5.8:1
  • Average LSAT score of incoming student: 172
  • Average GPA score of incoming student: 3.9

Students at NYU Law can also earn degrees at NYU alongside their J.D. like at the Stern School of Business. There鈥檚 also the opportunity to do so at Princeton鈥檚 Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. NYU Law is also the leading law school for international law.

10)

  • Acceptance Rate: 15.5%
  • Location: Chicago, Illinois
  • Tuition: $74,552
  • Student-Faculty Ratio: 4.3:1
  • Average LSAT score of incoming student: 172
  • Average GPA score of incoming student: 3.92

Northwestern Pritzker School of Law is renowned for social justice-centered research, offering one of the most interdisciplinary law programs in the country. With their low 4.3:1 student-faculty ratio, Northwestern Law students are part of a tight-knit community in the Windy City.

11)

  • Acceptance Rate: 12.6%
  • Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
  • Tuition: $69,584 (in-state)
  • Student-Faculty Ratio: 5.9:1
  • Average LSAT score of incoming student: 171
  • Average GPA score of incoming student: 3.85

Before the first semester begins, University of Michigan Law students can enroll in the Summer Start program to have a smoother transition into their law school years. It鈥檚 one of the best law schools in the US because of the way students can directly get involved with their communities, such as with the Michigan Innocence Clinic.

12)

  • Acceptance Rate: 14.9%
  • Location: Berkeley, California
  • Tuition: $62,603 (in-state)
  • Student-Faculty Ratio: 5.5:1
  • Average LSAT score of incoming student: 170
  • Average GPA score of incoming student: 3.87

UC Berkeley Law is one of the best law schools for many reasons, but because of their emphasis on local involvement, it鈥檚 fantastic for students who wish to practice law in 颁补濒颈蹿辞谤苍颈补鈥檚 Bay Area.

13)

  • Acceptance Rate: 16.8%
  • Location: Los Angeles, California
  • Tuition: $56,455
  • Student-Faculty Ratio: 5.5:1
  • Average LSAT score of incoming student: 170
  • Average GPA score of incoming student: 3.92

There are over 20 clinics and 20 research centers at the UCLA School of Law. Some of the top areas of law at UCLA Law are business/corporate law, environmental law, and criminal law.

14)

  • Acceptance Rate: 19.3%
  • Location: Ithaca, New York
  • Tuition: $77,593
  • Student-Faculty Ratio: 4.8:1
  • Average LSAT score of incoming student: 172
  • Average GPA score of incoming student: 3.9

At Cornell Law, students will find an intimate community among peers and faculty. The law school offers seven areas of concentration, of which the top are international law, constitutional law and contracts/commercial law.

15)

  • Acceptance Rate: 19.6%
  • Location: Washington, D.C.
  • Tuition: $75,950
  • Student-Faculty Ratio: 4.6:1
  • Average LSAT score of incoming student: 171
  • Average GPA score of incoming student: 3.91

The Law Center at Georgetown ranks 14th nationally and comes in at first place for providing the best clinical training and in part-time law.

Best law schools in the US (Continued) Chart – Sorted by acceptance rate

School Acceptance Rate Location Tuition Student-Faculty Ratio
16. Vanderbilt University 14.53% Nashville, Tennessee $72,184 6.1:1
17. University of Texas at Austin 14.56% Austin, Texas $63,410 5.9:1
18. University of North Carolina 14.61% Chapel Hill, North Carolina $59,428 6:1
19. University of Georgia 14.83% Athens, Georgia $18,044 6.3:1
20. Boston University 16.33% Boston, Massachusetts $89,668 5.8:1
21. Texas A&M University 16.33% Fort Worth, Texas $32,634 5.6:1
22. Villanova University 16.47% Villanova, Pennsylvania $58,000 7.4:1
23. University of Florida (Levin) 16.94% Gainesville, Florida $22,194 4.8:1
24. Washington University in St. Louis 18.02% St. Louis, Missouri $67,814 4.7:1
25. Fordham University 18.79% New York, New York $72,282 6.5:1

List (Continued)

26. University of California, Irvine 19.45% Irvine, California $56,025 5.8:1
27. Florida State University 19.58% Tallahassee, Florida $20,693 6.1:1
28. George Mason University 19.63% Arlington, Virginia $26,590 4.5:1
29. Arizona State University 20% Phoenix, Arizona $28,893 6.8:1
30. Florida International University 22.60% University Park, Florida $21,115 7.4:1
31. Baylor University 23.87% Waco, Texas $61,877 5.6:1
32. University of Notre Dame 24.58% Notre Dame, Indiana $35,303 6.7:1
33. University of Arizona 24.93% Tucson, Arizona $26,200 3.7:1
34. George Washington University 25% Washington, D.C. $69,740 6.2:1
35. University of California, Davis 25.18% Davis, California $67,163 8:1
36. Golden Gate University 25.53% San Francisco, California $42,170 5:1
37. University of Alabama 25.78% Tuscaloosa, Alabama $24,197 7:1
38. Emory University 26.05% Atlanta, Georgia $67,480 7.7:1
39. Pepperdine University 27.68% Malibu, California $69,950 6.6:1
40. University of Connecticut 27.99% Hartford, Connecticut $31,508 5.1:1

Top Law Schools in the US (Continued)

41. University of Dayton 28.32% Dayton, Ohio $38,843 6.4:1
42. Georgia State University 28.44% Atlanta, Georgia $18,572 6.3:1
43. Chapman University 28.70% Orange, California $63,126 7.1:1
44. UC Law San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings) 28.95% San Francisco, California $48,273 8.1:1
45. University of Maryland 29.49% Baltimore, Maryland $36,999 6.3:1
46. University of Hawaii 29.65% Honolulu, Hawaii $23,164 4.4:1
47. University of Washington 30.29% Seattle, Washington $65,800 6.2:1
48. Penn State Law 30.86% University Park, Pennsylvania $56,928 6.8:1
49. Stetson University 30.95% Gulfport, Florida $51,212 9.3:1
50. Drexel University 31.03% Philadelphia, Pennsylvania $55,200 6.4:1
51. Northeastern University 31.05% Boston, Massachusetts $62,826 7.7:1
52. Howard University 31.16% Washington, D.C. $38,612 7.6:1
53. University of Colorado, Boulder 31.23% Boulder, Colorado $35,800 6.1:1
54. Brigham Young University 31.41% Provo, Utah $31,056 6.3:1
55. University of Utah 31.95% Salt Lake City, Utah $33,634 4.2:1

Best Law Schools in America (Continued)

56. University of Houston 32.13% Houston, Texas $37,893 6.4:1
57. Washington and Lee University 32.71% Lexington City, Virginia $55,550 6.7:1
58. Wake Forest University 32.98% Winston-Salem, North Carolina $59,032 6.2:1
59. University of Tennessee 33.18% Knoxville, Tennessee $20,508 6.6:1
60. University of Pittsburgh 33.20% Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania $39,681 4.2:1
61. UNT Dallas College of Law 33.3% Dallas, Texas $18,756 10.3:1
62. Nova Southeastern University 33.41% Davie, Florida $47,850 10.4:1
63. University of Miami 33.47% Coral Gables, Florida $31,925 6.4:1
64. University of Richmond 33.67% Richmond, Virginia $55,550 5:1
65. American University 33.77% Washington, D.C. $63,088 7.2:1
66. Yeshiva University (Cardozo) 33.80% New York, NY $70,646 6.3:1
67. Southern Methodist University 33.91% Dallas, Texas $58,504 7.7:1
68. Loyola Marymount University 34.42% Playa Vista, California $67,490 8.9:1
69. University of San Diego 34.48% San Diego, California $64,690 9.1:1
70. Catholic University of America 34.67% Washington, D.C. $58,916 5.8:1

Top Law Schools in the US (Continued)

71. University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign 35% Urbana, Illinois $36,500 6.3:1
72. University of Wisconsin 35.18% Madison, Wisconsin $37,232 7.8:1
73. CUNY 35.27% Queens, New York $16,013 8.3:1
74. University of Nevada, Las Vegas 35.44% Paradise, Nevada $29,678 5.9:1
75. Florida A&M University 35.48% Orlando, Florida $13,816 8.3:1
76. Wayne State University 35.49% Detroit, Michigan $38,135 5.4:1
77. North Carolina Central University 35.73% Durham, North Carolina $13,444 10.5:1
78. Temple University 36.55% Philadelphia, Pennsylvania $31,334 5.3:1
79. Penn State Dickinson Law 36.80% Carlisle, Pennsylvania $58,872 6.9:1
80. Texas Tech University 36.80% Lubbock, Texas $27,532 9:1
81. Ohio State University 37.11% Columbus, Ohio $34,086 6.6:1
82. University of Minnesota 37.17% Minneapolis, Minnesota $48,964 4.7:1
83. St. Mary鈥檚 University 37.45% San Antonio, Texas $43,460 10.5:1
84. University of South Carolina 37.63% Columbia, South Carolina $23,722 7.7:1
85. Texas Southern University 38.17% Houston, Texas $28,633 10.2:1

List (Continued)

86. Case Western Reserve University 39.18% Cleveland, Ohio $62,700 6.3:1
87. Belmont University 39.60% Nashville, Tennessee $54,380 11:1
88. St. John鈥檚 University 39.91% Queens, New York $71,664 8.9:1
89. Seton Hall University 40.27% Newark, New Jersey $66,780 8.3:1
90. Marquette University 41.04% Milwaukee, Wisconsin $50,950 9.1:1
91. Rutgers University 41.06% Camden, New Jersey $32,062 7.5:1
92. University of Mississippi 41.09% Oxford, Mississippi $18,470 10.2:1
93. West Virginia University 41.14% Morgantown, West Virginia $26,230 7.1:1
94. University of Arkansas, Fayetteville 41.17% Fayetteville, Arkansas $17,898 8.8:1
95. University of Memphis 41.22% Memphis, Tennessee $20,000 7.8:1
96. University of Iowa 41.28% Iowa City, Iowa $31,426 8:1
97. Regent University 41.32% Virginia Beach, Virginia $41,596 9.6:1
98. Syracuse University 41.71% Syracuse, New York $62,050 10.4:1
99. Loyola University – Chicago 41.75% Chicago, Illinois $65,912 8.9:1
100. DePaul University 41.81% Chicago, Illinois $52,145 7:1

Top Law Schools in the US (Continued)

101. University of Oklahoma 42.52% Norman, Oklahoma $22,614 11.3:1
102. Tulane University 43.29% New Orleans, Louisiana $67,780 8.5:1
103. Indiana University, Bloomington 43.35% Bloomington, Indiana $38,428 6.5:1
104. University of Toledo 43.68% Toledo, Ohio $28,226 10.4:1
105. Ave Maria School of Law 43.73% Vineyards, Florida $49,656 9.9:1
106. Michigan State University 43.89% East Lansing, Michigan $41,040 8.6:1
107. Elon University 44.03% Greensboro, North Carolina $50,058 10:1
108. University of Buffalo, SUNY 44.04% Getzville, New York $29,248 6:1
109. South Texas College of Law, Houston 44.34% Houston, Texas $41,110 12.1:1
110. Western State College of Law 44.61% Irvine, California $49,040 9.3:1
111. Hofstra University 44.74% Hempstead, New York $68,860 9.3:1
112. University of Cincinnati 44.80% Cincinnati, Ohio $24,810 5.9:1
113. Atlanta鈥檚 John Marshall Law School 45.79% Atlanta, Georgia $52,006 12.1:1
114. William & Mary Law School 46.01% Williamsburg, Virginia $43,286 7.5:1
115. Mercer University 46.11% Macon, Georgia $43,132 9.1:1

List (Continued)

116. Brooklyn Law School 46.22% Brooklyn, New York $70,381 9.8:1
117. University of San Francisco 46.35% San Francisco, California $54,250 6.5:1
118. University of New Mexico 47.05% Albuquerque, New Mexico $20,605 4.9:1
119. Faulkner University 47.93% Montgomery, Alabama $39,900 10.8:1
120. Western Michigan University 48.15% Kalamazoo, Michigan $47,400 6.6:1
121. Cleveland State University 48.46% Cleveland, Ohio $30,042 4.4:1
122. University of Denver 48.47% Denver, Colorado $59,792 7.8:1
123. Appalachian School of Law 48.50% Grundy, Virginia $41,000 8.5:1
124. University of Puerto Rico 49.01% San Juan, Puerto Rico $9,750 7.6:1
125. California Western School of Law 49.26% San Diego, California $60,430 10.1:1
126. Washburn University 49.33% Topeka, Kansas $24,584 7.7:1
127. University of Kentucky 50.12% Lexington, Kentucky $26,232 8.8:1
128. Albany Law School of Union University 50.15% Albany, New York $58,044 9.4:1
129. St. Thomas University 50.27% Miami Gardens, Florida $46,200 10.5:1
130. University of the District of Columbia 50.29% Washington, D.C. $13,438 5.7:1

Top Law Schools in America (Continued)

131. Southwestern Law School 50.35% Los Angeles, California $58,537 8.1:1
132. Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago-Kent College of Law) 50.55% Chicago, Illinois $53,270 8.5:1
133. University of Wyoming 50.96% Laramie, Wyoming $17,946 8.6:1
134. Inter American University of Puerto Rico 50.99% San Juan, Puerto Rico $15,635 13:1
135. University of Missouri 51.38% Columbia, Missouri $23,877 8:1
136. Touro College 51.40% Central Islip, New York $57,810 10.2:1
137. New York Law School 51.53% New York, New York $64,824 9.1:1
138. Pace University 51.62% White Plains, New York $53,886 10.9:1
139. University of New Hampshire 51.74% Concord, New Hampshire $40,320 7.6:1
140. Lewis and Clark College 52.02% Portland, Oregon $56,296 5.6:1
141. University of Missouri, Kansas City 52.10% Kansas City, Missouri $23,774 7.2:1
142. Northern Illinois University 52.12% DeKalb, Illinois $23,552 7.5:1
143. Santa Clara University 52.29% Santa Clara, California $58,464 7.3:1
144. Louisiana State University 52.50% Baton Rouge, Louisiana $23,665 10.2:1
145. Barry University 53.81% Orlando, Florida $43,150 17.1:1

Best Law Schools in the US (Continued)

146. University of Louisville 54.21% Louisville, Florida $25,400 9.7:1
147. University of Maine 54.60% Portland, Maine $26,440 6.3:1
148. Seattle University 54.92% Seattle, Washington $14,620 6:1
149. Liberty University 55.16% Lynchburg, Virginia $42,891 12:1
150. University of Oregon 55.26% Eugene, Oregon $46,264 8.4:1
151. University of Kansas 55.33% Lawrence, Kansas $23,402 7.9:1
152. University of the Pacific (McGeorge) 55.33% Sacramento, California $59,580 7.7:1
153. Campbell University 55.71% Raleigh, North Carolina $50,330 9.1:1
154. University of Arkansas, Little Rock 55.81% Little Rock, Arkansas $17,898 8.8:1
155. University of Detroit Macy 56.13% Detroit, Michigan $46,724 13:1
156. Pontifical Catholic University of P.R. 56.23% Ponce, Puerto Rico $25,817 8.6:1
157. Duquesne University 56.31% Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania $55,500 9.3:1
158. University of Baltimore 56.56% Baltimore, Maryland $34,980 7:1
159. Charleston School of Law 56.60% Charleston, South Carolina $46,134 14.5:1
160. Southern Illinois University 56.71% Carbondale, Illinois $21,555 8.2:1

Top Law Schools in the US (Continued)

161. Lincoln Memorial 57.47% Knoxville, Tennessee $46,063 11.6:1
162. Willamette University 58.93% Salem, Oregon $50,944 9:1
163. UMass Law 59.36% Dartmouth, Massachusetts $31,040 9.5:1
164. Ohio Northern University 59.43% Ada, Ohio $34,650 8.5:1
165. Southern University 59.71% Baton Rouge, Louisiana $20,182 9.3:1
166. Widener University 60.18% Dauphin County, Pennsylvania $57,470 11.8:1
167. University of Tulsa 60.44% Tulsa, Oklahoma $29,864 10.1:1
168. Northern Kentucky University 60.58% Highland Heights, Kentucky $24,719 9:1
169. Suffolk University 60.71% Boston, Massachusetts $57,748 11.2:1
170. University of Nebraska 60.94% Lincoln, Nebraska $16,082 8.3:1
171. Vermont Law School 60.94% Royalton, Vermont $51,700 4.7:1
172. Saint Louis University 61.16% St. Louis, Missouri $48,814 7.3:1
173. Gonzaga University 61.86% Spokane, Washington $53,359 11.3:1
174. Oklahoma City University 61.92% Oklahoma City, Oklahoma $36,500 10.1:1
175. Mississippi College 61.92% Jackson, Mississippi $38,202 12.8:1

Top Law Schools in the US (Continued)

176. Samford University 62.15% Homewood, Alabama $45,236 10.9:1
177. University of Akron 62.87% Akron, Ohio $26,115 10.6:1
178. Western New England University 63.54% Springfield, Massachusetts $48,870 5.1:1
179. Indiana University 64.85% Indianapolis, Indiana $32,536 7.5:1
180. Mitchell Hamline 64.91% Saint Paul, Minnesota $52,620 11.2:1
181. University of St. Thomas 65.48% Minneapolis, Minnesota $48,379 6.6:1
182. Widener University 65.69% New Castle County, Delaware $57,470 11.8:1
183. University of Montana 66.09% Missoula, Montana $22,060 9.8:1
184. University of Illinois Chicago School of Law 66.44% Chicago, Illinois $40,572 10.4:1
185. Loyola University, New Orleans 66.67% New Orleans, Louisiana $52,350 9.4:1
186. University of Idaho 66.77% Moscow, Idaho $25,932 6.9:1
187. Quinnipiac University 67.03% North Haven, Connecticut $54,880 5.4:1
188. Roger Williams University 67.27% Bristol, Rhode Island $46,464 9.3:1
189. Capital University 67.45% Columbus, Ohio $42,875 10.2:1
190. University of South Dakota 67.46% Vermillion, South Dakota $16,794 7.9:1
191. Creighton University 67.76% Omaha Nebraska $47,904 9.5:1
192. New England Law 71.04% Boston, Massachusetts $57,048 12.9:1
193. Drake University 71.28% Des Moines, Iowa $49,438 6.3:1
194. University of North Dakota 72.68% Grand Forks, North Dakota $17,462 9:1

Best Law Schools in the US

Throughout your search process, it鈥檚 important to ask yourself the following questions. Aside from the location and tuition of the law school, what鈥檚 their student-to-faculty ratio? What are they most known for? What鈥檚 the average LSAT score? Where do their graduates end up? What is their acceptance rate?

In doing some due diligence, you鈥檒l need to understand not only the prerequisites but where your prospective profile stands in their application pool. Although you鈥檙e considering the best law schools in the US, what鈥檚 of more significance is if the law schools are best for you.