- You would be lying to yourself if you believe law school isn’t hard to get into.
- In fact for schools like Yale, Stanford and Harvard, it seems as if a prospective law student needs as much luck as they do hard work and good grades to get into one of these top-notch schools.
- In this article you will find the 10 most difficult schools in the U.S. for any future law student to gain entry into.
- Look into them and ask yourself if you can make the grades they demand.
Don’t fool yourself; law school is no easy row. Even getting into a highly regarded law school can be close to impossible for all but the most gifted law student.
Granted, those words are close to impossible.
Nevertheless, unless you are the best, most well-rounded student possible, the odds are fairly much hopelessly against you to get into what U.S. News and World Report has deemed the 10 most difficult law schools to gain admissions to.
Keep reading to find out what those schools are. One or two may surprise you.
- Yale Law School
Yale Law School is the law School of Yale University. It is located in New Haven, Connecticut.
Established in 1824, Yale Law offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D., M.S.L., and Ph.D. degrees in law. The Law School at Yale University has an application deadline of Feb. 28. The full-time program application fee at the Law School at Yale University is $85. Its tuition is full-time: $64,267. The student-faculty ratio is 4.2:1.
Traditional grades no longer exist within Yale. In fact, students do not earn any grades at all during their first term at Yale Law School; afterwards, they are graded only by honors, pass, low pass, credit or failure. Class sizes are small, often with less than 20 students.
Acceptance rate: 6.9% (2018)
Undergraduate tuition and fees: $64,267 (2018)
Dean: Heather K. Gerken
Full-time and part-time acceptances: 238 (2018)
- There are no areas of concentration at Yale, though students may tailor course selections to suit their interests.
- Joint degrees are offered in conjunction with other professional and graduate schools at Yale, including the highly ranked School of Management.
- Students can also take courses at these schools without integrating a second major.
- Especially ambitious students can earn an accelerated, integrated J.D./MBA in three years, the same amount of time it takes to complete a traditional J.D.
Among the law school’s most notable alumni are former President Bill Clinton and Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas.
- Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School is a professional graduate school of Stanford University, located in Silicon Valley near Palo Alto, California. Established in 1893, Stanford Law has been ranked one of the top three law schools in the country, with Yale Law School and Harvard Law School, every year since 1992.
Acceptance rate: 8.7% (2018)
Undergraduate tuition and fees: $62,373 (2018)
Full-time and part-time acceptances: 380 (2018)
Dean: M. Elizabeth Magill
The Law School at Stanford University has an application deadline of Feb. 1. The full-time program application fee at the Law School at Stanford University is $85. Its tuition is full-time: $62,373. The student-faculty ratio is 4:1.
- Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States and one of the most prestigious in the world.
The law school has an application deadline of Feb. 1. The full-time program application fee at the law school at Harvard University is $85. Its tuition is full-time: $64,978. The student-faculty ratio is 7.6:1.
Through the school’s Student Practice Organizations, first-year students can test their legal skills by helping local musicians understand copyright laws or representing state prison inmates at disciplinary hearings, among other opportunities. Older students can partake in HLS legal clinics, the largest offering of any school in the world. All students must complete at least 40 hours of pro bono, or volunteer, work before graduating.
Acceptance rate: 12.9% (2018)
Undergraduate tuition and fees: $64,978 (2018)
Full-time and part-time acceptances: 971 (2018)
Dean: John F. Manning
What’s notable about Harvard law school is its location in Boston among at least 10 other universities which include MIT. Because of the universities alone, including Harvard, this makes Boston one of the youngest cities in the U.S. by population.
- University of Pennsylvania
The law school at University of Pennsylvania has an application deadline of March 1. The full-time program application fee at the law school at University of Pennsylvania is $80. Its tuition is full-time: $65,804. The student-faculty ratio is 4.9:1.
At the University of Pennsylvania, professional students can put a cross-disciplinary slant on their education. Penn Law students can enroll in courses in other academic departments, and other professional school students can take Penn Law courses, too.
Acceptance rate: 14.6% (2018)
Undergraduate tuition and fees: $65,804 (2018)
Full-time and part-time acceptances: 935 (2018)
Dean: Theodore Ruger
- University of Virginia
The School of Law at University of Virginia has an application deadline of March 4. The full-time program application fee at the School of Law at University of Virginia is $80. Its tuition is full-time: $60,700 (in-state) and full-time: $63,700 (out-of-state). The student-faculty ratio is 6.5:1.
Like all the academic departments at the University of Virginia, the School of Law operates on a strict, student-run honor system. Students pledge not to lie, cheat or steal, and anyone found guilty by a peer jury is expelled from the school. Each class has about 350 students, and the student body has slightly more males than females. Students can earn joint degrees, such as a J.D. and an MBA through the Darden School of Business in four years.
Acceptance rate: 15.3% (2018)
Undergraduate tuition and fees: $63,700 (2018)
Full-time and part-time acceptances: 863 (2018)
Dean: Risa L. Goluboff
- The Law School at Columbia University
The Law School at Columbia University has an application deadline of Feb. 15. The full-time program application fee at the Law School at Columbia University is $85. Its tuition is full-time: $69,916. The student-faculty ratio is 4.9:1.
Acceptance rate: 16.8% (2018)
Undergraduate tuition and fees: $69,916 (2018)
Full-time and part-time acceptances: 1,168 (2018)
Dean: Gillian Lester
What is notable about The Law School at Columbia University is the school is located in the heart of New York City. Who could ask for a better atmosphere while attending school?
- The Law School at University of Chicago
The Law School at University of Chicago has an application deadline of March 1. The full-time program application fee at the Law School at University of Chicago is $85. Its tuition is full-time: $64,089. The student-faculty ratio is 5.1:1.
Acceptance rate: 17.5% (2018)
Undergraduate tuition and fees: $64,089 (2018)
Full-time and part-time acceptances: 893 (2018)
Dean: Thomas J. Miles
- University of Southern California (Gould)
The Gould School of Law at University of Southern California (Gould) has an application deadline of April 1. The full-time program application fee at the Gould School of Law at University of Southern California (Gould) is $75. Its tuition is full-time: $64,908. The student-faculty ratio is 5.9:1.
Acceptance rate: 19.2% (2018)
Undergraduate tuition and fees: $64,908 (2018)
Full-time and part-time acceptances: 1,096 (2018)
Dean: Andrew T. Guzman
What is notable about the Gould School of Law at University of Southern California is its extremely strong alumni as well as the schools proximity to Los Angeles’ flourishing downtown business sector, a multitude of sports endeavors and big name Hollywood production studios.
- Northwestern University (Pritzker) (IL)
The School of Law at Northwestern University (Pritzker) has an application deadline of Feb. 15. The full-time program application fee at the School of Law at Northwestern University (Pritzker) is $75. Its tuition is full-time: $64,402. The student-faculty ratio is 3.6:1.
Acceptance rate: 19.3% (2018)
Undergraduate tuition and fees: $64,402 (2018)
Full-time and part-time acceptances: 1,027 (2018)
Dean: Kimberly A. Yuracko
- University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
The Law School at University of Michigan—Ann Arbor has an application deadline of Feb. 15. The full-time program application fee at the Law School at University of Michigan--Ann Arbor is $75. Its tuition is full-time: $59,762 (in-state) and full-time: $62,762 (out-of-state). The student-faculty ratio is 6.8:1.
Students at the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor Law School can get a jump-start on their legal education by beginning in the summer. About a quarter of students will enroll in Summer Start, an early education program that transitions students into Michigan Law and gives them more flexibility with course selection later in their academic career. In a typical year, the class at the Law School has about 315 students, roughly split between male and female.
Acceptance rate: 19.6% (2018)
Undergraduate tuition and fees: $62,762 (2018)
Full-time and part-time acceptances: 1,117 (2018)
Dean: Mark D. West
Notable alumni of Michigan Law School include Ann Coulter, a conservative political commentator and author; Valerie Jarrett, President Obama’s senior adviser; and Bob Woodruff, ABC News journalist.
Conclusion
If you go by percentages alone you will see that it’s not entirely impossible to get into one of these top-notch law schools. You just have to have the law school chops for these 10 as well as other law schools to believe in you.
So with that, study hard, impress the admissions staff with strong grades and LSAT scores and your even stronger personality, and you stand a chance to get into one of these 10 prestigious legal institutions.
